Similarities Between Night By Elie Wiesel And Animal Farm By George Orwell

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As stated by Lord Acton, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Lord Acton had a large influence during his time and was one of the greatest personalities of the 18th century. The quote displays a truth about power and how regardless of it being used effectively or ineffectively, it still results the same, similarly the documents supplied give a frame into what was happening during and post WWII. The novels Night by Elie Wiesel and Animal Farm by George Orwell display the truthfulness of war and how it can affect an individual alone. The Effective use of power is influenced by a leader’s use of rhetorical strategy and propaganda, which creates and obedient yet blind society. When leaders appeal to their followers’ …show more content…

During the cold war China had become a communist state and began to receive much more help from the USSR. The communist leader of China, Mao Zedong, stated, “All political power comes from the barrel of a gun..”(Mao Zedong 1983). Those with power are those that have weapons and military strength to support and back them. The idea that only those with weapons to support them have political power is only giving two possible outcomes, either you do have political power or you have nothing, which relates back to the rhetorical strategy of faulty cause and effect that displays only two possible options, when there are always more. Comparably, In Animal Farm just after they had discussed why the pigs should have the milk and apples, Squealer says, “Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed our duty? Jones would come back, yes, Jones would come back”(Orwell 14). Squealer is essentially saying that if he and the rest of the pigs fail to watch over everyone and keep them in check, then Jones will return and take back the farm. With Squealer giving them the idea that if they do not uphold their position as leaders Jones will come back, it leads the animals on the farm to feel as though there are only two options, Jones, or the pigs, which connects to the main idea that, when a leader gives only two options, it blinds the people from the other possibilities and other solutions to their problem. Mao Zedong and Squealer from only gave their people 2 possible outcomes to their current scenarios, which caused them to look past the other potentially better