Animal Farm Revolutionary Plague Quotes

The Revolutionary Plague Daniel Berrigan once said, “A revolution is interesting insofar as it avoids like the plague the plague it promised to heal”. The story of Animal Farm by George Orwell tells a revolutionary tale that shares many similarities with this observation. Despite the initial efforts of the animals, the tyrannical leadership that existed before returns with the same issues they set out to confront. Berrigan’s comment ultimately reflects the pattern of history that humans follow and brings light to the many unsuccessful revolutions in history. To begin, though Berrigan’s quote may be brief, one reveals a much more complex meaning upon dissection. When one reads it for the first time, the word ‘plague’ stands out, which one infers to mean the issues which bring about the revolution. He subtly points out the irony of revolutions, as while they are intended to fix certain problems, they ultimately avoid these issues, failing to accomplish anything but a change in leadership. Furthermore, Berrigan uses the word ‘interesting’

The pigs attempt to hide their oppressive nature by calling the animals comrade. However, this phrase carries no meaning, as no mutual respect exists between them. As this dynamic progresses on the farm, Napoleon begins to be glorified in a similar manner to the way in which Mr. Jones experienced glorification previously. The animals easily fall victim to this, as they feel respect by only being called comrade, shedding light on their ignorance. Before the animals know it, the previous commandments are changed to “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS” (Orwell 134). This is the final straw in the apparent equality between the pigs and the rest of the animals, as they clearly lack interest in hiding their oppressive