Letter to Animal Farm Revised Version

Dear Brave and Unsettled Comrades,

Firstly, I'd like all of you to know that you are my heroes. Hearing tales and rumors about your brave acts truly moved every animal in Europe, and it encouraged the rest of us to really pursue Animalism. I am one of those who truly took your actions to heart and convinced my fellow comrades in my farm to launch an uprising as well.

In the early stages of our rebellion, a certain animal helped us greatly. He showed us the true purpose of Animalism and the correct political formula that would help us succeed and support us in our independence. His name was Sir Boaris Snowball.

I know what all of you thought of him. He told me in gruesome detail what had happened at the farm. And I’m sure you still believe all the lies Napoleon fed to you over the years. Foolish Animals, Napoleon never wanted anything more than his own prosperity. He never thought of you; he manipulated and used you, like a human would. And how was he able to do that? Because he knew you were all dimwitted, uneducated, dull and, most of all, unaware.

Think back comrades, what was the first thing Napoleon did after he chased out Snowball off of the farm? ( yes, in fact, it was he who ordered the dogs to go after him that day) He took the democracy that Sir Snowball tried to give you away. Allow me to refresh your memory:

Napoleon…announced that from now on the Sunday morning meetings will come to an end. They were unnecessary and waste of time. In future all questions relating to the workings of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over by himself…there would be no more debates... (Orwell, 54)

            Yes, the failure of the revolution in England Animal Farm was the fault of all parties involved. No one in animal farm paid attention to any of the political activities; you remained consistently oblivious towards the things going on around you. When Sir Snowball was there, he attempted to include you in developing ideas and decision-making. You were even too dull to realize that this gesture was purposed to involve you and your opinions and help build a strong government that would have helped you meet your needs in a just manner. Comrades, in an act of rebellion of this manner, you must be clear on your ideals. You must engage yourself and be aware of what’s going on to inch closer to your goals.
            As aforementioned Napoleon is the one who deliberately exiled Sir Snowball. Think back to the time it had happened, did you not question why he was chased out all of a sudden? I think you did; it was too abrupt and mysterious for you not to feel some form of suspicion about it. But then you allowed Napoleon’s authorities to frighten you; and soon after you’d be convinced that there was perhaps no mystery in the lies they eventually told you about Snowball. Your cowardice, and once again failure to question and think for yourselves silenced all questions about his expulsion and executions. Comrades, you wrote the rules yourselves. You agreed on the commandments when they were established; “No animals shall kill other animals”. So why did you allow them to make you believe otherwise?

Allow me to specify and illustrate to you your political structure:

Your dear friend Squealer played the devil’s advocate for you totalitarian leader and together they worked to manipulate you and bend you to their whim. Did you not notice? Almost everything he said is a form of selective disinformation…in other words a lie. He made excuses for everything, made any wrong seem right. And even in those rare and crucial times you developed doubt for your “government”, he managed to convince you that they were justified. Squealer had this outstanding linguistic talent of being able to strike you right into your weaknesses and distract you from your initial thoughts. Clover, remember the time when you found out the pigs were moving into the farm house and they were sleeping in comfortable beds, and you thought you knew that that was against the rules? Look back to this moment:

Clover, who thought she remembered a definite ruling against beds, went to the barn and tried to puzzle out the Commandments…”It says, ‘no animal shall sleep on a bed with sheets…Squealer, who happened to be passing this moment, put the whole matter in its proper perspective...‘You did not suppose there was ever a ruling against beds? A bed means place to sleep in. The rule was against sheets, which are human invention. We removed the sheet and sleep between blankets. With all the brainwork we need comfort…You will not rob us of our repose…You need us to carry our duties…You don’t want Jones back… (Orwell, 67)

Squealer in this moment quickly managed to take advantage of your inability to think logically, your faulty memory and your fear of Jones’ return to manipulate you into thinking that he and his posse were doing well for you.

Clover, dear, I know you knew deep inside that everything had been done incorrectly. And I truly regret that you couldn’t articulate your thoughts and stand up against your corrupt leaders, whom truly ruined everything.

Comrades, I will now recall a despairing moment when Napoleon had performed a sick shrade of execution under the false name of justice, and articulate how your fellow comrade Clover felt in the moment; and while reading this think to yourselves, did you not feel this way too?:

As Clover looked down the hillside her eyes filled with tears. If she could have spoken her thoughts, it would have been to say that this was not what they had aimed at when they had set themselves years ago to work for the overthrow of the human race. These scenes of terror and slaughter were not what they had looked forward to on that night when old Major first stirred them to rebellion. If she had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip, all equal, each working according to his capacity…instead came a time when no one dared to speak their minds, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and watch your comrades getting torn to pieces. (Orwell, 86)

You had all the right ideas, Clover. You knew what you wanted and what was right; you had a vision. But you didn’t think about how you could achieve the things you saw yourself dreaming of. Critical thinking is a crucial part of participating in politics. If there is a leading figure, you must think about their motives and analyze their actions; how would their actions effect your life? If they are doing something suspicious you must question them; if there are laws you all agreed upon, you must remember them. Squealer was only able to convince you of his obvious shams because he knew you believed that you had a faulty memory. He was only able to deceive you because he knew you wouldn’t be able to think of a retaliating argument.

If Clover had spoken out against Squealer instead of doubting herself, or if she had thought to articulate her feelings, she might have opened the eyes of the rest of you. She might have been able to expose the injustice taking place. But it wasn’t just Clover who could have made a difference. Everyone on Animal Farm could have.

If the animals want true equality and justice they should pay attention to what they want and focus on how to get it. You should be more vocal and true to your ideas, take initiative instead of being docile and so easily deceived by the pigs. Start by educating yourselves, being observant and aware. And learn from your now deceased comrade, Boaris Snowball. He was truly a good pig and a great leader. He believed in you, and I do too.

Hope this helped clear your conscience. I wish you all the best.
Sincerely with care,
Ambassador Cheshire Cat V of Nether land Animal Farm
Yuka Taga