ANIMAL FARM AS ANIMAL SATIREA Research Paper

Submitted to

Prof.Dr. Joshua M.Bear

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

for

FLE 422 Senior Research Seminar

by

Rıdvan KOKRUT

Middle East Technical University

June, 1997

Table Of ContentS

ABSTRACT..........................................i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................

1. CHAPTER

THE AUTHOR: GEORGE ORWELL........................

1.1. PRESENTATION...................................................................

1.2. HIS LIFE...............................................................................

1.3. HIS TIME: POLITICAL BACKGROUND..................................

1.3.1. THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION..............

1.3.2. THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR...............

1.4. ORWELL AND THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR..............................

1.5. ANIMAL FARM.....................................................................

2. CHAPTER

SATIRE...........................................

2.1. PRESENTATION...................................................................

2.2. WHAT IS SATIRE?.................................................................

2.2.1. DEFINITION..........................

2.2.2. CHARACTERISTICS OF SATIRE...........

2.2.3. TECHNIQUES OF SATIRE................

3. CHAPTER

METHOD OF RESEARCH...............................

3.1. PRESENTATION...................................................................

3.2. PROCEDURE.........................................................................

4. CHAPTER

ANIMAL FARM AS SATIRE............................

4.1. PRESENTATION...................................................................

4.2. ELEMENTS OF SATIRE IN ANIMAL FARM............................

4.2.1. SUMMARY OF THE PLOT.................

4.2.2. SATIRICAL TECHNIQUES IN ANIMAL FARM.

4.2.2.1. APPROACH TO THE SUBJECT..........

4.2.2.2. VIEW POINT.......................

4.2.2.3. CHARACTERISATION.................

4.2.2.4. IRONY............................

4.2.2.5. COMPARISON OF ANIMAL FARM AND

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION.......

5. CHAPTER

CONCLUSION.......................................

5.1. SUMMARY OF THE STUDY....................................................

5.2. CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY..............................................

REFERENCES.........................................

ABSTRACT

Animal Farm as Political Satire

KORKUT, Rıdvan

Supervisor: Assoc.Prof. Dr. Joshua M. Bear

This study aims to determine that GeorgeOrwell's Animal Farm is a political satire which waswritten to criticise totalitarian regimes andparticularly Stalin's practices in Russia. In orderto provide background information that would revealcauses led Orwell to write Animal Farm, Chapter oneis devoted to a brief summary of the progress ofauthor's life and significant events that had impacton his political convictions. Chapter one alsopresents background information about Animal Farm.Chapter two is devoted to satire. In this chapter,definition of satire is presented and some importantcharacteristics of satire are discussed. In chapterthree, the method of this research is described.Under the light of information presented in the

i

previous chapters, Chapter four discusses Animal Farmand focuses on the book as a political satire. Thelast chapter presents the conclusion of this study.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would first like to express my sincere thanks

to my thesis supervisor, Assoc.Prof. Dr. Jashua M.

Bear for his help and freedom he gave me in this

study. Without his understanding this thesis would

never have been completed.

I also wish to thank my sister Fidan Korkut for

her suggestions in the planning stage of this study

and her endurance during my long study days at home.

ii

My special thanks go to Özgür Ceylan, who

constantly granted me her moral support. She was

always there when I needed her.

iii

1 CHAPTERTHE AUTHOR: GEORGE ORWELL

1.1 Presentation

This chapter introduces general information

about George Orwell's life. It includes chronological

progress of his life and his political convictions.

Furthermore, important events, such as The Russian

Revolution and The Spanish Civil War which had

significant influence on his commitment to write

Animal Farm will be discussed. Lastly, general

information about Animal Farm will be given.

1.2 His Life

The British author George Orwell, pen name of

Eric Arthur Blair, was born in Motihari, India, June

25, 1903. His father was an important British civil

servant in India, which was then part of the British

Empire. A few years after Eric was born, he retired

on a low pension and moved back to England. Though

their income was not much enough, the Blair family

sent their son away to boarding school which was an

exclusive preparatory school, to prepare him for Eton

Collage. Eric then won a scholarship to Eton Collage.

During his education from the age of eight to

eighteen, as he wrote in his essay about his school

experiences titled "Such, Such Were the Joys," he

experienced many things about the “world where the

prime necessities were money, titled relatives,

athleticism, tailor-made clothes", inequality,

oppression and class distinctions in the schools of

England (In Ball,1984).

After the education at Eton College in England,

Eric joined the Indian Imperial Police in British-

Ruled Burma in 1922. There he witnessed oppression

again, but this time he was looking at things from

the top. Having served five years in Burma, he

resigned in 1927 and turned back to Europe and lived

in Paris for more than a year. Though he wrote novels

and short stories he found nobody to get them

published. He worked as a tutor and even as a

dishwasher in Paris. During his poor days in Paris,

he once more experienced the problems of the

oppressed, the helpless and lower class people.

In 1933, After having many experiences about

the life at the bottom of society, he wrote Down and

Out in Paris and London and published it under his pen

name "George Orwell." After a year in 1934 he

published his novel Burmese Days, which he reflected

his experiences there. Then, he published A Clergyman's

Daughter in 1935, and Keep the Aspidistra Flying in 1936.

In 1936, his publisher wanted Orwell to go to

the English coal-mining country and write about it

which was another important experience in his life.

He wrote The Road to Wigan Pier to reflect what he saw

there, the real poverty of people of the Lancashire

Town of Wigan, and published it in 1937 (Ball, 1984).

1937 was the year that Orwell who for some time

had been describing himself as "pro-socialist" (BALL,

1984) joined the Republican forces in the Spanish

Civil War. When the Communists attempted to eliminate

their allies on the far left, he fought against them

and was wounded in the fighting, later was forced to

flee for his life. His experience in this war was to

have the most significant impact on his political

thoughts and his later works.

In 1938, Orwell wrote Homage to Catalonia, which

recounts his experiences fighting for the Republicans

in the Spanish Civil War. One of his best-known books

reflecting his lifelong distrust of dictatorial

government, whether of the left or right, Animal Farm,

a modern beast-fable attacking Russian Revolution,

Stalinism and totalitarianism, was published in 1945,

and Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian novel setting forth

his fears of an intrusively bureaucratised state of

the future was published in 1949. His first fame was

brought by these two novels and they were the only

ones which made a profit for him as a writer

(Ball,1984).

Orwell died at the early age of forty-seven of

a neglected lung ailment in London, Jan. 21, 1950.

1.3 His Time: Political Background

In his essay "Why I Write", Orwell (1947) says:

I do not think one can assess a writer'smotives without knowing something of hisearly development. His subject matterwill be determined by the age he lives in-- at least this is true in tumultuous,revolutionary ages like our own--

Taking Orwell's his own words into

consideration, in order to get a better understanding

of his works and particularly of his political satire

Animal Farm, we should look at his political

convictions, and the historical context which

influenced Orwell and inspired him to write. Very few

authors develop essays explaining the motivation

behind their writing. Orwell was of one them.

Therefore in order to understand his motivations, his

essay "Why I Write" would be the most appropriate

source to be looked at.

Orwell was a political writer and according to

him he was 'forced' to be a writer by the

circumstances under which he has become aware of his

'political loyalties'. His Burma and Paris days

increased his 'natural hatred of authority' and 'made

him aware of the existence of the working classes.

(Orwell, 1947)

As mentioned above, he described himself as

“pro-Socialist.” What he was longing for was a

society in which there would be no class

distinctions, and he named his ideal ideology

"democratic socialism". He says "every line of

serious work that I have written since 1936 has been

directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for

democratic socialism " (Orwell, 1947)

There are two significant events that have

great influence on Orwell's political thoughts: The

Russian revolution that took place in the second

decade of 20th century and The Spanish Civil War

between 1936 and 1939.

