2009, Form B. Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
George Orwells's Animal Farm is a book with clearly political motives. The story was written during the prime of Stalinist Russia. The novel is about a group of animals on a farm and their struggles but the message seems to be much more meaningful.
In the novel a group of animals overthrow the unkind, often-drunk farmer and the pigs fill the role as the heads of the farm. The animal uprising against the farmer is very similar to the Bolshevik Revolution in which the Russian government was overthrown by the Bolshevik political group now called the Russian Communist Party. The brutal dominance and position of authority the pigs held after the farmer was killed mirrors that of soviet communism under Stalin.
These pigs completely dominate the farm and are a symbol of complete authority just as Stalin was in Soviet Russia. Things at the farm under the pigs rule end up being even worse than they were before as a horse is worked to death. This is similar to the way things were in Soviet Russia under Stalin. Stalin killed millions of people directly and millions of others indirectly through his repression. Under Stalin many people were worked to death, and many others were so poor that they starved to death.
This novel clearly speaks out against the way Stalin was running his country and communism in general. I think a message of the book is that absolute power is bad regardless. The animals were suffering under the farmer and they were suffering under the pigs as well because in both systems of rule the animals (other than the pigs) had no say in the governing of the farm. I think that the author is trying to convey the idea that communism will never work and that the people need to have a say in government.
The clear allusions in this novel to Stalinist Russia make this story much more captivating. The events on the farm closely mirror many of the events in Russia relating to communism. The allusions draw on a much deeper meaning to the story and it made the novel appeal to a high number of people during the peak of Stalinist communism and the fear of communism in the Americas (the red scare). This novel hit home with many Americans who were witnessing all of the awful things happening in russia.
Great response. You did a very good job explaining the political allusions and and the meaning of the piece, but I would try to include more literary elements. These should be what lead you to finding the meaning. And how do these literary devices further explore the issues?
ReplyDeleteNice! You seem to really understand the political relations used in Animal Farm. I remember reading this book in 8th grade and I couldn't make those connections on my own. From your essay, I felt that you left out how the literary elements used throughout the novel affect the meaning. Something I would of liked to see is how the language affects the meaning.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good essay. I think that you could elaborate more on the literary elements and how it supports to the meaning of the essay as Nicci and Roz have said. but your analysis of the political size is great. You did a fantastic job.
ReplyDelete