Animal Farm Analytical Essay

Christina Nguyen March 20, 2013 Ms. Sklavos Honors English 2 Period 1 C4 In Their Footsteps When people are seized under the control of a tyrant, they try to overthrow them in hopes of creating change. But what happens when they succeed, and are provided with a new ruler, only to realize it never really solved their conflict? The novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell portrays quite an ironic concept, because it talks about the constant struggle of the animals trying to establish their own freedom and swearing that they would never try to become human, but gradually turning into them in the end.
Animal Farm discusses the oppression the animals have to face and the constant conflict between human and animal. Boxer and Squealer are examples of oppression and the advantages taken against them enforce that, and building the windmill is also another case of oppression. Because Boxer could not read or write; he was deemed illiterate and unintelligent. Boxer, as an individual, had been taken advantage of. Because he was practically illiterate, he felt like all he could do was hard labor and toil all day, every day. His dedication towards his work is a sheer example of oppression.
Although educationally challenged, Boxer does become a role model towards the animals on the farm. Boxer’s strength and determination are enough to move the whole farm, but what that resulted in was the animals becoming more concentrated on work, also known as oppression. The animals are inspired to work, which makes it easier for Napoleon to manipulate and control. Looking at the bigger picture, it can be said that Boxer represents the working class, and the oppression that comes with it. Both are illiterate and uneducated, so they have no choice but to become extremely obedient and docile towards the leaders of the farm.

Basically, the pigs had the ultimate advantage because they were more educated than a majority of the farm. Although Boxer had incredible strength and work ethic, Napoleon was still able to take advantage of his educational weaknesses. Squealer also represents weakness in education and power. Just like Boxer, he is similarly uneducated. He blindly follows orders that Napoleon commands, and doesn’t pay attention to the brutality that some of the commands possess. Obedience is something the two characters have in common. Squealer is also a motivator like Boxer.
He makes sure that all the animals stay calm and don’t panic whenever things go wrong. He has a gift at convincing the animals that things will be alright and never fails to remind the animals Napoleon appreciates all the sacrifices that they have had to supply. Squealer is Napoleon’s right hand man. He announces all the news and makes sure that the animals get to hear what they want to hear, no matter how much he has to stretch the truth. No matter how much Squealer feels like he is doing his job on the farm, in reality, he is just another pawn in Napoleon’s plan to rule the farm.
Finally, we have the conflicting event of building the windmill. The windmill represents an uneducated event. They reason why it seems so uncultivated is because all animals had agreed to build it, but they never had the money for supplies in the first place. Then when they build the first windmill, it falls apart. That meant that the work that the animals did and all the money that the spent went to waste. Napoleon, of course had blamed Snowball for the destruction of the windmill. Because there was no practically no money left, Napoleon resorted to taking horrible actions some of which included confiscating the hens’ eggs to trade.
The hens, of course, protested against Napoleon but he simply had them executed. All of the animals were now scared of Napoleon and regret the fact that they had followed Napoleon’s orders in the first place. Boxer’s death had been caused by the windmill. Because of his dedication towards the farm and Napoleon, Boxer had literally worked himself to death just for the benefit of the windmill and the farm. Napoleon, being the oppressor that he is, had no concern for Boxer’s health, but was rather content with the fact that the windmill would be completed due to his work.
The mindless idea of building a windmill further proved the advantage Napoleon created for himself over the animals of the farm. In conclusion, oppression continues to serve as a big learning factor of this novel. If Boxer and Squealer had been educated; they may not have had to deal the problems they had faced throughout the novel. If the idea of building a windmill was never brought up, many lives would have been saved. Animal Farm showcases the many struggles of oppression. Learning how to stand up for what you believe in and not just listening to the authority can benefit you, and the people around you, greatly