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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

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