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.