Animal Farms Essay -- Literary Analysis, Orwell

Though Communism started in the early 1900s, its adverse effects are still felt in modern economies, global relations, and even literature such as Animal Farm by George Orwell. Communism started under the rule of Vladimir Lenin a man who brought prosperity and reform. Then it was passed down to the vengeful dictator Joseph Stalin. After several changes in power, it remains as an economic and political system. Like the animals in Animal Farm the people want a great change, and are willing to stop at no cost. However, like the Russian people they soon find out that by using communism to free them from bondage, they are only slaves to a new master and lose all reminisce of past culture. The winter of 1917 was one of the harshest winters Russia had faced in years. Food was scarce and the people were ravaged with disease. Peasants morosely toiled in the fields only to see their harvest consumed by the aristocracy. Each day was a prolonging of the inevitable revolution to come. However, like all great revolutions, they needed both an ideological leader, and one with the ability to carry out the actual revolution. These qualities were found in Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. Like Old Major in Animal Farm, Karl Marx spurs the revolution with the idea that the proletariats no longer have to be subservient to the Bourgeoisie (Marx xi). The animals had the incentive to follow Old Major, because he envisioned a totally equal society and wonders such as hot and cold water in all barns. A classless society appealed to the majority of Russians of whom 80% were serfs (Gottfried 79). Now that the ideological aspect had been taken care of they just needed someone to put the plan in to action. Vladimir Lenin was the head of the Bolshevik (those of ... ...Putin is the current Prime Minister of Russia and has said he wishes to run again in the next elections. Though the Cold War has been over for more than 19 years communism has soured Russian relations with the U.S. and all the countries it previously occupied. Russia is still undergoing economic and political transition, but like the animals in Animal Farm, in order to gain freedom they have become their own worst enemies; capitalists. In conclusion the deceiving lure of utopian communism is depicted in Animal Farm by George Orwell. Like the Russian people the animals hope to have a totally equal society, but for this dream they must sacrifice much more. They eventually succumb to totalitarian communism and in order to gain freedom must pay the ultimate price. For the animals it was becoming the humans and for the Russian people it was succumbing to capitalism.