Emma's Animal Farm Essay

Yes, I had to write it for school. (Apologies for yesterday's post, I was quite tired.) Also, there may be some spoilers (if you've never heard of the Russian Revolution, that is). But it's pretty good, and here it is:

Animal Farm Essay (yes, creative title)

            Imagine a world in which there are no accessible records and the past is foggy. You rely only on your own memories. But the authorities tell you they are unreliable, shaky, inaccurate—and they are happy to provide juicy, realistic alternatives. What do you choose to believe? Such is the scenario in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where animals rule animals and nothing is certain. The farm is led by the pigs, who assure everyone that opinions and memories that do not align with theirs are incorrect and misinformed. Honest leaders trying to teach their followers? Hardly. Corrupt rulers who twist words and deform thoughts, the pigs of Animal Farm are excellent propagandists… and they do their job well.

            The first faint suggestion that something may be wrong comes from the mysterious disappearance of the milk. After the cows are milked for the first time, the animals ask what will be done with the products. Napoleon, one of the leading pigs, neatly blocks the milk from view and assures the animals on page 34 that it will “be attended to.” Jones used to give some to the chickens. What will Napoleon and Snowball do? The answer, as it turns out, is that the milk is equally shared and divided… among the pigs. Squealer justifies this by pointing out that the pigs’ “sole object in taking [the milk and apples]” is to keep the farm running, and because they are the ones who do so, they must be healthy—and, as he adds persuasively, “Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig” (42). Hard to argue with something that’s been “proved by Science.” Providing reasons is one of Squealer’s favourite techniques. Even if they are somewhat flimsy reasons, the animals accept them placidly and move on.

            What if reasons cannot be provided? Well, there is always flat-out denial. After all, the barely literate majority has no records and the pigs claim they do. Boxer, the ever-loyal workhorse, courageously points out that “Snowball fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. I saw him myself” (80). Squealer resolves Boxer’s doubt by assuring him that he is incorrect. Boxer holds Squealer’s voice in a higher regard than his own, and so he agrees easily when provided with a vivid description of what actually happened.  Snowball was actually on Jones’s side all along, according to Squealer. If the pigs can provide enticing lies that are easy to believe—perhaps easier than the truth—then the animals will gladly capitulate to reason.

            Even more compelling than reason, however, is fear. The pigs give the animals a common enemy: Jones, and, eventually, Snowball… though they come to represent the same thing—mankind’s oppression of animals. The entire mentality of the newly formed Animal Farm can “in effect be reduced to a single maxim, namely: ‘Four legs good, two legs bad’” (40). This is used frequently used by the pigs as a motivation—everything the animals do is centered around mankind. Getting the harvest in on time? It will show Jones they can do it better than he. Building a windmill? It will make Jones jealous. But as the story progresses, the mention of Jones is used for one purpose: to instill fear. The manipulative question “Surely you do not want Jones back?” is always present. The pigs already know the answer. They just want to make sure it sticks.

            The ending is darkly inevitable. The pigs become men, the men become pigs. Animal Farm is undeniably a success… but for whom? Not the animals, though their years of hard labor and dedication were what made it possible. Constantly decreasing rations and more hours of work can hardly be called a success, yet this is what they believe. The pigs got what they wanted from Animal Farm—an easier life, an abundant farm, an improvement from the time of Jones. It would have been impossible to enjoy their great prosperity without their cunning manipulation of language… and the fraudulent exploitation of the animals to whom they claim to be equal.