“What is the satirical comment that Orwell is trying to make in Animal Farm & how does he achieve this?”
George Orwell’s famous Allegorical Beast fable titled Animal Farm, comments on the Russian revolution and on the misuse and abuse of power. A master piece of political satire, Animal Farm is a tale of oppressed individuals who long for freedom. Through his literary links to scapegoating, revisionism and propaganda Orwell makes a satirical comment on the way in which those who long for freedom, ultimately are corrupted by assuming the very power that had originally oppressed them. This reveals his contextual concerns around socialism, communism and fascism, which he viewed as repressive and self serving. By depicting those involved in communism and the Russian revolution as animals, Orwell undermines their authority so as to expose the underlying truth.
Scapegoating, is the act of making an individual or group of individuals bear the blame of the wrong doings of others or to suffer their consequences, Animal Farm satirises the way those in power may create a scapegoat to deflect criticism, blame or accusation.
Through Orwell’s character Snowball, Napoleon is able to make the ultimate scapegoat, consequently the repetition of Napoleon accusations and squealers persuasion the animals become convinced that Snowball was indeed against them from the beginning and this hatred and fear of this “common enemy” the animals unite. For example in Chapter 6, upon the findings of the ruined windmill Napoleon announces, upon smelling the pig tracks left in the yard that Snowball had in fact destroyed the windmill; “In sheer malignity, thinking to set back our plans and avenge himself for his expulsion, this traitor has crept here under cover of night and destroyed our work of nearly a year”.
Snowball is also said to be in league with Mr Jones from the start, and is also
Revisionism is the characterised by the alteration of historic events to suit