Response to Literature: Animal Farm

Malik Flournoy
Mr. Geigle
English 2
12 November 2012

Soviet Farm Could you ever picture a sadistic pig ruling your country? George Orwell portrayed this characteristic in one of his characters, named Napoleon, in his allegorical novel Animal Farm. Animal Farm takes place on a farm in England, the farm is ran by a farmer named Mr. Jones, he’s an alcoholic he tends to neglect the animals. The animals eventually get fed up and revolt against farmer Jones. Mr. Jones’ negligence causes the animals to revolt against him, turn against each other, and reconstruct the farm to a proper order by building friendships with their neighbors even though it goes against Animalistic concepts. Mr. Jones’ negligence earned him the consequence of being ran off his farm. Mr. Jones abused the animals and forgot to feed them, causing them to break into the store-shed, where the food was, and eat the food themselves. For example, one night Mr. Jones had been out drinking with some buddies and came back the next day to do everything else, but forget to feed the animals. Textual evidence to support this would be in the novel where it says “On Midsummer's Eve, which was a Saturday, Mr. Jones went into Willingdon and got so drunk at the Red Lion that he did not come back till midday on Sunday. The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out rabbiting, without bothering to feed the animals. When Mr. Jones got back he immediately went to sleep on the drawing−room sofa with the News of the World over his face, so that when evening came, the animals were still unfed. At last they could stand it no longer. One of the cows broke in the door of the store−shed with her horn and all the animals began to help themselves from the bins. It was just then that Mr. Jones woke up. The next moment he and his four men were in the store−shed with whips in their hands, lashing out in all directions. (7)” I think that Mr. Jones overreacted to the animals breaking in because he should’ve fed them. He, in my opinion, is the cause of the ‘break-in’ because he neglected to feed the animals and chose to go get drunk with his friends. After the animals run all the humans off the farm they want to get rid of Mr. Jones completely. In particular, textual evidence to support this would be in the novel where it says “In a very little while the animals had destroyed everything that reminded them of Mr. Jones. Napoleon then led them back to the store−shed and served out a double ration of corn to everybody, with two biscuits for each dog. Then they sang Beasts of England from end to end seven times running, and after that they settled down for the night and slept as they had never slept before. (8-9)” This excerpt shows me that the animals want to move forward and start over, away from anything Mr. Jones-like. I think that the animals did a better job with the upkeep of the farm. Following the new settlement, the animals made new rules and began to create schedules for their daily jobs. One instance of this would be in the novel where it says “On Sundays there was no work. Breakfast was an hour later than usual and after breakfast there was a ceremony which was observed every week without fail. First came the hoisting of the flag. Snowball had found in the harness−room an old green tablecloth of Mrs. Jones's and had painted on it a hoof and a horn in white. This was run up the flagstaff in the farmhouse garden every Sunday 8, morning. The flag was green, Snowball explained, to represent the green fields of England, while the hoof and horn signified the future Republic of the Animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown. After the hoisting of the flag all the animals trooped into the big barn for a general assembly which was known as the Meeting. Here the work of the coming week was planned out and resolutions were put forward and debated. It was always the pigs who put forward the resolutions. The other animals understood how to vote, but could never think of any resolutions of their own. Snowball and Napoleon were by far the most active in the debates. But it was noticed that these two were never in agreement: whatever suggestion either of them made, the other could be counted on to oppose it. Even when it was resolved−a thing no one could object to in itself−to set aside the small paddock behind the orchard as a home of rest for animals who were past work, there was a stormy debate over the correct retiring age for each class of animal. The Meeting always ended with the singing of Beasts of England, and the afternoon was given up to recreation. (11)” This excerpt showed me that the animals were trying to create an equal society with the institution of debates, allowing everyone to have a voice, even though the pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, had been the only outspoken animals on the farm. It also seems to me that the animals were prepared to accommodate to the new changes before the changes where even made official. Napoleon was one of the outspoken pigs, but he was the only one of the pigs that went crazy with power. Napoleon became a great leader; he manipulated the animals to his side, and started to create friendly relationships with the neighboring farms. One instance of his manipulation is in the novel where it says “"Comrades," he said quietly, "do you know who is responsible for this? Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!" he suddenly roared in a voice of thunder. "Snowball has done this thing! In sheer malignity, thinking to set back our plans and avenge himself for his ignominious expulsion, this traitor has crept here under cover of night and destroyed our work of nearly a year. Comrades, here and now I pronounce the death sentence upon Snowball. 