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.
In my opinion, the most powerful character in George Orwell’s, Animal Farm, is Napoleon. From the outset, Napoleon established himself as a tyrannical leader. He utilized various techniques to obtain and maintain power. For example, Napoleon used his own private police force comprised of canines, to drive his political opponent, Snowball, off of the farm and to solidify his power. Orwell describes the scene: “At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who
In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the pig Napoleon uses specific tactics to gain power and control over the animal farm. Some of these techniques include controlling information through education, scapegoating, use of fear, swaying public opinion and blind obedience.
On page 47-48 in Animal Farm, Orwell writes “Of late the sheep had taken to bleating ‘Four legs good, two legs bad’ in and out of season, and they often interrupted the Meeting with this. It was noticed that they were especially liable to break into ‘Four legs good, two legs bad’ at crucial moments in Snowball’s speeches.” Because the crowd of animals tends to agree with the side that is speaking, Napoleon uses the sheep to break Snowball’s momentum and push the crowd towards him. Another tactic he uses is force and fear. At one of the farm’s meetings, Napoleon calls his nine, frightening-looking dogs to exile Snowball out of the farm. He then proceeds to take his place at the podium, protected by the dogs, while the other animals realize they were the puppies that Napoleon stole from their mothers to be trained privately. Orwell states on page 53 of Animal Farm, “It was noticed that they wagged their tails to him in the same way as the other dogs had been used to do to Mr. Jones.” When another animal attempts to speak up and voice their oppositions, they are always shut down by the dogs. These terrifying dogs symbolize the Secret Police that arrested or killed anyone who said anything poor about the Soviet Union or Stalin. When Napoleon uses the dogs as his personal “guards”, he has more power than ever, and he is practically
This can be shown in the novel when it is said, “At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws” (Orwell 33). If the animals were still living under normal conditions on the farm with Mr. Jones as the owner and leader, Napoleon most likely would not have made this cruel decision. Overall, power affects decisions of many famous literary characters.
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.
George Orwell, in Animal Farm, addresses blind conformity and misuse of power. There are many comparisons between Animal Farm and Germany under Hitler’s tyranny concerning these two themes. Napoleon and Hitler both used propaganda to ensure there was blind conformity amongst the common people/animals and they both misused their power. The two themes of blind conformity and misuse of power are constantly repeated throughout the novel and will be studied throughout this essay.
“Four legs good, two legs bad” (Orwell 34) the sheep kept shouting whenever someone tried to question Napoleon. Before any animal could say their point on what they thought, the animals other than Napoleon were rudely interrupted. Through these outbursts and other schemes Orwell introduces the idea that power can corrupt those with too much control and he shows it through Napoleon. During Animal Farm Napoleon and his side kicks, the other pigs are changing the commandments and doing whatever they please. Napoleon, and the pigs never follow the rules instead they change them up. The dogs are the secret police that Napoleon has formed to protect him. All of the animals are afraid of Napoleon because of his dogs that he has trained to obey only
In Animal Farm, George Orwell uses Napoleon and the pigs to demonstrate how fear and intimidation are used to gain control over a society. Napoleon makes an example out of those who refuse to obey him in order to create fear amongst the animals and preventing more animals from rebellion. After witnessing the slaughter of multiple rebelling animals, the animals “were shaken and miserable. They didn’t know which was more shocking- the treachery of the animals who had leagued themselves with Snowball, or the cruel retribution they had just witnessed.” (84). Napoleon kills the rebels in front of the animals to secure his authority and assert dominance . Knowing that Napoleon would execute them if they disagreed with him, the animals were more
George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which he wrote in 1946, is an allegory for the Russian Revolution.The setting is a farm in England called Manor Farm and follows events that take place when a heartless farmer, Mr. Jones is overthrown by a group of animals. The animals form a government that becomes more and more corrupt. Animals Farm shows that power may not lie with the leader himself, but with the person who speaks on their behalf. Squealer and Old Major use several strategies such as Pathos, Ethos, and Logos to try and persuade the other animals to see their points of view. Will these forms of persuasion ever be enough to overthrow a dictator?
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.
A quote by Aung San Suu Kyi reads ¨it is not power that that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it. Animal Farm by George Orwell is a long short story, published in 1917 it reflects the events leading up to the Russian revolution and the Stalin era. Characters are portrayed by animals that live on a farm . The character Napoleon in Animal Farm is a clever and sly animal who uses fear and greed to rule the animals around the farm. Leaders who do not care about the welfare of their citizens and rule with fear can ruin a society. Those type of leaders and person and the most harmful to a society.
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.
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