Animal Farm Makes Politics Seem Almost Interesting

Sorry to interrupt - were sure youre probably in the middle of watching an old VHS (VH-what now

?) tape of the 1988 Vice Presidential debate. Or perhaps youre simply catching up on all those saved DVR recordings of C-Span programming.

All right, so maybe its more likely that youre ramming your head repeatedly into a cactus. It takes a special kind of person to be genuinely interested in all things politics - for the rest of us, it seems tedious and boring and lackluster and monotonous and repetitive and droning... you asleep yet?

But politics are indubitably important. In fact, it is arguably the most vital science for us to wrap our heads around, as it affects everything around us - our education, our health care, our laws, and our quality of fodder for stand-up comedians.

George Orwell understood that, to communicate his strong convictions about the world of politics to the common man, he would need to come down to his level. And rather than simply dumb down his arguments, he chose to utilize the tool of humor to make people sit up and take notice.

Animal Farm, which is more warmly received today than when it was first published, was intended to depict a tyrannical dictatorship at its worst, thereby convincing its readers of the dangers inherent in a totalitarian government. However, he used farm animals in place of Stalin and the other targets of his satirical attack to lighten the mood, make the subject matter more accessible, and make his characters seem all the more dim-witted. Turns out that, when you examine their DNA and get down to the biology of it, there arent too many differences between a herd of pigs and an autocratic regime.

If youve studied for or taken the PSAT, you may be familiar with analogies. Although structured differently when found in the form of a test question, an analogy is something that draws an often metaphorical connection from one thing to another. And thats really what Animal Farm is - just one big analogy. In addition to the humor aspect of Orwells novel, this device also draws the reader in, as it is entertaining and engaging to spot and consider the parallels between the characters in the book and the real-life jackasses they represent.

As you may have noticed, we here at Shmoop have a similar philosophy. We know youve had to sit bravely through a number of classes taught by dry, humorless teachers who make time stand still and cause the potentially exciting material theyre teaching to become lifeless and dull. And we know that youve also had teachers who jump up and down (or at least seem to), make you laugh (or at least try), and just generally try to get your motor running. If those are the ones where youve learned the most - and we suspect that they are - then Animal Farm should be right up your alley.

by: Paul Thomson

POST COMMENT

Us Government Grants: Financial Aid For Personal Needs How Gsa Training Helps Government Contractors Government Holding Millions In Unclaimed Tax Money Come Out Of Your Financial Status With Government Grants. Breaks In A Variety Of Government Contractor Jobs Free Government Grants Free Of Charge Government Grants Cost-free Government Grants 2012 Secret Revealed-government Survival Bunker! How To Write A Government (gsa) Contract Proposal Benefits Of A Government Job In Particular Bank Job Government Vs Private Jobs Government Grants For Women Are Out There