Animalism(Socialism) Flashcards
“Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure now that it was truly their own food”
Orwell uses PLOSIVE ALLITERATION to create a light and exciting tone and describe the Utopian fate communism could have held for the farm if not for the corruption of power and the re-emergence of a dictatorship.
“the words of ‘Beasts of England’ were known everywhere”
‘Beasts of England’ could be a SYMBOL for the hope for an egalitarian society. By saying it was “known everywhere” Orwell suggests that every lower class citizen in non democratic countries has this hope in some way or another. OR Communist beliefs and the hope they held were spreading in Europe in particular
” ‘Beasts of England’ “
The animalist anthem and Orwell’s representation of the communist anthem. It is a song of hope and reflects the revolutionary idealism of Animalism as a whole.
“Yet the song was irrepresisble”
Despite the Farmers flogging animals who sang Beasts of England
STRONG ADJECTIVE- Orwell gives the reader hope in the account of just how much the ideal of socialism was spreading. OR
The hope for equality within people can never be curbed
“Every mouthful…
…of food was an acute positive pleasure now that it was truly their own food.”
Animalism/ Socialism as an ideal VS as an actuality outside of abstraction?
It is really only the idyllic ideal that is spreading, socialism ,out of abstraction, didn’t turn out as idyllic as in Beasts of England. It was twisted and corrupted. Orwell is showing that communism is only a twisted copy of the original hope for an egalitarian society
“Not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings”
Animals reason they are happy while working “like slaves”- portrayal of the benefits of a socialist society (people are much happier to work when they feel their work is going towards their benefit) HARSH ADJECTIVES
Orwell describes the “animal method” of doing things as “more efficient”
ALLEGORICAL way of praising governance by common people compared to by royals or capitalist government.
Orwell presents socialism as a better governmental system had it not been abused
“various unforseen shortages” e.g “nails”, “dog biscuits” and need for farm machinery that arise?
ALLEGORICAL REPRESENTATION of the cons of socialism- Orwell is showing that Socialism is not a perfect system due to the need for properly educated leaders in a country who can handle matters like trade, international affairs e.t.c.
However, the narrator still states that it would have taken a lot of failures to “outweigh” the disadvantages of “five extravagant human beings” (Royalty)
Nations “developed a respect” for the Animals on Animal Farm
Orwell uses this comment on the feelings of the human farmers to PORTRAY HIS BELIEFS that Socialism and it’s emergence in Russia changed the way ordinary people were viewed by leaders and higher classes and fostered a respect for them and so played a significant role in dismantling the class system
“the words…
…of ‘Beast of England’ were known everywhere”
“Yet the…
…song was irrepressible”
“Not for…
a pack of idle, thieving human beings”
“animal…
“more…
“animal method”
“more efficient”
“developed…
…a respect”
“various,…
… unforseen shortages”
“dog biscuits”, “nails”
“five…
… extravagant human beings”
“with their superior knowledge, it was natural that they should assume the leadership”
Perhaps it is unavoidable for leaders to emerge and capitalism and hierarchy to exist in society as there will always be difference in the skills, knowledge and competency of people. (WE CANNOT REBEL AGAINST NATURE.)- the fittest will survive
Socialism as a system is too idyllic and unrealistic
