Animal Farm
...World History Studies/Political Science Papers*with modifications/no annotations, source citing
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Animal Farm by George Orwell draws parallels between the illusion and betrayal of the Russian Revolution and its following demise of a nation, especially under the brutal fist of Stalinism. As a character-driven story, the book is successful in affirming Orwell's caustic criticism of communism as a hypocritically absurd ideology and portraying his central character, Napoleon, as a consummate totalitarian. As a fable or "fairy story" for adults who have thoughts other than kitty cats, puppies, and caboodles in their heads, Animal Farm is simple yet resoundingly effective in establishing an analyses of Josef Stalin's dictatorship, the inherent dangers of communism, and maligned flaws of radical revolution. The greatest value, perhaps, of this Orwellian classic which is standard required reading in most university political science and history classes is the allegorical aspect of its author's insight into man's political nature, and how people behave accordingly as a group, functional society (I used the word "functional" loosely since more often than not I see society more as dysfunctional).
Our story begins essentially with...well, a pig named Napoleon. The porcine antagonist and central character is a dictator, representing totalitarianism and its methods of usurping power and maintaining rigid control in a repressed state. One of the first things Napoleon (and another pig accomplice, Snowball) does prior to orchestrating a successful revolt against Mr. Jones, the farmer_slash_landowner, is educate himself by learning to read.
"The pigs now revealed that during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book which had belonged to Mr. Jone's children and which had...
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