Animal Farm was my favourite film as a child – we had a cartoon version on VHS. I cried every time at the moment Napoleon sends Boxer to the glue factory, but still – it was my favourite. And since I’ve been reading Orwell’s essays on nationalism and I re-read 1984 for my research paper, I decided I would buy a copy of Animal Farm too.
The book is essentially a commentary on revolutionary movements with the central message of ‘power corrupts’, which is relatable to many historic and contemporary contexts. I read the book paying particular attention to the manipulation tactics implemented by the pigs in order to gain power and control over the other animals, since this is the topic of my research paper.
I also found the use of linguistic propaganda, such as the sloganeering ‘Four legs good, two legs bad’ and the ‘Seven Commandments’ particularly interesting to relate to my own art practice. I am fascinated by the power and impact of words, and artists, such as Barbara Kruger and Jenny Holzer, who use text in their artwork. Particularly the process of distilling a message into its most impactful form as this is a skill I have been developing through my protest placards, and more recently my textiles banners. The way the pigs edit the text Seven Commandments to twist the rules so that they can indulge in human vices and change the fundamental values upon which the rebellion was founded, fills me with a sort of familiar horror – reminding me of ‘Partygate’ and the way the Conservatives tried to excuse themselves from breaking the rules imposed on everyone else during the pandemic.
Another big element in the plot is the distortion of truth through the changing of facts, which is related, in the introduction to Trump’s presidency. The animals are frequently forced to doubt their own knowledge and experience, and ultimately to alter what they remember and believe by the pigs stating alternative facts and imposing a new narrative in line with their aims. It is essentially the same tactic as the gaslighting used in domestic abuse, which creates a sense of confusion and doubt in the victim’s mind. The strategy is intended to psychologically weaken the victim and thereby make them easier to control.
Quotes
‘The remark by Trump aide Kellyanne Conway about the size of the crowd at his inauguration being larger than the one at Obama’s being an ‘alternative fact’, rather than a lie, sent hundreds of thousands of Americans back to Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell’s other powerful warning about the perils of totalitarianism.’ (page vi)
‘Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. And remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices. No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade. All habits of Man are evil.’ (page 7)
‘After much thought Snowball declared that the Seven Commandments could in effect be reduced to a single maxim, namely: ‘Four legs good, two legs bad.’ This, he said, contained the essential principle of Animalism.’ (page 26)
‘It had come to be accepted that the pigs, who were manifestly cleverer than the other animals, should decide all questions of farm policy, though their decisions had to be ratifies by a major vote. This arrangement would have worked enough if it had not been for the disputes between Snowball and Napoleon. These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible.’ (page 38)
‘Napoleon produced no schemes of his own, but said quietly that Snowball’s would come to nothing, and seemed to be biding his time.’ (page 39)
‘The animals listened first to Napoleon, then to Snowball and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed, they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment.’ (page 42)
‘I warn every animal on this farm to keep his eyes very wide open. For we have reason to think that some of Snowball’s secret agents are lurking among us at this moment!’ (page 66)
‘Instead – she did not know why – they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes, here was no thought of rebellion or disobedience in her mind.’ (page 69)
‘The animals now also learned that Snowball had never – as many of them had believed hitherto – received the order of ‘Animal Hero, First Class’. This was merely a legend which had been spread some time after the Battle of the Cowshed by Snowball himself. So far from being decorated, he had been censured for showing cowardice in the battle. Once again some of the animals heard this with a certain bewilderment, but Squealer was soon able to convince them that their memories had been at fault.’ (page 78)
‘But a few days later Muriel, reading over the Seven Commandments to herself, noticed that there was yet another of them which the animals had remembered wrong. They had thought the Fifth Commandment was ‘No animal shall drink alcohol,’ but there were two words that they had forgotten. Actually the Commandment read: ‘No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.’ (page 87)
‘In April, Animal Farm was proclaimed a Republic, and it became necessary to elect a President. There was only candidate, Napoleon, who was elected unanimously.’ (page 93)
‘The animals were hard at work building yet another windmill; when that one was finished, so it was said, the dynamos would be installed. But the luxuries of which Snowball had once taught them to dream, the stalls with electric light and hot and cold water, and the three-day week, were no longer talked about. Napoleon had denounced such ideas as contrary to the spirit of Animalism.’ (page 102)
‘There was, as Squealer was never tired of explaining, endless work in the supervision and organisation of the farm. Much of this work was of a kind that the other animals were too ignorant to understand. For example, Squealer told them that the pigs had to expend enormous labours every day upon mysterious things called ‘files’, ‘reports’, ‘minutes’, and ‘memoranda’.’ (page 103)
‘And when they heard the gun booming and saw the green flag fluttering at the masthead, their hearts swelled with imperishable pride, and the talk turned always towards the old heroic days, the expulsion of Jones, the writing of the Seven Commandments, the great battles in which the human invaders had been defeated.’ (page 104)
‘ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS’ (page 107)
‘Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. 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.’ (page 112)