Greed For Power In Animal Farm By George Orwell

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.

When thinking about pigs, you generally associate them with being dirty, repulsive and gluttonous. Well, that's Napoleon. In the novel, Animal Farm, by George Orwell Napoleon is a pig on Manor Farm who slowly exerts power over others and begins his reign as a dictator. Napoleon takes over and renames the farm Animal Farm while being completely deceptive and unfair. Napoleon is a prime example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely because he is unjust and doesn't care for the wellbeing of any of the other animals on the farm but himself.

During the year of 1945, when George Orwell published his novel Animal Farm, the world was in the midst of witnessing shocking events: the suicide of Hitler, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and the surrender of Germany to end the second World War. Coming out of one of the most horrific ages of our time, the common people were shocked at the human potential for destruction; Occurrences such as the Holocaust, Nazi Germany, the widespread bloodshed of World War II, and the atomic bombings revealed a degree of damage thought to be unimaginable to humanity. This shock to humanity fueled a heated debate between the opposing political structures of capitalism and communism. Orwell examines the human greed for power that ultimately defeats the potential

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

“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.

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.

Power corrupts those who possess it. George Orwell wrote the book Animal Farm in 1945. The book is about animals on a farm that are tired of being taken and stolen from. The animals rebel against Mr. Jones, their farmer and raise their own ‘animal farm’. Power corrupts those who possess it because, everyone has to follow them, they don’t get told no, and they forget what it’s like to work.

“Everyone imposes his own system as far as his army can reach.” Joseph Stalin was a dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). During Stalin’s rule as dictator George Orwell wrote the book “Animal Farm” as an allegory of the USSR’s history. In the book the characters symbolize real life people. Stalin, symbolizes Napoleon from the book “Animal Farm” because he eradicated anyone that opposed him, was a subject of complementary literature, and debated against opponents about collectivization.

People respond to control and power differently for various reasons, however, one of the main reasons is based on their personality; more precisely, their confidence and intelligence. In, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, confidence and intelligence are a substantial factor for why certain animals obtained power and control over others. People with confidence and intelligence are likely to gain most of the control and power due to these strong personality traits. People with limited intelligence, but lots of confidence are expected to have some power or work underneath their leader. Others with intelligence and no confidence seem to shy away from the concept of power.

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.

As demonstrated by Napoleon in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, too much power is dangerous and can change an individual to become greedy or corrupt. “There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. It read: All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others” (Orwell 92). In the beginning the pigs, including Napoleon, stood for equality for all animals. In fact, it was the foundation of their revolution. After Napoleon took over, he slowly began to become more and more greedy, symbolizing human nature, until he completely changed his set of morals and beliefs to benefit only himself. “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it

In the novella Animal Farm, by George Orwell the lives of the farm animals living on Manor Farm are beginning to shift as the morals they had been living under their whole lives were challenged. Obviously frightened the animals look for a leader, as they had already run Mr. Jones, the former owner out of the farm. The characters Snowball and Napoleon, though with different intent both stand up and try to give the animals some source of leadership. Snowball a younger pig is deeply devoted to the ideas of “Animalism” and is determined to spread this great philosophy worldwide. On the other hand, there is a clever pig named Napoleon, he does not care so much about the well-being of the animals or the spread of Animalism he just wants power.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord Acton’s quote is shown very clearly by George Orwell’s book, Animal Farm. In the book, a boar, named Napoleon, leads the farm animals in a revolution to overthrow the farmer. He then begins the search for power. Napoleon becomes the leader and turns the farm into a dictatorship as he gains full control.

Power is obtained by knowledge and maintained through propaganda because leaders are chosen through the public believing they have knowledge and experience and kept by the leader(s) telling those who chose them that they are vital, that they are needed, when in reality, the leader sees them as expendable.