A possible explanation as to why animals are used in the story instead of humans is because animals are less complex than humans. In "Animal Farm", the characters do represent real humans: Lenin, Stalin, the Russian people. However, <u>their traits and actions are simplified, which makes it easier for readers to grasp what the author is trying to convey.</u> For instance, the Soviet leaders are represented by the pigs which, in the story, are the only animals intelligent enough to know anything about leading and managing. Precisely because they are more intelligent and have access to power, the pigs begin to act as dictators. On the other hand, most of the other animals are incapable or learning anything or understanding the situation. That is to show how the Russian people were kept in the dark concerning reality, and how easy it was to mistreat them precisely because they did not possess the knowledge or means to fight back.
To practice using formal and informal style, write two short paragraphs in your journal summarizing a topic on the Civil War (3-4 sentences). Write one paragraph as if you are writing for a textbook on the Civil War. Write the second paragraph as if you creating a video script for young kids to get them interested in the Civil War.
