Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/3-1-4-equality

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# Equality

English Lit: AQA GCSE Animal Farm, topic 3.1.4

## Equality

Even though Orwell appears to advocate equality, he also suggests it is impossible to achieve in a society.

### Impossibility?

![Impossibility?](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/a0b010e1-d1b5-4542-b3b5-e70fc2e878de/shutterstock_569097694.jpg)

- Old Major declares that the ideal society is one in which every member is equal. 
- However, we see that even when the animals sit in front of Old Major to listen, they sit in a hierarchical order with the dogs and the pigs at the front. 
- Orwell may be suggesting that this idea of equality is difficult, perhaps even impossible, to achieve.

### Access to education

![Access to education](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/f294431e-a1a3-4a25-8744-25639227611c/shutterstock_213333985.jpg)

- Equality also seems impossible on _Animal Farm_ as not all of the animals are able to learn. 
- Snowball attempts to educate the animals early on and perhaps, if this had been successful, a balanced level of equality could have been achieved. 
- However, Snowball is unsuccessful and the uneducated animals become dependent on the pigs.

### Orwell's view

![Orwell's view](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/d53ce6a4-562e-409a-acf0-1db0207d5280/shutterstock_257396605.jpg)

- Orwell appears to agree with Old Major in that a society would be more successful if its members were equal. We can see this because the farm is at its most successful, directly after the Revolution, when the animals work together at the harvest and in the Battle of the Cowshed.

## Communism (Animalism)

Orwell uses Animalism to represent communism. He criticises communism as it is easily corrupted and enables individuals to seize power.

### Marx and Lenin

![Marx and Lenin](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/b110251b-695c-424f-94c9-fd5bd084ef38/shutterstock_727049329.jpg)

- Marx believed that workers were manipulated and exploited by their employers (just as Old Major says that Mr Jones abuses the animals). 
- Marx said that, because the employers were getting all of the profit and paying low wages, the workers would rebel and then they could create a more equal society. 
- Lenin created his own version of communism which was influenced by Marxist ideas. Old Major’s speech uses Marxist ideas, but he calls for the Revolution in the way that Lenin did.

### Stalin the dictator

![Stalin the dictator](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/d0c24847-41cf-4ad1-8c47-2680bb247dc5/shutterstock_186791741.jpg)

- Orwell uses _Animal Farm_ to expose Stalin as a cruel dictator; to show his readers what had really happened in Soviet Russia. 
- Therefore, he starts with Old Major’s speech to try and show his readers what a socialist society could look like, if its ideas were not corrupted and if power were not seized.

### Napoleon

![Napoleon](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/79b0ccf1-2e26-4268-b945-cc46312f7677/shutterstock_731711632.jpg)

- Napoleon gets rid of any opposition, holds trials and executions, bans free speech and changes the commandments to suit his regime. 
- He does not educate the animals equally and he gains absolute power. In the end Napoleon and the pigs are indistinguishable from the men. 
- Orwell’s message here is clear; in Soviet Russia, Stalin’s regime was so cruel and corrupt that the people suffered just as much as they did under the capitalist Tsar Nicholas II.

## Test yourself on Equality

- Which animals sit at the front during Old Major's speech?
- When is the farm at its most successful?
- Why is equality on the farm NOT possible?
- Who attempts to educate the animals?
- What is Orwell trying to show by starting with Old Major's speech?

[Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/45bed650-4258-11e8-9c8e-b1f077ab1bf9/section/cf81ab00-4326-11e8-909e-27126e7f3829/session)

- Previous topic: [3.1.3 Power & Language](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/3-1-3-power-and-language.md)
- Next topic: [3.1.5 End of Topic Test - Key Themes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/3-1-5-end-of-topic-test-key-themes.md)

