Communism or Nah?

At this moment, you are living in a communist country, where there is no social class and there is an equal distribution of necessities. However, you realize you are different than the rest of the people, in which you are more intelligent, considerate and ambitious than the rest of the population. Now, are you willing to become a citizen who share everything equally with others, or are you willing to become a leader and utilize your intelligence to create a change in the society?

       
        On October 24, 1917, Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolsheviks, and other launched a successful coup against the Russian provisional government, known as the October Revolution. Later, they established a new government based on the ideals of communism, which emphasized equality in the public life. 

It was not until 1945 that George Orwell, a British novelist, published Animal Farm to criticize Russian Communism by highlighting the ineffectiveness of the political institution to evoke a change within the audience. Furthermore, Orwell reflects the complexity of humanity in his work. Through the incorporation of exaggeration and irony, Orwell accentuates that men serves the interest of no creature except himself. 

Everyone is a different entity. Some are smarter than others while some are stronger than the rest. Orwell exaggerates the various level of education within the animals in his work to emphasize the complexity of humanity. Clover, a horse, learned the whole alphabet, but could not put words together. Similarly, Boxer, another horse, could not get beyond the letter D. However, the pigs can read and write perfectly. Although the animals live in a society that promote equality, the animals are not synchronized in their educational level. This difference in education eventually enables the pigs, who are smarter than the rest, to dominate the leadership positions, which further enlarge the social and political gap between the pigs and the rest of the animals. Thus, true communism cannot be achieved.  Moreover, the pigs utilize the advantages of their leadership role to procure beer, apple and soft beds, luxuries to the rest of the population. The selfish acts of the pigs display how they can neglect the ideals of communism in exchange for their benefits solely.

On the other hand, Orwell incorporates an irony to highlight the different between expectations and the consequences in a communist society. In the beginning of the book, the old Major, a pig with high reputation, states, “ Men  serves in the interest of no creature except himself.” (10) Although Major has once warned the animals, they neglect this warning. The animals allow Napoleon, the leader of the farm, to inhabit a separate apartments from others, to drink beer and to have the gun fired every year on his birthday. Napoleon no longer embraces the ideals of communism, in which he establishes his privileges and rules above all animals. The expectation of communism is fulfilled by inequality. Thus, the idea of equality might appear to be a triumph for all animals in the farm, however, it is just a beginning of another dictatorship that concentrate on the benefits of the leaders. 

By presenting the negative aspects of communism, the audience would be exposed to the flaws. Through recognition, there would be a change in audience, whether the change is to alter their opinions about communism or/ and to act upon inequality in other communist countries.   

After reading this novel, I no longer believe equality can be achieved in every areas under communism, instead, I believe communism is simply another way for men to serve their own interest though a political institution. What about you? 

                                           Men vs. Animals

“I am twelve years old and have had over four hundred children. Such is the natural life of a pig.”- Old Major (8)

     What? A pig can talk? This was my first reaction when I read the first chapter of this book, Animal Farm by George Orwell. The story begins with animals in the Manor Farm are revolting against their owner, Mr. Jones. Surprisingly, pigs, cows, horse and other animals win the rebellion. They even have their own flag!  

      There are many scenes in the Animal Farm that reminded me of historical events. One event is the immediate cause of the Animal Farm rebellion. Although the animals has been dismayed about their amount of labor and ration, it was not until the farm workers forgot to feed them that they begin to let their hunger fuel their actions. This reminded of the bread riots in the beginning of the French Revolution. During that time, bread was the staple diet of the lower class, and its variations in the price of bread impacted the poor the most, especially by women who often bought bread. The need of bread gave rise to the bread riots, in which people demanded for lower prices by marching and violent actions. The power of hunger from animals and humans can lead to disastrous  events.

       Another event is the Seven Commandments. After the animals won the freedom and expelled Mr. Jones, they immediately write down seven commandments with white paint on a board. Some of the rights are: Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy, no animal shall wear clothes and no animal shall sleep in bed. Does this sound familiar to you? When I read the Seven Commandments, I am reminded of the Bills of Rights. What does this reminded you of?

