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Abuse Of Power In Animal Farm By George Orwell

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In “Animal Farm '' by George Orwell has effectively shown the effects of one person having control over a mass of people by telling the story of the pig, Napoleon's rise to power. At the beginning of the book, we get introduced to a character named Old Major. Before he died in chapter 2, he displayed his ideas about the totalitarian farmer using very simple dialogue to convey his message of unfair government. “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing”, Major used this message to convince the other animals that his views that “All animals are equal” and they follow throughout the story and lead to a rebellion lead by Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer who are all pigs because they are highly intelligent. The pigs Napoleon, Snowball …show more content…

One of the leaders, Snowball, stole apples and milk from the other animals and then tried to make this a good thing by making an excuse; “We do not enjoy apples or milk, we simply need them to grow stronger”. None of the other animals questioned this and simply followed, the book is written from a point of view that shows the negative influence of Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer on the animals by providing insight into the effect of their decisions, “Bravery is not enough. Loyalty and obedience are more important” this was said by Squealer after the battle of the Cowshed, the pig 's unrivalled intelligence allows them to convince the other animals that certain events did or did not happen to gain leadership on Animal Farm. The first instance where the pigs convince the animals where an event occurred but really did not is when they convince the animals that Snowball betrays them by being in league with farmer Jones. The pigs are only trying to diminish what the animals think of Snowball. "Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start! He was Jones ' secret agent all the …show more content…

Boxer adored them and has said things like “Napoleon is always right”, as Boxer was already an animal with high respect on the farm, he was able to persuade the other animals of Napoleon’s “greatness”. His control of the animals' ideas made it so that everyone listened to him. “Are you certain that this is not something you have dreamed of, comrades?” The animals are the working class as they do all the work for the government which are the pigs, their clever use of their intelligence allowed for them to rise into a position of power where they can exploit the animals in the same way as the farmer. Napoleon’s hunger for power made him into a dictator throughout the book, being more oppressive by creating classes, strict punishments for not following him and forcing young animals to learn the commandments of Animalism. He completely disregards the animals by turning into the one thing he promised never to be, a

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To begin, in the stories of “Animal Farm” the book concludes on how the animals of Manor Farm turn into the owner of them by dictating each other, stealing ideas from one another, changing rules, overworking each other, and being just overall a communist farm. The author’s perspective and tone regarding intelligence explains how the pigs and Napoleon used their intelligence to trick and persuade the animals to their way of living. In the book “Animal Farm”, “The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership” (Orwell 12). The pigs dictate the animals and use them as slaves because they were not intelligent.

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George Orwell wrote Animal Farm to show the audience how leaders use manipulation to convince others of their righteousness. Napoleon, the tyrannic pig and central character, gained and maintained his position through both force and rhetoric. Although force was used in Animal Farm to get what the pigs wanted, rhetoric was used more often to manipulate the other animals in getting what they wanted. Squealer is the most manipulating pig in Animal Farm, he was also known as the “propaganda minister”. As time progressed the rules began to change Animal Farm.

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After appointing himself the leader of the farm, Napoleon immediately establishes a cult of personality and turns the power dynamics within the farm in his favor, thereby establishing himself as a dictatorial ruler. In doing so, he rewrites history, alters the commandments, and replaces them with his own set of rules that benefit him and his “loyal” pigs while disadvantaging the other animals. Additionally, Napoleon also enacted a policy of fear-mongering and terror to pressure the animals into compliance. In this way, he can make sure the animals remain subservient to him under the threat of punishment from his “loyal” pigs. He also uses his authority to establish a hierarchical system on the farm where his most loyal pigs are given the highest perks and spoils while the rest are given soilure.

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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.

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The pigs, who are noted as the most intelligent of animals, come into a dispute about how Animal Farm should operate and who should lead the animals. Napoleon, a “practical pig” eventually becomes a tyrant amongst his fellow animals and leads the community using harsh methods, warping the concept of animalism that was originally established into something that was virtually completely unrecognizable. Napoleon comes into contact with and then forms alliances with humans. At the end of the play, the pigs and the humans both took off their masks during a fight, and it was announced by the narrator that the animals looked at both the pigs and the people, and could not tell them apart.

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In George Orwell’s Animal Farm the farm animals in Manor Farm stage a revolution against the humans. Two pigs named Snowball and Napoleon become the leaders of the farm animals after the revolution. Snowball uses his authority as a leader to craft plans to

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In the novel Animal Farm, George Orwell shows how citizens lose their power through the characters of Napoleon and Boxer, these characters gain more or lose their power which led to the farm's failure. One day the animals were tired of Mr Jones mistreating them poorly, they rebelled and made Mr Jones leave the farm. After Mr Jones had left the farm Napoleon and Snowball took leadership of the farm, making a communist farm. Throughout the story, communism proves to lead , to unfairness and dictatorship through the better living conditions of the pigs, harder work for the animals, and the inability for animals to share their opinions George Orwell throughout the story expresses that Napoleon gains more power. He is not a good leader, he is

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In the book, the pigs are the bad guys throughout almost every part of the book. In the beginning, old major put the thought of revolution into the brain of the other animals, and this is what started the whole thing. Next was Snowball, who found a good way to run the farm in a way where every animal was equal or at least close to it. After he was overthrown, Napoleon took charge which started the downfall of the animal farm. First, Napoleon started taking advantage of the animals by overworking them and not feeding them enough.

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Animal Farm -the history of a rebellion that went wrong- is George Orwell 's brilliant satire on the corrupting influence of power. It was first published in 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalin era in the Soviet Union. In the book, Mr. Jones, the owner of the Manor farm is so lazy and drunken that one day he forgets to feed his livestock.

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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

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The animals’ oppression stems from the pigs’ false information when Squealer states that, “Snowball has sold himself to Frederick of Pinchfield Farm, who is even now plotting to attack us and take our farm away from us!” (Orwell 48). Squealer states that Snowball has sold himself to a neighboring farm just to attack them and steal the farm back; however the information is false leading to the animals oppression. Squealer oppresses the animals by convincing the animals that, “ However, Squealer easily convinced them that the veterinary surgeon in Willingdon could treat Boxer’s case more satisfactorily than could be done on the farm . . . They are taking Boxer to the knacker’s!”

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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.

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481 Words | 2 Pages

In a essence Napoleon the pig becomes the persona of “Someone to believe in,” for the animals. After Snowball was chased out, Napoleon most importantly and the pigs become the guidance for the animals lives. “Napoleon is always right”(Orwell 70), said by Boxer the horse, expresses his strong belief in his intelligence and guidance. The more and more, the story progresses, the more religion takes the role of keeping the animals organized and in harmony of the pig’s leadership and system. Although, “The Seven Commandments” start to change, the animals chose to keep following them.

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861 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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1354 Words | 6 Pages

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.

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