Throughout the course of Animal Farm, a fable written by George Orwell, there is a recurring theme on how knowledge is dangerous in the hands of the self-serving. The tools he uses to present this idea are his characters. Napoleon and the pigs are a perfect example of a group that takes advantage of knowledge on the farm. Orwell further portrays this idea through Benjamin’s indifference and the easily manipulated masses on the farm. Early on in the story, the animals overthrow their tyrant, a man named Mr. Jones, through rebellion to create their own society based on socialism.
These reasons, including many more, are why Animal Farm fails. One reason Animal Farm fails, is because of power grabs by animals. There are many examples of this throughout the book. One power grab that failed Animal Farm, was when the pigs take the milk along with the apples for themselves. “So it was agreed without further argument that the milk and windfall apples (and also the main crop of apples when they ripened) should be reserved for the pigs alone.” (P.g 36) This is unfair because the pigs being selfish, but they are the leader, it immediately grants them permission to do so.
Chauvinist Pig Psychology A “chauvinist pig” was a term coined by Second Wave Feminists to refer to men with power, who openly expressed their misogynistic beliefs. In Animal Farm, the story revolves around farm pigs with real chauvinist mannerisms and ideals. Animal Farm is a complex allegory used to describe the Russian Revolution, with pigs turned obscenely corrupt at the sight of power. Pigs are used as a metaphorical representation of real life greedy politicians, who used any means necessary to get themselves what they wanted. According to psychology, greed derives from inconsistency, neglect, or abuse.
The pig 's add changes to the rules, so in return everything favors the pigs above all else. From this, the farm slowly fell apart, stripping away rights, individuality, and reformation. Along with stripping awway rights, the collaboration of banishing punishments is soon forgotten, producing an uproar and a loss of admiration of Napoleon. In the novel, the new commandment reveals, “It ran: “No animal shall kill any other animal WITHOUT CAUSE’” (Orwell 91). The original commandment stated how no animal shall kill another animal, establishing equality among all.
Napoleon has also released many chants to help rally the animals on the farm. The satire present here is that the altering of the ten commandments effectively portray how the absurd the concept is. There is no way that animals could become, “more equal” than others. In the beginning of the novel, Old Major expressed that the animals shall overcome their oppressors, but the pigs become the oppressors. Through their chants and the ten commandments, the citizens are brainwashed to believe that everything is just and fair because when the commandments and chants were first written or said, everyone was in agreement, and believed it was fair.
According to the story, Napoleon is the only one candidate, he becomes a President or another truly word is the officially director. This shows us know that even there is the election; the pigs are still dominating the other animals by threaten them with the dogs so that no one braves enough to apply to be candidate as usual as they are afraid of the pigs and the partisan, the proletariat whatever dictate the other one. Furthermore, the fierce dogs, Napoleon’s partisan, are the guard who arrest the rebels by killing them in front of the other animals for frightfulness. We can see that the politics of capitalist form the oppression of the lower class or the individual class. Those who have power in system only concern to keep maintaining their power by any tools necessary.
Power, corruption did not end with Mr.Jones as it was supposed to, it continued with Snowball, but the most corrupted was Napoleon. All he wanted to do is look good in front of the animals and make them believe he was a great leader that was always right and that can make good decisions for Animal Farm, instead he changed the rules and modify the seven commandments that represented animalism to favor himself. The responsible for Napoleon´s actions looking good and beneficial for the animals was Squealer, that covered all of his wrong choices to avoid animals suspicions. Dictatorship is present in the story when Napoleon was the only candidate after using his dog army to get rid of Snowball and be the leader of Animal Farm. Then a step-by-step progression he turned himself into a dictator, making minor changes throughout the
The fable, Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory for the Russian Revolution. It allusively criticizes Joseph Stalin, by symbolizing him with Napoleon. In the novel, the animal revolution with the best of intentions was gradually undermined by the pigs’ corruption and avarice. As a reference to the emergence of the Soviet Communism, Animal Farm conveys the theme that not only are the tactics of the figures in power responsible for their rise to power, but the oppressed working class is also partially at fault. The loyal servants of Napoleon contributed actively towards his takeover, while the working class, through gullibility, naivety and unwillingness to question authority, condemned themselves to Napoleon’s oppression.
George Orwell, in his novel Animal Farm, illustrates the flaws involved in a system where equality amongst all individuals is the basis for governance. Orwell represents society through various animals living on a farm under the control of human farmers. Throughout the novel, the animals revolt against their human owners under the leadership of pigs who state that once they gain control of the farm they shall all be equal. However, as the novel progresses it becomes clear that the pigs have a hidden motive and assert themselves into positions of power, becoming corrupt and eventually resembling the humans which they initially overthrew. The novel serves as a commentary by Orwell about the ‘’too-good-to-be-true’’ nature of socialist governmental policy, primarily focusing on the rise and eventual spoiling of the communist USSR government, which was present at the time the novel was written.
The change of the commandments was one of the primary changes in the Farm. The pigs corruption change the farm immensely too. Napoleon, which used false propaganda to tell lies about Snowball, was a cruel leader In the beginning of the book, all the animals wanted the revolution to happen, because they wanted to overthrow Mr. Jones, which would lead them freedom. At a first moment, all the pigs wanted the transformation to happen, but after they became leaders, they made extreme changes. The most radical one, was to change the seven commandments of animalism.