1.3.1The Russian Revolution

Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917 was the

first great revolution which aimed at to overthrow

the owners of the means of production, that is

Capitalist Bourgeoisie, and to establish a state to

be ruled by the working class, the Proletariat.

Ideological basis of the revolution was taken from

the philosophy of Karl Marx and Frederick Angels who

believed that the history of the world was the

history of a struggle between classes- between ruling

classes and ruled classes (Hançerlioğlu, 1976). Marx

was very critical of industrial capitalist society in

which there are many cruel injustices and men are

exploited by men. Out of his analysis of Capitalist

system, he attained a vision of ending these

injustices and establishing a society in which there

would be no social classes and everybody would be

equal. To him, in order to achieve this end the only

way was a revolution made by the working class or the

Proletariat against the Bourgeoisie. After revolution

working classes would own the means of production.

Marx called the new order that would be set after

revolution "dictatorship of the Proletariat" which

eventually replaced with a classless society

(Hançerlioğlu, 1976).

In October 1917, V.I. Lenin, led the socialist

(Bolshevik) revolution in Russia. After the

revolution was a four-year bloody civil war. During

this war Red Army of the revolution organised and

headed by Leon Trotsky had to fight against both

Russians who were loyal to Czar and foreign troops

(The Academic American Encyclopaedia, 1995).

After Lenin died in 1924, a struggle between

Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky started for the

leadership of the Communist Party. Stalin gained

priority over Trotsky and; in 1925 Trotsky with

several other members ousted from Politburo (the

chief executive and political committee of the

Communist Party); in 1927 Trotsky and his followers

expelled from Party; Stalin took the control. Later

Trotsky was exiled and in 1929 he was deported. In

1940 he was assassinated. During this period, Stalin

always denounced Trotsky as a traitor (Ball, 1929).

In the following years, Russia witnessed that

Stalin started to take all power only in his hands.

In 1930's, many people were arrested. After public

trials most of the opposing elements were eliminated.

Stalin has been accused of being a very cruel

dictator. However, Nikita Khrushchev, who ruled USSR

between 1958-1964 and who was very critical of

Stalin's crimes and non-human practices said in 1956

that:

Stalin believed that all his practiceswas necessary in order to defend thebenefits of labourers. He looked at thesepractices from the view point of thebenefit of socialism and labourers. Thus,we cannot define his practices as of agiddy cruel despot. Here, it is the alltragedy (Hançerlioğlu, 1979).

1.3.2The Spanish Civil War

In 1936, General Francisco Franco led a

military coup in Spain, plunging the country into

civil war. Franklin Rosemont in his article "Spanish

revolution of 1936" defines the beginning of the

revolution as follows:

When Franco's fascist troops invadedSpain in July 1936 with the purpose ofoverthrowing the young and unstableRepublic, the Spanish working classresponded by making a revolution thatwent much further toward realising theclassless and stateless ideal ofproletarian socialism than any precedingpopular revolt. Spontaneously and almostovernight, workers seized factories andother workplaces; land was collectivised;workers' militias were formed throughoutthe country; the church--age-old enemy ofall working-class radicalism and indeed,openly profascist--was dismantled, andits property confiscated; establishedpolitical institutions disintegrated orwere taken over by workers' committees(Rosemont, 1988).

Yet, between 1936 and 1939 the military rising

originating in Morocco, headed by General Francisco

Franco, spreads rapidly all over the country, After a

number of bloody battles in which fortunes changed

from one side to the other. Finally, Nationalist

forces occupied the capital, Madrid, on March 28,

1939, and on April 1, General Franco officially ended

the war (The Academic American Encyclopaedia).

1.4 Orwell And The Spanish Civil War

David Ball (1984) points out three experiences

in the Spanish Civil War that were important for

Orwell: atmosphere of Comradeship and respect, what

happened to his fellow fighters and what happened

when he returned to England and reported what he had

seen.

After spending very poor days in Paris, Orwell

went to Spain to fight for the Republicans in the

Spanish Civil War. When he arrived Barcelona, he

found an elating "atmosphere of Comradeship and

respect". People were friendly and addressing each

other "comrade". To Orwell, relations in the militia

group he joined were the same and this made him feel

that socialism was in action there.

But later on, he was disappointed by what

happened to his arm friends who were imprisoned and

killed by their own "comrades" who were of Communist-

dominated elements of the Republican government that

they were fighting for. Communists believed that the

communist ideas were betrayed by the militia group

that Orwell belonged to. After he was wounded Orwell

went back to England for remedy and was saved from

being killed by his "comrades".

When he returned England he reported what he

witnessed in the war, but Socialists strongly

resisted to understand what he told about the

practices of communists in Spain. The reason was that

it was not the right time to publicise all these

things while the war was going on and this

information would harm Republican’s position in the

war. After this bad experience, he started to be more

critical of British socialists and of communism. He

wrote in his article "The Spanish war and other

events in 1936-37 turned the scale and thereafter I

knew where I stood." (Orwell, 1947)

1.5 Animal Farm

Through his questioning of his own experiences

in Burma and Spain and communists' practices in USSR,

Orwell began to develop a rejection of totalitarian

systems. He was also denouncing the acceptance of

soviet regime by the left-wing people of other

countries and particularly of England without

questioning in depth. For Michael Shelden, "the idea

for the book" which was to serve Orwell's desire to

"make a forceful attack, in an imaginative way, on

the sustaining myths of Soviet communism had been in

the back of his mind since his return from Spain"

(Shelden, 1991, p. 399). Another author Peter Davison

points out that, besides Orwell's experience in

Spain, Animal Farm "originated from the incident that

suggested its genre: the little boy driving a huge

cart-horse, which could easily overwhelm the child

had realised its own strength."(Davison, 1996, p.125)

Shortly after he published Animal Farm, Orwell

(1947) in his essay titled "Why I Write" wrote about

his goals in writing his book:

Animal Farm was the first book in which Itried, with full consciousness of what Iwas doing, to fuse political purpose andartistic purpose into one whole. I havenot written a novel for seven years, butI hope to write another fairly soon. Itis bound to be a failure, every book is afailure, but I do know with some claritywhat kind of book I want to write.

When Orwell finished his book, no one wanted to

publish it. Since, like his efforts to publicise

reality after he returned from Spain, for many

people, and of course for publishers, it was the very

wrong time to attack Soviet myth, particularly when

the World War-II was going on and Russia was

Britain's ally. Consequently the book was published

in Britain on 17 August 1945, after the war was over,

and sold more than 25.000 hard copies in five years.

When it published in the State in 1946, it sold about

590.000 in four years (Shelden, 1991).

The book was a satire on totalitarian regime of

Stalin in Russia. Many people thought (and still

think) that the book reveals Orwell's opposition to

the ideology that was prevailing in Russia. As

Michael Shelden states, the book "caught the popular

imagination just when the Cold War beginning to make

itself felt. For many years 'anti-Communists' enjoyed

it as a propaganda weapon in that war" (Shelden,

1991, p.404). But this interpretation of the book was

completely opposes to the real intention of the book.

As Roger Fowler reports, in his preface to the

Ukrainian edition of Animal Farm, written in 1947,

Orwell writes that his aim with Animal Farm was not

only to attack and to criticise Soviet Communism, but

to attack "Soviet Myth" as received in Britain. To

him, this myth was giving harm to the Socialist

movement (Fowler, 1995, p. 163).

