Answers to Term 2 practice essay qn

Note: These answers are main points with some evidence and elaboration only. You will have to provide your own interpretation and elaboration in your responses.


George Orwell uses his novel Animal Farm to show that Communism, despite its good intentions, is bound to fail. With close reference to what you have learnt in Animal Farm, explain why you think it is an ideal which cannot be attained. Give examples in your answer.


Intro: What is communism and why it was considered ideal --> equality, fairness/justice, each contributes what he can and takes what he needs. Is supposed to be classless and stateless.

Body:
- Communism often gives rise to dictators, for whom the lure of power is too hard to refuse.

- power-hungry dictator, who gets increasingly corrupt and deceives those under him once he tastes pleasure. E.g. Nap gets all sorts of privileges, like living in the house, sleeping in beds, extra food, no work, beer, etc. --> injustice and no inequality.

- Even if the people show some signs of opposition, e.g. the hens who rebelled, or the 4 young porkers who opposed the abolishment of Sun morn meetings, they will be stifled by the dictator. Because of greed and the desire for unchallenged power, dictators often use intimidation and threat to control those under him and prevent them from rebelling. E.g. Nap uses his fierce guard dogs to chase Snowball out when the vote was going to go his way, and to growl at anyone who shows signs of having opposing views. How can this be Communism when there is clearly a dictator who strives to control?

- expects that people must hero-worship him. à the way Napoleon sets himself up as a cult personality. E.g. comes with security and appears with great ceremony in public, has food taster, etc. Clearly setting himself up as someone with a superior status.

- dictatorship/totalitarian state --> tries to control the way people think and behave, using propaganda to brainwash them (e.g. Napoleon uses Squealer to convince the animals that he is always right, and even confuses them about remembering the commandments wrongly when he has changed them to suit the pigs)

- ignorance of the working class. The working class is often illiterate and exploited and they fail to realise that they are still being exploited. E.g. in Animal Farm, the animals think that they have freedom and are their own masters even after Napoleon has clearly been established as the dictator. They think that as long as Jones is out of the farm, that they are the leaders, unaware that Napoleon has replaced Jones. They willingly get deceived because of their naiveté and are easily convinced by Squealer. For e.g. when Squealer tells them that Snowball is their enemy and he had been fighting on Jones’ side during the Battle of the Cowshed, despite some of them remembering that this was not the case, they allow Squealer to manipulate them into believing otherwise – that Napoleon was the hero of the battle. Their own stupidity and unquestioning loyalty contributes to the rise of a dictator instead of Communism, which is what they strove for at the beginning of the novel.

Conclusion:
- sum up arguments