Wednesday
6 March 2013
E05
Book X SBA
■ Text : Cathy
y Wong
g
■ Photos : AP
An ironic tale
Animal Farm is a seemingly childish novel about
animals rebelling against their human owners. But
author George Orwell reveals the darker sides of
humanity through themes of greed and power
“A
Unlike other literature classics, Animal Farm is short and easy to read. The simple words and
short sentences give the lighthearted feel of a children’s novel. But as the story progresses, the tone
darkens and deepens as reflections are made upon the past, present and perhaps even the future of
humanity.
Animal tales
A true story
THE story begins with an animal rebellion, led by
the pigs against their human owners. New rules are
set, and the animals start to live an autonomous
life independent of human reign. The farm
was renamed Animal Farm, their revolutionary
song Beast of England was sang, and the Seven
Commandments of Animalism was adopted, the
most important of which being “All animals are
equal”.
But soon all goes downhill when Napoleon, one
of the pigs, ousts the trustworthy leader Snowball,
who is also a pig, and declares himself leader. A
dark age begins when Napoleon rules the animal
farm through manipulation and fear. Mass meetings
are no longer held and replaced by a committee of
pigs, who run and decide all matters on the farm.
TO gain a deeper understanding of the story, one has to consider the
historical context in which Orwell wrote his classic work. Animal
Farm is an allegorical novel because the content is an ironic
reference to actual historical figures and events. The most
important of which, the pig leader Napoleon, is based on
Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union at the time. The
events in the novel refer to the peak of his power during the
1940s.
Just like the pig Napoleon, Stalin’s rule over Soviet Russia
was built upon a cult of personality in which he became the
only source of power and truth. His dictatorship was also
enforced by a reign of terror, in which freedom and individual
rights were deprived.
But the corruption of leadership was not enough to amount
to such dystopia. Ignorance and short-sightedness among the
crowd also allowed the corrupted leaders to manipulate them.
The Seven Commandments are then altered
to benefit only the pigs. Animals are killed or
silenced when they hold opinions that differ from
Napoleon’s. That is the moment when the pigs
became “more equal” than the other animals, in
which they enjoyed more privileges and absolute
power.
Facing such totalitarian dictatorship, the
animals remained submissive. They were
brainwashed to believe that “doubtless it had been
worse in the old days” under human rule, despite
the pigs behaving more like the humans and the
fact that their life had become even worse.
Vocabulary
George Orwell
wrote the novel
to protest against
totalitarianism.
▲
LL are equal, but some are
more equal than others.”
The infamous ironic quote,
originally referring to animals in the book, highlights the ugliness of
corrupted leadership and social inequality. In fact, the entire novel is filled with similarly simple yet
sarcastic lines.
classics (n) 名著
autonomous (adj) 自主的
SBA Corner
Print fiction
Non-print fiction
Print non-fiction
Non-print non-fiction
About the book
Genre: satire, politics, dystopian
Contemporary relevance
EVEN if the historical aspects of the novel are put aside,
you will still find it highly relevant to modern-day society.
Oppression of mavericks still exists in many countries
around the world. Inequality also continues to divide society.
As with Hong Kong, the day when we are free to choose our
leaders remains unclear. The novel’s relevance to the present
makes it a modern classic, forcing us to reflect on whether we
have moved forward from an age of Communism referred to
in Animal Farm.
reign (n) 統治
totalitarian (adj) 極權主義的
Author: George Orwell
Number of pages: 141
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-451-52634-2
Book discussion
1. What do you think an ideal social and political
state should be?
2. What are some of the major factors needed to
achieve such an ideal state?
submissive (adj) 服從的
maverick (n) 異見人士