The Clocks Were Striking Thirteen

Comparison of Animal Farm
Many comparisons can be made from Animal Farm to the excerpt “The Clocks Were Striking Thirteen” from the novel 1984. Some similarities in Animal Farm and “The Clocks Were Striking Thirteen” are portrayed through the two themes, abuse of language and power corrupts, and also the mood.
One theme seen both in Animal Farm and “The Clocks Were Striking Thirteen” is power corrupts. In Animal Farm the pigs quickly become corrupted by their want in power, especially Napoleon. The pigs think they are better than the other animals and start to act very much like humans. At the end of the book, some of the animals witness the pigs in the farmhouse, playing cards with Mr. Pilkington and other humans, in the novel it says “Twelve

In both of these texts written by Orwell, the language can be manipulated as an instrument of control. After Old Major dies the pigs take the meanings of his words toward the rebellion and twist them to fit their behavior and ensure that they’re better than the other animals on the farm. The abuse of language is shown when the pigs changed the seven commandments of animalism to benefit themselves. Some examples of the changed commandments are “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. No animal shall drink alcohol to excess. No animal shall kill any other animal without cause. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (Orwell). The abuse of language is also represented in “The Clocks Were Striking Thirteen”. Big Brother and the Thought Police manipulated the citizens by watching their every move and could listen to what the people were saying whenever they felt like doing so, Big Brother wanted to control their thoughts, actions and feelings as well. “But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live-- did live, from habit that became instinct-- in the assumption the every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every moment scrutinized” (Orwell, par.

As a reader the mood comes across very negative. Both Napoleon and Big Brother control the animals like dictators and do not give them much freedom whatsoever. Both the animals and the citizens from these two stories are hopeless and powerless compared to their leaders. In Animal Farm, Napoleon did not care for the other animals needs, he secretly took the milk for the dogs he was raising. “Never mind the milk, comrades!” cried Napoleon, placing himself in front of the buckets. That will be attended to. The harvest is more important” (Orwell, par. 75). Napoleon is not faithful or a sufficient leader because he only cares for himself, this is also shown when he sells Boxer for money to buy alcohol, but lies and says he will be going to the hospital for proper treatment. “Squealer appeared, full of sympathy and concern. He said that Comrade Napoleon had learned with the very deepest distress of this misfortune to one of the most loyal workers on the farm, and was already making arrangements to send Boxer to be treated in the hospital at Willingdon” (Orwell, par. 269). In “The Clocks Were Striking Thirteen”, Big Brother is very strict and also does not give his nation much freedom, since they are watched and heard on the telescreens which acted as security cameras. “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a whisper would be