Navdeep Brar Mrs. Julieta De Paula English 30S 17 January 2023 Flaws of a Dictatorship shown in “Animal Farm” Although dictatorships can be effective if the right is in power, almost all the time, power corrupts the ruler. A form of government where the people have no say can’t be any good. In the novella "Animal Farm” by George Orwell, Napoleon, a young, power-hungry pig gains power which leads him into leading a completely totalitarian regime. When Napoleon's regime takes a turn for the worst the rights of the animals and the laws of the farm become completely meaningless. Making Napoleon's control indistinguishable from the farm's previous oppressors, humans. Under a dictatorship, the fundamental rights of citizens are suppressed. Napoleon’s jurisdiction is no different, basic rights such as freedom of speech are hugely censored. Napoleon, on several occasions, uses his dogs to suppress any thoughts that may slightly oppose him. For instance, when some of the other …show more content…
Take for example the USSR (The United Soviet Socialist Republics) which is what Animal Farm is an allegory of. Dictatorships themselves are not bad but most rulers become power-hungry causing them to become ruthless against anyone who dares to oppose them. Boxer, the male horse, somewhat opposed Napoleon regarding the mass executions and had some injuries, was sent straight to the horse slaughterhouse, talk about ruthlessness! Napoleon’s authoritarian rule over Animal Farm causes the farm to become what it once fought against for. At the end of the book the pigs and the humans become indistinguishable from one another. “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which (Orwell 95)” The way the pigs walk, talk, dress and rule becomes the same, if not worse, than their previous oppressors, the
In Animal Farm by Geroge Orwell the pig named Napoleon, ushers himself into power by manipulating all the other animals on the farm, to exile their current leader snowball. After obtaining power, both characters blatantly abuse their power. Napoleon orders his army to slaughter a group of pigs after they confess to being “Traitors” his army of dogs promptly, “tore their throats out” (27). Napoleon actions directly contradict the rules for the society that were established in the beginning. After the society is created, the animals decide that “No animal shall kill any other animal” (Orwell 70).
In both situations it caused various individuals to have their rights taken away while other individuals took advantage of the situation. The allegory in Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, reveals the conflict between individual rights and societal concern as certain individuals only took interest in their own welfare and disregard societal concern. The actions of Napoleon, a Berkshire boar who takes leadership of Animal Farm, is similar to Joseph Stalin’s, the new dictator of the USSR, as they both kill for their own greed of power. An instance where Napoleon had killed for his own benefit would be when the nine dogs, that Napoleon has raised, executed that animals that had confessed to being in league with
Throughout the years there have been many tyrannical rulers. Although these leaders have very abusive regimes many of them stay in power because of use of manipulative methods. In George Orwells Animal Farm these methods are demonstrated in an allegory of the Russian Revolution. In this novella a farm of animals work together to revolt against their owner Mr Jones in order to escape his tyrannical rule. However, in doing so a pig by the name of Napoleon gains power and treats the animals just as Mr Jones did before the revolution.
In the novel written by George Orwell, the presence of narcissism amongst the pigs results in unjust control of the animals, as well as deprivation of their freedom and the ability to interact with the natural world. The use of propaganda within Animal Farm shows a great example of how media controls citizens in a dystopia. In order for the pigs to maintain total control of the farm’s society, they manipulate the other animals. The author presents, “he announced that, by a special decree of Comrade Napoleon, Beasts of England had been abolished” (Orwell 88).
Don’t be the enemy. Now that Napoleon is in charge life is getting a whole lot worse because is has complete power of Animal Farm. Napoleon from Animal Farm written by Orwell maintains control by using ideology, propaganda, and fear. Napoleon uses ideology of Animalism to give him more control over the animals.
In Animal Farm, George Orwell warns how power will often lead to corruption. Napoleon was placed in a position of power after Major died, and he slowly starts to lavish in his power and become addicted to the lush life of a dictator. When Napoleon first becomes a leader, he expresses how everyone will work equally, but as his reign goes on, he shortens the work hours. At the very end of the novel, the observing animals even start to see that pig and man had become the same. The irony present in the above example, illuminates how regardless of how much a ruler promises to maintain equality and fairness, the position of power that they hold, will corrupt them.
