Animal Farm

Throughout history, leaders have proven that power has the ability to corrupt their actions. This is shown through many different leaders: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Saddam Hussein. Occasionally, an unsuitable leader comes to power and uses their control to engage in the wrong behavior for their own benefit. An indistinguishable situation is present in the novel Animal Farm, By James Orwell. This novel tells the story of the animals who live on Manor Farm and rebel against their corrupt leader, Mr. Jones. After a successful rebellion, the pigs take on their role as leaders, but soon take advantage of their power and use it in villainous ways. The only logical reason for this occurrence is the effect that power has on leaders, like the

Napoleon, who is one of the more intelligent pigs on the farm is force to take authority and eliminate opposition. Napoleon takes “nine sturdy puppies” (35) and becomes “responsible for their education” (35) while raising them up. The puppies soon become “fierce-looking wolves” (53) which he uses them to intimidate and petrify all the animals. Napoleon’s guard dogs “dash straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws” (53). Snowball “running faster than ever”

Napoleon’s disastrous reign only supports Orwell’s idea that revolutions always fail, tyrants are only replaced, and a new government is never established. Napoleon is a cruel ruler who, fearful of Snowball’s return, executes all the animals who “confess” to being in league with Snowball. Napoleon uses Squealer as a propaganda spreader to the other animals of the farm. Squealer tells the animals how wonderful life is on the farm, when in fact they

Napoleon used force to gain control of Animal Farm, and used fear to keep it. When he and Snowball both led the other animals, they had many disagreements. Napoleon saw that Snowball was better at communicating with the animals, so he used the dogs which he had secretly trained to drive Snowball away – permanently. Napoleon used these dogs to keep all the animals ‘in line’ and quash any thought of rebellion with fear.

Soon after building the windmill, it falls and Napoleon blames Snowball for its destruction. Some of the animals sympathize with Snowball, saying that there was no way he could have pushed it over. Napoleon becomes angry, purging the farm, killing anyone who he accuses of allying with Snowball. After he did so, animals questioned his tactics only for Napoleon to ask the animals, “Surely comrades, you would not want Jones back? (Orwell, pg. 67 Chap. 6)” By saying this rhetorical question, the animals would not question what it was that Jones had done that was worse than Napoleon, and they would just get back to doing their work. Napoleon used Squealer the pig to help him get out of situations that he brought upon himself. When Napoleon would say something that he was not supposed to, Squealer would justify for

After having a taste of power, the pigs lose themselves in their lust for ultimate power. Because of the supreme position of the pigs in the farm, a minority controls the majority of the animals, their greed for power leads to the corruption of the power. First of all, Napoleon uses dogs to expel Snowball in order to have exclusive power. Napoleon starts to against every suggestions Snowball proposes at the beginning. He raises the puppy secretly and shows them up while excluding Snowball. These fierce dogs become a sign of Napoleon’s authority and absolute power. It is the first time that execution happens in the farm, it disobeys the essence of Animalism, all animals are friends. However, no one dares to question him because Napoleon has the absolute power, even though it starts corrupting. Secondly, when the pigs move into the farmhouse and begin sleeping in the beds, the Fourth Commandment turns out to have mysteriously changed. It now reads “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.”(Orwell, 67) Bed is a symbol of being human in the story. The pigs’ greed of being human has not

Orwell shows how power was given to the pigs through intimidation. Squealer tries to intimidate The Animals by mentioning a name they dread. Squealer noticed the animals knew the pigs slept in beds, so he mentions,“Surely none of you wishes to see Jones come back?”(67), to scare them. Orwell conveys how powerful Jones’ name is. He shows how Napoleon and the other pigs use Mr. Jones name to their advantage. They create an environment of fear amongst the animals. The lives of the animals were also threatened by Napoleon when an incident came up. The text states that “ They were all slain on the spot and the tale of confessions and executions went on…”(84). Orwell wanted to show that Napoleon was ready to kill anyone in his way of absolute power. The animals felt “shaken and miserable” and they were now more frightened to even have the thought of rebelling against Napoleon. Using this

Napoleon uses fear to achieve and maintain control of all the other animals. Napoleon takes Jessie and Bluebell’s nine newborn puppies and had them secretly trained in a loft to eventually become his security guards. The dogs were only loyal to him and obeyed his signals. Snowball was the first to show a difference in opinion with Napoleon with regards to building a windmill. When Napoleon realized the other animals were going to vote in favor of the windmill Napoleon summoned the dogs and they came running and chased Snowball off the farm in fear for his life. A few days later Napoleon’s dogs drag four pigs out in front of all the other animals because they had opposed Sunday meetings. The pigs confess that they collaborated with

