ipl-logo

Animal Farm Knowledge Is Power Essay

577 Words3 Pages

“Knowledge is power; France is Bacon”, a hilarious misreading of the 17th century enlightenment thinker, Francis Bacon’s, words, “knowledge is power”. The statement rings true, wisdom and intellect are integral to holding power; George Orwell’s 1945 novella, “Animal Farm” reflects this. “Animal Farm” holds several valuable lessons for the youth of today, including the importance of education, danger of apathy, and corruption of power. Education and critical thinking are essential for independent thought, however the youth of today take it for granted. “Animal Farm” teaches this generation to value education through characters such as Boxer and the sheep. Boxer is a strong, dedicated horse, however he is not intellect as he “could not get beyond the letter D” in the alphabet (Orwell 33). Lacking the intelligence to think for themselves, Boxer mindlessly follows the pigs who “were generally recognised as being the cleverest of the animals”(Orwell 15). The dynamic between the pigs and Boxer represents the educateds’ power over the …show more content…

Benjamin is unmoved and dispassionate about the world around him until it is too late to change anything. When asked about the revolution, he would reply that “Donkeys live a long time. None of you have ever seen a dead donkey” (Orwell 30). He is also one of the few characters that notices the changes Napoleon makes to the Seven Commandments, “None of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant, except old Benjamin, who nodded his muzzle with a knowing air...but would say nothing” (Orwell 109). He remains unaffected by the events at the farm until the slaughter truck comes for Benjamin, at that moment he shouts, “‘They are taking Boxer to the knacker’s!’” and rallies the animals to fight back (Orwell 122). It is too late though, because Benjamin remained apathetic for so long, his friend dies. Benjamin serves as an example of the dangers of

Show More
Related
919 Words | 4 Pages

A death of a loved one can forever change one’s life, and cause discomposure in a community. In George Orwell’s novella, ‘Animal Farm’, first published in 1945, he allegorizes the Russian Revolution of 1917, where a group of farm animals who plan a rebellion against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where all animals are free, equal, and happy. The death of Boxer, the most hard-working horse and animal on the farm, was planned and on purpose making his death a fatal tragedy. In this essay, the main topics of Boxer’s personality and work ethic will be discussed as well as the manipulation of the farm’s totalitarian ruler, Napoleon. The character of Boxer is used to represent a valuable member of Animal Farm and its community.

Read More
1494 Words | 6 Pages

In the novella, the overthrow of the human oppressor Mr. Jones by a democratic coalition of animals quickly gives way to the consolidation of power among the pigs. Much like the Soviet intelligentsia, the pigs establish themselves as the ruling class in the

Read More
1062 Words | 5 Pages

He understood the idea that animals left in the dark are easily brainwashed into blind conformity. Although they didn’t foresee the ramifications of their support, all of the animals felt joyfully united in the revolutionary cause presented to them, and so “...the whole farm burst out into ‘Beasts of England’ in tremendous unison. The cows lowed it, the dogs whined it, the sheep bleated it, the horses whinnied it, the ducks quacked it” (10-11). Due to their ignorance, the animals misunderstood the selfish intentions of the rebellion and would live in a constant cycle of laborious misery from false promises. Boxer is a sad example of an individual who was unable to analyze situations and think for himself.

Read More
496 Words | 2 Pages

Boxer is one of the many animals in this novel that was treated with great inequality, even though he was known for his hard work, loyalty, and determination. “... He had made an arrangement with one of the cockerels to call him in the mornings half an hour earlier than anyone else, and would put in some volunteer labor at whatever seemed to be most needed, before the regular day's work began. his answer to every problem, every setback, was ‘I will work harder!’ which he adopted as his personal motto” (Orwell 20).

Read More
536 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More
582 Words | 3 Pages

Ignorance allows corruption on Animal Farm. “Boxer who now had time to think things over, voiced the general feeling by saying: “If comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right”. And from then on he adopted the maxim, “Napoleon is always right”(Orwell Page 56). Boxer is explaining that anything Napoleon does or say is always right. Boxer’s ignorance allows him to believe what Napoleon says.

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

When Boxer gets injured he is no longer important to the farm, so the pigs decide to sell him. When the animals started to speculate what happened to their friend, the pigs had Squealer influence their opinion. Squealer told the animals he had “been present during Boxer's last hours” (109 Orwell). Squealer also convinced the animals of things that boxer said on his deathbed, Squealer quoted Boxer in saying “I will work harder” and “Long Live comrade Napoleon”. These quotes show how Squealer uses propaganda not only to explain the disappearance of Boxer but to also convince the animals into working harder and supporting Napoleon.

Read More
917 Words | 4 Pages

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).

Read More
851 Words | 4 Pages

Do you not see what is written on the side of the van... they are taking him to the knacker’s!”(Orwell 122). Benjamin’s words depict the other animals as oblivious “fools” who did not know what was happening to Boxer. Napoleon misleads the animals into thinking he was helping Boxer and gains more of their trust through his false actions, ultimately showing how being attentive to your surroundings allows you to delude those who are

Read More
820 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
1050 Words | 5 Pages

At the heart of a seemingly simple, unassuming novella lie political issues that occurred in Russia during and after the Russian Revolution in 1917. George Orwell’s allegorical ‘masterpiece’ as some would say, stems from his own opinions and detestation of the class divide. He shows that an egalitarian society is unachievable, when some characters that exercise power within Animal Farm use forms of both psychological warfare and physical threats in order to keep the ‘lesser’ animals under their control in order to maintain their society which supposedly follows the principles of Animalism; that ‘all animals are equal’. The pigs employ various tactics and express ways of thinking that convince the animals that they are better off than they had

Read More
821 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the captivating satire, Animal Farm, the reader explores a variety of ideas and opinions surrounding communism, through the characters and their development throughout the story. Of these characters, Boxer, a strong and hard working horse, although not the main focus in this novel, did play an important role on the farm. His good nature ended up threatening the farm’s leader, and drove him to his death. Although Boxer doesn’t hold the main source of power over all of the farm animals, he is definitely a highlighted and important character.

Read More
1032 Words | 5 Pages

Boxer played the role of a hardworking horse, which is backed by his slogans and his desire to wake up earlier and do more work for the better of the farm (Orwell 70). Napoleon is threatened by Boxer since he is reaching the age of retirement and must be paid a pension, which would result in less food for the pigs and unrest in the animals if it wasn’t paid (Orwell 112). The betrayal of Boxer was the point of the story with the most tension, which could be perceived as the climax since it signals the end to animalism and the beginning of the collapse of Animal Farm (Orwell 122). Boxer played the role of the hard-working horse who turned into a threat to Napoleon as he reached old age, and his betrayal was an alternative climax to the story since it was the tipping point of the

Read More
1441 Words | 6 Pages

Some of the animals in the farm are more educated and literate than others, and this creates a class division among them. The smarter ones, such as the pigs, are considered as the higher-class animals and the less educated ones, such as the horses, are considered as the lower-class animals. As a result, the higher-class animals ruled the lower-class animals by managing the farm’s affairs. Because

Read More
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.

Read More

More about Animal Farm Knowledge Is Power Essay

Related Topics

Open Document