'Animal Hero, Second Class,' and half a bushel of apples to any animal who brings him to justice. A full bushel to anyone who captures him alive!" (25)” I think that Napoleon is manipulating the animals to think that Snowball deserved to be ran off the farm, because during this time Snowball had been run off the farm by Napoleon’s trained pups, so he needed a way to show the animals that there was reason behind Snowball’s banishment. I think Napoleon shows great leadership qualities because he manages to get the animals on his side, even though he uses manipulation, it’s still effective. Some of Napoleon’s tactics haven’t been great, but it kept the animals working. One example of this would be in the novel where it says “Throughout the spring and summer they worked a sixty−hour week, and in August Napoleon announced that there would be work on Sunday afternoons as well. This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half. Even so, it was found necessary to leave certain tasks undone. (21)” Napoleon is giving the animals an ultimatum of work or starvation. He knew that in order to get the animals to keep working he need to put something they need at a potential risk so they would keep going. Towards the end of the novel Napoleon is reminiscing about the past two years and the struggle, but not to animals to humans. In fact an example of this is in the novel where it says “He would end his remarks, he said, by emphasising once again the friendly feelings that subsisted, and ought to subsist, between Animal Farm and its neighbors. Between pigs and human beings there was not, and there need not be, any clash of interests whatever. Their struggles and their difficulties were one. Was not the labour problem the same everywhere? (49)” I think that Napoleon is trying to finally make peace with everything, they’ve already been in two wars with the humans, so I guess he figured he might as well prevent another one from occurring, even though just the thought of the peace is against the concepts of Animalism. Although Napoleon was trying to make peace, his efforts were curbed by his cynicism and sadism. Napoleon seemed to have violated every concept of Animalism; he engaged with trade with humans, frightens the animals into submission, and lies to everyone on the farm. In particular, Napoleon was trying to start trade with the humans in order to ‘finish the windmill’, after Snowball, allegedly, destroyed the first one during a massive storm. Textual evidence to support this statement is in the novel where it says “One Sunday morning, when the animals assembled to receive their orders, Napoleon announced that he had decided upon a new policy. From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbouring farms: not, of course, for any commercial purpose, but simply in order to obtain certain materials which were urgently necessary. The needs of the windmill must override everything else, he said. He was therefore making arrangements to sell a stack of hay and part of the current year's wheat crop, and later on, if more money were needed, it would have to be made up by the sale of eggs, for which there was always a market in Willingdon. The hens, said Napoleon, should welcome this sacrifice as their own special contribution towards the building of the windmill. (22)” Napoleon convinces the animals that he is trading with the humans specifically for the purpose of material for the windmill. I think that Napoleon got something extra out of trading with the humans, but I do believe that Napoleon had good intentions to finish the windmill, one day. Napoleon was good at striking fear into the animals’ hearts whenever he needed to, or felt some unrest on the farm. In particular in the novel where it says, “Presently the tumult died down. The four pigs waited, trembling, with guilt written on every line of their countenances. Napoleon now called upon them to confess their crimes. They were the same four pigs as had protested when Napoleon abolished the Sunday Meetings. Without any further prompting they confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion, that they had collaborated with him in destroying the windmill, and that they had entered into an agreement with him to hand over Animal Farm to Mr. Frederick. They added that Snowball had privately admitted to them that he had been Jones's secret agent for years past. When they had 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. (30-31)” I think Napoleon was right when he thought Snowball was a traitor, but I couldn’t believe it myself. I always saw Napoleon as the bad guy, but in the end it ended up being Snowball as the antagonist because he was cooperating with Mr. Jones. Another good leadership trait I think Napoleon was advanced at was keeping a secret. For example on page 26 where it says, “It was vitally necessary to conceal this fact from the outside world. Emboldened by the collapse of the windmill, the human beings were inventing fresh lies about Animal Farm. Once again it was being put about that all the animals were dying of famine and disease, and that they were continually fighting among themselves and had resorted to cannibalism and infanticide. Napoleon was well aware of the bad results that might follow if the real facts of the food situation were known, and he decided to make use of Mr. Whymper to spread a contrary impression. Hitherto the animals had had little or no contact with Whymper on his weekly visits: now, however, a few selected animals, mostly sheep, were instructed to remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased. In addition, Napoleon ordered the almost empty bins in the store−shed to be filled nearly to the brim with sand, which was then covered up with what remained of the grain and meal. On some suitable pretext Whymper was led through the store−shed and allowed to catch a glimpse of the bins. He was deceived, and continued to report to the outside world that there was no food shortage on Animal Farm,” Napoleon knew that if the neighboring farms were to find out that there was a food shortage on the farm they would tell their animals and their animals would fear revolting because they would think it would end in massive starvation. I think Napoleon played it off very well till the end. In conclusion, if Mr. Jones would’ve never neglected the animals, the animals would’ve never revolted, turned against each other, or had to reconstruct the farm to where it was a better living environment for the animals.