Topic > How Moses the Raven is used as a representation of the Church in Animal Farm

Animal Farm is an allegorical novel written by George Orwell based on the historical events of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The story revolves around a group of animals from overworked farms who rebel against their owners in an attempt to create a utopian state. Above the quarrels and altercations of the embittered animals stands a religious raven recalling the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Russian Revolution. This essay will explore the satirized relationship between Moses the Raven and the Orthodox Church during the Russian Revolution. First, it is evident that the authority struggled to abolish both Moses and the church because of the strength and support of both. Furthermore, by maintaining control and sanity in workers and peasants through the promotion of sermons, Moses and the Orthodox Church demonstrate how religion can be beneficial to a functioning society. Finally, the two religious forces have essentially clung to forms of authority in an attempt to gain superior advantages. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Animal Farm, Moses the Crow was meant to represent organized religion that threatened socialism and communism. In the book we are introduced to Moses as “Mr. Jones' special pet... He claimed to know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain, where all animals went when they died. (Orwell 32) Candy Cane Mountain represents heaven, and Moses the Raven's message is that the animals should accept their injustice as it was only temporary because they would all go to heaven after being worked to death. His message also implies that, by focusing on the idea of ​​a paradise after death, the animal's task of building a better world for itself in this life was not important. Moses is also similar to a priest, because in the book it is stated that “the animals hated Moses because he told stories and did not work” (Orwell 32) since priests did not do real work like ordinary workers. This bothered the pigs at first, because at first they wanted the animals to focus on how big Animal Farm could be. Soon Moses leaves the farm, only to reappear later in the book, but now things had changed and the pigs were not in such a hurry to get rid of him. “One thing that was difficult to determine was the pigs' attitude toward Moses. They all contemptuously declared that his stories about Sugarcane Mountain were lies, yet they allowed him to remain on the farm, without working, with an allowance of a glass of beer a day. (Orwell 88) The pigs now let Moses hang around, because they now see the value in their workers listening to Moses and carrying out their daily tasks with good behavior and with minimal effort. Old Major's real-life equivalent is Karl Marx (Orwell 16) as Karl Marx was the father of communism as Old Major was the father of Animalism. Karl Marx once wrote: “Religious suffering is, at the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of people is the demand for their true happiness. To invite them to give up illusions about their condition is to invite them to give up a condition that requires illusions." (Marxist Internet Archive) Napoleon and Squealer represent the main figurespolicies of communism in Russia during the Russian Revolution, they didn't like Moses very much because they always talked about a better place, but in death he represents religion and, as Karl Marx described it, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." When Marx says: “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions,” he means that religion is what happens when the oppressed, the heartless, the soulless souls need something to hold on to. Once Moses returns, we do not see Animal Farm as prosperous or happy under Animalism as originally thought, when Moses began to talk about Candy Sugar Mountain, the pigs realized that they had become the oppressors, and after the animals suffered a heavy propaganda and forced labor. , Moses the raven became the sigh of the oppressed creature. In Animal Farm Moses is allegorically represented as opium, metaphorically a "painkiller". This determination can be linked to the Russian Orthodox Church during the Russian Revolution. Despite the strong efforts of the Bolsheviks in trying to spread the popularity of the church, the true strength and depth of the religion really emerged especially after World War II. Therefore, it is evident throughout the novel that due to Moses' strength and power, it was difficult to spread his popularity; similar to religion in revolution. Even though the pigs themselves did not agree with the supposed existence of a "better world", they tolerated its existence because, in exchange for a small offering of beer, Moses unwittingly benefited them by maintaining control over the animals; which the Russian Orthodox Church was also known to have done. Moses the raven preaches of Sugarcandy Mountain, where "it was Sunday seven days a week, clover was in season all the year round, and sugar cubes and linseed cakes grew on the hedges"; such fantasies were the reason behind control and sanity among animals. The animals are tricked into believing that there is such a thing as an afterlife and are lulled into a state of resistance, thus continuing to work hard: “Many animals believed him. Now their life, they reasoned, was hungry and laborious; Wasn't it right and just that a better world should exist elsewhere?” Because the oppressed farm animals have something to look forward to, they look beyond the barbaric working conditions and dream of the Promised Land. The role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the revolution is strikingly similar. The church resembled a painkiller; used on the poor to make them work. Religion maintained control by creating a fantasy for workers. This particular idea of ​​an afterlife provided comfort to the hard-working and struggling poor during the revolution, thus eliminating disputes and maintaining discipline. Without the Church there would have been riots, chaos and the possibility of further rebellions. The church maintained stability and hope in working class society, paralleling the role of Moses in Animal Farm. Moses unknowingly became a great asset to the pigs. "Everyone contemptuously declared that his stories about Sugarcandy Mountain were lies, yet they allowed him to remain on the farm, without working, with an allowance of a glass of beer a day.", only if he told the animals on the Sugarcandy Mountain farm regularly. . Essentially, the pigs understood why Moses was Jones' favorite pet, why he maintained control over the farm. The relationship between Moses and Mr. Jones is related to the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and him.