Satire Ashley Bender
Definition
"The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices.."
In Animal Farm the use of satire is not hard to miss. The characters that Orwell chooses to incorporate into his story, and the way they are portrayed is the first clue that there is a purpose for it. Animals are usually portrayed as they are, just animals. But In this story, their characters represent the authors perspective on an actual event in history. Without out right saying it, Orwell describes communism, how it starts, how it works, how it changes. Instead of using people in his story, Orwell thought it better to use animals to insert humor and a superficial sense of the story just being about “Talking Animals”
The Animals in the book are extremely different than they are in real life. They are each given a human characteristic (personification), Orwell gives each animal a personality, opinion and voice, which is more humorous and exciting than if it were regular people. The Animals that Orwell Gives “life” to consist of pigs, horses, donkeys, chickens, sheep, a raven and so on. Each farm animal is changed according to how Orwell felt about which historical character he tied them to and how the message would cross effectively.
Pigs are very dirty animals, But what some people don't know, is that pigs are very intelligent. They are quick to learn and slow to forget. In “Animal Farm” a pig is the start of the revolution (Old Major), “Animalism” his intention was NOT to make condition worse, but to improve the life of the animals on the farm. But sadly, the power corrupts the pigs and they turn into the their worst enemy. In the book, this would be an example of how power effects people in a negative way and how it changes what they believe is right. Other animals that have significant meaning or are portrayed in a different light are dogs. Dogs are known for their loyalty, dedication, love and their faithfulness to their owners. In Animal Farm, they are cast in a darker light. Their sole purpose is to protect, obey, and respect Napoleon and his rule. They do not act like regular "happy-go-lucky" dogs, but are disciplined, vicious, killers.
Horses are also play a vital role in this story. They are fun, hardworking animals who are loyal and caring. In the book, The horse "Boxer" is the most dedicated, and hardworking animal on the farm. His daily motto consisted of, "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right". Boxer would be an example of the common worker who listens, not questions. Mollie, is a completely different story. She represents the selfishness in people, how vain and materialistic they can be. Boxer and Mollie demonstrate how different people can be from one another, and what morals people stand for.
The delusional tame raven (Moses) represents hope for a better life after life. He tells the other animals of "Sugar candy mountain" where the hardworking animals would finally be able to rest and be treated the way they really deserved. This would be an example of a clergymen preaching about salvation.
The human characteristic of "blind following" would go to the sheep. Who really have no idea what is going on or why they are doing what they are doing, they are just listening to what others tell them. Their purpose is to really give Napoleon the absolute power he needs without having to worry about an uprising.
"The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices.."
In Animal Farm the use of satire is not hard to miss. The characters that Orwell chooses to incorporate into his story, and the way they are portrayed is the first clue that there is a purpose for it. Animals are usually portrayed as they are, just animals. But In this story, their characters represent the authors perspective on an actual event in history. Without out right saying it, Orwell describes communism, how it starts, how it works, how it changes. Instead of using people in his story, Orwell thought it better to use animals to insert humor and a superficial sense of the story just being about “Talking Animals”
The Animals in the book are extremely different than they are in real life. They are each given a human characteristic (personification), Orwell gives each animal a personality, opinion and voice, which is more humorous and exciting than if it were regular people. The Animals that Orwell Gives “life” to consist of pigs, horses, donkeys, chickens, sheep, a raven and so on. Each farm animal is changed according to how Orwell felt about which historical character he tied them to and how the message would cross effectively.
Pigs are very dirty animals, But what some people don't know, is that pigs are very intelligent. They are quick to learn and slow to forget. In “Animal Farm” a pig is the start of the revolution (Old Major), “Animalism” his intention was NOT to make condition worse, but to improve the life of the animals on the farm. But sadly, the power corrupts the pigs and they turn into the their worst enemy. In the book, this would be an example of how power effects people in a negative way and how it changes what they believe is right. Other animals that have significant meaning or are portrayed in a different light are dogs. Dogs are known for their loyalty, dedication, love and their faithfulness to their owners. In Animal Farm, they are cast in a darker light. Their sole purpose is to protect, obey, and respect Napoleon and his rule. They do not act like regular "happy-go-lucky" dogs, but are disciplined, vicious, killers.
Horses are also play a vital role in this story. They are fun, hardworking animals who are loyal and caring. In the book, The horse "Boxer" is the most dedicated, and hardworking animal on the farm. His daily motto consisted of, "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right". Boxer would be an example of the common worker who listens, not questions. Mollie, is a completely different story. She represents the selfishness in people, how vain and materialistic they can be. Boxer and Mollie demonstrate how different people can be from one another, and what morals people stand for.
The delusional tame raven (Moses) represents hope for a better life after life. He tells the other animals of "Sugar candy mountain" where the hardworking animals would finally be able to rest and be treated the way they really deserved. This would be an example of a clergymen preaching about salvation.
The human characteristic of "blind following" would go to the sheep. Who really have no idea what is going on or why they are doing what they are doing, they are just listening to what others tell them. Their purpose is to really give Napoleon the absolute power he needs without having to worry about an uprising.