Catastrophe of Illiteracy
George Orwell’s Animal Farm (1945) and Education
by İbrahim Eren Adalı
Animal Farm, a satirical novel recognized as a remarkable figure of the dystopian genre, takes a deep dive into the issues around educational inequality and the uneven distribution of educational resources. Orwell’s story portrays an allegorical criticism against the manipulative practices of the elite ruling class and the uneducated proletariat. The novel revolves around the animals who lead the insurrection against their oppressive owner, Mr. Jones. Even though they seek to establish equal order with no totalitarian politics, intelligent political leaders take advantage of unconscious worker’s ignorance to satisfy their unending ambition for profit. The vicious authority figures simplify the language and use their knowledge to control the naïve population of the farm. The novel emphasizes educational inequality and how illiteracy poses a threat to humanity’s entire future.
The proletariat does not benefit from the fundamental education which is essential for their intellectual and social growth. The pigs use education for their own selfish purposes. Since they are susceptible to manipulation, the uneducated class is reluctant to get involved in the struggle for equality despite the toxic work environment and their terrible working conditions. The novel presents the low-class animals as the unconscious hardworking proletariat. Squealer, being a mouthpiece of the demonic bourgeoisie, promotes a propaganda mechanism that produces ignorant laborers. They devise this manipulative mechanism after Old Major, a wise pig, dies. The authorities develop old Major’s principles into a “complete system of thought” (8), which is called Animalism. However, when the pigs gain greater power, they sabotage the original values of Animalism to their advantage. Since the animals are illiterate, they were unable to comprehend what happened in the background. The authorities keep their abusive power over the low-class animals due to their ignorance. Also, the system’s primary motive for doing so is to rewrite and alter the course of history. In other words, the pigs manipulate history and justify their horrible atrocities. Unfortunately, no one on the farm has any knowledge nor a reliable primary source to prove the opposite.
The novel invites us to explore the devastating consequences of ignorance and illiteracy. The horse, Boxer, injures his hoof and is badly affected by his poor health condition. Then, a car arrives to take him to the veterinary surgeon. However, it turns out that Boxer is being sent to the slaughterhouse and the pigs are very aware of that. Since the animals cannot read what is written on the car, they cannot help him escape. In the end, they could not prevent Boxer’s death because of their unawareness. Therefore, the scene highlights the catastrophic results of the animal’s ignorance. The uneducated animals quickly fall victim to the unscrupulous tactics of treacherous politics. It also reveals that education is critical for low-class animals to survive. Education is of utmost importance as it is the highest level of freedom. Animal Farm invites us to explore the necessity of proper education and the disastrous effects of illiteracy in our contemporary world.
