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Animal Farm By George Orwell

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In George Orwell 's 1945 epic novel "Animal Farm", the corruption of leadership is described and emphasized through the actions of farm animals. After gaining control of the farm where they were held, a "human" society arose between the animals with the most intelligent, or most disingenuous, animals rising to the top of the hierarchy. Sheep, chickens, even the farm dogs all bowed down to the pigs that tricked their way to power. The infamous quote, “all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (112) is the epitome of the corruption Orwell wanted to emphasize. Through the different obstacles that the barnyard animals faced, from an attempted return by the humans to a project to construct a windmill, the animals gave more and more power to the pigs leaving them at their mercy. Slowly, the animal leaders became "humanized", even going to the extent of wearing clothes and playing cards at the end of the novel, “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; and it was already impossible to say which was which” (118). Orwell 's use of allegory emphasizes the dangers of surrendering power to self-imposed leaders and the corruption that occurs when an overwhelming amount of power is held by an individual.
When George Orwell wrote “Animal Farm”, it is said he was heavily influenced by the rise of communism throughout the world. The most powerful communist influence that Orwell experienced was from the
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