Satire in George Orwell`s masterpieces (评奥威尔)(
Satire in George Orwell`s masterpieces (评奥威尔)(2006-04-11 19:08:06)
Abstract :
Nearly everybody is a satirist in a small way:the schoolboy who writes rude words about his teacher ;the comedian on television who does a life –like imitation of the leaders;even you and I ,sitting in public house such as a pub or a dining hall and complaining aboubt the wickedness of the world and the foolishness of our neighbours. In english ,almost all the famous authors have been masters of satire . For example ,swift ,galsworthy ,maugham, George Orwell ,etc. George Orwell,author of the highly acclaimed Animal Farm and 1984,was famous for his successful use of satire in his masterpieces. This thesis will mainly analyse the satire in his works.
Key Words: satire totalitarian animalism
Introduction ：
In the 18th century ,satire was a favoured mode of expression. It requires an urbane ,cultivated and somewht formal language;the style and diction of a gentleman . In his dictionary Johnson defined satire as a poem “ in which wickedness or folly is censured”.Dryden claimed that the true end of satire was “reformation”.One of the famous definitions is Swift`s “satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.” The satirist is thus a kind of self –appointed guardian of standards ,ideals and truth;of moral as well as aesthetic values.
Satire is a bitter ,often witty way of talking or writing,the purpose being to make some to some person,thing or idea to seem foolish ,wrong or ugly .Althought satire is often comic,its object is to evoke not mere language but laughter for a corrective purpose. It may cover a wids range of tone from comedy to bitter despair.But sarcasm attacks in ataunting and bitter manner,and its aim is to disparage ,ridicule and wound the feelings of the subject attecked.
It's odd to note that the most Orwellian tale that the great British author George Orwell ever took part in was the one that made up his own life. Today, for most readers, Orwell's legacy brings to mind paranoid tales where governments run amok impinging on the rights of their citizens under the guise that it is for their own good. This comes from his two most familiar pieces of fiction, "Animal Farm" and "1984", both tales of power gone awry, where individual rights are taken away for the good of the state.
Written as a “fairy story “(orwell titled the book “ Animal Farm:a Fairy Story”),the subject of Animal Farm is very much aimed at an adult audience ,jest as 1984 targets,which was set in 1984 while it is in later 1940s that he wrote this book. From these two books ,he criticize the totalitarian ,just as what he said “ All power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely”. And the characters of the books can be found their counterparts in reality,for example ,the characters in Animal Farm were inspired by the Russian Revolution and the events that followed-the pig Napoleon is clearly the farm`s Josef Stalin,and the big brother (in 1984) and his totalitarian satirize Hitler and his Nazi dictatorship . The novel can also apply to the present era, as the novel was actually set in more modern times. Yes ,Orwell `s message conveying from these two books was intended to be broader.In his own words: “I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job.
Contents:
1.Satire in Animal Farm:
The main purpose of satire is to attack, and intensely criticise the target subject. This is superbly carried out in the classic piece of satire, Animal Farm. The main targets at the brunt of this political satire are the society that was created in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and the leaders involved in it. George Orwell successfully condemns these targets through satirical techniques such as irony, fable, and allegory. The immediate object of attack in Orwell's political satire is the society that was created in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The events narrated in Animal Farm obviously and continuously refer to events in another story, the history of the Russian Revolution. In other words, Animal Farm is not only a charming fable (A Fairy Story, as Orwell playfully subtitles it) and a bitter political satire; it is also an allegory. The main target of this allegory is Stalin, represented by Napoleon the pig. He represents the human frailties of any revolution. Orwell believed that although socialism is a good ideal, it could never be successfully adopted due to uncontrollable sins of human nature. For example, although Napoleon seems at first to be a good leader, he is eventually overcome by greed and soon becomes power-hungry. Of course Stalin did too in Russia, leaving the original equality of socialism behind, giving him all the power and living in luxury while the common pheasant suffered. Orwell explains: somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer - except of course for the pigs and the dogs.? The perennial topic of satire is to point out the frailties of the human condition, and this is one of Orwell`s central themes in Animal Farm .