Animal Farm might leave a kind of pessimism on

readers who have knowledge of historical background

that inspired Orwell to write it. For instance, one

possible pessimistic view that can be derived from

Animal Farm is the impossibility of establishing a

social system in which there would be no inequality

between individuals and there would be no individuals

or groups of people who apt to make use of power just

for their benefits. Another possible pessimistic view

of those who rely on socialism or communism would be

that: even socialism, which is claimed to be a more

egalitarian system, would be turned into a

dictatorship by human beings' desire for power.

Actually, the point that Orwell intended to

give emphasis is not the ideology itself, but the

human nature. As Christopher Hollis (1962) explains,

"The lesson of Animal Farm is clearly not merely the

corrupting effect of power when exercised by

Communists, but the corrupting effect of power when

exercised by anybody" (In Yemenici, 1997).

Finally, for a better understanding of Orwell's

intention, it is the best way to consult Orwell

himself. Shelden (1991) quotes Orwell's letter he

sent to Dwight Macdonald in America in which he

expresses his intentions in writing Animal Farm. The

letter included his arguments against pessimistic

view of his book:

Of course I intended it primarily as asatire on the Russian Revolution. But Idid mean it to have a wider applicationin so much that I meant that that kind ofrevolution (violent conspiratorialrevolution, led by unconsciously power-hungry people) can only lead to a changeof masters. I meant the moral to be thatrevolutions only effect a radicalimprovement when the masses are alert andknow how o chuck out their leaders assoon as the latter have done their job.The turning point of the story wassupposed to be when the pigs kept themilk for themselves (Kronstad). If theother animals had had the sense to puttheir foot down then, it would have beenall right ... what I was trying to saywas, 'You can't have a revolution unlessyou make it for yourself; there is no

such thing as a benevolent dictatorship(p.407).

2 ChapterSATIRE

2.1 Presentation

This chapter is devoted to the information

about satire. After the definition of satire, its

significant characteristics, and some techniques used

in satire will be discussed.

2.2 What Is Satire?

2.2.1Definition

There are many different ways to reveal one's

perception of life and its reflection by a person. In

art for instance, the reflection may be revealed in

the form of a sculpture, a song or a picture. Satire

is one the ways that the reaction or perception of

life is expressed. Since people look at life from

19

different stand points, as matter of fact, they

naturally perceive it in numerous ways. As a result

of the variety in perception, the way of revealing

the effects or reflections of these perceptions also

shows variety.

Originally, the word "satire" comes from "the

Latin word for medley, satura; the impression that it

is to do with the word "satyr" is a popular delusion"

(Abrams, 1986, p.2598). it is a way of revealing the

reaction to what is perceived, with a mixture of

laughter and outrage. In The Quarterly Journal of

Contemporary Satire the description of satire is given

as "a work in which vices, follies, stupidities,

abuses, etc. are held up to ridicule and contempt."

In the preface to The Battle of the Books, Jonathan Swift,

who claimed that satire is therapeutic, describes

satire as "A sort of glass wherein beholders do

generally discover everybody's face but their own"

(In Bozkurt, 1977, p.71).

20

Bozkurt (1977), offers two fundamental types of

satire: Horatian and Juvenalian satire. These types

are named for two Roman poets Horace and Jevenal, the

most differentiated practitioner of them. As Bozkurt

reports, both of them were critical of the Roman

society but while the former was more "gentle,

urbane, smiling and tolerant", the latter was

"severe" and angry. Horatian satire is purpose is to

sort out society through a "gentle and broadly

sympathetic laughter." On the other hand, Juvelian

satire is "bitter, angry, misanthropic" or cynical.

It approaches to its subject with a degrading and

disrespecting manner (Bozkurt, 1977, p. 68).

2.2.2Characteristics of Satire

People, in their everyday life, always use

satire in order to respond several events going on in

their environs. The main purpose of using satire is

to attack and intensely criticise the target subject.

It also includes aggressiveness toward the subject

being criticised. As a matter of fact, satire should

21

include more than these in order to be accepted as a

satirical work. It must, for instance, include

aesthetic features like different sound and meaning

patterns that can give pleasure to the readers.

Furthermore, the satirist should deal with

problematic subjects that are known by many people.

In doing so, the satirist should abstract the setting

of satire from the world. Mostly, this imaginary

world is of non-human beings, as in beast fables like

Animal Farm or, as in Gulliver's Travels and Alice in Wonderland,

a world that possibly would not exist or in which the

real world is turned upside down. Primary reason for

abstraction is to move readers from the concrete

reality, and so, while entertaining them through a

fantastic setting to provide them with a critical

vision. Richard (1976) calls this element of satire

"fantasy". He says.

The satirist does not paint an objectivepicture of the evils he describes, sincepure realism would be too oppressive.Instead he usually offers us a travestyof the situation, which at once directs

22

our attention to actuality and permits anescape from it. ... It is written forentertainment, but contains sharp andtelling comments on the problems of theworld in which we live, offering'imaginary gardens with real toads inthem'.

As mentioned above, people approach problems,

subjects etc. in different ways so do authors. The

satirist differs from authors of other types of

literature with regard to its way of dealing with his

subject. In novel or drama, for example, the target

subject is dealt with directly. In the Cherry Orchard,

Chekhov deals with social change in Russia and how

people react to it. His characters are real persons

that can be found in the society as they are

described in the play. On the hand, it is impossible

to find a real Napoleon or Lilliputian in a society.

Since, they are just symbols of particular types of

people.

In this sense, the satirist use high level of

symbolism. One reason for using symbols might be that

it provides the author with an absolute freedom to23

attack his targets through their images he created

which seemingly have no relation with the reality. As

Richard (1976) notices, the satirist often aims at

"to deflate false heroes, imposters or charlatans,

who claim a respect which is not their due, the

vehicle he chooses for this is usually the mock-

heroic." Therefore, in order to operate his attack

and mockery towards these so-called heroes who might

be leaders of a country or people of prestigiousness,

without any restriction the satirist uses symbols.

Since the main topic of satire is politics

which is throughout the history considered a dirty

business, writing political satire is very risky, but

on the other hand it would be very rewardful. As

remarked before, after he published his two satires,

Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell was to be one

of the greatest authors of literature, as mentioned

above he hardly find a publisher for Animal Farm, and

published it after a year he finished it.

24

In order to achieve his end says Richard

(1976), the satirist "must use some of the basic

strategies of satire." He also should "commit himself

boldly to his 'impure' subject, yet retain a purity

of attitude, in his aesthetic disengagement from the

vulgarities and stupidities of the struggle." Richard

(1976) continues his argument by adding that what

distinguishes satire from other kinds of literature

is its approach to the subject. Therefore its

subject-matter forms the most important aspect of

satire. Despite he introduces the cruellest facts of

life, the satirist mean to make people laugh and In

order to make people laugh, he employs some

techniques.

2.2.3Techniques of Satire

The satirist may use different forms of

literature in prose or verse. But for the satirist

some particular techniques are necessary to achieve

his aim. Richard (1976) suggests two main techniques

25

that the satirist use: the first one is reduction and

the other one is invective and irony.

Reduction is the act of decreasing or reducing

something. It is the main means of the satirist to

attack his subject. People can more easily criticise

those who they can laugh at. Since, laughter loosen

muscles and is anatomically relaxing. if you laugh at

someone, then your critical mechanism are set free,

your criticism is revealed easily. Through reduction

the satirist aims at to make the reader laugh at his

subject. Degrading, says Richard (1976) may be

employed "on the level of plot and will almost he

continued to the level of style and language." He

puts Gulliver's Travels as the most outstanding example of

reduction. Animal world is continually used by the

satirist for this aim.

