Animal Farm: How Does Napoleon Stay in Charge? George Orwell’s Animal Farm, is an allegory to the Russian Revolution and Joseph Stalin. An allegory is a story, painting, or sculpture with a hidden meaning. (Animal Farm Background Essay)
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. The pigs start to alter the propaganda, and the animals still believe that it is fair, when in reality it is not.
George Orwell’s Use of Power. In Animal Farm, a novel written by George Orwell uses the symbols: Stalin, the working class and the upper class to convey that the more intelligent someone is, the more power they will have. George Orwell writes a novel about animals who represent human beings to show that the less intelligent someone is, the harder life will be. Stalin was very intelligent so he could own anything, if they did not listen or obey Stalin, they were punished.
Over the course of the novel, three characters possess the power on the farm and each struggles to keep it in their control and to utilize it wisely. In his novel, Animal Farm, George Orwell uses Snowball, Mr. Jones, and Napoleon to demonstrate that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Snowball mainly
In George Orwell's Animal Farm, Napoleon, a pig leader that represents Stalin from the Russian Revolution plays a big role in the book as the pig leaders are a superior group among the population of Animal Farm. In the story Napoleon is representing Stalin in Animal Farm as the main leader after Mr.Jones is ran out of the farm and Old Major died, resembling how Stalin took over rising to power in Russia. Napoleon started as a seemingly good leader but that soon changed… Napoleon, just like Stalin started to have problems with citizens of their own community and tried to hurt people and take things away. Both leaders can be shown using their superiority and power to their advantage to get everything they wanted and felt was necessary.
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.
Napoleon also uses manipulation to gain and maintain a firm control by changing the Commandments for the farm in ways that work to his benefit. Squealer, Napoleon’s propaganda department, Keeps the farm animals believing in Napoleon by describing what they hear and see to make it seem harmless. Using effective tactics of fear, convincing propaganda, and manipulation, Napoleon gains and maintains control of Animal Farm. “Animal Farm” has corruption and equality in a way the animals try to succeed and achieve a goal to make the farm better. Power corrupts in “Animal Farm” because the pigs have a goal which is working together and helping one another.
Napoleon’s initial desire to rule the Farm grows into a monstrous greed for power which is what brings destruction to the corrupted society of Animal Farm. His foolish pursuit to obtain more increasingly becomes destructive just as the capacity does to increase. The greed has taken over him and tempts him to lie in order to obtain everything he desires. He drives Snowball out of power to keep the power all to himself, separates himself from the commoners to officialise his high status within the Animal Farm, kills Boxer to acquire money for whiskey, and adapts human idiosyncrasies in order to prove that Napoleon and the pigs are more superior and can control the commoners to obtain anything that they
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton) This quote is telling us that when people get into roles of absolute power they tend to become corrupt, as a result of that power. This quote can be applied to Napoleon from the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, because at the beginning of the novel Old Major’s words inspired Napoleon. As a result, he believed that humans were evil for forcing animals to work for them and that animals should be able to live freely, not under anyone’s control; however, as the story progresses his belief changed and the animals did not get to live their utopian dream. At the start Napoleon and the other pigs strongly believed that all animals were equal and had the right to live in a place that took care of their well being.
When first reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm, one might assume it to be a simple narrative about Farm Animals. However, through closer analysis, you begin to see the allegorical connections and satire of the work. By drawing parallels to certain major events and individuals from the Russian Revolution, Orwell is able to provide a political commentary about the harsh conditions caused by the Revolution. In George Orwell 's Animal Farm, he uses Napoleon, Snowball, and Mr. Jones to show the allegorical connections, as well as its satirical motives.
A necessity to ensure an ideal and functional community, as demonstrated in George Orwell 's 1945 novel Animal Farm, is the ability to detect and prevent corrupt conduct, read, and the will to challenge authority, which the animals do not possess, therefore putting them at major fault. One of the main factors that leads to the downfall of the farm and Animalism itself is the blatant stupidity that the animals, excluding the pigs, possess. They are overly dense to the point where the concept of corruption is near unfathomable, and thus cannot detect it or act upon their suspicions. Their willingness to believe Squealer 's persuasive speeches whenever doubt arises indicate that the animals are unable to think for themselves. “The other animals understood how to vote, but could never think of any resolutions of their own” (Orwell 19).
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.
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.
George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, was a great example of political satire and allegory. One of the main ideas in this novel was how each event paralleled events from the Russian Revolution. The novel was written to criticize tyrannical rule and particularly Joseph Stalin's corrupt rule in Russia. The characters, settings, and plot described the social disturbance during this period and proved how the good nature of communism could be turned into something atrocious from an idea as simple as greed.
Furthermore, Napoleon gives the other animals the impression he was the sole leader of the rebellion on Animal farm and makes Snowball -a leader who wanted what was best for the animals- seem like an enemy who was in cahoots with Farmer Jones since long before the animals took over the farm. Napoleon and Squealer (another “fat cat” pig.) always put the blame on Snowball whenever something went wrong in the farm to avoid having the blame fall on them. Napoleon is an exemplary example of just how selfish and hypocritical people can be in furthering their own aims because he continued to subtly but purposely change the seven rules put in place as the pillars of animalism. For example, Napoleon and the other pigs move into Farmer Jones’s house and sleep in his bed after commanding “No animal shall sleep in a bed”, so he changes the commandment to read “no animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets”.