Orwell lets the reader infer that Benjamin keeps his beliefs and scepticism low profile around the farm. Not only does he have the mental strength to formulate these views but he has the intelligence to not boast about what he believes. Through his ability to resist the ‘propaganda’ spread by the pigs, specifically Squealer, Benjamin’s mental strength is shown.Īnother display of Benjamin’s intelligence is shown by his approach to his beliefs mentioned above. Benjamin believes that as far as he knows, ‘there is nothing worth reading’ and he also refuses to ‘meddle in such matters’ as reading a commandment for Clover, Boxer’s discerning beliefs can be compared to the beliefs of another animal such as Boxer, who is willing to devote his whole life after retirement to learning and studying the ‘remaining twenty-two letters of the alphabet’. This is shown through the general impression of scepticism he emanates, this can be inferred from his opinions on minor issues on the farm. He is the only animal on the farm that immediately differentiates his opinion from what the pigs want him to believe. However this is not the only piece of evidence that suggests Benjamin is intelligent or strong minded. He has an insistence throughout the story that nothing ever changes, which in the end, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Benjamin has a cynical attitude, despite being educated and well aware of what is actually going on, which shows the readers that education is essentially useless without action to back it up. So far as he knew, he said, there was nothing worth reading”. Benjamin’s apathy throughout the story is also presented in this passage as we are told that “Benjamin could read as well as any pig, but never exercised his faculty. Orwell states that Benjamin ‘could read as well as any pig’, which immediately leads the reader to assume that he is one of the, if not the, smartest animal on the farm. Throughout the novel, it becomes apparent that Benjamin is an extremely intelligent and mentally strong animal. His stubbornness is evident throughout the text, and despite his rudeness he is undeniably loyal and helpful to those in need. However he is respected by all the animals. His interactions with the other animals are typically abrupt and rude and he is not renowned for his hard work. Orwell uses Benjamin to represent the sceptics as he is is strong minded, yet smart enough to keep his beliefs low profile so as not to face repercussions. However, one theory is that Benjamin is used to portray the sceptics living in the revolution, especially those who do not criticise Stalin’s regime publicly. It is unclear which group or person in Stalin’s Revolution Benjamin represents. A character who is integral to the development of the storyline is Benjamin, an aged donkey. And by the time the sheep had quieted down, the chance to utter any protest had passed, for the pigs had marched back into the farmhouse.In the allegorical novel Animal Farm, George Orwell uses animals to represent humans or groups in Stalin’s Russian Revolution. It went on for five minutes without stopping. "Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two legs better!" But just at that moment, as though at a signal, all the sheep burst out into a tremendous bleating of. Then there came a moment when the first shock had worn off and when, in spite of everything-in spite of their terror of the dogs, and of the habit, developed through long years, of never complaining, never criticising, no matter what happened-they might have uttered some word of protest. It was as though the world had turned upside-down. Amazed, terrified, huddling together, the animals watched the long line of pigs march slowly round the yard. “.out from the door of the farmhouse came a long file of pigs, all walking on their hind legs.out came Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side, and with his dogs gambolling round him.
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