Animal Farm , written by George Orwell , is a political fable that tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their cruel human master, hoping to create a society where all animals are equal, free, and happy. Inspired by the dream of the wise old pig Old Major, the animals overthrow the farmer Mr. Jones and take control of the farm, renaming it Animal Farm. At first, the animals work together to build an egalitarian community based on the principles of Animalism, summarized in the Seven Commandments painted on the barn wall. However, over time, the pigs—led by the cunning and power-hungry Napoleon—begin to seize control. They gradually assume privileges, manipulate language and truth, and use fear and propaganda to maintain power. Eventually, they become indistinguishable from the humans they once overthrew. This allegory clearly reflects the events of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the rise of Stalinism. The animals represent different social and political groups...
After the Romans left in 410, Northern tribes like Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded Britain and settled there.
The Northern tribes shared a common Germanic heritage: they were a hardy and warlike race and placed a very high value on ideal of kingly behaviour.
This implied that the king had to be willing to risk his life in battle.
His fellow Lords were brave and were ready to give their lives for him.
Germanic society was ruled by men and the aristocracy (who were better than common people) was predominant social class.
The Anglo-Saxons believed in independence rather than grouping into better confederations; in fact, there were several small kingdoms in England, such as Northumbria, Mercia and Kent.
They introduced new farming methods and built many self-sufficient villages.
The political and cultural centre was Canterbury.
St. Augustine of Canterbury, sent by Pope Gregory I, converted Northern tribes to Christianity in 597.
In 800 a tribe that came from Scandinavia, the Vikings, started to invade Britain.
The Vikings were great sailors and also expert traders, fishermen and farmers.
Some historians believed the Vikings left their homes because of overcrowding, as there was no enough good land for everyone.
Moreover, the Vikings were in search of treasures and Britain was a particularly good place to raid.
King Alfred the Great of Wessex divided England in North and Midlands, which were assigned to the Vikings (Danelaw).
A century later a Danish king, Canute, became king of the whole of England.
Commenti
Posta un commento