13 April، 2020

Individual Insurgency and Absolute Power in (Animal Farm) by George Orwell

It is an animal story that ironically satirizes and criticizes totalitarianism and the power-mad dictators and their deviations. This novel, whose events would happen anywhere and anytime, especially our current time, is about a farm animals, which suddenly decide to rebel and take control of the farm after driving out Jones, the owner. After getting rid of their exhaustion caused by Jones who used them for his personal gains, the animals, which are depicted as having human characteristics and capabilities, including the ability to speak and make speeches, agree to establish a fairer and more equitable farm for all away from human injustice, oppression and arrogance. It is a fairy story whereby Orwell attempts to create an interesting manner in satirizing the world politics, especially the former Soviet Union. The writer attacks with satire a dangerous issue by presenting it in an ironic manner to expose what he calls the myth of Soviet socialism. The novel tells a story that everyone can understand and comprehend, but it also tells us a second story from real life (the revolution). Since the Bolshevik Revolution in early twentieth century, the former Soviet Union’s socialist experience captured the world’s attention and gained supporters in Britain and the United States, but Orwell was completely against this system. Turning to the plot of the novel, the pig (Major) inspires the animals to revolt by telling them his dream that he had the night before, hoping to live in a life of justice, peace and cooperation among all. Nonetheless, after the revolution triumph, the pigs deliberately start to monopolize power and distort the supreme values and the seven commandments agreed upon to ensure that the only enemy (the human) is not allowed to return, and, consequently, Napoleon, the chief pig and the leader of the farm after the revolution, deliberately distorts one of the seven commandments to become: “All animals are equal, but some are more important than others”, and so to try to sanctify some animals and put the others into submission.This novel is worthy of reading more than once to understand the idea that is successfully conveyed by Orwell concerning the desire for change which may lead to a dictatorship that can be easily achieved by the useless rhetorical speeches of those in power here and there such as in countries destined to submit to totalitarian, authoritarian, dictatorial regimes whose aim is to achieve their personal gains and goals at the expense of the arbitrarily ruled peoples. I wish everyone a pleasant reading of this wonderful and meaningful novel.Mu’taz Wa’ad Abdulhadi Al-Qawwas#Share_your_Readings

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