The animals are meant to represent certain types of human beings, not complex individuals. Using animals as types is also Orwell’s way of keeping his hatred and anger against exploiters under control. Each animal character is a type with one human trait, or two at most traits usually associated with that particular kind of animal. Comrade Napoleon, as he insisted the other animals called him, represents Joseph Stalin, a cruel leader during and after the revolution, who exiled other political leaders and forced mass-executions upon the people, just as Napoleon does in Orwell's fable. Snowball, the opposing pig and leader of the farm to Napoleon, seemed a strong and just leader, until, Napoleon expelled him from the farm and set-off rumors about Napoleon's false attempt to destroy the civilization they had worked to build after the revolution. Snowball links closely with the Soviet expatriate Leon Trotsky, who was expelled from Russia under the leadership of Stalin. Major, the wise pig that passed away days after he unveiled his plan for a new and better life on the farm, seems to portray traits of both Karl Marx and V.I Lenin. Marx, because like this political thinker, Major brought about and created the idea of communism, or 'animalism', the Animal Farm version of this system of thought. In a way, Major is associated with Lenin of the Russian Revolution, the opportunist who brought and initiated the communist way of life on this land when it needed a new system-of-thought to help it's troubled economy and the way-of-life it's people were forced to live out every day. Pilkington and Frederick, the human owners of neighboring farms, represent various world leaders during the time of the revolution, and the occurrences that happened between them and Russia, or between Animal Farm and the other farms. Boxer, a strong dedicated horse of Animal Farm, I believe represented all of the people of Russia. The poverty stricken, the homeless, who still work hard in order to make the system of communism or animalism work. Boxer is the representation of the workers who are pushed around, who are taken for all they are worth, and who are left for dead.
The contrast between what the animals believed and what they actually did was also a satirical of their inconsistency. At the beginning of the story ,they believe that whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy and whatever goes upon four legs ,or has wings ,is a friend. In addition to that ,thay established the 7 commandments. But with the progress of the story,the pigs will openly reveal themselves to be identical with man. For instance, “ the pigs start to walk on their hind legs just as the humans does.” All the animals on the farm were shocked to see the pigs “marching slowly around the yard” . Their animal commandment said, “ any person that walked on two feet was an enemy”. Napoleon also told them to remember that “ in the fight against man, we (the animals) must not come to resemble man”. Napoleon and the rest of the pigs started to resemble and become friends with the enemy. Another example of how the pigs resemble man is when the pigs move into the farmhouse and sleep in the humans’ bed. This is connected to how Napoleon is gaining the power, honor, and the privilege. Napoleon is not giving the other animals on the Animal Farm those privileges that he is getting. Napoleon is a dictator and is becoming human as the book progresses.
In the end of the Orwell's tale, Animal Farm is much worse a place for the common animals then it had been previous to the revolution. The food is scarce, the leadership is harsh and unruly, the world-load is hard, and the conditions of life for the common animals had changed for the worse. The pigs, the leaders of animal farm, celebrate their victory and their entrance into high-society, as the lowly other animals still left on the farm look on. This is how history recorded the Russian Revolution, and Orwell illustrated the political aspects of this in the fable Animal Farm.
Abstract :
Nearly everybody is a satirist in a small way:the schoolboy who writes rude words about his teacher ;the comedian on television who does a life –like imitation of the leaders;even you and I ,sitting in public house such as a pub or a dining hall and complaining aboubt the wickedness of the world and the foolishness of our neighbours. In english ,almost all the famous authors have been masters of satire . For example ,swift ,galsworthy ,maugham, George Orwell ,etc. George Orwell,author of the highly acclaimed Animal Farm and 1984,was famous for his successful use of satire in his masterpieces. This thesis will mainly analyse the satire in his works.
Key Words: satire totalitarian animalism
Introduction ：
In the 18th century ,satire was a favoured mode of expression. It requires an urbane ,cultivated and somewht formal language;the style and diction of a gentleman . In his dictionary Johnson defined satire as a poem “ in which wickedness or folly is censured”.Dryden claimed that the true end of satire was “reformation”.One of the famous definitions is Swift`s “satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.” The satirist is thus a kind of self –appointed guardian of standards ,ideals and truth;of moral as well as aesthetic values.
Satire is a bitter ,often witty way of talking or writing,the purpose being to make some to some person,thing or idea to seem foolish ,wrong or ugly .Althought satire is often comic,its object is to evoke not mere language but laughter for a corrective purpose. It may cover a wids range of tone from comedy to bitter despair.But sarcasm attacks in ataunting and bitter manner,and its aim is to disparage ,ridicule and wound the feelings of the subject attecked.
It's odd to note that the most Orwellian tale that the great British author George Orwell ever took part in was the one that made up his own life. Today, for most readers, Orwell's legacy brings to mind paranoid tales where governments run amok impinging on the rights of their citizens under the guise that it is for their own good. This comes from his two most familiar pieces of fiction, "Animal Farm" and "1984", both tales of power gone awry, where individual rights are taken away for the good of the state.
Written as a “fairy story “(orwell titled the book “ Animal Farm:a Fairy Story”),the subject of Animal Farm is very much aimed at an adult audience ,jest as 1984 targets,which was set in 1984 while it is in later 1940s that he wrote this book. From these two books ,he criticize the totalitarian ,just as what he said “ All power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely”. And the characters of the books can be found their counterparts in reality,for example ,the characters in Animal Farm were inspired by the Russian Revolution and the events that followed-the pig Napoleon is clearly the farm`s Josef Stalin,and the big brother (in 1984) and his totalitarian satirize Hitler and his Nazi dictatorship . The novel can also apply to the present era, as the novel was actually set in more modern times. Yes ,Orwell `s message conveying from these two books was intended to be broader.In his own words: “I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job.
