Animal Farm (Essay Sample)

Animal farm
Name
Institution
Date
Animal farm
George Orwell uses the animal farm to show that even governments which have very stable beginnings can become corrupt under certain instances. Power tends to corrupt but absolute power corrupts absolutely. This statement provides the basis for understanding fully the effects of power on the heads of state and it helps in bringing out the main theme in the novel (Scalia, 2012: 84). This is depicted majorly by the use of social classifications and class struggles. There is the use of phrases like… All animals are equal…but some are more equal than others.
Throughout Orwell’s novel, one of the most prominent themes as mentioned earlier is the inevitability of the class and the social stratification as well as the problems faced by the working class majorly in their relationship to power structures. The lower animals in the Animal Farm who comprise of the working class and those who are not part of the Napoleon’s intimate circle are hard workers and rarely do they complain. This is despite the fact that they seem to realize that some foul play is happening around. Even with this kind of awareness, they still do not rise up to fight for what is right. As a result, they are the major reason why the utopian social experiment of Animalism failed.
Throughout this novel, another theme that is closely related to this also emerges. The idea of the inevitable class stratification can somewhat be extended incorporate that even though the animal’s lack of realization of the about the verbal manipulation was genuine, because they believed that the working class, where they belonged, is unable, despite it appearing as one with authority to walk out of the oppression of those in authority.
Even though there exists a number of issues that relate to the power of language, the rhetoric and words within the Animal Farm, the overwhelming sentiment that is found at the end of the shows that the animals low in status have a tendency of realizing too late what has happened. This therefore means that no real change takes place throughout the novel except for the variance in the faces that represent the people. It’s the leadership that changes but people problems still remains the same (Bloom, 2006: 83).
It might be very difficult to put aside more critical biographical slants that have been used in this novel. It however must be remembered that the ideas of this novel, Animal Farm came from George’s perception of modern politics and society. The working class are generally viewed as being sympathetic but not at all times. Going back to the already mentioned thesis statement, it’s suggested that these people are always guilty of being perceived as sheep. They are seen as sheep because they follow a follow a leader and they rarely rise up to air their discontentment while the pigs keep on growing authoritatively. A scholar once said that George generally praised the working class because of their stoicism and hard work but he does not recognize their intelligence and leadership skills. Workers are considered not just as ordinary men and women with limited educational intellectual horizon but also as being inherently mentally inferior.
It’s however evident that George’s view of the working class is true in that all the animals except pigs are prone to abiding by what they are told and even though they have might, in strength and numbers, they are extremely docile and obedient. Despite the efforts that are made to make them learn how to read, many of them failed hence making them more prone to manipulation. A good instance is seen where one animal murders the other whom they think is traitor. Being that these people have little brain capacity that is to mean, they cannot think outside the box, they are convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that killings is not allowed.
This makes them unable to interpret the law. They only stick to the already perceived ideas. Here they are reminded of one of the laws No animal shall kill any other without a cause. When thinking critically, it might be because they failed to understand the last part which mentions that without a cause. In this case it’s seen that the commandment had not been violated because the person who was killed was a traitor who tried league themselves with the Snowball (Orwell, 1984: 98). The working class are thus considered as ignorant because they cannot read and fathom meaning from the written words. Furthermore, they are unwilling to see that it was still a violation, even if the root cause was to do away with the traitors. As a result, the working class are easily manipulated hence contributing to a larger percentage of the downfall of the whole experiment which might lead to crumbling down of the experiment that is attempting to create a utopia in Animal Farm even though in real sense this seems unattainable.
The working class are also represented by majority of the animals to belong to the lowest in the spectrum throughout the book. Through this, it seems the writer is trying to make a statement about the societal structure as a whole. It might be very hard not to say that Karl Marx and other economic theorists as we see the power centre unfolding and then collapses thus leaving the working class to wake up. The writer’s idea however is not for us to feel sympathetic towards the working for their sufferings but to see the ruin they have brought on themselves for failing embrace education.
A good example is seen in Napoleon who lacks the skills to produce to produce but when he grasps power, he benefits much from the socialised system. Boxer on the other hand is endowed with numerous skills but does not gain power, and as a result depletes his resources hence the loser from the system. The Boxer here does not only refer to the one in the novel but in the real world. This is how the systems of in real life situations operate.
Still on the Boxer, it is seen that when Old Major is still alive, he informs the strong horse in a quote saying…Boxer, the very day your great muscle lose power, Jones wills sell you to the Knacker. This would then be taken as the greatest treachery among the animals. Things however does not work out as expected. It’s later seen that it the animals that does it to them. The death of Bo...