While preparing an
article on Plea Bargaining, I came across an article, which I have slightly
edited and you may find this piece very interesting. In the novel, Animal
Farm, Old Major, calls the animals on the farm for a meeting, and
highlights their oppression and subjugation by human beings he refers to as
parasites, who feed fat on the animals. He sensitizes them on their deplorable
condition of existence and the need for a revolution by teaching them a
revolutionary song, “Beast of England”. He dies later, and two young pigs,
Snowball and Napoleon, assume leadership, lead the animals in a revolution that
overthrows the drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones, the owner of the farm and
Manor Farm is renamed Animal Farm. They write their seven commandments on the
wall of a barn giving prominence to the seventh, “All animals are equal” and in
the spirit of the revolution, Boxer (a workaholic), adopts the maxim, “I will
work harder”. Food becomes plentiful and there seems to be an element of
tranquility. However, within a short time, the pigs elevate themselves to
positions of leadership and set aside special food items for themselves while
Napoleon trains some puppies from the farm dogs secretly. In the “Battle of the
Cowshed”, Mr. Jones’ attempt to retake the farm eludes him as the animals
defeat him. Unfortunately, the two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball struggle for
leadership. Napoleon wins and chases Snowball away with the dogs he trained
secretly. Napoleon assumes full leadership, uses the dogs as bodyguards to
blackmail, terrorize or exterminate his perceived opponents and institutes a
committee of pigs to run the farm with a young pig, Squealer, as his
mouthpiece. Ironically, the animals work harder with the promise of a brighter
future, but starve and grow thinner instead, while the pigs and dogs become
more comfortable and fatter because all rations are reduced except those of the
pigs and dogs. Squealer rewrites the history of the farm in which he presents
Snowball as villain and Napoleon a hero and Boxer takes up a second maxim:
“Napoleon is always right”. Meanwhile, Napoleon emasculate opposition by
killing all perceived opponents, accusing them of conniving with Snowball to sabotage
the activities of the Animal Farm. Life becomes more difficult for the animals
as the Committee of Pigs imposes stiffer measures for the animals, while
reserving privileges for the pigs. For instance, “apples were collected and
brought to the harness-room for the use of the pigs” and when the other animals
murmured, Squealer explains that that the pigs dislike apples, but are
constrained to eat them to preserve their health. He concludes “We pigs are
brain workers… it is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those
apples”. Other delicacies like sugar, beer and eventually whisky, are reserved
for the pigs; each pig gets a pint of beer daily, while Napoleon gets a gallon.
Pigs get up an hour later than others. A school is established for the young
pigs who “took exercise in the garden, and were discouraged from playing with
other young animals. It became a rule that when “a pig and any other animal
meet on the path, the other animals must step aside for the pigs”. Eventually
the pigs move into the farm house that hitherto housed Mr. Jones and his family
and started enjoying all human privileges, like sleeping on bed and eating
meals in human fashion. Squealer justifies every Napoleon’s actions and the
commandment is modified to suit their purpose. For instance, “No animal shall
sleep in beds” becomes; “No animal shall sleep in beds with sheets”; “No animal
shall drink alcohol” is changed to; “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess”.
The original anthem is replaced by another one that glorifies Napoleon, who
gradually adopts the lifestyle of man. Other animals, groan under the burden of
hardship, cold, starving, and overworked, but dare not complain openly for
fear. Meanwhile they are reminded constantly that they are better off than when
they were under Mr. Jones. Gradually, the pigs walk, act and dress like human
beings and the Seven Commandments are reduced to a single phrase: “All animals
are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Napoleon starts
fraternizing with humans and reverts the name to Manor Farm. The animals could
not tell the difference between Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington when both of them
engage in an argument during a poker match.
The overthrow of Mr.
Jones and Napoleon’s take-over bears semblance to the rejection of Military
rule and enthronement of democracy in Nigeria. Seven Commandments in Animal
Farm like the Nigerian constitution are laws designed to keep order, unite
the people and prevent the politicians from following the Military’s
dictatorial tendencies. Democracy in Nigeria is expected to provide better
living conditions for the citizens and help them forget the evils of “Military
dictatorship”. Like in Animal Farm, Nigerians cannot tell the difference
between the military and civilian leadership. Unfortunately, the uniform in
whatever guise has continued to be an instrument of brutalism and oppression as
the “democratically elected” governors and local government chairmen and like
Napoleon’s dogs, use men in uniform to extort money, terrorize and annihilate defenseless
citizens. The Military rulers like Mr, Jones merely changed dress with the
politicians and Napoleon respectively, but are same in substance. Nigerian
leaders and their aides, like Napoleon and his pigs, are corrupt and the
Minister of Information like Squealer is paid to launder their images and lie
to the public. Other animals step aside for the pigs to pass just like ordinary
Nigerians step aside for the politicians to pass with the sirens assaulting the
ear drums of all. They invoke laws like plea bargaining to evade conviction
while millions of ordinary Nigerians languish in jails. This is the end of the
story by George Orwell. However, it seems we have entered another phase of the
political drama, as other animals have decided to gang up against Napoleon and
the other pigs, since it is the surest way to revert the name of the farm back
to Animal Farm, which was the name agreed by all animals when it was taken over
from the hands of Mr. Jones.
