Themes, Tone, and Language in Animal Farm essays

Themes, Tone, and Language in Animal Farm essays George Orwell's Animal Farm is one of the greatest satirical novels of our time. A classroom favorite, Animal Farm provides a unique learning opportunity for students of literature and politics alike. "Animal Farm... is a rare example of a great work in which the timeless literary qualities are fused perfectly with the time-bound persuasive qualities." (Rodden, 2- 3) There are many elements in Orwell's book that allow for this universality and depth. George Orwell's novel Animal Farm is a great piece of satirical and literary work due to the author's universal themes, digestible tone, and crafty use of language. The basic plot of Animal Farm closely parallels that of the Russian Revolution. The animals on Manor Farm in Hertfordshire, England (the place of Orwell's birth) are dissatisfied with the negligent treatment they are receiving from Farmer Jones. The animals decide to fight back, taking over the farm through battle, and renaming it Animal Farm. The pigs Snowball and Napoleon both want to rule the animals, but Napoleon succeeds in driving Snowball from the farm and setting him up as the perfect scapegoat for every unpleasant event that will follow. Napoleon declares himself president of the farm, and his rule becomes more and more iron-fisted and cruel. In the end, Napoleon and the other pigs are treating the animals as poorly as the farmer ever did, and they begin to resemble human beings in every way; things are exactly the same as they were in the beginning. This is a distopian story of revolution and corruption. One major theme of this story is the sad but often true story of evil triumphing over the good. In the end, although the animals have fought and worked for their freedom, oppression reigns. In all instances in the book, the corrupted characters prevail. For example, in the power struggle between the two pigs, it is Napoleon who wins, alt...