Animal Farm Power Corrupts

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

“Choose a novel or short story or a work of non-fiction which explores a theme which you find interesting. By referring to appropriate techniques, show how the writer explores the theme.”

Power can change people into the thing or character that said they never would be. Absolute power changes people and creates something new and often times a monster. As Paul Krishner wrote in The Dual Purpose Of Animal Farm “…the commandments are chipped away and the pig-managers increasingly resemble farmers…”3 this demoralizes the majority oppressing them. Spencer Brown quotes Wanda Hale in "Mealymouthed Critics Ignore Animal Farm's Anticommunist Flavor,” Animal Farm is a

The statement, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”, simply means that the more power one has – the more control one has over people – then the more corrupt it is possible for that person to become. This statement is certainly correct if the person with the power has certain proclivities towards corruption. There are many examples in the book, “Animal Farm”, by George Orwell, of power corrupting those in charge because they had these tendencies. In the story, the most powerful animals are the two pigs, Napoleon and, to a lesser degree, Snowball. During the course of the story these pigs used their power to get more power, and in the process their inclinations towards corruption triumphed. When Old Major, the boar who came

Have you ever been curious about how animals feel inside living in farms and who are the big bosses that run everything within the farm? And who has the power? In, Animal Farm, size did not matter in this case! The animals were convinced to do what the pigs tell them to. The power holders in the book are the pigs ! Puny, chubby, and persuading pigs! Ruling a whole farm of animals. They were smooth with their words and careful and manipulative. Then, soon enough the pigs took matters into their hands causing surprises to most of the farm animals. In the book Animal Farm as well as in our society, the leader that rise to power are usually the cleverest or most intelligent and most able to manipulate.

The best theme for Animal Farm by George Orwell is absolute power corrupts absolutely. According to “Animal Farm” by George Orwell it states, “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy,” (pg.43) and later on in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell it states, “...came out Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side (pg.132)…All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (pg.133). The quote on page 43 shows how Napoleon has had rules set in order so that the farm would be under control. The quote on page 132 shows Napoleon standing on his hind legs, which is against the rule. The quote on page 133 it shows the new rule that allows Napoleon to do what he wants. Napoleon took his power as the one in control and used to do what he wants and not what was best for all the animals. He changed the rule, so that he could do what he wants and not get reprimanded for it. Another quote in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell is“...giving birth between them to nine sturdy puppies. As soon as they were weaned, Napoleon took them away from their mothers saying that he would make himself responsible for their education” (pg.51) and later in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell it states, “Napoleon stood up and, casting a particular sidelong look at Snowball, uttered a high-pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him utter before. At this there was a terrible baying sound outside. And nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came

At the start of the story, the animals of Manor Farm begin to comprehend that their means of existence is to slave away to the needs of Mr. Jones or man in general. They then make a successful attempt to take over the farm in a rebellion. However, later on in the story they were able to slip back into the grasp of oppression since the pigs become corrupt due to their high position of power in the farm. The pigs are so blinded by greed that they don’t even bother to see how much the animals are suffering. At the end, the pigs are now the new Mr. Jones and so closely resemble man that the rest of the animals cannot even tell the difference between them. Showing the reader that one of the main themes that Animal Farm contains is the abuse of power with language.

As the saying goes, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This text is an allusion to the Russian Revolution. After the rebellion the animals are left with two leaders, Snowball and Napoleon, that cannot agree on a single thing. Snowball was chased off by Napoleon’s dog and was left with all the power. in animal farm, George Orwell asserts the idea that absolute power results in corruption. Napoleon and the other pigs, interested in remaining superior, persuades the other animals by using intimidation and emotional appeals in order to keep control of the gullible animals.

The sub theme of power corrupting people is very eminent in animal farm. The leaders on the farm - the pigs, were the brains of the farm. The animals let the pigs lead the farm, thereby placing them into a position of power. This power corrupted them as they became more and more greedy and their ideology became more and more corrupted. Also, the pig’s transgressions of the rules of animalism worsen as they grow in power.

The first reason power leads to corruption is because with power comes broken rules. The pigs use their power to override the rules in Animal Farm. They show the reader this when George Orwell says, “It was a few days later than this that the pigs came upon a case of whiskey”(106-107). This means that the Pigs are breaking a rule that no other animal is allowed to break. The reason no other animal says anything is because the pigs possess power and they can not do anything about it.

Imagine a tyranny that lasted for an eternity. This would be herculean for anyone to withstand. The tyranny in the book Animal Farm did not. However, there could've been another leader on Animal Farm, Snowball, but could Snowball’s leadership have succeeded?

William Golding uses Jack in the novel Lord of the Flies, to depict the change from innocence to corruption because of the effects of power. Likewise George Orwell uses Napoleon in the novel, Animal farm, to represent the actions one, corrupted by power, portrays. It is safe to say that no matter how instilled one is in civilization, an exposure to power can take away morals and values, leaving a corrupted individual. Like America’s government, a way to evade too much power in one’s hand, is by distributing it. As the world furthers its knowledge on how power corrupts, new strategies may be brought up in order to avoid it but until then, the fight against the evils of power

After interpreting Animal Farm I have been convinced that the major theme of the book is “Power with the Usage of Corruption.” As I was reading through the book, there was a pattern with the way the pigs led the other animals. The pigs would mistreat the rest with lies and deceitfulness; they lived an extravagant life behind the animals’ back. Such as, eating better quality food and not helping around the farm. However, I believe this theme is important, because the leaders (who were the pigs) had an advantage compared to the other animals. They were filled with wisdom and knowledge; which led them to the idea to rule with corruption to betterment their lives.

In all of recorded history, there has never been a time where a society has existed in absolute equality. George Orwell displays this truth through his book Animal Farm. Animal Farm is a fictitious novel that follows the story of animals that strive, but fail, to create and live in a truly equal society due to ingrained social statuses and corruption. Orwell’s Animal Farm-- a thinly veiled allegory for the Russian Revolution-- warns of the dangers blind acceptance and the allowance of unsupervised government, alongside its propaganda, can do. Orwell showcases how those in power can never be equal to those without due to their tendency towards corruption with his character Napoleon (a satirical symbol for Joseph Stalin) destroying what his people

You sit in class and always know the answer. People come to you for help and after a while you become cunning. You start to charge people for help. They still keep coming in for help and now you control the school and what goes on. The novel Animal Farm by George Orwell is about a farm that animals took control from the owner lead by intelligent pigs. The pigs rose to power because of their intelligence and are lead by Napoleon. They go through many hardships, but at the end Napoleon makes peace with the humans much to the rest of the farms dismay. A theme that is found in the book is that knowledge is power. This theme comes up many times in the beginning, middle, and the end of the novel.