How is Orwell's Animal Farm an allegory?
Answer:a. Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegory because there are two political overtones within this story. On the surface you have a story that depicts a tale of a society of animals that shape into a dictatorial rule. The second overtone deals with animals that stand for a representation of Orwell’s way of constructing how he felt about the totalitarianism in Soviet Russia. For example, after serious disregard by their owner, the animals revolt and throw out Mr. Jones and his wife from the farm. This shows how it is an allegory because creatures are yearning for freedom but in the end become depraved by accepting the very power that had initially persecuted them. This shows in the text when “Old Major, the prize white boar “states, “Man is the only creature that consumes with producing.” He inspires the animals to “work nigh and day, body and soul, for over-throw of the human race.”
It's an allegory in that the animals on the farm represent human activity. If it was not an allegory, the characters would be humans, not animals. Did you read the definition of an allegory that I posted to you? Did you understand it?
To understand how Orwell's Animal Farm is an allegory, we need to first understand what an allegory is. An allegory is a literary device in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. In the case of Animal Farm, the story functions as an allegory for the events leading up to the Russian Revolution and the subsequent creation of the Soviet Union.
To decipher the allegorical elements in Animal Farm, it is helpful to analyze the characters and events in the story. Each animal on the farm represents a specific group or individual from the Russian Revolution and its aftermath. For example, Old Major, the prize white boar, represents Karl Marx and his ideas of communism and equality. He inspires the animals to rebel against their human oppressors, mirroring the beliefs of the Bolsheviks who led the revolution.
Another allegorical aspect is the transformation of the farm after the animals overthrow Mr. Jones and take control. The establishment of Animal Farm is a parallel to the establishment of the Soviet Union. The animals initially strive for a society where all animals are equal, but soon their leaders, the pigs, take on more power and become corrupt. This mirrors how the communist leaders in the Soviet Union became authoritarian and betrayed the principles of equality they had once championed.
Overall, Orwell's Animal Farm uses the allegorical elements of characters and events to illustrate the failures of the Russian Revolution and the dangers of totalitarianism. By understanding the historical context and the symbolism used in the story, we can see how Animal Farm serves as a powerful critique of political systems and human nature.