For my Modern British Fiction class, we just finished reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. Ever since reading it, I was struck by the fact that I know some of the characters from the farm. I guess, I kind of live on Animal Farm... minus the whole Communism thing.
We are all surrounded by people who believe they are entitled, like the pigs on Animal Farm. We are very familiar with people who believe they deserve the best of everything. This is not because they have earned it, but just because of their name or, in the case of the novel, their species.
We all know people like Boxer, the hardworking horse. We know those who are dedicated, fiercely loyal, and under-appreciated. We all know a Millie. We know people who are spoiled and treated like royalty, completely oblivious to the way ordinary people live.
We all know Clover. We all have those in our life who mother us, care for us, and try to soothe our worries. We all know a Napoleon. We all know those who believe they deserve respect and unquestioning allegiance. The idea that respect is earned is a completey foreign concept... about as foreign as the idea that people have a right to question things.
We all know a Snowball, or someone who has good intentions, but gets caught up along the way. We all know Squealer. We know people who manipulate us with their words, and try to convince us that our feelings and opinions are not valid.
When George Orwell wrote Animal Farm, he was not just mocking Communism. He was mocking humanity. He was using the pen to point out OUR flaws.
We don't treat each other well. We let our "animal" insticts guide us. We walk around (luckily on two legs) puffed up before the world. We believe people should focus on us at all times. We over-value our interests and under-value others.
With this way of behaving, no one gets out unscathed...Animal Farm made that quite clear.