Invective is the expression of bitter deep-

seated ill will. As it can be expected the satirist,

writing satire, expose himself to counter-attacks by

those who attacked. Richard (1976 )says:

26

this danger becomes the greater, the morethe writer is committed to invective andabuse. Invective is of course one of hismost useful weapons, and it is an art itsown: it requires elegance of form to setoff grossness of content, and learnedallusiveness to set off open insult. Butalthough invective has the sanction ofholy writ, the best satirist use it onlyoccasionally, for shock effect (p.130).

Irony is one of the figure of speeches. It

includes the reverse meaning of what is said. It is

one of the main devices of which the satirist make

use. As Richard (1976) wrote,

"Irony assumes double meaning and doubleaudience one of which is deceived by thesurface meaning of the words, and anotherthat catches the hidden sense and laughswith the deceiver at the expense of thedeceived. In order to operate irony, thesatirist uses imaginary or fictionalcharacters or events by which s/he allowthe double flow of meaning to bemaintained (p.130).

27

3 ChapterMETHOD OF RESEARCH

3.1 Presentation

This chapter is concerned with the procedure of

the research which was carried out to collect

necessary sources for the study and method of the

study.

3.2 Procedure

Since the subject of this study mainly concerns

with George Orwell's Animal Farm, first the book was

read. After reading the book, sources about George

Orwell's life and Animal Farm were cited. When

investigating Orwell's intention in writing the book

and his political convictions, mainly his essays were

used as primary sources. During this period it was

found that the Spanish Revolution was of great28

influence. Information on the Spanish War was mainly

drawn from secondary sources.

Since the book is strongly related to the

Russian Revolution, Socialism, Communism and Marxism,

several sources and Internet sites were searched for

to find out important dates and events in the

Revolution, and to gather basic information about the

principles of above maintained ideologies. In the

parts related to these subjects of the study, again,

mostly secondary sources were used.

Information about Satire is mainly drawn from

secondary sources.

Finally, comparison of Animal Farm and the

Russian Revolution in terms of characters, events and

some specific elements, mainly based on the

information gathered from primary and secondary

sources.

29

30

4 ChapterANIMAL FARM AS SATIRE

4.1 Presentation

In this chapter, under the light of information

given in the chapter-1 and chapter-2, Animal Farm will

be examined. It aims at to show the elements of

satire in Animal Farm, and to compare characters,

events and some elements of Animal Farm and The

Russian Revolution

4.2 Elements of Satire In Animal Farm

Orwell, as quoted before, clearly explains that

his main purpose for writing Animal Farm was to write a

satire on the Russian Revolution (In Shelden, 1991,

p.399). Through animal satire, Orwell attacks on the

Stalin's practices in Russia and in wider scope, on

totalitarian regimes. Taking Bozkurt's (1977)

classification into consideration, Animal Farm would be

said to be a Juvenial satire. Since, it is clearly

seen that Orwell bitterly criticise Russian Communism

and Stalin.

4.2.1Summary of The Plot

One night after Farmer Jones has gone to bed

drunk, all the animals of Manor Farm meet in the barn

for a meeting. Old Major, the prize Middle White

boar, wants to tell them about a strange dream he

had. First, he narrate "the nature of life" as he has

come to understand it. Animals, though work very

hard, suffer and "are given just so much food as will

keep the breath in" their bodies. When they are no

longer useful, they are cruelly slaughtered by human,

their major enemy, enslaves all animals. To Major,

there is only one way to get rid of this miserable

life; to "work night and day, body and soul, for the

overthrow of the human race" who "the only creature

that consumes without producing." Man must be removed

and for this aim all animals must be united for their

common goal and they should Rebel.

Three months after Major's death, the animals

rebel against Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, and

expel all humans. The pigs, "who were generally

recognised as being the cleverest of the animals"

(Orwell, 1972, p.15) take over the administration of

the farm. The pigs establish the basic principles of

the new system Animalism and reduced them to Seven

Commandments which are written of the wall. Two of

the pigs, Napoleon and Snowball then start to compete

for the power. Snowball develops a windmill project

to make life easier in the farm. Napoleon opposes

this idea. Meanwhile, Napoleon is busy with educating

the young.

Jones and other farmers attack the farm in

order to take control again. But the united animals

resisted and managed to repulse them. After the war,

the competition between Snowball and Napoleon becomes

more self evident. Later, Napoleon, with the help of

the dogs he has been training, expels Snowball from

the farm by force. This changes the course of events.

Napoleon and other pigs granted themselves as

privileged. Since, they are "the brain-workers" who

have manage and organise everything in the farm.

Napoleon later declares that they will build the

windmill and explains that he has never opposed to

this idea.

For the pigs, Snowball becomes a scape-goat.

They accuse him of being responsible for anything

goes wrong. When the windmill is destroyed, they put

blame on Snowball.

Then the pigs start to trade with human.

Meanwhile they start to change Seven Commandments in

order to justify what they do. Years pass, and the

windmill collapses three times. Each time Snowball is

blamed for doing this. After this period, Napoleon is

no more simply "Napoleon", but the "Father of All

Animals, Terror of Mankind', Protector of the Sheep-

fold', Ducklings' Friend and the like" (Orwell, 1972,

p.79-80).

Gradually, the life in the farm turns out to be

the same of Mr. Jones' time. The animals are given

little food. On the other hand the dogs and the pigs

benefit from trade with humans.

At the end, they move into Mr. Jones' farm

house and start to behave like humans: now they are

"walking on their hind legs", wearing human clothes.

Napoleon starts to carry "a whip in his trotter"

(Orwell, 1972, p. 113).

The story ends with a meeting of the pigs and

humans in which Napoleon declares that "their sole

wish, now and in the past, was to live at peace and

in normal business relations with their neighbours"

and that "the name 'Animal Farm' had been abolished"

and "the farm was to be known as the 'Manor Farm' -

which, he believed, was its correct and original

name" (Orwell, 1972, p. 118-119). Other animals

looking through the window of farm house, amazingly

can not distinguish the pigs from the humans: "the

creature outside looked from pig to man, and from man

to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was

impossible to say which was which." (Orwell, 1972, p.

120).

4.2.2Satirical Techniques in Animal Farm

4.2.2.1 Approach to the Subject

The plot of Animal Farm Animal shows great

parallelism with the events took place in Russia.

Orwell believed that Russian Revolution is betrayed,

and in the book wants us to see how the ideals and

hopes of revolution changed by those who are eager

for power. The plot, particularly the final

transformation of the pigs reveals Orwell's

assumption that through revolutions only tyrants are

changed (Yemenici, 1997) and as Hollis (1962) puts

"power inevitably corrupts and revolutions therefore

inevitably fail their purpose (In Yemenici, 1997).

Orwell was very critical of communists'

implementation in Russia. His intention in writing

Animal Farm, as he says, was a satire on Russian

Revolution (In Shelden, 1991). From the very

beginning of the story, he approaches the revolution

in a very ironic manner. For instance during the

meeting of the animals in the first chapter, Orwell

describes the setting in such a way that we the

readers can observe that even all animals assembled

in the bran for a common aim, there is a natural

hierarchy between animal which is revealed through

the description of seating plan of the animals in the

barn. The old Major is "on his bed of straws on a

sort of platform." Then, the pigs "settled down in

immediately in front of the platform." And the horse

"Boxer is not of first rate of intelligence." In

short, through his characterisation of the animals,

Orwell presents us a picture of a society in which

there is always a hierarchy between individuals.

In the meeting Orwell make us feel that there

would be problems for solidarity and equality of the

members of the farm. For instance, in his speech,

just after Major says that "all men are enemies and

all animal are comrades", ironically just after Major

talked about animal's comradeship, the dogs attack

rats who "had crept out of their holes and were

sitting on their hindquarters." and they hardly save

their lives.

