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Benjamin (Animal Farm)

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is sent off to the slaughterhouse, and when Clover asks him to read the public display of the Seven Commandments, as they, for the last time in the book, changed; Benjamin reveals that the Commandments now consist entirely of the message "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than
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who during the revolution and its aftermath are very much aware of what is going on, but do nothing about it. Although he is aware of their mistreatment (especially that of Boxer) and can see how the basic rules of their society are changing, he is unwilling to act on it in any way that would
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He is one of the wisest animals on the farm and is able to "read as well as any pig". However, he rarely uses his ability, because he feels there is nothing worth reading. He does not use his ability for the benefit of others until the end of the book when
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others". Despite his age, he is never given the option of retirement (none of the animals are). Only the pigs' betrayal of his best friend, Boxer, spurs him into (failed) action, after which Benjamin becomes even more cynical than ever.
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as he is just as intelligent, if not more so than the novel's pigs, yet he is marginalised. He is very cynical about the Revolution and life in general. It has also been argued that he represents the skeptical people who believed that
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He is also quite significant in that he is not quite a horse (the working class) and yet definitely not a leader like the pigs, although his intellect is at least equal to theirs, this implies that Benjamin is a symbol of the
195:(who also played Farmer Jones in the film). In the film, Benjamin simply flees Napoleon's unendurable regime with some of the other animals and returns after the regime had collapsed (neither event occurs in the book). 46:. He is also the oldest of all the animals (he is alive in the last scene of the novel). He is less straightforward than most characters in the novel, and a number of interpretations have been put forward to which 483: 139:
would not help the people of Russia, but who did not criticise it fervently enough to lose their lives. His Biblical name could also imply that he represents the
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represents the working class.) Benjamin also represents the old people of historical Russia because he remembers the old laws that have been changed.
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Some interpret Benjamin as representing the elderly populous of Russia, because he is old and cynical. Others feel that he represents the
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Orwell became known as "Donkey George" to his friends – a reference to both his gloomy disposition and the character of Benjamin.
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and is the main protagonist. In the film, it is Benjamin who leads the other animals in a
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in Russia, with each animal representing a different social class, e.g.
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Fictional donkey in George Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm
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against Napoleon when his abuses finally go too far.
405: 366: 350: 299: 218:. New York: The New American Library. p. 40. 271: 8: 278: 264: 256: 97:: vague phrasing that often accompanies 20: 204: 484:Literary characters introduced in 1945 7: 62:is an allegory for the evolution of 14: 82: 50:he represents as regards to the 1: 494:Male characters in literature 436:Pigs (Three Different Ones) 510: 109:Such statements should be 489:Fictional revolutionaries 91:This following paragraph 176:, Benjamin is voiced by 132:Menshevik intelligentsia 212:Orwell, George (1946). 161:threaten his security. 474:Animal Farm characters 26: 235:George Orwell Studies 24: 143:populace of Russia. 111:clarified or removed 416:(Pink Floyd album) 229:Tim Crook (2016), 193:Pete Postlethwaite 191:, he is voiced by 182:counter-revolution 52:Russian Revolution 27: 479:Fictional donkeys 461: 460: 128: 127: 501: 422:Pigs on the Wing 280: 273: 266: 257: 250: 249: 226: 220: 219: 209: 123: 120: 114: 86: 85: 78: 509: 508: 504: 503: 502: 500: 499: 498: 464: 463: 462: 457: 401: 362: 346: 295: 284: 254: 253: 228: 227: 223: 211: 210: 206: 201: 170: 124: 118: 115: 108: 87: 83: 76: 74:Interpretations 19: 12: 11: 5: 507: 505: 497: 496: 491: 486: 481: 476: 466: 465: 459: 458: 456: 455: 448: 447: 446: 439: 432: 425: 409: 407: 406:Inspired music 403: 402: 400: 399: 394: 389: 381: 376: 370: 368: 364: 363: 361: 360: 354: 352: 348: 347: 345: 344: 339: 334: 329: 324: 319: 314: 309: 303: 301: 297: 296: 285: 283: 282: 275: 268: 260: 252: 251: 221: 203: 202: 200: 197: 178:Maurice Denham 169: 166: 158:intelligentsia 126: 125: 90: 88: 81: 75: 72: 40:'s 1945 novel 17: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 506: 495: 492: 490: 487: 485: 482: 480: 477: 475: 472: 471: 469: 453: 449: 444: 440: 437: 433: 430: 426: 423: 419: 418: 417: 415: 411: 410: 408: 404: 398: 397:Upcoming film 395: 393: 390: 387: 386: 382: 380: 377: 375: 372: 371: 369: 365: 359: 356: 355: 353: 349: 343: 340: 338: 335: 333: 330: 328: 325: 323: 320: 318: 315: 313: 310: 308: 305: 304: 302: 298: 294: 293: 288: 287:George Orwell 281: 276: 274: 269: 267: 262: 261: 258: 248: 244: 240: 236: 232: 225: 222: 217: 216: 208: 205: 198: 196: 194: 190: 185: 183: 179: 175: 167: 165: 162: 159: 153: 150: 144: 142: 138: 133: 122: 112: 106: 104: 100: 96: 89: 80: 79: 73: 71: 69: 65: 61: 57: 53: 49: 45: 44: 39: 38:George Orwell 35: 31: 23: 16: 413: 385:Poshu Khamar 383: 331: 290: 241:(1): 56–72, 238: 234: 224: 213: 207: 186: 171: 163: 154: 145: 129: 116: 103:unverifiable 95:weasel words 92: 59: 56:Soviet Union 48:social class 41: 29: 28: 15: 388:(2006 play) 367:Adaptations 292:Animal Farm 215:Animal Farm 105:information 60:Animal Farm 43:Animal Farm 468:Categories 392:2023 opera 337:Pilkington 300:Characters 199:References 379:1999 film 374:1954 film 342:Mr. Jones 307:Old Major 247:2399-1267 189:1999 film 174:1954 film 137:Communism 119:June 2020 93:contains 64:Communism 351:Concepts 332:Benjamin 322:Squealer 317:Snowball 312:Napoleon 54:and the 30:Benjamin 452:Piggies 414:Animals 358:Anthems 187:In the 172:In the 245:  141:Jewish 99:biased 34:donkey 443:Sheep 327:Boxer 149:Boxer 68:Boxer 32:is a 429:Dogs 243:ISSN 168:Film 289:'s 101:or 58:. ( 36:in 470:: 237:, 233:, 454:" 450:" 445:" 441:" 438:" 434:" 431:" 427:" 424:" 420:" 279:e 272:t 265:v 239:1 121:) 117:( 113:. 107:.

Index


donkey
George Orwell
Animal Farm
social class
Russian Revolution
Soviet Union
Communism
Boxer
weasel words
biased
unverifiable
clarified or removed
Menshevik intelligentsia
Communism
Jewish
Boxer
intelligentsia
1954 film
Maurice Denham
counter-revolution
1999 film
Pete Postlethwaite
Animal Farm
"Only Donkeys Survive Tyranny and Dictatorship: Was Benjamin George Orwell's Alter Ego in Animal Farm"
ISSN
2399-1267
v
t
e

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