The animals in this passage from "Animal Farm" most likely symbolize the labor class of the Soviet Union. The description of their lives as "miserable, laborious, and short," coupled with their exploitation and eventual slaughter, reflects the experiences of the working class under oppressive regimes. The broader themes of exploitation and unfulfilled potential in the text align with the struggles faced by the proletariat in Soviet Russia.
Read the passage from chapter 1 of Animal Farm.
"Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it, our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.”
Which historical figures do the animals most likely symbolize?
the powerful European aristocracy
the labor class of the Soviet Union
the English farmers of World War I
the Bolshevik revolutionaries
1 answer
1 answer