Napoleon uses propaganda and lies he spreads with Squealer, that all his actions are put forward to the benefit of ‘all’ the animals. Squealer speaks,” Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back!” He creates fear within the animals of Mr.Jones coming back again, and tells them, “Napoleon is always right.” He sees Snowball as a threat to his power, he spreads his words “Comrades, do you know who is responsible for this? Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!” He tries to make false information and lies to the common animals. The external conflict between Napoleon and Snowball over power are shown, due to Napoleon’s greeds. Although the common animals of the farm found Snowball more likeable, the nine loyal dogs of Napoleon frightened the animals and strengthened the power of Napoleon allowing him to become the leader after Rebellion. Napoleon is unsatisfied of any ideas rooted from Snowball, brings out his specially trained dogs to go after Snowball. Snowball who does not have a physical force of his own like Napoleon’s, is chased out of the farm allowing Napoleon to become the one and only leader of “Animal Farm”. I feel empathetic to Napoleon some of the time, but to this extent I wouldn’t agree or connect with Napoleon. He uses and exploits other animals for his benefit, and untruly spreads propaganda to keep in power.

In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, a major turning point in the novel was when Napoleon used his secret police force, his dogs, to exile Snowball. Snowball had previously been trying to improve the animal’s lives for the future by building a windmill. After Snowball was exiled, Napoleon became leader and everything immediately went amiss. Orwell stated that: "Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer- except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs" (p.86). In other words, no one was benefiting from the animal’s labours apart from the pigs and the dogs because the amount of authority the dogs and the pigs, especially Napoleon had, was corrupt. Frighteningly, if Snowball had been

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is reflective of Russia during Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical ruling. The story’s antagonist Napoleon leads the Rebellion with Snowball. Once Napoleon overthrows Snowball, he deceives and manipulates the other animals with promise of a life free of restraint and human influence. After gaining their trust, Napoleon capitalizes on the animals’ vulnerabilities and uses his power to better the circumstances of the pigs rather than all animals. Although he initially presents himself as a democratic head, his leadership tactics are that of a dictator. Through examining the syntax and diction characteristic of Orwell’s writing, one can gain a better understanding of the novel’s sociopolitical theme.

There is the brutal “dictator”, Napoleon who always got his way. He used propaganda and terror to intimidate the animals, until they could not resist. “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” (Orwell, 43). This was the final change to the animal’s Seven Commandments. This was the ultimate example of how the pigs were controlling the remaining animals. The first part of the quote makes it seem like all animals are equal, creating a positive view of the commandment. It is yet to be known that the end of the quote implies

Control of a working class leads to a loss of empathy from the leaders, as Squealer and Napoleon become harsh and selfish leaders. For example, the ruthless murder and slaughter of multiple animals for working with Snowball. “The three hens who had been….They, too, were slaughtered...They were all slain on the spot. And so the tale of confession and executions went on, until there were a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood.”(84). During this, Napoleon instills fear in the rest of the animals to bring his own dominance among the other animals. Orwell uses imagery to vividly describe Napoleon’s cruel retribution against these other animals. The retribution represents Napoleon’s dictatorial rule over the animals. The loss of compassion is also expressed through the cruel slaughter of so many animals to manipulate them through fear, as the sixth Commandment of Animalism was to not hurt any animals(25). Napoleon’s tyrannical personality further develops as he ruthlessly sells Boxer, his most loyal and hardest working animal, for profit. “ ‘Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughter and Glue Boiler’...and the word went around that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whiskey.”(122-126). In order to buy a case of whiskey, Napoleon sends Boxer to his death, and has

Rules, power, and leadership can be manipulated and controlled by an individual if the situation is right and they have the correct methods. George Orwell shows this in his book Animal Farm with a written satire mocking how making society equal is not always beneficial. Animals are portrayed as real life individuals which forces people to think about powerful leaders who are taking advantage of them in a comical manner. Animal Farm is a satire due to its ridiculing nature of comparing animals to people while at the same time encouraging people to stand up for what they believe in.

George Orwell’s allegorical novella, Animal Farm is a satirical retelling of the events leading up to the 1917 Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalin. After the animals rebel against Mr. Jones and his employees, they set up a government constituted by “Animalism”, which in its raw state parallels the basic principles of socialism. In order to govern them, they create basic laws meant to unify them known as, “The Seven Commandments”, which they write on the outer wall of the barn. However, the pigs begin to disobey the commandments and change them to get away with it. None of the other animals notice due to their illiteracy, so Napoleon continuously exploits this fact to get what he wants. As a result, the farm that was meant to be utopic