Animal Farm in 2013

Animal Farm is, quite obviously, an allegory of the Russian revolution. If one knows about the events of the Russian revolution, one can quickly associate them with the events that happen in the book. The animals rebelling represent the people of Russia, the people who lived in poverty and barely got enough to eat even with their hard work. The rebellion itself is the rebellion of the people, how they went against the Zar (Mr. Jones in the farm) and won. The pigs are the leaders of the rebellion, old Major being the one that implanted the idea on them (Karl Marx, maybe Lenin). At first, the new government seems perfect, but then there start being abuses that the people/animals don’t notice because of the power of propaganda, of fear: they don’t want Jones back/ they don’t want the Zar back. They’re all manipulated, and the leaders do as they please, get what they want. Then comes the battle, this is a parallel to the battles there were against the people who sympathized with the Zar and the people against him. Obviously, the side against him wins. With all this said, the book is truly a good allegory. You can see the things happen, can see the abuses.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it can only mirror events in the past, it can also mirror events happening in the present, if only because past actions tend to repeat themselves in slightly different scenarios. Let’s take Egypt’s current situation as an example: (article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23744435) Their (now ex) president was deposed of his position by the military (because that was what people wanted), and they are currently being ruled by a military government which claims everyone is the same and have space in the country. But this is not true: the government kills the people that are against them, the people who want their old president back. One can easily relate this to the way of ruling the animals had, anyone who was against the regimen was frowned on and, after Napoleon’s ascension to absolute power, threatened by the government (the pigs). In both of them there are abusive governments that claim to be with the people, with everyone, claim that everyone is equal, has an equal place, even though those things are not true. They only accept people who believe in the same things as them, people who think the same as them, people who follow them.