Ignorance In Animal Farm

The novel ‘Animal Farm’ created by George Orwell heavily expresses the ideals of a prolonged cruel or unjust treatment and the exercise of authority. The exponential ignorance of the farm animals towards the actions and ideas of the pigs (Napoleon, Squealer and Snowball) prove the incentive that it is easier to conform to the ideals/ways of the ‘New England’, than to rebel, as well as through the exposure to propaganda and the distortion of reality. This therefore leaving them docile, numb, and oppressed.

When the pigs gain power they start to organize committees throughout the farm. They also position the animals for labor work and basically act as a congress. This allows them to be passive making others do all of the work. They have a wide variety of knowledge to brainwash the animals into thinking the

To fully take control over Animal Farm, the government spread the message that the farm could not prosper or function without the pigs. This message allowed the pigs to gain many privileges in the farm without question. From the very beginning of the story, the other animals regarded the pigs as the smartest of all the animals in the farm. Because of this, it was naturally assumed that the pigs should lead the farm into rebellion against the humans and guide the animals into a better life. However, the pigs gained more control than the other animals thought they would. The pigs, especially Squealer, convinced the other animals that they should be allowed special privileges because they were shouldering the most “burdens” of all the

Countless times, the book shows that the pigs lied and manipulated the others. They were able do this simply because the rest of the animals turned a blind eye towards the things they saw and were told. In the beginning, all the animals were so happy that they had won the rebellion and gotten rid of Mr. Jones, they did not realize that the newly communist society was slowly changing and not for the better. On page 32, it states “The reading and writing classes, however, were a great success. By the autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate in some degree. As for the pigs, they could already read and write perfectly.” As you can see, all the animals were educated – at least to some extent – but the pigs were by far the smartest. This shows that the other animals were able to at least recognize letters and words. While the animals were somewhat literate, they did not take the time to better educate themselves. This caused them to remain blind to the fact that Napoleon was slowly creating a group of sentinels and surreptitiously planning to get rid of Snowball. Napoleon took advantage of the fact that it had been decided that the pigs knew better when it came to certain things. For example, he took puppies away from their mother. He promised to educate them well. Napoleon seemed to be acting benevolent but

It is immediately decided that the pigs will be the leader of the farm, as they are the most intelligent animals there. This gives them the power over the other animals, even though they claim they are all equal. Since they are in charge, it is easier for them to weave ideas in to the susceptible minds of the others. Once they are proven to be

In Animal Farm, the pigs are the best example of power being gained through knowledge is seen. The first way this power is seen is when the pigs create rules for the other animals. This quote shows how the animals obtain their power from having more intelligence: “None of the other animals on the farm could get further than the letter A. It was also found that the stupider animals, such as the sheep, hens, and ducks, were unable to learn the Seven Commandments by heart. After much thought Snowball declare that the Seven Commandments could in effect be reduced to a single maxim, namely: “four legs good, two legs bad.” (Page 33) In this quote, their knowledge is seen because of their power to create rules. They have the ability to create rules over the other animals, which gives them control over the other animals. The pigs are also the ones who teach the other animals to read and write. They are the teaches with more knowledge, so this puts them

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a perfect example of how ignorance and lack of education can be used for control. Control which can lead to political and social oppression. The experiences of the various characters present how the pigs use this idea to oppress the animals of Animal Farm.

Although the animals fear of Jones coming back is a legitimate reason that Animal Farm became a totalitarian society, the animals gullibility is the main reason for Animal Farm becoming a totalitarian society. This is because the animals gullibility happens repeatedly and if they had not been so gullible, the other causes would have been easily fixed. It is true that the animals brushed of many things because they were afraid of Jones coming back like where they allowed the pigs to sleep on the farmhouse beds: “You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely None of you wishes to see Jones coming back. The animals reassured him on this point immediately, and no more was said anything about the pigs sleeping in the farmhouse

There is the brutal “dictator”, Napoleon who always got his way. He used propaganda and terror to intimidate the animals, until they could not resist. “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” (Orwell, 43). This was the final change to the animal’s Seven Commandments. This was the ultimate example of how the pigs were controlling the remaining animals. The first part of the quote makes it seem like all animals are equal, creating a positive view of the commandment. It is yet to be known that the end of the quote implies

In the beginning, middle, and end of the story, it is clear to see the naivety of the animals on the farm. The story started off with Old Major’s speech which sparked the rebellion. The goal was for all animals to be treated equal, and that humans were the enemy. The first sign of a dictatorship forming, was when all the animals worked, except for the pigs.

In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, an allegory portraying the complex actions of humans represented by farm animals, the more intelligent of the animals, especially Benjamin the donkey, are aware of the evils that are being committed by the pigs; yet they are apathetic, as shown by the animals choosing to believe what the pigs say, not educating themselves, and allowing problems to persist on the farm.

read was Benjamin and all of the pigs. When the pigs changed a commandment the

Imagine a tyranny that lasted for an eternity. This would be herculean for anyone to withstand. The tyranny in the book Animal Farm did not. However, there could've been another leader on Animal Farm, Snowball, but could Snowball’s leadership have succeeded?

For example, later in the novel the pigs sleep in the human beds in chapter 6 and Squealer justifies it by bringing up Jones again and saying “you did not suppose, surely, that there was ever a ruling against beds? A bed merely means a place to sleep in. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed, properly regarded. The rule was against sheets, which are a human invention. We have removed the sheets from the farmhouse beds, and sleep between blankets.” The animals then read the fourth commandment which now reads ‘no animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets’. The animals don’t realize that the writing has been altered and is clear proof of the pigs progressively getting more manipulative as the story progresses. Finally, the characters strongly associated with the manipulation of commandments are Napoleon and

In "Animal Farm,” the pigs make up the 7 commandments that all of the animals in the