Animal Farm: Utopia :: Animal Farm Essays

Animal Farm: Utopia The definition of Utopia is "no place." A Utopia is an ideal society in which the social, political, and economic evils afflicting human kind have been wiped out. This is an idea displayed in communist governments. In the novel, Animal Farm, by George Orwell Old Major's ideas of a Utopia are changed because of Napoleon's bad leadership. Old Major explains his dreams and ideas to all the animals before he dies. At his speech all the animals go to hear what Old Major has to say. This happens on the night that Mr. Jones comes home drunk. Old Major explains his ideas to all the animals: Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plow, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. (p.19) This speech gets all the animals riled up and sends the toughts of getting rid of man. Old Major then teaches them the song the Beasts of England which teaches them the "great" life without man and with no more bad leaders: Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tidings, Of the golden future time. Soon or late the day is coming, Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown, And the fruitful fields of England, Shall be trod by beasts alone. Rings shall vanish from our noses, And the harness from our back, Bit and spur shall rust forever, Cruel whips no more shall crack. Riches more than mind can picture, Wheat and barley, oats and hay, Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels Shall be ours upon the day...(p.22-23) After the song the animals were even more excited. They sing the song so loud it wakes Mr. Jones up. Mr. Jones starts firing his gun into the darkness. This quickly scatters the animals. Three days later Old Major dies so Snowball and Napoleon take over but Napoleon wants all the power. Snowball does a lot of research and planing but Napoleon wants to take over completely by himself. So Napoleon frames Snowball so he can become the leader. Orwell tells about the meeting to discuss the windmill: By the time he had finished speaking, there was no dought as to which way the vote would go. But just at this moment Napoleon stood up and...uttered a high pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard...nine enormous dogs wearing brass studded collars came...they dashed strait for snowball. (P.57) This scene shows Napoleon is a tyrant and wants all the power to himself and