Persepolis And Animal Farm Power

The Harms of Allotting the Government Excessive Power As Winston Churchill famously stated, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. History is a cautionary tale regarding the consequences of one’s actions. Through studying the different governments from the past, one is able to observe their flaws and triumphs. Marjane Satrapi’s memoir Persepolis and George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm both inform the reader about the dangers of corrupt governments. When the government's power is unchecked, the relationship with its citizens will be built on a foundation of oppression. Propaganda is used to motivate individuals, proving that when the government's power is unchecked, the relationship with its citizens will be built

In Animal Farm, the pigs need the fruit of the animals’ labor to spend on their personal luxuries, so they promise all the animals that their hard work will be worth it when they retire. The promise is used to encourage the animals to work diligently. However, the government’s promise of retirement is groundless because “no animal [has] actually retired on pension” (Orwell 102). The pigs’ manipulation proves that goals that stem from propaganda are used to motivate the citizens, to the advantage of the government. Similarly, in Persepolis, children are ingrained with the baseless notion of a romanticized afterlife to motivate them. The government had the children convinced that the “afterlife is even better than Disneyland” (Satrapi 101) because they want them to go fight in the war and be willing to die for their country. “Disneyland” is advertised to children as the happiest place on Earth, a place of joy and magic. To go to a place that surpasses Disneyland was highly motivating for the children, just as retirement is for the animals. Propaganda distorted the notion of going to war to seem advantageous for the children when in reality, it was solely for the government’s

Both governments use violence to suppress all opposition. In Animal Farm, Napoleon’s greatest opposer, Snowball, escapes Napoleon’s ferocious dogs that are chasing him by putting “on an extra spurt and, with a few inches to spare, [slipping] through a hole in the hedge and [is] seen no more” (Orwell 55). The use of “a few inches to spare” reveals just how close Snowball was to being harmed by the dogs. Moreover, when “four young porkers in the front row utter shrill squeals of disapproval, […] the dogs sitting round Napoleon let out deep, menacing growls, and the pigs [fall] silent” (56). In both cases, Napoleon’s opposition is stifled because Snowball is “seen no more,” while “the pigs [fall] silent”. With the dogs, Napoleon is able to use violence to oppress the people by silencing them. Furthermore, the dogs’ actions act as a deterrent because after witnessing Snowball being chased by the dogs, the other animals are “silent and terrified” (55). The usage of “silent” illustrates the extent of fear they are in because they are scared to speak up. This violence-induced fear in the animals strengthens Napoleon’s control over them because it ensures that they will not dispute him. The government in Persepolis also used violence to silence its citizens by invoking fear in