FREE ESSAY ON ANIMAL FARM-LORD OF THE FLIES

ANIMAL FARM-LORD OF THE FLIES

George Orwell wrote Animal Farm. It was about a group of animals rebelling against the
humans and eventually the pigs and take over. Napoleon, one of the pigs, becomes the
leader. William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies. It was about a group of boys stranded on
an island. Ralph becomes the leader and they try hard to survive until someone finds
them. The plot, the characters, the symbols, as well as the reason for writing the two
stories are very similar, but there are also some differences. 
There was a caste system that developed as the two stories go on. In Animal Farm there
were two leaders, Napoleon and Snowball. Both of them were pigs. In their society the
pigs were the smartest and were first on the caste system. In Lord of the Flies there was
one chief and it was Ralph. Ralph then appointed Jack to be the leader of the hunters. On
the island the biguns, the big ones, were first on the caste system and the littluns, the
little ones, were next.
In Animal Farm, at the beginning, Old Major had a dream. He dreamed that the animals
would take over the world and the animals would have whatever they wanted. In Lord of the
Flies, at first, the island was like paradise and all they were going to do was have fun
until the adults go and rescue them. However, in both stories, they ended up in disaster.
The pigs took control and the other animals were in worst condition than they were in
when the humans were in control. The boys ended up disagreeing and killing each other.
In both stories only certain people worked, but the characters that worked were
different. In Animal Farm it was the animals at the bottom of the caste system that
worked and harvested whereas in Lord of the Flies it was the biguns, the people at the
top of caste system, that worked and got food.
There was a difference in the amount of food that the animals and the boys got. The
animals in Animal Farm were given only enough food to survive by the humans, Mr. and Mrs.
Jones. After the rebellion the pigs got more food, but the other animals got the same
amount or even less than before. In Lord of the Flies the biguns and the littluns got as
much food as they wanted.
In Animal Farm the animals built a windmill to try to generate electricity so that the
stalls could warm in the winter. The windmill was built many times and destroyed many
times by Snowball (as it was said) or in battles. When it was finally built and was not
destroyed, it was used for milling corn, not for generating electricity. In Lord of the
Flies everyone was suppose to build shelters for sleeping and so that they can be able to
hide from storms. At first everyone did, then the littluns got bored and went off to eat
and play. Ralph and Simon were left to build the rest of the shelters, which kept on
falling down. The windmill and shelters were also symbols in both stories. The windmill
represented, to the animals, a better life to which they strive for, but as the windmill
was destroyed so was their dream. The shelters were a symbol for civilization. Like the
windmill the shelters kept falling, which said that civilization would eventually break
down.
In both stories the characters killed animals. In Animal Farm Napoleon and his dogs
killed any animals that went against him. He also killed any animal that made
"confessions" of having somehow communicated with Snowball. In Lord of the Flies Jack and
his hunters killed pigs for meat.
In Animal Farm the animals hated the humans and were scared that they might take back the
farm. Napoleon uses it as an excuse to keep the animals working. In Lord for the Flies
the littluns are afraid of the "beast". When Jack, Ralph, and Roger went and saw the
beast, which is a parachute and a man, the biguns also got scared. Like Napoleon, Jack
uses it to make the littluns believe he will help them and gains their trust, which will
make them go to his tribe, by telling them that he and his hunters would hunt it.
In Animal Farm Napoleon didn't like Snowball and sent his dogs to kill Snowball. It was
never said in the story whether Snowball died or not. In Lord of the Flies Jack decided
to start his own tribe and when Ralph went to get Piggy's specs, that Jack had stole,
Jack stabs Ralph, but Ralph survives.
In Animal Farm the pigs become humans by the end. They start to wear clothes, sleep in
beds, and drink alcohol. When they invite humans to the farm and play card with them, the
rest of the animals saw everyone though a window. The animals couldn't tell whether the
pigs were pigs or humans. In Lord of the Flies most of the boys become savages. They
start to wear paint, steal from each other, and kill each other.
Both stories were criticizing a historical philosophy. Animal Farm was written to
criticize Marxism and Russian Revolution led by Stalin. Marx said the working class had
to overthrow the ruling class in order to have a better life. That was exactly what
happened in the Russian Revolution. It did not provide the working class with a better
life. Stalin took over and he became the ruling class. George Orwell shows in Animal Farm
that Marx was wrong. He believes if a revolution took place, then someone else would take
control. For example in Animal Farm the pigs took over. Lord of the Flies was written to
criticize Rosseau's philosophy. He said that society causes a person to be evil and he
believed that if a child was separated from the society and given freedom, then that
child would be truly happy and the evil would no longer be exist. William Golding
demonstrates in Lord of the Flies that Rosseau is wrong. He believes that evil is in an
individual and it has nothing to do with society. He shows in the story that evil comes
from an individual and not from the society by putting the little boys on an island.
After a while the boys turn on each other and there is corruption.
Both stories have leaders and a caste system. Both has a hopeful beginning and has a
disastrous ending. The pigs killed animals and so did the boys. They both had enemies. In
the end one leader turns and kills on the other. The pigs become humans and the little
boys become savages. The two stories were also criticizing someone's philosophy. In
Animal Farm the characters of lower class worked, whereas in Lord of the Flies characters
of higher class worked. The animals had insufficient food, unlike the boys who had an
abundance of food. Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies have many similarities, but only a
couple of little differences.