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Animal Farm: History Is Still Relevant Today

1275 Words6 Pages

“History never really says goodbye. History says, ‘See you later.’” This concise, simple quote, said by Eduardo Galeano, captures the essence of the relationship between history and the present times. Issues and messages that were prominent in the past are never simply eradicated; they are only masked for a short time, until they begin to become widespread once again in society. This is exactly the case when it comes to the relationship between Animal Farm and our society today. This fable, written by George Orwell in the 1940’s, satirizes the Russian revolution: animals rebel against their incompetent farmer in hopes of bettering their lives and farm. However, the actions and desires of the pigs soon overtake the rest of the animals, resulting in a dictatorship that …show more content…

These messages include the importance of an informed and educated public, the prevalence of deception and propaganda, and the concept of absolute power corrupting absolutely. A theme conveyed through Animal Farm that is still relevant today is the importance of an informed, educated public. Following Napoleon’s executions of the traitors, the animals begin to question whether this act went against their established commandments. They thought the Sixth Commandment read: “No animal shall kill any other animal.” But after the executions, the pigs realize that their actions went against the commandments, so they simply change them by adding the words ¨without cause¨ to the end of the existing law; this is why these last two words have “slipped out of the animals’ memory” (Orwell 91-92). Due to their gullibility, the animals didn’t question this change, even though they suspected it; they just go along with what they see, not thinking out anything for themselves, and therefore, not striving to inform themselves. Through this instance, Orwell mocks the complete gullibility of the Russian citizens during the time of the

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