karl+marx+as+Old+Major

Mike Cooke, JBrandon Werley Period F


 * Karl Marx is portrayed by the aging pig Old Major

Parralels between Old Major and Karl Marks-


 * 1) __Views on Power-__

Example1-
 * Old Major feels that the animals have worked their whole lives to help out Farmer Jones and doesnt agree with it.

- Old Major- //"Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he give back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself" (6).//


 * Karl Marx felt it was wrong that one (Farmer Jones) or a small group group of people controlled the power and that this was a main flaw of capitalism.

Example 2-


 * Old Major feels that the people should be united against government

- Old Major- //"And among us animals, let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle" (7)//


 * Karl Marx also felt the people should be united to form a perfect society in which there would be no corruption, man being the corrupt one in animal farm.

2. __Feelings on Equal Shares-__


 * Old Major talks about how if man or an overmind were not in the picture they would be able to thrive or atleast be equal.

//-// Old Major- //"Only get rid of man, and the produce of our labour would be our own" (7).//


 * Karl Marx felt that the economy should be run like a socialist society in which everyone received an equal amount of goods similar to that of Old Majors idea.

3. __Influence-__
 * Old Major's speech influenced the animals, especially the two pigs Napoleon and Snowball who prepared for the revolt he suggested.

- //"These three had elaborated old Major's teachings into a complete system of thought, to which they gave the name of Animalism" (11).//


 * Karl Marx's influenced his two proteges Stalin and Trotsky to start the Bolshevik party.

4. __Corrupt Advisors-__
 * Old Major had corrupt advisors who after his death, took over and used his knowledge for their personal gain

- //" The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge and leadership it was natural that they should assume leadership" (19).//


 * Karl Marx had corrupt leaders within his organization such as Joseph Stalin, portrayed by Napoleon. They manipulated how people viewed them by using Old Major's/ Karl Marx's philisophies and twisting them for their own benefit.

__Discussion Questions-__


 * Both Old Major and Karl Marx view power as something to be shared and truly believe that humans can coexist without argument and be comrades, do you believe they are naive in their thinking?


 * The perfect society cannot exist without everyone being equal but wouldn't some people have to have power in order to keep this equality or could people be trusted to stay equal and not take more for themselves?



[] []