The Napoleon-trained dogs are also a clear prognostic to his corruption. They’re the equivalent of the secret police, in this allegory, they’re the equivalent of the KGB. In chapter nine, Napoleon has chased out Snowball, and has abolished the Sunday meeting, and enforced new rules onto the animals, this arouses confusion, and just when the pigs where going to argue Napoleon's dogs let out frightening growls, which shut the pigs up (Orwell 54). Napoleon uses his dogs to assert his authority and incite fear and stop any further questioning. If the animals together were strong enough to overthrow a human, and scare off a group of them in The Battle Of The Cowshed, why couldn’t they overthrow Napoleon?
What with the dictatorship of the pigs as well as a the mistreatment of the other animals, it is clear that Animal Farm is something much more than a story about livestock. “Napoleon becomes better and better at satisfying his own goals and needs and in duping the other animals into believing that he is doing it all for them. Each new project that takes all their energy keeps them from questioning whether their lives are truly improved. Napoleon is a master of propaganda, as was Stalin.” As a result of not only lying to the animals and distracting them with new projects that drain them emotionally and physically, but feeding them endless propaganda lead the animals to follow Napoleon and not acknowledge the absence of liberty that they are experiencing.
“Animal Farm” by George Orwell, is a story to show how absolute power corrupts, just as Stalin’s power did during the Russian Revolution in 1917. In the allegory “Animal Farm” each character represents a political figure from the days around the Russian Revolution. For example, Joseph Stalin is represented by a pig named Napoleon, Squealer, another pig, represents Stalin’s propaganda department, and the dogs represent the Secret Police (KBG). Using the nine dogs that Napoleon raises (intimidation), Squealer (propaganda), and manipulation, Orwell illustrates how Napoleon was able to gain and maintain control of the farm. The nine dogs that stay by Napoleon at all times are useful for Napoleon to gain and maintain control of the farm because they scare the other animals, intimidating them so that they do not disobey Napoleon.
In Animal Farm, you see Napoleon use his dogs as a show of force and as his military, although Animal Farm was not a successful society so the strong military show of force did not work. “with his nine huge dogs frisking around him and uttering growls that sent shivers down all the animals' spines. They all cowered silently in their places, seeming to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen.” (Animal Farm) This quote shows that Napoleon used his dogs, or his military to show force and scare the people, this failed and shows that no matter the military force if the government is weak then it will be for no good.
George Orwell's Animal Farm is a timeless classic that has stood the test of time, not only as a literary masterpiece, but also as a powerful commentary on the dangers of corruption and the abuse of power. Set in a world where farm animals overthrow their human owner and attempt to run the farm themselves, the story is a clear warning about the seductive nature of power and the corrupting influence it can have on even the most well-intentioned individuals. As we look around the world today, it is clear that the themes of Animal Farm are as relevant as ever, and this essay will explore the ways in which Orwell's novel continues to shed light on the ongoing struggles against corruption and abuse of power in modern society. Animal Farm is a
George Orwell portrays Napoleon as Stalin in many similar ways. Just as some leaders use dictatorship to control political aspects, pigs also use dictatorship to control animals. Animal Farm uses characterization to suggest that although cruel leadership can be effective, it will lead to
Animal Farm is a political fable based on the events of Russia's Bolshevik revolution and the betrayal of the cause by Joseph Stalin. George Orwell’s Animal Farm examines the insidious ways in which public officials can abuse their power, as it depicts a society in which democracy dissolves into autocracy and finally into totalitarianism. From the Rebellion onward, the pigs of Animal Farm use violence and the threat of violence to control the other animals. While it is true that the pigs and dogs led to the farm’s corruption, the pigs were the ones that did the most corruption of Animal Farm. One factor that led to the corruption of animal farms was how good the pigs were at manipulating the animals.
One dominant theme in animal farm is totalitarianism and abuse of power. Totalitarianism is defined as a political system in which the state possesses complete authority over the society and controls all aspects of public and private life whenever necessary. The author criticized totalitarianism and believed that it was inevitable in a communist system, as those put in charge will result in the abuse of their power. The theme Orwell intended to get across was that all totalitarian regimes are the same and those who hold power will do anything to maintain it. The pigs, who were the leaders, frequently displayed this throughout the novel.
In the stories written by George Orwell, there are clear divides in power caused by tyranny. Tyranny is used by those in power to manipulate and control the general population. In “1984” “Animal Farm” and “Shooting an Elephant” tyranny can very clearly be seen in each of the societies. While this benefits the upper classes, the people in the lower classes are full of fear and are living lives that are of less quality compared to those who control them. The tyranny is maintained in each of these societies because those in power have very effective way of using the people’s fears to control them.