Corruption In Animal Farm

Animal Farm begins on Manor Farm, where overworked, tired, and hungry animals are unhappy in the conditions that they are in, but when an old boar named Old Major introduces the idea of a rebellion and encourages the animals to take control over the farm, the animals begin an uprising against the humans, taking control over the land and renaming the farm “Animal Farm.” However, greedy and corrupt leaders rise to power and turn a once prosperous farm, into a nightmare. 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 farm was initially established to ensure equal rights to all, but eventually the totalitarian rule of the pigs dictated that “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (Orwell 134). The pigs, consumed with power, constructed the idea that they were superior to the other animals, allowing them to enact any rules that benefitted them, without considering the detrimental effects on the other animals. The thirst for power consumes the pigs to the extent at which they no longer value what prior morals they had. Any action they take simply benefits themselves; the pigs no longer have regards to the prosperity of the

Orwell shows the difference in those with absolute control and those without the ability to express themselves by describing how “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”(35). By including this quote within the making of the new farm, Orwell expresses how the pigs took advantage of their authorial positions so they could force the others to work, while they dominated Animal Farm with their own rules. The pigs’ power allowed them to have freedom to do anything they wanted, but caused the other animals to be restricted further in their lives, work, and individual rights. This resulted in the exploitation of the other animals, forcing them to have lose any hopes of having an equal society. Still, the other animals did not protest, and instead believed the pigs should be in power because of their intelligence. Their actions lead to the oppressive, dictatorial society shown as Animal Farm progresses. Soon, the inequity between the pigs and other animals develops to a point where “all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs. A too rigid equality in rations, Squealer explained, would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism”

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

Power is one of the most desired things in the world, and is often hard to attain, but once it is gained it can often corrupt a person. Corruption due to power is shown in many instances in the book, Animal Farm. In the book, there is an opening for someone to take control of the power, and the animals that do are the pigs. The pigs gain the power for many reasons. When power is gained there are many things people can do with it, either bad or good. The pigs’ actions in animal farm show the different ways that power can be used by those in charge.

Animal Farm written by George Orwell is an animal fable happens in a farm where animals start building a communism society, but end up being totalitarianism, hinting obliquely at the communists in the real world. The gaps between pigs and other common animals, demonstrate the theme that the corruption of power appears when majority is ruled. The intelligence superior allows the pigs placing themselves at a position which is closer to the power and which is more easily to corrupt. The inability to question the authorization makes the other common animals becoming the naïve working class who suffers the corrupting influence of power. The nature of pigs, greed, is the source of their undying lust for ultimate power. At the end, the

Animal Farm is established with moral intentions. The neglected animals of the farm rise up to overthrow Jones, and imagine a society of fairness based on the experiences of old major, in which all animals will have justice and won’t be demoralized by the people anymore. Old Major quickly establishes that “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend” (Orwell 11). He also reminds them that the ways of man are completely immoral, and they must not ever implement any of their habits. Giving the animals a shared enemy is an effective way to control the population. That is the first sign of a totalitarian state emerging in Animal Farm. Instead of the entire farm determining rules together, two pigs frame the rules of Animalism for the supposed utopian-like Animal Farm. They read:

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 pigs show they have complete control over everything and everyone. Many animals are killed and crushed because of wrong doing or being in the way, which is seen as ok due to Napoleons amount of power and how he can go across doing things. The commandments that the pigs had originally wrote down always seems to be changing to then suit the pigs in the way they acted and how they went about, which all the animals had noticed but never spoke aloud about it, or anything at all, because of what they knew Napoleon was capable of doing and how much of the farm he had already corrupted for his

This leads to the Animal Farm to be corrupt. The new phrase the pigs created is a form of corruption on Animal Farm. This connects to Marx idea, his ideals that there is comradeship to all, everyone is including in voting and decision-making, so that not a group or individual will oppress another. Too much power will lead to a class to believe that they are more privileged. The power that the pigs received has made them believe that the other animals only exist to serve them and to provide with food and their luxurious lifestyle. Throughout the novel in Animal Farm there are many problems. They include, the animals versus Mr. Jones, the animals versus the pigs, Animal Farm versus the humans and Snowball versus Napoleon. They are all examples of the unfairness of class. The with too much power there becomes

It was later discovered that food was missing and the pigs did no work, the pigs supervised the other animals doing their work. “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” (Orwell 27). Napoleon’s intensions changed throughout the novel, he changed the alcohol commandment from no drinking at all to no drinking to excess. Most commandments were being corrupted.

As a result the animals can never understand the concept of animalism. Napoleon and the pigs changed the commandments on the animals to make them look like they made a mistake while reading them. One of the commandments that the

Is it possible for someone to have too much power? In all three novels we have read this year, one of the leaders from each book has been corrupted by power. Whether it was the power they possessed or the power they desired to have, they were pushed over the edge because of power. With that being said, too much power can turn people selfish and controlling.

Everywhere around the world and through history, it is evident that power corrupts. In Animal Farm, this theme is seen throughout the novella. The reader can see the power take over the animals, mainly the pigs, from the overthrowing of leaders, to sneakily changing laws, and finally to the not so subtle turn from pigs to humans. Animal Farm shows how power truely does corrupt because of the recurring events in the book demonstrating the abuse of power.

To begin, after the revolution on Manor Farm and the dismissal of Mr.Jones the animals create seven commandments in order to govern themselves that they must abide by. All the animals on the farm help formulate and engrave them on the side of the barn to ensure that they are visible to all of the animals. The power of language in the novel is evidently shown through the pigs manipulation of these commandments to gain control over the other animals. The pigs disobey the commandment “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy, but rationalize their actions to the other animals by using powerful speech. “Napoleon announced that he had decided upon a new policy. From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with neighbouring farms: not of course, for any commercial purpose but simply in order to obtain certain materials which were urgently necessary.” (Orwell, p.42). The animals agreed from the banishment of Mr. Jones that Animal Farm would never socialize with anything that has two legs, predominately human beings. Being that they animals were low on materials for building the windmill and financial revenue for themselves, the pigs sold eggs to a market in Willingdon. Though this is contrary to what the animals originally put in the commandments the pigs manage to persuade them into thinking that it was vital to their existence to make some form of communication with the world around them. The other animals were quite doubtful of this proposal, but through the convincing mannerism in which the pigs assert their