Question

Read the excerpt from chapter 10 of Animal Farm.

After that it did not seem strange when next day the pigs who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their trotters. It did not seem strange to learn that the pigs had bought themselves a wireless set, were arranging to install a telephone, and had taken out subscriptions to "John Bull," "Tit-Bits," and the "Daily Mirror." It did not seem strange when Napoleon was seen strolling in the farmhouse garden with a pipe in his mouth—no, not even when the pigs took Mr. Jones's clothes out of the wardrobes and put them on, Napoleon himself appearing in a black coat, ratcatcher breeches, and leather leggings, while his favourite sow appeared in the watered silk dress which Mrs. Jones had been used to wearing on Sundays.

Which theme is revealed by Orwell’s use of parody in this passage?

Naïve citizens enable social division.
Ideals can become corrupted in practice.
The abuse of power is linked to the abuse of language.
There is equality among people in power.

Answer 1

"Ideals can become corrupted in practice."

Orwell parodies the pigs by having them adopt Mr. Jones’s clothes, habits, and instruments of power (whips, wireless, newspapers, pipe), showing how the revolution’s original principles of equality are eroded as the leaders become indistinguishable from the oppressors.