Oliver Twist And Animal Farm example essay topic
Animal farm is a book written about communism. Oliver twist is a book written about capitalism. Both governments brought human suffering to those who were less fortunate. Animal farm and Oliver twist are two very different books, but with authors that wanted to express the government, and the suffering that it causes the people. Both of the Authors, George Orwell and Charles Dickens, wanted to express the suffering of people in two different governments.
George Orwell in Animal farm arranged a farm setting representing a communist dictatorship. Orwell used Pigs as the head leaders, used harsh slogans, and made the animals follow a book that mirrored Mao's little red book. George Orwell used this symbolic communist setting to tell a story of suffering "farm animals" (a. k. a people) in a communist government and the devastation it causes. Charles Dickens's Novel Oliver Twist is written to reflect the rise of capitalism during the Industrial Revolution. Dickens's Characters reflect a huge difference in the economy and government. He does this by setting the novel around children and adults, showing the huge gap of control between an adult and children.
Adults represent the head of state, and children like Oliver, were presumably able to control their own businesses. Although the huge control gap between the characters symbolizes the demeaning of the townspeople, and wealth that was brought to the leaders. Both of the authors created a setting, that mirrors a type of government to prove a point. In a communist dictatorship people have no control over their life.
A capitalist dictatorship however, gives the people the freedom to own their own private businesses. Together the governments represent a time of fierce individualism, and the growth and decline of the economy. Individualism, the theory that one should have freedom in one's economic pursuits and should succeed by ones own initiative, is very much a part of both the novels. Oliver and the farm animals, both want to control the time and salary of their work. The books are a fight with individualism. Oliver lives in a time where individualism is possible because of the capitalist government.
The farm animals are told when and why to work by the pigs. The farm animals had absolutely no control over their time and efforts. The rise of Capitalism during the industrial revolution gave Individualism to the time of Oliver. Individualism in Animal was quite different, because it was nonexistent.
The animals fought with communism and individualism for the people. Oliver Twist and Animal Farm both expressed individualism, but like many of their thoughts in the book, they achieved what they wanted to express in different ways. The authors of the books approached the writing of their thoughts in a different ways even though their meaning is quite similar. Orwell for animal uses much more subtle irony and Dickens used very much sarcasm. "All that year the animals worked like slaves" (AF pg. 37), the animals of animal farm were supposed to be shown as slaves of communism. Orwell's writing style was one without blunt sarcasm.
Orwell uses "Animalism" which is the revolution in animal farm to symbolize communism, another example how he did not use straight words of communism. "A beadle ordered to hold his tongue! A moral revolution!" (OT pg. 22) this quote is said in Oliver twist representing the high esteem the beadle holds for himself as a member of society. Both quotations show the difference in the writing styles, while expressing the same thought. Although the tone of Animal Farm and Oliver Twist is different, that is not the only style from their writing that can be compared.
In Animal farm, Orwell uses very little dialogue. This symbolizes the lack of communication in a Communist government between the authorities, the pigs, and the governed, the farm animals. When dialogue is used in Animal Farm, it is used by the pigs showing that the Communist Leaders had the only jurisdiction. "When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out" (AF, Pg. 52-53). The quote describes the dogs being ordered by the pigs to remove the throats of farm animals. This quote symbolizes that the farm animals had no say in their lives just like a communist government.
Dickens, however, uses a theme of sadness, bringing a feeling of suffering to his text". It was almost too much happiness to hear. He could not weep, or speak, or rest" p. 253 (Oliver Twist). The sad tone of the writing in Oliver is usually cast upon Oliver from his advisors. This symbolizes the consequences of suffering from the domination of the government. The relationship between the stories textiles is the oppression from the government and the affect it has on the actual lives of the characters of the story.
The oppression from both the communist and capitalist government represents the suffering that takes place in both dictatorships. Orwell and Dickens used their novels, to reflect the human suffering of their times. Although both of the authors used writing styles that were quite different, they expressed many of the same views on suffering, and individualism. In the end of Oliver Twist, all of the characters turn against each other, which also happens in Animal farm.
This event in both of the novels represents the view point of the authors. The Capitalist and communist government are not the best governments for the people. Both authors, ahead of their time, wrote novels that expressed the views of suffering people in their government. The authors, although wrote with very different views and styles, had the same point that they wanted to achieve.