It's A Pig's World

George Orwell's Animal Farm is arguably one of the most timeless literary works of all time. Written in 1945 as a way to allegorically critique communism, Stalinism and the hypocrisy of the Russian Revolution, the novella still remains relevant today in times fraught with political corruption, propagandist social control and the war on democratic freedoms.

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" ~ Lord Acton

This quote, which struck and inspired Orwell, essentially speaks to the fact that power that goes unchecked, is power that will be misused and abused. It comments on this idea that the hunger for power is almost some kind of insatiable beast, driven by human greed and selfish ambition, which cannot help but to produce corruption through exploitation, manipulation, and oppression.

There are numerous ways that this quote applies to both the book and our world today.

How it applies to Animal Farm	How it applies to our world today
At the start of the book, before Manor Farm becomes Animal Farm, the oppression that was present under Mr. Jones' rule was evident, particularly as highlighted in Old Major's speech. We learn that the animals are exploited by the human farmers for the eggs, milk, and all else that they produce, without so much as any kind of reward or mercy for their labor. They are overworked and underfed, and their existence is reduced to the productivity and profitability they bring their masters.	One modern day example of how power tends to corrupt is Vladimir Putin, and the Russian war in Ukraine. The disproportionate and unnecessary violence that Russia has been raining down in Ukraine for the past 2 and a half years, despite the West's economic sanctions and the international community's best efforts to end the war, is only possible because of the absolute power that Putin has as an authoritarian dictator.
After the revolt, the farm deviates far from the idyllic El Dorado that Old Major had envisioned. We find that exploitation persists amongst the animals, albeit in new forms. All the animals except the pigs must work arduously on the windmill, the hens are forced to lay more eggs than is sustainable for them, and all must endure lower and lower food rations. This is all while the pigs enjoy the comfort of the human beds, the milk that the cows produce, and the benefits of literacy. History repeats itself in a more sinister, less recognizable form. The cyclical structure of the book highlights the notion that corruption is inescapable: any new government or institution claiming to be reformed is only the same wolf in a different sheep's clothing (pun intended!)	There are also example closer to home. As we learned from The Daily, one of the things Donald Trump plans to do once he gets into office is to seek revenge from all his political enemies. He plans to silence, indict, imprison and sabotage the reputations of those who oppose his agenda, disagree with his ideals and speak out against him. Worse yet, he is going to be able to get all the criminal charges against him dropped due to presidential immunity. These are things he will only be able to do because of the power that comes with being the President of the world's largest superpower. The checks and balances that bodies such as the House of Representatives and Congress are meant to provide will essentially be undermined due to the fact that they both have Republican control.

A historical event that draws many parallels with Orwell's work is the Third Reich, the 1933-1945 Nazi regime in Germany under Hitler's rule.

In the same way that Squealer acts as a mouthpiece for Napoleon - singing his praises and feeding the animals this false image of Napoleon as a brave, strong and noble leader in order to ensure their continued loyalty and complacency - the media was pivotal in presenting Hitler in a positive light to the people of Germany, a saving grace in the wake of the humiliation and shame of their loss in WWI. This contributed greatly to him being eventually appointed as Chancellor, and ultimately, becoming a dictator. Napoleon also started out as an ostensibly worthy leader among the animals, but as we know, as his regime becomes more violent and oppressive and the some animals become "more equal than others", he eventually only gets addressed as "our leader, comrade Napoleon". What is interesting about Hitler is he could arguably represent both Napoleon (the ruthless dictator) and Squealer (the media) because of his notorious persuasiveness in public speeches. He contributed to his own positive propaganda.

Another parallel is the use of a scapegoat. In the novella, we know that Snowball becomes who is blamed for anything that goes wrong on the farm in order to keep the attention off the real issues - such as the greed and hypocrisy of the pigs. Similarly, in Nazi Germany, the Jews were scapegoated as the enemy of the people, the traitors, and the reason for Germany's abysmal loss during the war. They were othered and viewed as vermin among the superior 'Aryan' race. This was how Hitler justified the genocidal killings in his concentration camps. This is not all that different from the manipulative ways the pigs justified their sleeping on beds and being the only benefactors of the cows' milk.

Last but not least, both examples weaponize nationalism and a false sense of unity to keep their subjects in oblivion. In the novella, this is done most effectively through the "four legs good, two legs bad" chant which picks up after the revolution. It was the ideology of animalism summed up. The oversimplification of language is effective here in ensuring this line is memorable for even the least educated in the society. In Nazi Germany, the equivalent was "Heil Hitler!", which included a salute to demonstrate loyalty and submission to Hitler's governance. This symbol was such a powerful representation of support for Hitler that if enacted in today's world, it is enough to cause outrage.

Among the characters, I would argue that Boxer is the noblest because of his selflessness, hard work and optimistic outlook towards building a better tomorrow for he and his fellow comrades. However, these qualities can be viewed as a double-edged sword as they were also a reflection of Boxer's ignorance regarding the oppressive system he was in - an ignorance which actually worked to uphold the system with his "I will work harder" mantra that absolved the pigs of any responsibility in the hardships the animals were facing.

That being said, I believe Boxer paired with Benjamin would be an effective combo to lead a rebellion against Napoleon's dictatorship. Benjamin is intelligent and privy to the lies that the pigs tell and this unequal society they have built, even though he prefers not to get involved. In Nazi Germany, he perhaps represents those Germans who did not support the Holocaust, but did not oppose it either - as this would put their own survival at risk. With Benjamin's knowledge and education, and Boxer's strength and never-give-up mentality, these two could fill each others' gaps and rally other animals together to fight for their freedom. The real question is: when oppression and violence are institutionalized on a macro level, to what extent can individual efforts make a difference? In the same way that Napoleon massacred those who were supposedly conspiring with Snowball on the spot, Hitler had no mercy for those who were "Jew sympathizers", Aryan or not.

When writing this blog post, the phrase "it's a man's world" came to mind, and I reflected on how the representation of a man here is really just a metonym for the one who holds the power. In the USSR, it was Stalin's world. In Nazi Germany, it was an Aryan's world. And on Animal Farm, it was a pig's world.

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which" (p. 141).

In this chillingly provocative final line of his book, Orwell reminds us that it was never about animals versus humans; it was about the who had the power versus who didn't.