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...
In our time the term "victorian" means prudishness, an extreme propriety, often hypocritical, in behaviour or speech.
In fact, many of the unpleasant sides of the Victorians' were inherited from the previous age and were also hidden after Victoria's death.
Others were derived from the philosophical and social theories of the time.
The utilitarianism was one of the most unpleasant sides of this period.
The utilitarian philosophers, e.g. Jeremy Bentham, claimed that everything had to be judged according to standards of utility and how much it promoted the material happiness of the greatest number of people.
But, this led to unrestrained exploitation of human and natural resources.
The Victorian establishment refused to admit the existence of an utilitarian philosophy of life, trying to hide this aspect behind a veil of respectability and facile optimism.
This was the so called Victorian compromise.
The outward strictness of Victorian morals and behaviour were inconsistent with what was going on society. For example, the upper class couldn't tolerate the word "leg" spoken in polite society - both women's and table legs were covered with long skirts - but didn't care about the social conditions that forced poor women into prostitution.
As the century advanced, Victorian moral standards began to break down and some writers like Robert Louis Stevenson began to expose the hypocrisy of Victorian society.
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