The
book Animal Farm by George Orwell was
challenged by the New York State English Council Committee in 1968 because the
author was a supposed ‘communist’ (“Banned”).
Orwell’s book impresses on people the idea of a world where people, or in this
case, animals, have no personal freedom. The animals had always dreamed of a
world where they did not live under human rule. Before they knew it, the
Rebellion, as they called it, had effectively taken place. They all pledged
loyalty to their new ‘Animal Farm’ and their basic communist community was
working. That is, until Napoleon, a pig, let power go to his head, expelled another
pig, Snowball, and practically became a dictator. Orwell meant this happening
in his book to represent the Soviet Union at
the time. Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin and Snowball as Leon Trotsky. Orwell’s Animal Farm portrays an idea of communism and thus it was
challenged, but one must take into consideration that the concept of communism
is, most would say, perfect, just ruined by imperfect people.
The
Florida Center for Instructional Technology states communism as, “A concept or
system of society in which the collective community shares ownership in
resources and the means of production. In theory, such societies provide for
equal sharing of all work, according to ability, and all benefits, according to
need” (“A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust”).
Based on this definition only, if one was to hear that a book was banned
because the author was a communist, that one person would think it’s crazy.
Ideally, communism is perfect. Perfection, some would say, is about being equal
and that’s exactly what communism is; it’s equal sharing in work and profit.
Although there aren’t any perfect communist societies on the earth, one can
imagine that the world would be devoid of prejudices and homeless people. The
problem here lies that most of the world’s population just can’t work with it (Hoyt).
There
are many places in the world that are still in communist control today. They
all had tried (and failed) to create a communist community. Places like China,
North Korea, and Vietnam are countries that are still run with communism,
though, not run with the communism that was just defined. One example of a
communist country from the author’s time, and one of the most commonly spoken
of, is Soviet Russia. Formed in 1898 and lasted until August 1991, Soviet
Russia was relatively fine in the beginning. Then, not even a decade later,
things started to change when it became a privilege to become a member of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union, commonly known as CPSU. Things were
becoming less equal by the day. Under Joseph Stalin the Soviet Russia turned
into something more of a dictatorship then a communist society. Stalin started
giving the CPSU more privileges and more leave-way in their duties warning the
officials “not to give excessive attention to their ‘economic work,’ that is,
their efforts to assure the implementation of the fire-year plan by the
government of the USSR” (Harris 4). That seemed
to be the start of the downfall for a lot of attempted commusistic places. What’s
wrong with communism in the world is the people, not the actual thing itself.
It’s when the people start to become too controlling and one person becomes a
dictator-like leader.
So when the New York State English Council Committee
challenged the book saying that Orwell was a communist what they were saying
was that Orwell was supporting dictatorship ideals. This was thought because in
Animal Farm, Orwell made the
description of his animal characters represent people from Soviet Russia.
Joseph Stalin being blantly represented as the pig Napoleon and animalism being
the term for communism in this book. In the book, the animals started to get an
idea of freedom from their human owner, Mr. Jones. Some believe Jones to
resemble the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II. There are some animals like the
horses, who portray the working class. Boxer and Clover were described as
“their most faithful disciples” (Orwell
20). Orwell is saying that the working class was the most devoted to the cause
of communism/the cause of their leader. Even when times got the tough,
“whatever happened she would remain faithful, work hard; carry out the orders
that were given to her, and accept the leadership of Napoleon” (Orwell 97-98). This was the enduring loyalty
of the working class. Communism was also sort of a touchy subject in America at
the time of Animal Farm’s publishment
because it was right in the middle of Stalin’s rule and near the end of
Hitler’s reign. Challenging the book seemed to be what the New York State
English Council Committee were doing to save the evil ways of communism from
their children; somehow protecting them from ever having to deal with such
things if they were not taught in their schools.
But the literary value is so much more than that. Animal Farm’s historical content is
amazing seeing how it’s taken the happenings of the USSR and turned it into a
creative story that students are actually able to follow. Also, if the teachers
and parents were concerned of exposing their students and children to all that
Stalin did and were worried with the kids getting crazy ideas of living in
their own communist society some day, they should take into account the words
of George Santayana when he said, “Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it.” People are afraid that might happen with the Holocaust
and Hitler. Educating the children of today ensures a better tomorrow. Animal
Farm shows great examples of allusions, seeing how everyone knew to what he was
refering to when Napoleon and ‘animalism’ were talked about. This book gives
examples of allusions and historical content in a way that had not been
presented before: with animals.
I think that when the New York State English Council
Committee put up the book Animal Farm
by George Orwell on a list to be challenged they were over-reacting. In my eyes
they were taking his words too seriously. I believe Orwell was using a book as
a satire for the world events that were going on around him. A satire meaning:
A manner of writing that mixes a critical attitude
with wit and humor in an effort to improve mankind and human institutions.
Ridicule, irony, exaggeration, and several other techniques are almost always
present…The satirist's goal is to point out the hypocrisy of his target in the
hope that either the target or the audience will return to a real following of
the code. (Nellen)
Orwell
used some of those techniques in his book to create this element that the New
York State English Council Committee obviously didn’t pick up on. Orwell was
critizing Soviet Russia to point out the wrong in it. I do not agree with their
reasonings as to why they put Animal Farm
up for banning. The book has too much potential for impact to be banned
from a place. It certainly has made me look at the USSR, and communism in
general, differently. And I’m just one person. Imagine a whole classroom of
teenagers, kids, or adults having a paradigm shift with communism in mind. The
literary devices in this story are used wonderfully in new creative ways; so
even English teachers could enjoy making references to Orwell’s book when
teaching about symbolism, allusions, satires, or story telling. I believe that
even considering putting this book up for question is senseless because of it’s
literary value, it’s impressive literary devices, and the important historical
context within it that people should learn.
Works Cited
“A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust.” Fcit.usf.edu. Florida Center for
Instructional Technology. 2005. Web. 20
Feb. 2012.
“Banned and/or
Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the
20th Century.” Ala.org. American Library Association. 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2012.
Harris, Jonathan. Subverting the
System. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2004. Print.
Hoyt, Alia. “How Communism Works.” HowStuffWorks.com.
HowStuffWorks, Inc. 25 Feb. 2008. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
Nellen, Ted. “Project:
#19 Satire.” Tnellen.com. Web.
18 Mar. 2012.