4.2.2.2 View Point

Another technique that is employed in Animal

Farm, as Alev Yemenici (1997) suggests, is the point

of view. The story is told from the animals stand

point, therefore in order to reflect animals' simple

perception Orwell uses a very simple language in the

book. We are not presented detailed descriptions of

human characters. Although the story is told from the

animals' view point, the voice of narration is

neutral. The reader never knows what is going on in

characters' mind. However, the reader fells for the

animals and at the same time, as Yemenici (1997)

puts, s/he realise that their ideals are doomed to

failure. Yemenici continues her remark about the view

point of Animal Farm:

Hence, this viewpoint creates ironicdistance because of which the reader seesand understands the plots of the pigswhich the animals miss. The reader feelssympathy for the beasts subsequently. Inaddition, the author creates frustrationand anger on he part of the readers andconfusion on the part of the animals. Theironic distance, furthermore, emphasisesthe corruption in human nature. Thoughold Major starts with good intentions,irony goes hand in hand with satire toreveal that these good intentions arecertain to change into evil intentions.For in this advice lies the possibilityfor just the opposite of the "promisedland" (Yemenici, 1997).

4.2.2.3 Characterisation

In the introduction, we are presented the

characters, the animals, and the setting, the Manor

Farm. As mentioned above, the satirist generally make

use of a fantastic world, so does Orwell. Animals are

described in such a way that we see both animal and

human traits in the characters. Clover for instance,

"had never quite got her figure back after her fourth

foal," or Benjamin, "the worst tempered" of the

animals, is known for his cynical remarks, "foolish

pretty" Mollie hopes to draw attention to her

ribbons. As Leybon (1962) points out "we almost

nowhere feel that we are in an animal world" (In

Yemenici, 1997). But Orwell also reminds us that they

are animals and behave in accordance with their

natures: "the hens perched themselves on the

windowsills, the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters,

the sheep and cows lay down... and began to chew the

cud.... Last of all came the cat, who looked round,

as usual, for the warmest places, and finally

squeezed herself in between Boxer and Clover; there

she purred contentedly throughout Major's speech

without listening to a word of what he was saying"

(Orwell 1972, p. 6-7).

In Animal Farm, as a political satire on Russian

Revolution, the animals are main characters and each

of them shares something with real persons. Fowler

(1995) remarks on characterisation and neatly explain

underlying purpose of Orwell while selecting animals:

Characterisation focused and consistent,and draws more on our existingstereotypes of types of beast thanelaborate portrayal of in the book. Forexample, rightly or wrongly, pigs have abad name for selfishness and gluttony,and that is their image in the text;similarly, the dogs are vicious butfawning, the cat self-centred and crafty,the donkey bad tempered; the twocarthorses, Boxer and Clover are slow-witted, strong, gentle and loyal; thesheep are brainless and behave as a flockwithout any individual initiative(p.163).

Old Major

Old Major, the wise prized-boar of Old Major,

is the father of the school of though known as

Animalism. He is a combination of V.I. Lenin, who

brings communism to Russia, and Karl Marx, who is

considered the father of socialist ideology.

Similarly, old Major, is the father of animalism and

it is brought to farm by him.. Like Karl Marx, old

Major tries to explain animals' place in the farm and

shows the path to freedom. Circumstances of animals

under the Man that old Major describes in his speech

is very similar to the conditions of the Proletariat

under bourgeoisie as described by Karl Marx. The

solution, rebellion, that Major suggests is the same

as Karl Marx and Frederick Engels wrote in the famous

last lines of their Communist Manifesto: "Let the

ruling classes tremble at a Communist revolution. The

proletariat have nothing to lose but their chains.

They have a world to win. Working men of all

countries unite!" (Ball, 1984).

Napoleon

Napoleon is a "large, rather fierce-looking

Berkshire boar, not much of a talker, but with a

reputation for getting his own way." And so he does.

Instead of debating with Snowball, he sets his dogs

on him and continues to increase his personal power

and privileges from that time on. What counts for him

is power, not ideas. Napoleon's character suggests

that of Stalin (and other dictators as well) (Ball,

1984). His competition with Snowball and driving him

out of the farm by force reminds critical readers of

the struggle between Stalin and Trotsky after Lenin's

death. Furthermore, his mass public trials and

succeeding executions remind the reader those of

Stalin’s' in 1930's

His name also connotes Napoleon (Bonaparte) who

took over the French Revolution and turned it into a

personal Empire. As a matter of fact, at the and of

the story he turns out to be another Mr.Jones (Ball,

1984).

Snowball

Snowball is an energetic, brilliant leader

(Ball, 1984). His character connotes Leon Trotsky. He

successfully organises the defence of the Farm as did

Trotsky with the Red Army. His aim is to improve life

in the farm, and develop projects like the windmill,

as Trotsky had his own plans for industrialising

Russia. Short after the Rebellion happens, like

Trotsky, he is expelled and becomes a scape-goat for

the things that goes wrong in the farm.

Squealer

Squealer is short, fat, twinkle-eyed and

nimble, "a brilliant talker." He has a way of

skipping from side to side and whisking his tail that

is somehow very persuasive. They say "he can turn

black into white!" That's just what he does, again

and again: every time the pigs take more wealth and

power, Squealer persuades the animals that this is

absolutely necessary for the well-being of all. When

things are scarce, he proves that production has

increased- with figures. He is also the one who makes

all the changes in the Seven Commandments. In human

terms he is the propaganda apparatus that spreads the

"big lie" and makes people believe in it. Orwell uses

him to reveal one of his hatreds; how the language is

used to justify political ill.

Boxer

Boxer believes in the Rebellion and in its

Leader. His two favourite sayings are "Napoleon is

always right" and "I will work harder." His huge size

and strength and his untiring labour save the Farm

again and again. He finally collapses from age and

overwork, and is sold for glue. He symbolises members

of the Proletariat, who have nothing to use but their

physical power and whose only concern is to

maintain their livelihood and loyalty to their

leaders.

Clover

Clover the mare is a motherly, protective

figure. She has Muriel the goat, a good reader, check

out the relevant Commandment for her (Ball, 1984).

She finally makes out "No animal shall sleep in a bed

with sheets," Orwell tells us with his usual irony

that "Curiously enough, Clover had not remembered

that the Fourth Commandment mentioned sheets.

She survives to experience, dimly and

wordlessly, all the sadness of the failed Revolution.

She is like one of millions of simple working people

who feels what is wrong but fail to express: "If she

could have spoken her thoughts, it would have been to

say..."

Mollie

Mollie, the frivolous, luxury-loving mare,

contrasts with Clover. She deserts Animal Farm for

sugar and ribbons at a human inn. Orwell may have

been thinking of certain Russian nobles who left

after the Revolution, or of a general human type

(Ball, 1984).

Napoleon’s Dogs

The dogs represent the means used by a

totalitarian state to terrorise its own people. They

can be considered as Napoleon's secret police (Ball,

1984).

Muriel

Muriel the goat reads better than Clover and

often reads things (such as Commandments) out loud to

her. Like other animal he is lack of strong memory

and fails to realise that the pigs are changing the

Seven Commandments.

The Sheep

The stupid sheep keep bleating away any slogan

the pigs teach them. They represent unconscious

masses who can easily be manipulated and used by

authorities.

