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An author often writes a novel as a warning to mankind. In Animal Farm, George Orwell creates a world of animals that allegorically represent man. The intelligent pigs take advantage of the uneducated lower animals and take control of the farm, by showing the steady increase of the pigs' intellectual exploitation of the lower animals, Orwell warns the reader of the importance of education. Immediately after the revolution, the pigs begin their intellectual exploitation of the lower animals by telling them that the cows' milk would be mixed with apples for the benefit of the pigs' health. "It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in out duty? Jones would come back!" This statement dumbfounded the animals.
The fact that the apples and milk were being stolen was lost in fear of tyrant Jones returning. Their lack of intelligence keeps them from recognizing that the pigs are exploiting them, and they slowing begin to hand over their newly-won freedom to their new masters, the pigs. The next freedom the animals unknowingly give up is the freedom of choice. As the pigs took over more and more, the lower animals began to lose their freedom of choice. The decision on whether or not to build a windmill came up. Snowball was for building it and Napoleon was against it. "The animals listened first to Napoleon, then to Snowball, and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed, they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment. " They themselves had no opinion.
Due to their lack of intelligence they just accepted what Snowball and Napoleon had to say. Not only was their freedom of choice taken away but the pigs single handedly tricked the lower animals by changing the rules. As time went on the pigs suddenly moved into the farmhouse and took up their residence there. They stated that they were the brains of the farm and needed a quite place to work. "You have heard then, comrades, that we pigs now sleep in the beds of the farmhouse? And why not? You did not suppose, surely, that there was ever a ruling against bed?
The rule was against sheets, which are a human invention. You would not rob us of our repose, would you comrades? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?" (pg. 80). The animals could not read so they didn't notice that the rule on the wall had been changed. Again the lack of education is the main reason for being manipulated into letting the pigs have their way. Napoleon was becoming a terrible tyrant leader as the years past.
He didn't want anyone to associating with the enemy. Realizing that everyone wasn't abiding to his rules, and not staying away from Snowball he took the matters into his own hands. "And so the tale of confessions and executions went oman the air was heavy with the smell of blood which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones. " (pg. 93). It was soon over and the animals walked away. They were shaken and miserable, they didn't know which one was worse the animals siding with Snowball or Napoleon killing all the disobedient lower animals. There was no killing of other animals on Animal Farm until that day. The animals thought they remembered a resolution against it but yet again they were forced to accept it because they didn't know any better and didn't know how to stop it.
Eventually as the years past the pigs became more advanced than ever. One day Squealer took the sheep off to a piece of waste ground at the other end of the farm. A week or so later the sheep returned. That day they noticed that Squealer was walking on his hind legs and carrying a whip in his trotter. The other animals were shocked! Suddenly a row of pigs followed by Napoleon came out of the farmhouse walking erect.
Before the animals had a chance to say anything, out burst the sheep with " Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two legs better!" (pg. 132). This is a prime example of how under educated people can be taken control of. The sheep had no idea what they were saying or how it pertained to them. Education is the key missing in this situation. Finally Animal Farm was getting old, most of the ordinal animals were long gone and the new ones just took the place of the old and did what they were told.
Basically in Animal Farm the key to everything is how much knowledge you hold within yourself and without knowledge then you are just another person to be stomped on and taken control of. Knowing that knowledge is power would have helped the animals in the story because when you are educated you become a threat to the less educated and the ones that are trying to control you. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Four Legs Good Two Legs Freedom Of Choice
