”Animal Farm” by George Orwell

In Animal Farm, a novel by George Orwell, animals and humans fight over power. The book is about animals who rebel and become just as corrupt as the people they kick out. In the novel Orwell uses irony and subtext to show that power controls the powerful.

Irony is used to show that power corrupts minds. The creatures looked at the pigs and were shocked, “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which” (139). Irony is an element that is used when an event happens that is unexpected. It shows that the pigs were just as evil as the humans and were corrupted by power. Orwell shows irony because the pigs lead the revolution and kick the humans out, but when in authority they are even worse than the humans. The text relates to power controlling people because the pigs changed drastically when they put themselves in power. Irony relates to the theme because when people get some jurisdiction they expect to be better but in the long run are worse.

Subtext is used to present that power enslaves the person supposedly controlling it. One day the animals get a new rule, “About this time, too, it was laid down as a rule that when a pig and any other animal met on the path, the other animal must stand aside” (116). Subtext is an element used to show what is implied in the text. This quote is saying that the pigs are superior to the other to the other animals, so they should get out of the way. This implies the superiority of the pigs because of how they can make up rules easily. The quote relates to power controlling its bolder because the pigs are so corrupted with power they require other animals to get out of the way. The literary element, subtext, presents the theme because in everything the supposed controller is saying in between the lines, their authority is really talking.

My experience with this book taught me that power can take over people minds. This relates to the world and me because many people have been overcome by power and cities like Bell have to suffer.