Moses the Raven

Moses is the only animal who slept through the

speech of Old Major and as Ball (1984) suggests he

represents Religion. His name alone invokes an

underlying religious meaning. Furthermore when we

look at the character and his interactions with the

animals we can also see his role as representative of

the Church. Moses does no work; he only sits on a

pole and tells tales of a mysterious country called

Sugarland Mountain, where all animals go when they

die. Marx called religion, in a famous phrase, "the

opiate of the people." (Hançerlioğlu, 1976). Moses,

like Marx's view of religious institutions, is a tool

of the state. "Feeding off crusts of bread soaked in

beer" (an allegory for the body and blood of the

ruling bourgeois) left by Mr. Jones, Moses is his

especial pet, feeding lies and stories to the animals

to give them something to live for. After old Major's

speech it was heard by the animals and his school of

thought, to be known as Animalism, began to spread

across the farm, only Moses was too stubborn to

listen or pay any attention. Interestingly, after the

animals successfully revolt, Moses disappears. He

returns after Napoleon, the eventual totalitarian

leader of the animals, uses him as a tool just as Mr.

Jones did. He begins to tell his stories again and

gets paid in beer, just as he did before with the

animals' leader (Ball, 1984).

Pigeons

The pigeons spread the word of Rebellion beyond

the farm, as many Communists spread the doctrine of

the revolution beyond the boundaries of the Soviet

Union (Ball, 1984).

Benjamin

He is a sceptic and pessimist, we would almost

say a cynic, if it were not for his loyal devotion to

Boxer. Like his friend, he does not talk much and

work patiently. He is also unlike Boxer in that he

does not believe in the Revolution, nor in anything

else, except that life is hard. Whatever political

question he is asked, he replies only that "Donkeys

live a long time" and "None of you has ever seen a

dead donkey." He survives.

In Animal Farm, humans are left in the

background, and are not characterised in detail.

Nevertheless, Orwell puts the to symbolise certain

persons:

Jones

In the narrowest sense the drunken, negligent

Farmer Jones represents the Czar (Ball, 1984). He

also stands for any government that declines through

its own corruption and mismanagement.

Pilkington

Pilkington, who likes hunting and fishing more

than farming, represents Orwell's view of the

decadent British gentleman in particular- and of the

Allied nations in general, especially Britain and

France (Ball, 1984).

Whymper

Whymper is a commercial go-between for animals

and humans- just as certain capitalists have always

transacted business with Communist nations (Ball,

1984).

Frederick

The cruel Frederick may represent Hitler. He,

in a wider scope, shows a strong resemblance to

Germany, the cruel nation that it is (Ball, 1984).

4.2.2.4 Irony

As mentioned before, irony is one the most

common device used by the satirist. In Animal Farm,

Orwell presents his first examples of irony in old

Major's speech. Actually, Major's speech on its own

is the first irony. Since old Major, as he says, "do

not grumble, for he is "one of the lucky" animals who

did not suffer. But ironically he is the one who is

more prone to worrying about work and the survival

than the ones who suffered. The critical reader who

knows that Karl Marx, the founder of socialism, was

also not of working class man, smiles when s/he is

reading the speech.

In his speech, Major puts forward the miserable

conditions of the animals and sums up the reason for

their misery in one word: "Man" who "is the only

enemy" (Orwell, 1972, p.9) of the animals As the

reader proceeds with the following chapters, the

irony will show itself and the real enemy of the

animals will be seen. Then he shows the solution.

Removal of the man, and rebellion for this goal. In

the end of the book, when Napoleon turns out to be

another Mr. Jones and the animals start to lead more

miserable life than that of Jones' time the irony

with the rebellion becomes more clear.

At the moment just after old Major says "All

men are enemies. All animals are comrades" the rats

listening to Major are attacked by the dogs. Then,

the animals vote for in order to decide whether wild

animals like rats and rabbits are their friends or

enemies. Ironically "there were only four

dissentients, three dogs" who later in the book will

be seen as the terrorising apparatus of Napoleon and

"the cat."

Old major warns the animals against the man. He

say:

remember your always your duty of enmitytowards Man and all his ways... Andremember also that in fighting againstMan, we must not come to resemble him.Even when you have conquered him, do notadopt his vices. No animal must ever livein a house, sleep in a bed or wear

clothes or drink alcohol, or smoketobacco, touch money, or engage intrade....And above all, no animal mustever tyrannise over his own kind.... Noanimal must ever kill any other animal.All animals are equal" (Orwell, 1972, p.11-12).

May be one of the greatest irony of the book

lies in this part of the speech from which Seven

Commandments are drawn. In the course of story the

reader observes how Major's doctrines are reversed by

the pigs: They gradually adopt human vices, for

instance, they move to farmhouse and sleep in beds,

they start to drink alcohol, and they start to engage

in trade with humans, they kill animals, they

tyrannise over other animals and most ironically, in

the end of the book they start to walk on their hind

legs and wear clothes, that is they transform into

Man.

The way the Seven Commandments have been

changed, little by little as Yemenici (1997) puts, is

another irony. As Squealer, the propaganda agent,

changes the Commandments in fact he changes the

meaning underlying the revolution. When each of the

Commandment is changed, the meaning of each turns out

to be just the opposite. In the end there remains

nothing in the Commandments that Major intended to

mean. For instance the first two Commandments:

1. "Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy."And

2. "Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wingsis a friend"

are changed into one:

"Four legs good, two legs better."

Commandment four:

4. "No animal shall sleep in a bed"

is changed into:

"No animal shall sleep in a bed withsheets."

Commandment five:

5 "No animal shall drink alcohol"

is changed into:

"No animal drink alcohol to excess."

Commandment six:

6. "No animal shall kill any other animal"

is changed into:

"No animal shall kill other animal without cause."

And the last Commandment:

7. "All animals are equal"

is very ironically changed into:

"All animals are equal but some animals are more equalthan others."

Commandment three (No animal shall wear

clothes) is left the same. But as other Commandments

are changed in order to justify what Napoleon and/or

the other pigs do, in the end of the book it becomes

very clear that it is to be changed into

"No animal shall wear clothes indoors" or the like,

or it is going to be discharged.

As a matter of fact, other animals being unable

to remember the originals of the Commandments, depend

on what Squealer says and they accept after

Squealer's justification. Yemenici (1997) puts

animals' reaction to the change of the Commandments

as follows:

However, none of the animals but Benjamindiscusses much about the change. For theydo not clearly remember the true natureof them. They prefer to depend on what

Squealer tells them and to believe in hispropaganda since they are incapable ofsorting the truth from the lie. Theyreadily accept the Commandments as theyare written on the wall of the barn. Theynever realise the fact that they are nomore than slaves and they remain, asBoxer does, dedicated to their cause. ButBenjamin has always been sceptical of theoutcome. And he is the only one whorealises that Boxer is taken to theknacker's.

Orwell, through the speech of old Major,

artfully maintain 'double flow of meaning'. Any

reader can read it without thinking Karl Marx and

still have fun hearing human-like leader talking

about the social problems of the animals.

Nevertheless, as Ball (1984) writes, it is more

"amusing to discover Marx's ideas in the animals'

complaint."

After the old Major dies the animals start to

prepare for the Rebellion. "The work of teaching and

organising the others fell naturally upon the pigs,

who were generally recognised as being the cleverest

of the animals" (Orwell, 1972, p.15). The irony here

is, the Rebellion which aims at to establish an

egalitarian society is led by the pigs who seem to be

naturally superior to the others.

After the Rebellion happens spontaneously, the

animals get very happy when they are destroying all

the traces of human oppression: bits, nose-rings,

castrating knives, etc. and they "saw the whips going

up in flames." It is going to be seen that their joy

of rebellion will turn out to be a misery.

