Death

[shonda357]

Any ideas on this theme people? I need to write an essay on why death is a theme of animal farm.:)

[Stanislaw]

I had to write a similar thing when I had to read animal farm in school...

here are some tips:

1. write down a list of all of the characters that die
2. sort the list chronologically and compare it to the surrounding events...ie how the death is handled, what stage the "revolution" is in.
3. go beyond the physical term death...and apply it to other ideas...spirit, drive, faith in the party...party ideals...


heh, this is the first time I have ever helped an essay writer.:)

[quasimodo1]

Animal Farm, in my view, is a large, satirical metaphor. The theme is about social structure, how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely {Arnold J. Toynbee). The ultimate method of consoladating power is to neutralize any possible contenders. Hence, Death. RJS

[The Atheist]

Toynbee? Lord Acton, surely. Toynbee agreed, but the quote is Acton.

A good way to approach death and Animal Farm is to remember the absolute atheism of the USSR. Under a compulsory atheist regime, death takes on completely different meaning to secular/religious ones, hence the reverence with which Major's bones are treated, a la the Lenin Mausoleum. Moses has a bigger part to play than is often recognised, with Orwell's irreverent version of heaven.

Also, as above, death is an excellent deterrent and guaranteed to reduce opposition.