The Power Of Power In George Orwell's Animal Farm

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Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegorical story to the Russian Revolution due to the characters and plot points mirroring events and people in the Russian Revolution. The story takes place on a farm in England in which animals revolt against their human owner Mr Jones. Within that farm they decide to go towards animalism, which is the belief that animals should take over of their farm and go by commandments to keep peace within that farm. But then power is over thrown throughout the book by main character Napoleon, a pig who thinks he is superior due to being a pig and many other pigs who think the same. Some animals are worked to death and rules are changed within the farm power corrupts by the over powering of the pigs. In the book …show more content…

A rule gets a small change due to the executions the Napoleon caused towards other animals. The text cites, “ It ran: ‘No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.’ Somehow or other, the tow last words had slipped out of the animals’ memory.” (Orwell pg. 91). Power corrupts here because in the beginning the rules ran ‘No animal shall kill any other animal’ which the later was changed. If Napoleon was not to put in that other part he would have been called out for it and he would not have power of animal farm. The thirst of power got the his head. He was quenched. One night the animals heard a crash outside, “At the foot of the end wall of the big barn, where the Seven Commandments were written, there lay a ladder broken in two pieces. Squealer, temporarily stunned, was sprawling beside it, and near at hand there lay a lantern, a paint-brush, and an overturned pot of white paint” (Orwell pg. 108). Squealer was trying to change what the rules so Napoleon could live on with his cruel ways. When the animals saw squealer, dogs were already surrounding him so the other animals would not question what is happening because the animals knew that they would get hurt or killed if they questioned anything. The power corrupts due to the animals not questing the doing of their leader so more uncertain things would happen as the story goes. One last event happens in chapter ten when one of the horses on the farm goes on and reads what is left of the commandments. The book cites, “There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. It ran: ‘ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS’” (Orwell pg.134). This proves the theme of power corrupts because when the animals read that they now accept the fact that they are at a lesser value than the pigs. The pigs take advantage of that so they can ultimately do anything they want. The pigs made