Abuse Of Power In Animal Farm By George Orwell

Power and entitlement can often be used to one's own advantage. It can be used to achieve great things to bring a community together, or used for absolute evil to create a rebellion. In the novella Animal farm the hierarchy, being the pigs and Napoleon use propaganda in many instances to manipulate, and constantly twist the truth to the other oblivious animals on the farm to gain power.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test their character give them power. ”(Abraham Lincoln) In the novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell relates to this quote, when an animal revolution occurs. One animal has power over everyone, he seems to be corrupt. That one leader makes all the other animals suffer just from him being corrupt with his power.

Abuse of power is demonstrated in many areas of Orwell’s novel and it clearly indicates that Orwell is not a Marxist. This is shown through manipulating all the animals, altering the commandments, and it is distinctly visible when almost all the animals fear the pigs. As days go on, there is always something different about the farm yet no one ever says a word, “Curiously enough, Clover had not remembered that the fourth commandment mentioned sheets; but as it was there on the wall, it must have done so,” Orwell, pg.79. Some animals recognize the changes and adjustments but because of the deficiency in education they all have, it becomes difficult for anyone to say anything. Clover, the motherly mare, notices that the pigs are sleeping upon beds which according to her were breaking one of the commandments. Although she knows this is a violation of the rules, she stays quiet and silently questions all the actions the pigs continue to take. This is an internal conflict that Clover is experiencing who mentally observes all the manipulating and controlling the pigs do with all the farm animals. She realizes this is all wrong but does not want to get involved. The pigs, specifically Napoleon, change the commandments knowing that not all the animals get fully educated enough to comprehend what each means and in result he, therefore, gets to manipulate the animals into doing anything he wants. The pigs see that all the animals will accept any changes made without arguing because in

“The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership”- Pages 27-28. The book that this is present in, is Animal Farm by George Orwell. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm hoping his readers would see the comparison to the Soviet Union through allegory, and symbols. The Animal Farm was ultimately a failure because of power; more specifically, because the obstruction of power. Throughout the book it is seen how most animals in power obstruct certain rights, this greatly impacts the influence of power on the animals. The majority of the downfall of Animal Farm is based around how the animals have

“Remember that all things are lawful to me” (Tranquillus). These words by Gaius Caesar Germanicus, more commonly known as Caligula, epitomize the corruption caused by absolute power. Under his rule, the Roman treasury was emptied, people suffered from seemingly random acts of brutality, and Rome was ruled by an emperor who thought of himself as a god. Similarly, in the novel Animal Farm, the Manor Farm is taken over by its four-legged inhabitants. Their equal government is soon taken over by a power-hungry leader, a young boar named Napoleon. George Orwell’s fictional dictator Napoleon in the allegorical novel Animal Farm and the lavish life of the Roman Emperor Caligula both prove that power always causes corruption.

Language is a powerful tool, some abuse it to obtain power and some use it to inspire movements and bring change. I believe that language is more powerful if you use it to control a population via lying, manipulation, and fear. There have been many instances of individuals and groups using fear and language for control.

George Orwell in his novel Animal Farm explores the reality through the abuse of power using the character Napoleon. In order to gain absolute power, Napoleon eliminates any opposition, uses propaganda, and chances the commandments.

"All oppression creates a state of war" -Simone de Beauvar, French Philosopher. Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory for the Russian Revolution. Each animal was a key character in the Revolution such as Napoleon being Joseph Stalin, Mr. Jones being Tsar Nicholas and Boxer, being an ignorant. Mr.Jones was run off the farm because the animals were tired of the drunken man mistreating them. What the animals didn't know was that they went from one dictator to a whole group of them. The pigs. Ignorance contributes to political and social oppression and is proved by the inability to comprehend what the pigs are doing to the other animals. The animals cannot read or write as well, are perplexed easily, couldn't see the blemishes in the pig's leadership, or how the pigs changed things and didn't see or completely ignored how the pigs had acted.

Power is an evil thing. Power can even manage to corrupt angels into devils. Yes, power has the ability to change the world for the better, but most would use power to enrich themselves. Wars even got started over the greed of the leader. In the story, Animal Farm by George Orwell, the story demonstrates a corrupt animal leader known as Napoleon.

Lord Acton, a British historian of the late nineteenth century said, “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In Animal Farm, several themes are shown, a couple being naivety of the working class, or socialist ideas. However, the main themes in Animal Farm is leadership and power corruption. Animal Farm portrays the Russian Revolution. In the book, by overthrowing Mr. Jones, the animals give the power to the pigs who take complete control of the farm.

Animal Farm by George Orwell has addressed the theme that power corrupts those who possess it, especially Napoleon. Corruption of power is well defined in Lord Acton’s statement, ‘power trends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. Throughout the Novel Napoleon has absolute power, he uses manipulation over the other animals and demonstrates that Communism can contribute to corruption of power. Since the beginning Napoleon has had absolute power over Animal Farm. He used his knowledge and education to take over the farm.

Power can be used for dictatorship and it can be seen as evil, most dictators abuse their power in their leadership. For example, in North Korea, Kim Jong Un abuses power by giving his people a bad life and causing a famine. In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the character Napoleon also causes famine for the animals living on the farm. Napoleon is seen as causing famine, rule with fear, and focus on military force in Animal Farm.

People play an enormous component in our lives and the choices we make. In George Orwell's “ Animal Farm” there are several people that show leadership and guidance. The Leaders of Animal Farm start off with good intentions, but as the story goes on it becomes obvious the leaders have grown power-hungry and have become the 'superior' animals, showing that equality does not exist. This source of power has been used by leaders at the expense of their followers for their own personal gain, like Napoleon, whose first sign of corruption occurred early in the book when he seemed to be the main leader of them all.

A good text will captivate the reader through enduring and pertinent thoughts . George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegorical satire of the Russian revolution, which is constructed around the ideals of corruption and power, manipulation through language and authority and how rules can be used as political tools to sustain order. Animal Farm is portrayed in an innocent atmosphere which is in stark contrast to the dark, corrupt, malignant tendencies that it attempts to expose. The exploration of these concepts throughout the book, not only endures but also educates the reader on the events of the Russian revolution. The novella Animal farm is constructed around the relevant idea of the corrupting effect of power.

Often times in a communist society, a leader’s use of language can lead to abuse of power. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the farm leaders, the pigs, use unknown language, invoke scare tactics, and create specific laws, thereby enabling them to control other animals, to suit their greedy desires, and to perform actions outside their realm of power. Because of the pigs’ use of broad language, implementation of scare tactics, and creation and manipulation of laws, they are able to get away with avoiding laws and convincing other animals into believing untrue stories and lies that are beneficial to the pigs.