Compare Niemollers Cautionary Poem with Animal Farm by George Orwell
Niemoller and Orwell are renowned linguists because they published the cautionary poem and the Animal Farm respectively. Critical to the discussion is the fact that the authors were motivated by the politics of the time, which resulted in the publications mentioned above. It follows that scholars would expect to establish similarities in the two pieces of literature. However, the same pieces of literature have differences. Accordingly, Niemoller’s cautionary poem and Orwell’s Animal Farm have similarities and differences based on the messages they communicate, and methods used to communicate them.
Apparently, both authors were motivated by political events into making their publications. This creates a similarity not only in the source of motivation, but also on the messages being communicated. For instance, both Orwell and Niemoller enlighten their audience on the tyrannies of the ruling regimes. Specifically, Niemoller mentions, they came for socialists the poem. Analogously, Orwell mentions, that humans steal the animal’s produce. This indicates that both Orwell and Niemoller accuse the leadership in their stories for poor governance. Furthermore, both stories communicate a message intended to liberate the people from tyrannical governments. However, Orwell’s story focuses communication of current events while Niemoller’s poem communicates the message based on past events.
It is also notable that both Orwell and Niemoller use allegory because they use hidden meanings to communicate their messages. For instance, Orwell uses animals instead of actual political figures to demonstrate the magnitude of tyranny among the political elites. Similarly, Niemoller hides the actual message of the story by avoiding mentioning of any leadership actions that would depict the poem as an act of rebellion. Instead, Niemoller leaves the audience with a tainted picture of the leaders without highlighting that the leaders were dictators. Clearly, both Orwell and Niemoller use allegory to communicate their message, but Orwell narrates the events in a story while Niemoller narrates the events in a poem.
In conclusion, Niemoller’s cautionary poem and Orwell’s Animal Farm have similarities and differences based on the messages they communicate, and methods used to communicate them.