How Absolute Power Corrupts In Animal Farm, By George Orwell

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

John Dalberg Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This seems similar in the case of Animal Farm, a book by George Orwell. In the story the tired animals rebel against their owner and set up their own government, but the pigs assume control and abuse their power which corrupts the whole system by oppressing the other animals and exploiting them. Even though the pigs abuse their power, the naive animals are the reason why the pigs rose to control because the working animals were tricked by the pig’s corruption of language, persuaded by their propaganda, and were naive time and time again.

“He ordered the hens’ rations to be stopped and decreed that any animal giving so much grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death” (Orwell 87). This quote demonstrates that Napoleon treats the hens with cruelty because his commands are not being followed which was to surrender their eggs to him so he can trade with his neighbors. He not only treats the hens with cruelty but is also cruel to the other animals who feed the hens. On the contrary, Snowball treats the animals with respect and care because he is pursuing the Seven Commandments made by Old Major. He is doing what is best for all animals and is treating them equally. “He formed the Egg Production Committee for the hens, the Clean Tails League for the cows, the Wild Comrades’ Re-education Committee (the object of this was to tame the rats and rabbits), the Whiter Wool Movement for the sheep, and various others, beside instituting classes in reading and writing” (Orwell 49). This quote illustrates that Snowball is doing what is best for all animals by giving them a little hope for the future. He not only does it for one animal but for all the animals in the farm. Though they have differences in treating the animals they also have one comparison. They both want to be in charge of the other animals. When Old Major left the two of them in charge they wanted to control the animals by their own ideas by planning of what happens

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.

In the novel, Animal Farm, George Orwell portrays Snowball as a more imaginative and inventive character. Napoleon was a poor leader and he didn't treat the animals on the farm fairly. Before Napoleon chased Snowball off the farm, Snowball co-operates with Napoleon and Squealer to organize Old Majors ideas into the principles of Animalism, and to reduce these to the Seven Commandments. It is Snowball who organizes the various Animal Committees and the classes in reading and writing, therefore showing interest in the other animals. Snowball also anticipates the first attack on Animal Farm and, having studied up on strategy. Snowball would have been a better leader than Napoleon and would have improved the lives of the animals on Animal Farm.

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.

“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 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

Leadership and corruption can be found in the mid section of the novel when the pigs deceive the animals about what happened at the Battle of Cowshed. In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell Squealer had this to say, “Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start… Did we not see for ourselves how he attempted-fortunately without success-to get us defeated and destroyed at the Battle of Cowshed?”(Pg. 79). This quote shows how Squealer in particular tells lies on the other animals telling them that Snowball planned to through the battle. It shows that with him in a position of power he tricks the animals with lies to further their hatred toward snowball. Much like in today's society where countries like North Korea feed lies into their citizens minds who don't know better to gain their support on issues surrounding

But not more comfortable that we need,..”(50). This quote shows that pigs are sleeping on beds which was previously forbidden, but the pigs changed the Commandments so they can sleep on the beds and Snowball did not oppose this. This shows that all pigs became corrupt including

George Orwell’s book, Animal Farm, shows society is glued together by alliances against enemies. The potential is boundless when people join arms to fight an opposing force. If one’s individual presence leaves a long shadow, the other’s allegiance will only compliment and strengthen its formidable approach. An ancient threat is of no use to those in power.

By the use of dialogue, George Orwell was able to communicate this idea with ease. Through the dialogue between Napoleon and the pigs and between Napoleon and the others we can see that he has greater power overall. In the beginning it is said that all are equal but Napoleon states, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Snowball introduces a short statement for the sheep to recite, “Four legs good, two legs bad” but as the story goes on Napoleon and his pigs secretly learn to walk on two legs and when showing the animals the sheep automatically blurt out, “Four legs good, two legs better.” This is a accurate example of how much power the pigs had

Many people have been in situations when they are in a group and a dilemma comes up. When they come up with a solution, things can go so smoothly at first but over time someone in that group overpowers the lower class. This is an example of absolute power and is a very corrupt way of ruling. Power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely because they will always take rules and twist them around just to fit their satisfaction, the person in power always hurts the lower class just to stay in power, and they stop making good decisions for their people. When someone owns absolute power they twist the rules just to fit their satisfaction.

The pigs dominance has been evident from the beginning of the Animal Revolution as they begin to undertake the ideals of their new political philosophy “Animalism”. By incorporating the use of fear and violence in order to enforce their new policies, Napoleon, the pig who emerges as a totalitarian dictator, begins to instill fear within the minds of the animals on the farm. For instance, immediately following Snowball’s speech advocating for the Windmill Project, Napoleon “...uttered a high-pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard before...and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn” (Orwell 52-53). In reaction to Snowball’s organized movement, Napoleon begins to realize that Snowball’s movement is to his advantage and proceeds to form a private army of dogs. He then finds the opportunity to raise and seclude nine puppies from the rest of the animals in order to form a special force against Snowball, eventually chasing him away.

Tyranny has always been present in human history from Joseph Stalin to Adolf Hitler they have all taken advantage of the public and used them to their own advantage and personal needs. In the story Animal Farm by George Orwell this tyrannical, totalitarian, and corrupt form of government is seen. In the story the tired animals organize a rebellion against their owner and drive him out. They create their own government, with the pigs assuming control. But the corrupt pigs take advantage of this power entrusted to them, and oppress the animal for their own benefit. Even though the pigs abused the power they had, The naive and gullible animals themselves were the ones responsible for the pigs’ quick rise to power and control because the animals were tricked into supporting the pigs evil plans, they were too braindead to organize and execute a rebellion even after they realized the pigs were up to no good, and they were so foolish that they even supported the expulsion of snowball, the only good pig that worked for the good of the other animals.