animal farm and speak

‘The measure of a man is what he does with power”(Plato). With this quote, we can judge a man for what he is truly worth when authority is given to him. In both novels the antagonists do not use the power wisely, and this makes the protagonists miserable. That being said, power shapes the life we live. Power can be good; it can be bad; but it plays a huge role in who we are. There are many similarities in Speak and Animal Farm. Starting with similarities in theme are there is an abuse of the power. Napoleon uses it to take over the farm and have the other animals as his slaves. Andy uses his power over Melinda to where she’s afraid to speak. Although there is abuse, the protagonists still hope for a better life. The major conflict in Animal Farm is the common animals versus the pigs. There are also minor conflicts between underlying characters that add into the big picture. Speak has Melinda battling Andy, but through the majority she is also battling herself. In relation, both conflicts have ideas of social classes. One is on a farm and the other in a high school but both have the same concept. Both books are one big metaphor. Animal Farm is a blunt metaphor for the Russian Revolution. Speak is an allegory for the concept of standing up for yourself. The title hints at this because its called Speak but the main character chooses to stay silent. Foreshadowing plays a huge role in both books. From the very beginning in Animal Farm Napoleon’s abuse of power was shown when the extra milk seemingly disappeared. In Speak Melinda says on the second page that she is an outcast. Thus, foreshadowing the terrible event that makes Melinda afraid to speak. This passage foreshadows even more of Napoleon’s betrayal to everyone especially Boxer. Even though Boxer worked the hardest and was as loyal as someone could be to Napoleon, in the end Napoleon sent him off to the knacker. It also had great impact because it showed the animals that people can stand up to Napoleon and