Question

What new slogan replaces "Four legs good, two legs bad"?

• A. "All animals are equal"
• B. "Two legs good, four legs better
• C. Napoleon is always right"
• D. We will work hard

Answer 1

Answer:

B. "Two legs good, four legs better

Understanding the Slogan Shift in Animal Farm

• The novel Animal Farm, penned by George Orwell (pseudonym for Eric Arthur Blair), is a satirical allegorical novella.
• It was first published on August 17, 1945, at a time when relations between the Soviet Union and the West were deteriorating, making its critique of totalitarianism particularly timely.
• Initially, after the animals successfully overthrow Mr. Jones and establish Animal Farm, the guiding principle of 'Animalism' is summarized by the maxim "Four legs good, two legs bad."
• This original slogan reflects the animals' revolutionary zeal and their belief that all animals are equal, while humans (two legs) are the oppressors.
• The pigs, particularly Napoleon and Squealer, gradually seize more power, establishing a dictatorship. As they begin to adopt human characteristics and behaviors, the original commandments and slogans are subtly altered.
• The new slogan, "Two legs good, four legs better," marks a critical point in the pigs' transformation and the complete corruption of the revolution's ideals.
• This change signifies the pigs' abandonment of their original principles and their adoption of human-like traits, including walking on two legs, wearing clothes, drinking alcohol, and engaging in trade.
• It illustrates the pigs' ascent to the top of the social hierarchy, positioning themselves as superior to other animals, and is a direct parallel to the rise of an oppressive elite in a totalitarian state.
• This manipulation of language and rewriting of history by the pigs (led by Squealer) is a central theme, highlighting how totalitarian regimes control thought and maintain power.
• The ultimate reduction of the Seven Commandments of Animalism to a single, cynical statement – "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" – further cements the pigs' absolute power and the complete subversion of the original revolutionary ideals.
• Animal Farm serves as a powerful allegory for the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent rise of Stalinism in the Soviet Union.
• Key characters and their allegorical representations:
  • Old Major: Karl Marx / Vladimir Lenin
  • Napoleon: Joseph Stalin
  • Snowball: Leon Trotsky
  • Squealer: Propaganda (e.g., Pravda newspaper)
  • Boxer: The loyal, hardworking, and exploited proletariat
  • Moses: The Russian Orthodox Church / Religion
  • Mr. Jones: Czar Nicholas II