The novel, Animal Farm, was written by George Orwell and
was published in 1946. The story is about a farm in England
around the time of the Russian revolution. The animals on
Manor Farm are irritated with the way they are being
treated, so they start a revolution. The pigs, who were the
smartest animals on the farm, took control of the farm while
the other animals worked. Throughout the novel the pigs lie
to the other animals and change the rules, of the farm to
accommodate themselves. George Orwell's real name was
Eric Blair. He was born in 1903. He went to school at Eton,
and after service with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, he
returned to Europe to earn his living writing novels and
essays. He was a political writer who wrote of his own
times. He was a man of intense feelings and fierce hates. He
hated cant and lying and cruelty in life and in literature. He
was critical of communism but was himself a Socialist. The
setting for Animal Farm is Manor Farm in England during the
time of the Russian revolution. The farm is enourmous. The
farm has been enlarged by two fields bought from Mr.
Pilkington, and various new buildings had been added. One
of the major characters in the novel, Animal Farm, is
Nepoleon. Napoleon, after driving Snowball, another pig
who was trying to take over the farm, off the farm, took
over. Nepoleon says one thing, and does the other, takes
other peoples ideas, and he is the biggest liar on the farm.
Nepoleon took the freedom of the animals, that they had
gained from the revolution, and twisted it so that now instead
of being enslaved by the farmer, they were enslaved by him.
In the novel, Animal Farm, the animals speak with a Russian
accent. For instance, the word "comrade" is used often. The
pigs mostly use a Russian accent, but the other animals
mainly use an American accent. Animal Farm is about a farm
in England during the Russian revolution. The animals on
Manor Farm are fed up with the way they are being treated.
Inspired by a speech given to them by a late animal named
Major, the animals revolt. The animals drive the owner off
the farm and take over. The pigs who were the smartest
animals took control, set up rules, and kept the farm
together. Throughout the years on the farm the pigs lie to the
other animals about, if they work hard, all the luxuries they
would receive. The years pasted and the animals worked
harder and harder, but they never received their benefits.
The pigs on the other hand did not work at all but lived in
comfort. The pigs also lie to the animals and change the rules
to accommodate themselves. For instance, in the beginning
of the novel no animal was allowed to walk on two legs,
drink alcohol, or sleep in human beds, because those were
human luxuries and humans were considered evil. After the
pigs discovered the pleasures of these luxuries, then the rules
were animals were not allowed to drink excessively, to sleep
with sheets, and walking on two legs was better than walking
on four. At the end of the story, one could not tell if the pigs
were human or not. One the themes of Animal Farm is
Communism. Throughout the book the pigs who represent
the communists, enslave the animals. They make them
believe by working hard they will be rewarded, but they
never got rewarded. Another theme could be selfishness.
Throughout the novel the pigs have the animals do all the
work and they take all the food. The pigs change the rules to
accommodate themselves. The moral consideration of
Animal Farm is that power corrupts people. After the farmer
was overthrown the pigs took power. After the power shift
the pigs changed, they started to become more like the
humans . They used beds and clothes, drank liquor, and
made money. They went against everything they first said
they stood for. The novel, Animal Farm, expressed the
concept of communism well. The writer uses the element of
for shadowing in a way that, every time the pigs changed a
rule or lied to the other animals, one could tell that they were
becoming more and more like the humans, and eventually at
the end of the story they practically did.