Time to revisit “Animal Farm”

On Aug 17^th 1945 George Orwell published Animal Farm, an allegorical novella that addresses the corruption of political leaders leading a revolution. The author illustrates the wickedness, indifference, ignorance, greed and myopia that corrupt the revolution. It portrays corrupt leadership as the flaw in revolution, rather than the act of revolution itself. It also shows how potential ignorance and indifference to problems within a revolution could allow horrors to happen if a smooth transition to a people’s government is not achieved.

One of the best examples of how, over time what once was considered a utopian idea that becomes a corrupt version of the original plan. The book uses animals on a farm to represent people revolting against a tyrannical government. The animal’s revolt and cast the farmer from the farm, hence renaming it “Animal Farm”. The animals create a list of seven commandments of “animal-ism” to guide their revolution the most important being, “All animals are equal.”

The original commandments are:

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.

But as most often happens the leadership becomes corrupt and to cover their corruption begin changing the commandments. The changed commandments are as follows, with the changes bolded:

1. No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.
2. No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.
3. No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.

Eventually, the dogma that was supposed to keep the animals from becoming “human” becomes propaganda to keep the people subordinate to the government that is now becoming “human” thus going against the principles that created the revolution in the first place. In the end the leaders actually become “human” in their actions and appearance and violate the very principles they swore to defend. In the end the seven commandments become two maxims, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others“, and “Four legs good, two legs better!”

It would serve us well to reread this book and look to our current political environment and ask has our revolution become like Animal Farm. Has our founding principles become so corrupted that their real meaning have become supporting the principles we rebelled against? Look at taxation for example. Our nation was basically a tax revolt against a tyrannical government. Today we learn that there are taxes that are “good” taxes. Today we learn that taxation is a way to redistribute wealth for the good of the collective managed by the corrupt leaders using taxation to curry favor from the electorate. How far have we come? I believe that certain authors become prophetic in their writing as they look at history and project it towards the future. George Orwell was such an author and we would do well to revisit Animal Farm to prevent us from becoming hopelessly locked in an idea that we cannot return to the principles that founded our nation. The key is to remind people where we have come from and to remove the leaders that have corrupted our principles. Replacing the leaders is relatively easy compared to the hard work of reviving the principles that we once had. Patrick henry said it best when he said, “Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”