## English Lit: AQA GCSE Animal Farm contents

### 1 Plot Summaries
- 1.1 Plot Summaries
  - [1.1.1 Chapters 1-2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/1-1-1-chapters-1-2.md)
  - [1.1.2 Chapters 3-4](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/1-1-2-chapters-3-4.md)
  - [1.1.3 Chapters 5-6](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/1-1-3-chapters-5-6.md)
  - [1.1.4 Chapters 7-8](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/1-1-4-chapters-7-8.md)
  - [1.1.5 Chapters 9-10](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/1-1-5-chapters-9-10.md)
  - [1.1.6 Keywords](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/1-1-6-keywords.md)
  - [1.1.7 End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-5](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/1-1-7-end-of-topic-test-chapters-1-5.md)
  - [1.1.8 End of Topic Test - Chapters 6-10](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/1-1-8-end-of-topic-test-chapters-6-10.md)

### 2 Characters & Their Links to History
- 2.1 Key Characters
  - [2.1.1 Old Major](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-1-1-old-major.md)
  - [2.1.2 Snowball](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-1-2-snowball.md)
  - [2.1.3 Napoleon](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-1-3-napoleon.md)
  - [2.1.4 Squealer](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-1-4-squealer.md)
  - [2.1.5 Boxer](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-1-5-boxer.md)
  - [2.1.6 End of Topic Test - Key Characters](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-1-6-end-of-topic-test-key-characters.md)
  - [2.1.7 AO2/3 - Key Characters](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-1-7-ao23-key-characters.md)
  - [2.1.8 Exam-Style Questions - Boxer](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-1-8-exam-style-questions-boxer.md)
- 2.2 Other Characters
  - [2.2.1 Mr Jones](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-1-mr-jones.md)
  - [2.2.2 Clover](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-2-clover.md)
  - [2.2.3 Hens](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-3-hens.md)
  - [2.2.4 Sheep](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-4-sheep.md)
  - [2.2.5 Mollie](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-5-mollie.md)
  - [2.2.6 Benjamin](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-6-benjamin.md)
  - [2.2.7 Moses](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-7-moses.md)
  - [2.2.8 Mr Frederick](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-8-mr-frederick.md)
  - [2.2.9 Pilkington](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-9-pilkington.md)
  - [2.2.10 Mr Whymper](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-10-mr-whymper.md)
  - [2.2.11 End of Topic Test - Other Characters](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-11-end-of-topic-test-other-characters.md)
  - [2.2.12 End of Topic Test - Other Characters 2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/2-2-12-end-of-topic-test-other-characters-2.md)

### 3 Key Themes & Orwell's Purpose
- 3.1 Key Themes
  - [3.1.1 Education](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/3-1-1-education.md)
  - [3.1.2 Power & Control](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/3-1-2-power-and-control.md)
  - [3.1.3 Power & Language](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/3-1-3-power-and-language.md)
  - [3.1.4 Equality](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/3-1-4-equality.md)
  - [3.1.5 End of Topic Test - Key Themes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/3-1-5-end-of-topic-test-key-themes.md)

### 4 Language, Form & Structure
- 4.1 Language, Form & Structure
  - [4.1.1 Form & Structure](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/4-1-1-form-and-structure.md)
  - [4.1.2 Language](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/4-1-2-language.md)
  - [4.1.3 Symbols](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/4-1-3-symbols.md)
  - [4.1.4 Narrator & Allegory](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/4-1-4-narrator-and-allegory.md)

### 5 Recap: Main Quotes
- 5.1 Characters Quotes
  - [5.1.1 Old Major Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-1-old-major-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.2 Snowball Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-2-snowball-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.3 Napoleon Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-3-napoleon-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.4 Squealer Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-4-squealer-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.5 Boxer Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-5-boxer-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.6 Clover Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-6-clover-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.7 Moses & Mr Frederick Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-7-moses-and-mr-frederick-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.8 Benjamin Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-8-benjamin-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.9 Sheep Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-9-sheep-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.10 Hens Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-10-hens-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.11 Mollie Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-11-mollie-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.12 Pilkington & Mr Whymper Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-12-pilkington-and-mr-whymper-quotes.md)
  - [5.1.13 Mr Jones Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-1-13-mr-jones-quotes.md)
- 5.2 Text Structure Quotes
  - [5.2.1 Education Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-2-1-education-quotes.md)
  - [5.2.2 Power, Control & Language Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-2-2-power-control-and-language-quotes.md)
  - [5.2.3 Propaganda Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/animal-farm/5-2-3-propaganda-quotes.md)