Just after the rebellion, the animals turns the

farmhouse, symbolising the oppressive time of Mr

Jones, into a museum. In the following chapters, the

reader is to witness that what the farmhouse

symbolise will not change, but inhabitants will. As

Yemenici (1997) says:

the use farmhouse has ironical effect inthe plot structure. The farmhouserepresents the evil old Major warns theanimals against. The farmhouse meansluxury that men of power enjoy. WhenNapoleon and the pigs decide to live inluxury, this action suggests Napoleon's

ambition for power leading to his co-operation with human beings. It is thevery place where the total transformationfrom pigs to human beings takes place.

Windmill is another important element in the

story. Originally it represents the improvement of

life, and progress. But later, when Napoleon becomes

the omnipotent leader, its function is changed.

Napoleon uses it as an apparatus through which he

keeps the animals work all the time, so he provides

them with a purpose to which they devote themselves

(Yemenici, 1997). Napoleon also uses windmill to

create a scape-goat, Snowball. Thereafter, the scape-

goat is used to control masses. As Yemenici (1997)

explains,

The existence of the scape-goat is thereason why the animals become moredetermined and more faithful to theircauses. Since they have experiencedfreedom, they do not want to work underthe tyranny of Jones who is supposedly inleague with Snowball. In this way,Napoleon is made the omnipotent leaderwho is the only one who can save theanimals from human beings.

It is ironical that animals do not want to work

under the tyranny of Jones but they do accept the

tyranny of Napoleon.

Chapter six starts with the sentence: "All that

year the animals worked like slaves. But they were

happy in their work, they grudged no effort or

sacrifice, well aware that everything that they did

was for the benefit of themselves" (Orwell, 1972, p.

53). There is parallelism between this part of the

chapter and the beginning of the chapter three. Irony

in the contradiction between two chapters is

important. The animals think that they "work like

slaves" for their own benefits. But the reader is

aware that in fact they really are becoming slaves of

the pigs. As Ball (1984) points out, "This is one of

Orwell's basic ironic techniques in Animal Farm: We

know things" but "the characters do not."

In the following chapter comes the most

striking and sad irony: "By a special decree of

Comrade Napoleon 'Beast of England' had been

abolished. From now onwards it was forbidden to sing

it." 'Beast of England' was the song revealing the

soul of the Rebellion. Therefore Murial asks the

reason. Squealer answers swiftly:

Is it no longer need, comrade, 'Beast ofEngland' was the song of the Rebellion.But the Rebellion is now Completed. ....In 'Beast of England' we expressed ourlonging for a better society in days tocome. But that society has now beenestablished (Orwell, 1972, p. 77).

At this point the reader of criticism, if not

laughing piercingly, smiles bitterly at impudent

explanation of Squealer, the means of political lie.

As Ball (1984) says, "when he is concerned Orwell's

irony turns into sarcasm."

Chapter nine is devoted to dramatise everything

that is wrong with the new society led by the pigs.

Here the reader can feel the full influence of the

pigs' betrayal of the working animals, their betrayal

of the revolutionary ideal that old Major put in his

speech. Ball (1984) explains the irony in the

chapter:

The description of Boxer's fate is fullof irony. Once again the narratorpretends not to know something that weknow because of him- but the animalsdon't know. The irony is at its bitteresthere. And there is another irony in thestory itself. Boxer's last sacrifice hasbeen to be slaughtered in order toprocure drinking money for the pigs.Major's prophetic incitement toRevolution- "You, Boxer, the very daythat those great muscles of yours losetheir power, Jones will sell you to theknacker, who will cut your throat"- hasbeen fulfilled, ironically, not by thehuman Jones but by the animals who havetaken over the Revolution. The questiondimly sensed by Clover earlier isimplicitly posed again, with pressingforce: if this is what you get, whyrevolt? What was the Revolution for?

The last chapter makes everything that has been

implied in the previous chapter implicit. Again,

Orwell draws a picture of the new society. With a

very neutral tone but ironically implying that this

is nothing but the rule of nature: "Years passed. The

seasons came and went, the short animal lives fled

by." There remain only a few animals who remember the

"old days before the Rebellion, except Clover,

Benjamin, Moses the raven, and a number of the pigs."

Ironically, the narrator informs the reader

about the economic status of the farm: "Somehow it

seemed as though the farm had grown richer without

making the animals themselves any richer-except, of

course, for the pigs and the dogs." And after this

statement another irony increases: "perhaps this was

partly because there were so many pigs and so many

dogs. It was not that these creature did not work."

But the reader knows the fact: these creatures really

do not work, and, as Major told about the Man,

"neither pigs nor dogs produced any food by their own

labour," they just consume without producing. Later,

the irony is proved when the pigs start to walk on

their hind legs and wear clothes. They adopt all

human vices, and by reducing the Seven Commandments

into one, they approve their transformation:

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE

EQUAL THAN OTHERS

4.2.2.5Comparison of Animal Farm and The

Russian Revolution

As it has been revealed during the previous

discussions, there is clear parallelism between event

and characters of Animal Farm and the Russian

Revolution. Since the characters were compared

before, in this section only some events will be

compared under separate subheadings.

The Rebellion

Three months after old Major's death, the

animals rebelled and overthrown humans from the farm.

Similarly, in 1917, Bolsheviks rebelled in Russia,

and overthrown the reign of the Russian Czar. But

unlike Bolsheviks, the animals, actually, did not

rebel on purpose. It was a spontaneous rebel since,

the animals had been neglected by the farmers and

"they could stand it no longer. One of the cows broke

in the door of the store-shed with her horns..." then

the Rebellion erupted. On the hand, the animals'

preparation for the rebellion should not be ignored.

However, the question 'would the animals have

rebelled though, if they had not carried out the

preparation works for it?' still remains

unanswerable.

After the both rebellions, humans in Animal Farm

and the bourgeoisie in Russia who are considered the

exploiters of the working classes are removed and the

working classes took the control. Both of them were

based on a particular person's ideas who they

respect; old Major and Karl Marx.

Finally, the rebellion in Animal Farm changed

'Manor Farm' into 'Animal Farm', as the October 1917

Revolution changed 'Russia' into 'U.S.R.R'.

Battle of Cowshed

Lenin victoriously headed the radical socialist

(Bolshevik) revolution in October 1917. This was

immediately followed by four years of bloody civil

war: the Revolution's Red Army, organised and led by

Leon Trotsky, had to defeat the Whites, Russians

loyal to the Czar or just hostile to the Communists,

and foreign troops, too (The Academic American

Encyclopaedia, 1995). In Animal Farm, after the

Rebellion took place, Mr. Jones with his men and two

neighbours, attacks the farm to take it back.

Snowball had already prepared the animals to defend

the farm, like Trotsky led Red Army, he led the

animals and in the end of the battle they drove out

Jones and others from the farm.

Windmill

Fowler (1995) suggests that the windmill

project by Snowball stands for the first Five-Year

Plan of Soviet Republic approved in 1928.

Confessions and Executions

In chapter seven of Animal Farm, "Squealer

announced that the hens, who had just come to lay

again, must surrender their eggs." Because, there is

a shortage of food and "starvation seemed to stare

them in the face." In order to buy grain, they have

to sell eggs. "For the first time since the expulsion

of Jones there was something resembling a rebellion."

led by hens. They did not want to give their eggs. In

order "to thwart Napoleon's wishes," they start to

"fly up to the rafters and there lay their eggs,

which smashed to pieces on the floor." This

determined action continued until and five days long

after Napoleon's swift and ruthless order that "the

hens rations to be stopped," and "that any animal

giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be

punished by death." Then, they surrendered "and went

back their nesting places." Nine hens died and it was

announced that "they had died of coccidiosis" a kind

of disease. But it can easily be guessed that they

are the first victims of Napoleon's terror on the

animals.

