George Orwell's Animal Farm : Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

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

In Animal Farm, George Orwell proves the quote “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This quote is saying that power can corrupt anyone, and with all the power complete corruption can occur. Farmer Jones had the power, it began to control him but then he lost it to the animals. He didn’t have control long enough for it to corrupt him.

When one acquires a position of extreme power, it is only a matter of time before it is maliciously abused for personal benefit. As socialized power, the power used to benefit others, transitions to personalized power, the principle of morality is lost as the leader becomes unable to discern from right and wrong.

Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain or wrong doer is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing, showcased in Animal Farm as Utopian ideals but with failed practices.

George Orwell in his novel Animal Farm explores the reality through the abuse of power using the character Napoleon. In order to gain absolute power, Napoleon eliminates any opposition, uses propaganda, and chances the commandments.

First of all, Napoleon is unjust, does not demonstrate good leadership qualities and has poor reasoning. Napoleon has just held executions for animals he considers traitors and scares the animals while killing without reason. Orwell shows this as he states how, "the tale of confessions and executions went on until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones," (Orwell 84). This proves how Napoleon is unjust and doesn't care for the animals at all. He is only concerned with the efficiency of the farm and does not show sympathy for the animals, but treats them as though they are machines only there to do his work. Similarly, another example of Napoleon being corrupt as a leader is when he is becoming more secretive and separates himself from the other animals on the farm. For example, "Napoleon inhabited separate apartments

Often times in a communist society, a leader’s use of language can lead to abuse of power. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the farm leaders, the pigs, use unknown language, invoke scare tactics, and create specific laws, thereby enabling them to control other animals, to suit their greedy desires, and to perform actions outside their realm of power. Because of the pigs’ use of broad language, implementation of scare tactics, and creation and manipulation of laws, they are able to get away with avoiding laws and convincing other animals into believing untrue stories and lies that are beneficial to the pigs.

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.

Corruption is the dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power. Those in power become corrupt for personal gain. They want to gain money, influences and more power. Corrupt individuals or businesses want to stay in power. In order to stay in power, there must be a group of individuals that are dominated or oppressed.

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.

“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

Language is a powerful tool, some abuse it to obtain power and some use it to inspire movements and bring change. I believe that language is more powerful if you use it to control a population via lying, manipulation, and fear. There have been many instances of individuals and groups using fear and language for control.

“Remember that all things are lawful to me” (Tranquillus). These words by Gaius Caesar Germanicus, more commonly known as Caligula, epitomize the corruption caused by absolute power. Under his rule, the Roman treasury was emptied, people suffered from seemingly random acts of brutality, and Rome was ruled by an emperor who thought of himself as a god. Similarly, in the novel Animal Farm, the Manor Farm is taken over by its four-legged inhabitants. Their equal government is soon taken over by a power-hungry leader, a young boar named Napoleon. George Orwell’s fictional dictator Napoleon in the allegorical novel Animal Farm and the lavish life of the Roman Emperor Caligula both prove that power always causes corruption.

Before Napoleon had even chased snowball away the farm he was starting to become egocentric, Napoleon shows how truly selfish he is when Snowball was no longer apart of the farm napoleon had full control and started spending the money that the animal's had worked hard to get on whiskey. Napoleon committed acts much worse than that in a way he had sowed racism towards the other animal's by changing the seven commandments so that the pigs could be treated like royalty by the animals ''ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THEN OTHERS''(Orwell 1945, pg.97). Napoleon turned out to be a very selfish person who was cruel towards anything that was not a pig he was consumed by the power he obtained and lost his humility towards the other animals of the animal

Throughout history, there are endless examples of people who became leaders and let the power they gained corrupt them. Some started as kind and generous humans and then turned to selfish, greedy dictators. One example of the corruption that comes with power can be seen in the events of the Russian Revolution which led to the death and destruction of a plethora of Russians under the communist rulers who let power corrupt them. George Orwell uses his novel Animal Farm as an allegory for readers to have insight into the corruption that power can bring. Power corrupts those who possess it because it makes them selfish, it makes them lie and be dishonest to serve their own agendas, and it leads them to compromise their morals.