In Animal Farm, George Orwell argues that Napoleon has solidified his power by using fear mongering, manipulation, and scapegoating. Napoleon has solidified his power by using fear mongering. For example, whenever the animals disagreed with what Napoleon had said, “the dogs growled so threateningly that they accepted his explanation without further questions” (36). This shows that Napoleon used the dogs to scare the animals and make them accept the pigs’ orders. The animals were scared of the violence used and the pigs’ power, so they obeyed the orders fearing consequences.
He tricks all of the stupid animals on the farm into working for the pigs’ benefit. Furthermore, he uses propaganda to gain power for himself. This shows his selfishness and greed toward the animals of his farm. Trump has done the same thing throughout the election. In addition, Squealer makes himself and Napoleon seem attractive because of their ideas of animal freedom.
Snowball was run out of the farm and made seem a horrible and untrustworthy leader to make Napoleon seem better and more “on top”. At times, Napoleon even gave himself more superior titles like “our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, Father of all Animals, Terror of Mankind, Protector of the Sheep-fold, Ducklings’ Friend, and the like…. It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune.”. Napoleon made every good thing that happened his fault but any mistake, or bad thing that happened, was at the fault of Snowball, although he was run off of the
Lord Acton, the British historian, once said, “All power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the character Napoleon puts himself in charge. But, not only that he allows another pig, Squealer, to do his dirty work. And also uses dogs to chase his enemy, Snowball, away . In which leads to other animals not knowing that the farm is being ran the same way as when under Mr. Jones, the old farmer 's, control. But in the end the pigs and humans not only look alike but, also sound alike.
Napoleon ruled animal farm harshly and overworked the animals. Orwell described, “This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half” (Orwell 59). The animal’s are given a choice in the sense that if they wanted to, they could have Sundays off. However, the brutal consequences the animals would face if they did not work forced the animals to listen to the pigs. The pigs, who are more intelligent, tricked the animals into thinking they have a choice when in reality they do not.
Napoleon sends the guard dogs to attack Snowball, after that he runs away and doesnt come back.. Napoleon then become ruler, and is said to be a very good, wise pig. Napoleon knows that he has all the power because the pigs are the wises animals on the farm, being considered wise, every animal did what he said This is where the power goes to bad use and messes up the whole farm, the main reason that they overthrew the human owner was because of the way he treated the animals and the way he ran the farm, Old Major wanted ever animal to be equal. Since . Napoleon and the other pigs were breaking their own rule that they made and adjusting them to their benefit. They started to have human like characteristics, killing other animals that were in no stable condition, overworking animals.
The ensuing rebellion under the leadership of the pigs Napoleon and Snowball leads to the animals taking over the farm. Vowing to eliminate the terrible inequities of the farmyard, the renamed Animal Farm is organised to benefit all who walk on four legs. But as time passes, the ideals of the rebellion are corrupt, then forgotten. This is all due to the lust for power that the pigs Napoleon and Snowball have that made them all selfish and corrupted. Animal farm in context to The Russian Revolution in terms of corrupting influence of power : Orwell 's goal was to portray the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the early years of the Soviet Union that resulted in a more oppressive and deadly government than the one it overthrew.
The hard working class known in the story as Boxer have been tricked into thinking the life without communism would be horrible. After all “Napoleon is always right”. The system was corrupt by Stalin himself and who better to cover it up than his very own government or Squealer. The commandments were altered just enough for Napoleon to get away with anything. He had ran off Snowball who was one of the smartest at the farm, and any other animal who questioned him was killed mercilessly.
We often find that it is simpler to stay hidden in the dark, rather than step out into the light. As citizens it is our responsibility to call out our leaders if they are not taking notice of what we, the people, want or need. The animals, in Animal Farm, overthrew their farmer and attempted to form a fair government, but soon became dictated to, by the pigs. The book records the evolution of tyranny to totalitarianism which became as terrible as their first situation. In Animal Farm, George Orwell illustrates that it is the responsibility of the citizens to stand up against injustice and inequality.
Squealer, the propaganda agent uses propaganda in the story as a way to manipulate the animals who are not pigs. He makes them believe everything he and the pigs are doing is for the greater good of the whole farm despite the fact that it is not. Squealer controls them in many ways but the strongest or most apparent are telling the other animals Mr. Jones their neglective abusive owner will come back, lying about Boxer the horse’s death, and finally changing the unalterable commandments into one that reads “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. One of the very first and most used techniques Squealer uses is instilling fear in the animals. He does this by threatening Jones’s return.