Contents:
1.Satire in Animal Farm:
The main purpose of satire is to attack, and intensely criticise the target subject. This is superbly carried out in the classic piece of satire, Animal Farm. The main targets at the brunt of this political satire are the society that was created in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and the leaders involved in it. George Orwell successfully condemns these targets through satirical techniques such as irony, fable, and allegory. The immediate object of attack in Orwell's political satire is the society that was created in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The events narrated in Animal Farm obviously and continuously refer to events in another story, the history of the Russian Revolution. In other words, Animal Farm is not only a charming fable (A Fairy Story, as Orwell playfully subtitles it) and a bitter political satire; it is also an allegory. The main target of this allegory is Stalin, represented by Napoleon the pig. He represents the human frailties of any revolution. Orwell believed that although socialism is a good ideal, it could never be successfully adopted due to uncontrollable sins of human nature. For example, although Napoleon seems at first to be a good leader, he is eventually overcome by greed and soon becomes power-hungry. Of course Stalin did too in Russia, leaving the original equality of socialism behind, giving him all the power and living in luxury while the common pheasant suffered. Orwell explains: somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer - except of course for the pigs and the dogs.? The perennial topic of satire is to point out the frailties of the human condition, and this is one of Orwell`s central themes in Animal Farm .
The animals are meant to represent certain types of human beings, not complex individuals. Using animals as types is also Orwell’s way of keeping his hatred and anger against exploiters under control. Each animal character is a type with one human trait, or two at most traits usually associated with that particular kind of animal. Comrade Napoleon, as he insisted the other animals called him, represents Joseph Stalin, a cruel leader during and after the revolution, who exiled other political leaders and forced mass-executions upon the people, just as Napoleon does in Orwell's fable. Snowball, the opposing pig and leader of the farm to Napoleon, seemed a strong and just leader, until, Napoleon expelled him from the farm and set-off rumors about Napoleon's false attempt to destroy the civilization they had worked to build after the revolution. Snowball links closely with the Soviet expatriate Leon Trotsky, who was expelled from Russia under the leadership of Stalin. Major, the wise pig that passed away days after he unveiled his plan for a new and better life on the farm, seems to portray traits of both Karl Marx and V.I Lenin. Marx, because like this political thinker, Major brought about and created the idea of communism, or 'animalism', the Animal Farm version of this system of thought. In a way, Major is associated with Lenin of the Russian Revolution, the opportunist who brought and initiated the communist way of life on this land when it needed a new system-of-thought to help it's troubled economy and the way-of-life it's people were forced to live out every day. Pilkington and Frederick, the human owners of neighboring farms, represent various world leaders during the time of the revolution, and the occurrences that happened between them and Russia, or between Animal Farm and the other farms. Boxer, a strong dedicated horse of Animal Farm, I believe represented all of the people of Russia. The poverty stricken, the homeless, who still work hard in order to make the system of communism or animalism work. Boxer is the representation of the workers who are pushed around, who are taken for all they are worth, and who are left for dead.
The contrast between what the animals believed and what they actually did was also a satirical of their inconsistency. At the beginning of the story ,they believe that whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy and whatever goes upon four legs ,or has wings ,is a friend. In addition to that ,thay established the 7 commandments. But with the progress of the story,the pigs will openly reveal themselves to be identical with man. For instance, “ the pigs start to walk on their hind legs just as the humans does.” All the animals on the farm were shocked to see the pigs “marching slowly around the yard” . Their animal commandment said, “ any person that walked on two feet was an enemy”. Napoleon also told them to remember that “ in the fight against man, we (the animals) must not come to resemble man”. Napoleon and the rest of the pigs started to resemble and become friends with the enemy. Another example of how the pigs resemble man is when the pigs move into the farmhouse and sleep in the humans’ bed. This is connected to how Napoleon is gaining the power, honor, and the privilege. Napoleon is not giving the other animals on the Animal Farm those privileges that he is getting. Napoleon is a dictator and is becoming human as the book progresses.
In the end of the Orwell's tale, Animal Farm is much worse a place for the common animals then it had been previous to the revolution. The food is scarce, the leadership is harsh and unruly, the world-load is hard, and the conditions of life for the common animals had changed for the worse. The pigs, the leaders of animal farm, celebrate their victory and their entrance into high-society, as the lowly other animals still left on the farm look on. This is how history recorded the Russian Revolution, and Orwell illustrated the political aspects of this in the fable Animal Farm.
