Animal Farm Paper

Angelica Agulto
November 19, 2012
Period 1
Soviet Russia VS. Animal Farm Have you ever seen the cruel things that a dictator ever done? Sadly, people over the world have been ruled by a dictator, like Russia. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the animals start a rebellion against Mr. Jones, with the pigs in charge of the rest of the animals, they have to suffer trying to stay alive. The story demonstrates that weakness can be dominated by strength, fear, and trickery. George Orwell uses animals as an exciting way to show what happens in the Soviet Russia. In Animal Farm, Old Major, a pig, is an example of Karl Marx who started the Soviet Russia, and persuades his people to join, while Old Major gets the animals into starting a rebellion. In the beginning Old Major states, “I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways” (31). Old major tries to persuade the other animals to turn against their owner, Mr. Jones, and to start the rebellion. Sadly, before the animals started the rebellion Old Major died three nights later in his sleep. He resembles Karl Marx because he too died before he could see his revolution start. Old Major is exactly like Karl Marx because they both introduce an idea of starting a revolution to their people and they both died before ever seeing it happen. Czar Nicolas II is a historical figure in the Soviet Russia and in the story Mr. Jones is Czar in Animal Farm. Mr. Jones had a hard time feeding the animals in his farm, in the book it states, “The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out rabbiting, without bothering to feed the animals…” (38). Since, Mr. Jones and his men starved the animals; he is similar to Czar Nicolas II. Mr. Jones is sort of the “King” of Animal Farm since the animals obeyed him before the rebellion started and Czar Nicolas II is the king of the Soviet Russia. Czar and Mr. Jones were ignorant when taking care of their people or animals. As they both live in luxury and without feeding their people or animals they think they are the king of them all. Napoleon is the dictator in the story as he messes with the animal’s mind, which is similar to Josef Stalin who is the dictator of the Soviet Russia. Napoleon tells the animals, “Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples” (52). Napoleon tricks the animals that since he is the “team leader” of the animals he and the pigs have the right to get the apples and the milk all for themselves. The animals were all confessing to Napoleon and it says, “When they finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess” (93). This part in the book shows Napoleon’s true colors of being the dictator, he forced the animal to confess about disobeying him, and once the animals confesses he orders the dogs to kill them. Josef Stalin and Napoleon are similar because they both are cruel dictators, who they both use their power against their kind. Animal Farm is a twist to the Soviet Russia instead of using the people in this historical event George Orwell uses animals. In the story, George shows the Soviet Russia by having Old Major similar to Karl Marx, Mr. Jones to Czar Nicolas II, and Napoleon to Josef Stalin. Learning about the Soviet Russia could be pretty boring to learn but having animals symbolizing the humans in the story is very interesting.