      Aside from many of these “this sound familiar” moment, I chuckled a lot when I read about the absurdity of the education of the animals. In the farm, the pigs could read and write perfectly. On the other hand, Clover, a cart-horse, learned the whole alphabet, but he could no put the words together. Also, Boxer, a strong cart-horse, could not get beyond the letter D. He would only trace out A, B,C and D. Sometimes, he learned E, F,G and H. Dun Dun Dun! But he would forget A,B,C and D after. Perhaps the inability of animals to learn would hinder them since they could be easily manipulated by other animals.

      Despite the absurdity of the animals, their words and actions have similarities with human experience.

“Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious and short.”(6)

      So often, I share the same experience with the animals, but to a different degree. For many years, I had suffered from heart-breaking moments. I had suffered the pain of school work, and I had came to the realization that life is short. 

     Overall, the role of animals in this novel motivates me to rethink their role in today’s society. The bacon, eggs, fried chicken, steak and milk we often consume are built upon of the sacrifice of animals. 

Victim Blaming 

So often, it is expected that the evil one will be the perpetrator, but the victim can never be underestimated. Many people are not what they appear to be, even an amiable figure.

In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, who is to blame for the tragic ending? Othello or Iago? Before pointing one’s finger to either character, one needs to consider the background of the play. 

Throughout the play, the female characters are often succumb to male authority. Emilia states, “[Men] are all but stomachs and we all but food; [Men] eat us hungerly, and when they are full/ They belch us.” (57) During that time period, many men simply view women as an instrument to satisfy their desires, and when their desires are fulfilled, they neglect their women. Women does not have the same status as men, even though they share the same senses. It is no surprise that Othello does not trust Emilia when he asks her thoughts on Desdemona and Cassio’s affair. Rather, he trusts Iago’s words. Under the influence of gender inequality, Othello chooses to believe Iago, even though Emilia has a closer relationship with Desdemona than Iago.

Furthermore, the weak foundation of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship play a role to Othello’s downfall. Desdemona loves Othello for the dangers he had passed, and he loves her for her pity. What other traits do Desdemona has that enable Othello to like her? Desdemona once deceives her father in exchange her loyalty to Othello. However, her loyalty soon becomes her justification to betray Othello. If the foundation of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is strong, would Othello still chooses to believe Iago, instead of his beloved wife? If the foundation of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is strong, would Othello still chooses to kill Desdemona, instead of forgiving her?

Aside from the gender inequality during that time and the weak foundation of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship, Othello’s insecurity plays a significant role in the tragic ending. His insecurity derives from his race. Othello once states, “Haply, for I am black/ And have no those soft parts of conversations/ That Chamberes have…She’s gone.” (48) Othello’s race influences him to infer Desdemona would soon get tired of him and would devote herself to other white men. Although Othello is often described as valiant, he does not have enough confident to believe he is as good as other men. He does not have enough faith to believe Desdemona would continue to love him. He does not even know what other reasons that cause Desdemona to marry him. Othello’s race becomes Desdemona’s justification to betray him. The insecurity serves as a cause for Othello to  believe Iago’s words. Iago appears to be a negative influence that affect Othello's rationality, and Othello appears to be his victim. However, Othello is the one who causes the tragic ending by assailing Desdemona.

        With his evil visage, many would blame Iago for the tragic ending. However, was every event occurred in the play planned by Iago or just his luck come into his way? As Iago tries to persuade Othello to believe Desdemona and Cassio have an affair, the main evidence is the handkerchief. Although Iago steals the handkerchief and brings it in Cassio’s chamber, it is Bianco who decides to enter the scene and asks Cassio about the handkerchief in front of Othello. Also, when Iago decides to remove Cassio from his position in order to procure Othello’s trust, it is Cassio who chooses to take the drink. It is Iago’s luck that aided him, not his words.

   At the end of the play, it is Othello who decides to kill Desdemona. It is Othello who decides to listen to Iago. It is Othello who gives in to his insecurity. Even the amiable soldier in the play is not what he appears to be.