Animal Farm and the Kenyan Dream

By Ua_Tig

George Orwell’s *Animal Farm* is not merely a novel about animals overthrowing a farmer. It is a timeless political metaphor, one that refuses to age because every generation can see itself reflected in its pages. Whether in kingdoms, republics, churches, corporations, or nations, Orwell understood one uncomfortable truth about human beings: when people unite against oppression, they often become the very thing they once fought against.

Human beings naturally create systems of order whenever they gather together. At first, they are united by a common cause; freedom, justice, equality, liberation. But once power is attained, memory fades. The suffering that once bonded them together is forgotten, and those entrusted with leadership begin to enjoy the sweetness of authority. Slowly, the liberators transform into oppressors.

That is the tragedy Orwell captures in *Animal Farm*.

The story begins at Manor Farm under the cruel rule of Mr. Jones, a careless drunkard who neglects the animals. One night, an old and highly respected boar named Old Major gathers all the animals in the barn. Old Major is wise, charismatic, and visionary. He speaks passionately about the suffering animals endure under human beings. According to him, man is the only creature who consumes without producing. Humans drink the milk cows produce, slaughter pigs for meat, steal eggs from hens, and overwork horses until they collapse.

Old Major plants a revolutionary dream in the minds of the animals; a dream where animals govern themselves, free from human oppression. Before ending his speech, he teaches them a revolutionary anthem called *Beasts of England*, a song that fills the animals with hope and longing for freedom.

A few days later, Old Major dies, but his ideas refuse to die with him. Two pigs emerge as leaders of the revolution: Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball is intelligent, eloquent, creative, and genuinely passionate about improving life for all animals. Napoleon, on the other hand, is quiet, calculating, power-hungry, and manipulative.

One day, after Mr. Jones forgets to feed the animals, they revolt spontaneously. The animals drive Jones and his men out of the farm in what becomes known as the Rebellion. In celebration, they destroy symbols of oppression; bits, chains, whips, and knives. Manor Farm is renamed Animal Farm.

The animals rejoice wildly. For the first time, they believe they are free.

The pigs, being the most intelligent animals, assume leadership. Snowball and Napoleon formulate the philosophy of Animalism, reducing Old Major’s teachings into Seven Commandments written boldly on the barn wall:

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

3. No animal shall wear clothes.

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5. No animal shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal.

At first, the commandments unite the animals. Everyone works hard believing they are building a just society.

Snowball proves himself brilliant and visionary. He organizes committees, teaches animals how to read, and devises plans to modernize the farm. His greatest idea is the construction of a windmill that would generate electricity and reduce labour.

Napoleon opposes nearly every idea Snowball proposes.

The tension between the two pigs reaches its peak during a meeting where Snowball passionately presents his plans for the windmill. Orwell vividly describes Snowball speaking with great brilliance, moving the animals emotionally as he paints a picture of a future filled with light, warmth, and easier labour.

But before the animals can vote, Napoleon gives a strange high-pitched whimper. Suddenly, nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars burst into the barn. These were the puppies Napoleon had secretly taken away earlier in the story under the excuse of “educating” them. The dogs hurl themselves at Snowball.

Snowball narrowly escapes. He darts around the yard with the dogs snapping at his heels. Orwell describes him slipping once, nearly caught, before regaining balance and sprinting through a hedge with the dogs inches behind him.

That is the last time Snowball is ever seen on Animal Farm.

Napoleon...