Power. It is the world’s most dangerous asset anyone can hold on to. It can be used for prosperity or for a complete destruction depending on the person. As the famous Lord Acton 's quote says, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Animal Farm stands for the best example that can display this matter in a clearer and funnier version. It portrays the 1917 Russian Revolution atmosphere with the replacement of Russia into Animal Farm. The characters also did not fail to resemble the real people involved in the revolution. Power leads to greed, used to take advantage and manipulate. A person with absolute power tends to choose greediness after a certain time period, despite having followed a wise person’s vision and …show more content…
The greed of power will always blind the leader’s judgment. Napoleon was not excluded in this matter as he often takes advantages knowing that the animals cannot read or write. Although there are many examples to support this fact, but one stands out the most, Boxer’s ending. As can be seen throughout the story, Boxer is the one who worked hard for that farm’s welfare from the beginning to the end. His never-failing cry of ‘I will work harder’ often inspired the rest of animals to work hard despite facing failures such as destruction of the windmill for the second time. He worked hard until the day he falls due to lung failure. Instead of treating him, Napoleon sent Boxer to horse slaughter house and lied to the animals that Boxer died in the hospital and even ended his speech with a reminder of Boxer’s two favourite maxims, ’I will work harder’ and’ Comrade Napoleon is always right’. This is what happens to the most faithful animal in the Animal Farm due to Napoleon’s cool-blooded judgment as he could not have any form of benefits from dying Boxer. In the end, the name ‘Animal Farm’ was abolished and changed to ‘Manor Farm’, the original name by Napoleon. Napoleon and his pigs also join arms with the humans who were believed to be the animal’s enemy in the beginning by Old Major and the
He makes all of the animals work long days and gives them no food. He will give only the pigs a good ratio of the food. In the end all of the pigs start to act like humans and the animals realize this and do something about it. Boxer is a very hardworking horse who is always with Napoleon's ideas. Around the end of the book Napoleon gets sold for some alcohol.
Whenever the other animals start to doubt Napoleon, Boxer reassures them that “If comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right” (Orwell 82). Boxer and the other animals on the farm get mistreated in many ways such as, Napoleon takes away their food rations while the pigs and dogs get a large amounts of food and better living conditions. If Boxer wasn't on the farm the book would be different in many ways because the animals would have probably turned against Napoleon by now. The animals wouldn't have anyone to look up to or have to encourage
Napoleon made a substantial impact on the way the animals reacted to their new hardships. The pigs, including Napoleon, are said to be the most intelligent animals on the farm, but unlike the others, Napoleon uses it to manipulate the
In her critically acclaimed novel One Corpse Too Many, author Ellis Peters wrote, “All of the things of the wild have their proper uses. Only misuse makes them evil.” The possession and usage of power is an especially slippery slope. In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, a main recurring theme revolves around power and how those who hold it will ultimately fall into corruption. The desire for power stems from greed, but power also fuels greed.
The second tactic that Napoleon uses is loyalty to the farm. The quote shows that the animals are loyal to the farm by upkeeping the farm in which they do it for themselves, “All that year the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that everything that they did was for the benefit of themselves…” (Orwell 73). The quote proves that the pigs worked the other animals like slaves.
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”.
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
The animals start recognizing Napoleon for any good achievement done that day. For example, one of the hens recognizes Napoleon for just one stroke of good fortune. “Under the leadership of our Leader Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days…”(78). These poor animals are tricked into thinking that everything good that happens is due to “Comrade Napoleon's Leadership”. Every quote we see is a deeper level of corruption in Napoleon, and now, his influence on the farm is tearing what the revolution was all about.
And it’s getting worse when he selled boxer to a slaughterer to have money for buying more alcohol, even if all of the barley is already reserve to the pigs. He begin to act like a human, meet them, smoke, drink alcohol and wear clothes. To show that all of the goal of the first rebellion never continue that way, they change the song Beast of England and the name of the farm for “Manor farm”. Napoleon didn’t do what the revolution had wanted. The animals follow him, respect him even if they didn’t have to.
In Animal Farm, we see the sinister theme of abuse of power and corruption displayed throughout the story. The epitome on how the pigs abused the power was how they manipulated the 7 commandments to their own benefit. The 7 commandments were inscribed on the wall and they would form “an unalterable law by which all animals on Animal Farm must live for ever after”. Ironically, the 7 commandments were changed one by one to suit the benefit of the pigs. For example, when the pigs discovered a case of whiskey and got drunk, they got attracted to the taste of alcohol.
“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.
Power. It is the world’s most dangerous asset anyone can hold on to. It can be used for prosperity or for a complete destruction depending on the person. As the famous Lord Acton 's quote says, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Animal Farm stands for the best example that can display this matter in a clearer and funnier version.
Stalin, the leader of the Communist army in Russia and the most powerful man in the past uses violence to the ones that go against him. He has a style of dictatorship where many people suffer. Gunshots going across, people dying out, outcry, burst in tears with bruises all over the body, killing in harsh condition all occurs during Russian Revolution. The historical background of George Orwell’s Animal Farm is also the Russian Revolution. In the book, Napoleon uses dictatorship to order other animals, uses accuration, and give harsh punishment who block his way.
Using the examples of Napoleon and Boxer this essay will discuss the truths of human nature and express the traits of these characters both good and bad including; loyalty and obedience as well as selfishness and greed. Napoleon represents the corrupt political dictators that have been in power before and even after the novel was written. He slowly and subtly put himself into power of the farm and was very manipulative in the way he got there. The animals were always ensured that everything he did was for the good of the farm but as the book goes on Napoleon’s hunger for power is revealed.
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.