Topic > Themes of socialism and capitalism in Orwell's Animal Farm

IndexAn outline for an argumentative essay on capitalism and socialismIntroductionThe setting and the initial call for changeThe socialist revolution The corruption of socialist idealsThe emergence of capitalismThe transformation into a communist societyThe commentary on socialization LessonsConclusionSample argumentative essay on capitalism and socialismOutline for an argumentative essay on capitalism and socialismIntroductionIntroduction to George Orwell's "Animal Farm"Thesis statementThe setting and the initial call for changeIntroduction to the farm and the speech of the Old MajorHighlighting mistreatment and poor living conditionsThe incentive for change among animalsThe Socialist RevolutionThe plan to overthrow Mr. JonesCreating a more efficient system Implementation of socialist principlesCommandments for equality and work sharing Corruption of socialist idealsManipulation of the commandments by of the pigsThe emergence of a hierarchy of powerGreed and privilege among the pigsThe emergence of capitalismPigs replicate the actions of Mr. JonesThe growing gap between the privileged and the serfsExploitation of less powerful animalsCapitalist trends leading to corruptionThe transformation into a communist societyThe rise of Napoleon as a dictator The adoption of a communist economy The development of a class system Manipulative rituals for group identity Commentary on social classes Changing interpretations of unity Establishment of social classes based on intellect and strength Orwell's critique of moral issues in the Soviet Union Conclusion Summary of themes explored in "Animal Farm" Orwell's critique of socialism and capitalism Example of an argumentative essay on capitalism and socialism Animal Farm is a novel by George Orwell, published in England on August 17, 1945. At the time, the events depicted in this book they appeared to be mere recreations of the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917, which consequently brought about the end of the Stalin era of the Soviet Union. Considering that George Orwell was in stark contrast to Joseph Stalin's actions, this book was believed to be a satirical tale against Stalin. Some themes have been highlighted in this book; primarily one that resembles socialist and capitalist societies and economies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The opening scene is set on a farm, where all the animals gathered at night to listen to Old Major's speech. This intervention highlighted above all, but did not hide, the way in which the animals were mistreated and how the living conditions, provided by the owner of the farm, were of poor quality; this made all animals feel included and gave them incentives to try to change. The plan involved a series of rebellion-like activities, to “overthrow” Mr. Jones (the owner of the farm). This would ultimately ensure that all animals worked in unison towards a common goal, creating a more efficient system as work would be distributed equally and all actions would be rewarded, honoring one of the commandments. This demonstrated strong characteristics of socialism; since all means of exchange would be controlled by the community as a whole. To guarantee everyone the same rights, a list of commandments has been established. The farm economy was run just like that of the Soviet Union, where food was distributed equally across the population, and just as atrue Marxist society. Even though these rules were established, the pigs, who represented Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky, found a way to manipulate them to their advantage, which may demonstrate the lack of order in the socialist society they sought to embody. The corruption was soon visible from the pigs representing the communist party, when the animals wondered where the milk went but got a meaningless answer: "Milk doesn't matter, comrades!" exclaimed Napoleon, standing in front of the buckets. «We'll take care of it. The harvest is more important.' This communist style economy soon proved to be dysfunctional, there was strong segregation of power as the pigs decided to manipulate the other animals, as they believed they were much more intelligent, and thus gained power over the other animals. animals and exempted themselves from all physical work on the farm, as they were said to carry the "brains", consequently placing them in a superior position compared to other animals. This was an improper use of the definition of needs. The other animals not aware of this manipulation technique were forced to follow the pigs' orders. This was done to personify the greed embodied by the political system of the time. Eventually, the pigs further developed and abused their powers, eating all the apples and consuming all the milk, justifying this by claiming that it fueled the type of work they did. providing to the community, and the animals were led to believe that they were not afforded such privileges as Mr. Jones would return, causing all the animals to live in constant fear. In addition to manipulation, the pigs fed lies to everyone else to keep them under their control, with the use of rhetoric and propaganda. It was then that the commandment that read “All animals are equal” was changed to “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This was obviously indicative of Orwell's dispute with capitalism. Throughout the book, capitalism was shown as a series of actions of greed and power hunger, primarily starting with how the animals wanted to kick Mr. Jones out of the stable because it was not dealing with the animal's right, but also using the sale of its products to its advantage. Secondly, the pigs, although it didn't seem that way at first, began to replicate Mr. Jones' actions and eventually the farm became worse than before. This ensured that the pigs were sated and lived in luxury while the others became serfs and received no benefits from their hard physical labor. After Boxer's death, the pigs sell the body and use the money they earned to buy alcohol and get drunk, excluding the other animals, which once again violates one of the commandments. George Orwell evidently strongly criticizes both socialism and capitalism, and focuses heavily on the flaws of both systems. It showed that even though greed was conjured by man, no matter who is in a position of power, or anyone who feels superior to others, they will eventually become corrupt and abuse their power against the less fortunate and weak. Later in the first story one of the pigs called "Napoleon" takes on the role of dictator, and thus a more communist society is formulated. All animals are initially considered equal but as the pigs gain knowledge they become superior and adopt a communist economy, where the pigs act like humans and the rest of the animals work under their commands, consequently they would use the results of their labor for their well-being. personal benefits, acting as dictators, and this party class system continued to benefit from the work done by animals less.