Comparing George Orwell’s Most Famous Works

        Over the summer I re-read two classic, thought provoking books written by George Orwell. The first was Animal Farm and the second was 1984. These stories with their interesting, dystopian views made me want to further analyze them, leading me to my main point, “What are the similarities and differences between Animal Farm and 1984?”

        Before answering this question. Let us dive a little deeper into these books. 1984 tells the life story of Winston Smith, a middle aged bureaucrat living in Oceania who works at the Ministry of Truth (one of the four ministries, The Ministry of Love, Ministry of Truth, Ministry of Plenty, and Ministry of Peace). His job is to rewrite the reports of newspapers and books in the past to comply with the present reality. In Oceania there are no laws, if there were it would make the rights of citizens clear and limit the power of the government. It is a society controlled by disinformation and surveillance, making it a terrifying and oppressive place. There is a police force, the “Thought Police,” who discover and punish “thoughtcrime” (political and personal thoughts unapproved by INGSOC). Along with this, there are the constant reminders on posters saying “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.” Big Brother is the ominous ruler of Oceania who is considered to be a great philosopher and inventor, war hero, as well as the leader of the revolution that brought The Party to power.

        The second book that we will investigate further is Animal Farm. It is about the life of a group of animals on Mr. Jones farm. Mr. Jones is a drunkard, who barely takes care of the farm and treats the animals with great disrespect. Eventually, the animals decide enough is enough, and plan to revolt against their master and his despicable ways. The revolution's flame starts when Old Major an elderly boar whom you learn about near the beginning of the novel, gathers the animals for an important dream he has about revolting against Man. He even forms seven commandments, which clearly define who animals should and should not trust, how they should live, and how they should treat one another;

            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 another animal.

            7. All animals are equal.

        From his teachings an ideal called Animalism is born. While they succeed in taking over the farm, they now have to figure out how to run a society where all animals are treated equally, are free, and are happy. Conflicts arise, hierarchies are formed, new ideals are added, and we realize that some animals are more equal than others.

        Although these books may seem to be completely different in nature they do have a lot of similarities. Both Animal Farm and 1984 are focused on different politics and societal extremes. First is the government. They both serve as a warning against totalitarian governments in particular. 1984 shows a dictator who wants to control every aspect of their people’s lives, from activities, to thoughts, feelings, and actions. Animal Farm is an example of a totalitarian dictator and how they affect the animals under his rule. In these two books, Orwell stresses the dangers of society during the time. Each book contains a dark setting, and is written at a time of war. For instance, Animal Farm was based on Stalin and the Russian Revolution while 1984 was based on the World Wars and Hitler. In all, I believe that these books talk a great deal about how delicate power is and how corrupt people in power tend to use it. As George Orwell once wrote, “Power is in tearing human [or animal] minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.” So, after taking all of this into consideration, what will you do to avoid the future painted by Orwell?

• Noor E.