When this event is compared to Soviet history,

Orwell's critical attack on Stalin's practices

becomes more clear. In 1928, Stalin decided that

Russia needed large, mechanised, collective farms

(Ball, 1984). Like hens, the kulaks (well-off

peasants) who would lose their private holdings

refused this decision and in order to protest it,

they slaughtered their own livestock, as hens laid

their eggs to smash on the floor. Between 1928 to

1929 millions of them were deported or killed.

Ball (1984) expresses Orwell's political

commitment in Animal Farm,

Orwell was dealing with historical eventsthat disturbed him deeply. From 1934 to1939, the secret police arrested andinterrogated, and deported or killedhundreds of thousands of people in theSoviet Union, mostly Communist Partyofficials, army officers, and theirfamilies and friends. Two series ofpublic trials were held in Moscow, inwhich old Bolsheviks, who had made theRevolution and fought in the Civil War,confessed one after another to the mostawful crimes. Most of them were condemnedto death and shot.

Like Russia, many animals were sentenced to

death by Napoleon in Animal Farm. As mentioned before,

Showball became a scape-goat who was accused of

whatever went wrong in the farm, even when "a window

was broken, or a drain blocked up," any animal would

easily put the blame on Snowball. Public trial in the

farm took place after Napoleon "ordered all the

animals to assemble in the yard." All the animals

gathered and "They all cowered silently in their

places, seeming to know in advance that some terrible

thing was about to happen." The dogs seize four pigs,

who had protested when the Sunday Meetings were

abolished by Napoleon, the ear and drag them,

"squealing with pain and terror, to Napoleon's feet."

Then Napoleon asked them to confess their crimes.

Their crimes, as they confessed, were being in

collaboration with Snowball, who they claimed, had

entered into an agreement with Mr. Frederick to hand

over Animal Farm to him. Like other animals who later

confess their crimes all related to Snowball were

slaughtered.

Invasion by Frederick

As mentioned above Animal Farm long ago started

to trade with humans. In chapter eight, it was

announced that Napoleon had arranged to sell the pile

of timber to Mr. Pilkington. In the course of the

chapter, Napoleon quickly changes his decision and

sold timbers to Frederick whose farm had been said to

be the place where Snowball lived. It was a political

cunning: "by seeming to be friendly with Pilkington

he had forced Frederick to raise his price be twelve

pounds." However, when they learnt that bank-notes

that Frederick gave were imitations, Napoleon once

more shift his decision and declared his enmity to

Frederick, and even he sentenced him to death.

Ball (1984) explains the reference of

Napoleon's political relations with neighbouring

farms to the Soviet history:

Napoleon's shifting alliances withneighbouring farms -and the switch in thepropaganda line that goes with them-,like the changes in Stalin's policy

toward the West in the 1930s and early40s. Distrusting the democratic nationsas much as the fascists, Stalin firstsent out the line that there was nodifference between any of the non-Communists, fascist or otherwise;subsequently, as the Nazi menace grew,the fascists became the enemy of mankind;then, in August 1939, Stalin signed anonaggression pact and other agreementswith Hitler, the German Nazi dictator.Finally, after Germany invaded Russia in1941, everything changed again.

Meeting Between the Pigs and Humans

In the last chapter, the pigs and humans had a

meeting in which all disagreements between Napoleon

and humans are resolved. As West (1992) reports, at

the end of the preface for the Ukrainian edition of

Animal Farm, Orwell (1947) writes:

A number of readers may finish the bookwith the impression that it ends in thecomplete reconciliation of the pigs andhumans. That was not my intention; on thecontrary I meant it to end on a loud noteof discord, for I wrote it immediatelyafter the Tehran Conference which

everybody thought had established thebest possible relations between the USSRand the west. I personally did notbelieve that such good relations wouldlast long; and as events have shown, Iwasn't far wrong (In West, 1992 p. 98).

Taking Orwell's comment on his own book, it

would be said that the meeting of the pigs and humans

stands for the Tehran Conference held in 1943, in

which Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill met.

5 CHAPTERCONCLUSION

5.1 Summary of the Study

This study investigates George Orwell's Animal

Farm as an animal satire which was written to

criticise Russian Revolution and Stalin's practices

during his time.

After reading Animal Farm, sources about George

Orwell, The Russian Revolution, The Spanish

Revolution and satire were cited. Using the sources

gathered, Animal Farm was examined as a political

satire on Russian Revolution.

5.2 Conclusion of The Study

As it was explained by Orwell (1947) himself,

Animal Farm is a political satire on Russian

Revolution. Therefore in order to find out what

experiences of Orwell might lead him to write such a

satire, sources about his life was cited. It was

found that, experiences he had as a poor student at

Eton collage in England, as a member of Indian

Imperial Police in British-Ruled Burma, as a poor

person and as a militant fighting for the Republican

in the Spanish Civil War influenced him deeply.

Through these experiences he came to realise the

existence of the lower class people and how miserable

lives they had. He declared himself "pro-socialist."

However, events he witnessed in the Spanish Civil

War, communists killing their comrades, and Stalin's

practices in Soviet Union, and blindness of socialist

of other countries particularly of England led him to

write Animal Farm.

Under the light of background information

gathered concerning Orwel's life, political context

of his time and satire, Animal Farm was examined as a

political satire on Russian Revolution. After

examining the book, it was found that Orwell

skilfully attacks his object through his satiric

story.

To make his story more powerful and effective,

he used techniques of satire such as allegorical

characterisation and irony. Furthermore, the story

runs in two levels, one of which is the surface of

the story, that is a story about an animal farm. This

level catches to anybody reading the book. The other

level, which reveals Orwell's purpose, is the one in

which the history of Russian Revolution, and also

Stalin, is attacked.

Finally, the characters, events and some

elements in the story were compared with the same

elements of Russian Revolution. This comparison

clearly revealed the parallelism between the two.

REFERENCES

Primary Sources

ORWELL, George.; (1947) Why I Write.

http://www.resorts.com/orwell/WhyIwrite.

htm

ORWELL, George.; (1972) Animal Farm Penguin Books:

Harmondsworth, Middlesex.

Secondary Sources

ABRAMS, M.H Ed.; (1986) The Norton Anthology of English

Literature. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.:

New York.

BALL, David.; (1984) Notes On Animal Farm. Barron's

Educational Series, Electronically

Enhanced Text © Copyright 1993, World

Library, Inc. http://www.kidzone.com

BOZKURT, Bülent R. Ed. ; (1977) Literary Terms: A

Companion To The Study of Literature Dept Of

English Language and Literature HÜ:

Ankara.

75

DAVISON, Peter.; (1996) GEORGE ORWELL: A Literary Life. St.

Martin's Press, Inc.: New York. (P. 123-

129)

FOWLER, Roger.; (1995) The Language of George Orwell.

Macmillan Press Ltd.: London. (p. 159-

180)

HANÇERLİOĞLU, Orhan.; (1976) Felsefe Ansiklopedisi Remzi

Kitabevi: Istanbul.

RICHARD, Alan.; (1976) Satire -------------

ROSEMONT Franklin.; (1988) The Spanish Revolution of 1936

http://www.english.upenn.edu

SHELDEN, Michael.; (1991) ORWELL, The Authorised

Biography. Heinemann: London. (p.399-409)

The Academic American Encyclopaedia (1995 Grolier

Multimedia Encyclopaedia Version)

copyright (c) 1995 Grolier, Inc.

Danbury, CT.

WEST, W.J.; (1992) The Larger Evils. Canongate Press:

Edinburgh

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YEMENİCİ, Alev.;(1997) Animal Satire In Animal Farm.

http://www.premer.net/~slash/orwell/yeme

nici.htm.

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