Animal Farm

Animals are not the brightest or powerful thing on earth, but in this case this pig is very intelligent and knows how to abuse and misuse power. Napoleon used brilliance, cunning, treachery, propaganda and a lot of other skills to gain, create and maintain power. He succeeded. Animal farm remained under his cruelty throughout the novel. In the novel “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, explains the three ways that the pigs, particularly Napoleon, manages to overtake the farm is by the use of fear, manipulation, and education.

Snowball had a great idea which was to build a windmill. Napoleon had disagreed with Snowball and that it was nonsense to build it. Napoleon had stood up to declare his side about the windmill; before he had said anything he uttered a high-pitched whimper. After this, nine enormous dogs came rushing after Snowball. Napoleon had taken the little pups and used them against Snowball. The novel states “They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws. In a moment he was out the door and they were after him. Too amazed and frightened to speak, all the animals crowded through the door to watch the chase (67)” Napoleon the pig, stole some dogs from their mother to educated and train. The animals were having some of their frequent conversations in the barn. The dogs that Napoleon had raised, he made a sound that would signal the dogs to attack and chase Snowball. Napoleon gained complete power through the exiling of Snowball. When, despite Napoleon's efforts, Snowball managed to get most of the animals support on the matter of the windmill, Napoleon knew Snowball was a threat to his position. If Napoleon did not do something, Snowball would soon become the leader of Animal Farm. So, he got rid of him. Using the dogs he had trained in secret, he banished Snowball from the farm. Without Snowball at the farm, Napoleon became the leader. He then banned the debates and told the animals they would follow orders instead. This was so that the animals would not be able to have a say in the running of the farm and would not be able to disagree on any matters. He is guarded by dogs and has a food taster so that he cannot be assassinated. He spreads rumors about the wretched state of the animals on other farms to make the animals feel privileged to belong to animal farm. He shows of his 'brilliance' by letting the animals see the banknotes gained from the timber. He makes everything seem like a victory to cover up his mistakes and keep the animals from blaming him. One example would be the blowing up of the windmill. It makes the animals feel that although there was a slight loss they still won. He uses delicacy to disguise what he does. This can be seen when he uses the readjustments instead of reduction to make lessening of food seem not that much less.

The animals were basically adapting to the conditions that the pigs had given them for certain situations that had occurred. The pigs had tried to explain to the other animals what happened to the milk and apples, and why they needed it so much more than the rest of the animals did. They had claimed that they were the “brainworkers” The novel states that “It is your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! (52)” It is soon learned that the pigs took the milk that disappeared on the first day, and are now mixing it into their mash. The pigs now issue a decree stating that all windfall apples are to be gathered up and given over for the exclusive use of the pigs. Some of the animals are puzzled by this, and wonder why the apples are not to be shared out equally. Squealer goes before them to explain. He tells them that the pigs, as the leaders, must keep their brainpower up, and that science has proven that milk and apples are essential for this. The pigs are trying to influence, or manipulate the other animals. The situation with the milk and apples really proves that the pigs were great manipulators, and the animals were easily manipulated one because they’re dumb, and when the pigs tried to justify their actions by saying they’re the only ones that can have the milk and apples for their sake, and if they didn’t they would get their terrible farmer Mr. Jones. When the pigs had put it to them in this light, the animals had nothing more to say. They believed it was important of keeping the pigs in good health to keep from having Mr. Jones back. This was Squealer's first speech that he used to manipulate the animals after finding out that the pigs had been keeping all the milk and apples for themselves. If it hadn't been for Squealer, the animals would have had the feeling that there was some inequality in the farm. In this case, Squealer helped all the pigs, including Snowball, by restoring the animals' faith in the pigs and the way the farm was running. This is the first time Squealer makes an appearance and it shows how the pigs are beginning to lie to the other animals.

Squealer was explaining to the animals that their work pays off in the end. To the rebuild of the windmill, the animals had worked even harder than the previous year. Sometimes it seemed as if the animals had worked longer hours and got fed no better than what they got in the time of when Mr. Jones’s day. The novel states “On Sunday mornings Squealer, holding down a long strip of paper with his trotter, would read out to them the lists of proving that the production of every class of foodstuff had increased by two hundred per cent, as the case might be (99)” Through the long labor, and the same amount of food before the revolt, Squealer continues to show the animals the charts and papers that basically proved that their work is benefitting. Not only that, but the animals did really understand the graphs, with the lack of education on their part. Napoleon is an opportunist. When he realizes that he can turn a situation, whether good or bad, to his advantage, he does so. For example, when the windmill topples, he tells that Snowball is the cause and turns the animals against him. From then on he makes Snowball a pledge. Whenever something goes wrong, it is because of Snowball. This makes the animals feel that they are lucky to have Napoleon instead. It is also an easy way out as it keeps the animals from finding out where the blame really lies. This secures Napoleon's leadership position as the he will not be blamed for anything wrong and creates the illusion that Napoleon's ruling is perfect, making him basic. In the case of the timber, he uses Snowball to back up his decision. Since the animals are against him, the party he is not selling to will have Snowball residing there. This causes the animals to support his decision. He maintains power through various means. By rarely appearing in public he makes it seem that he has more important matters than the animals' welfare and that they should be lucky when he does appear; that they should revere him. This makes him indispensable. Through the killings, he eliminates anyone who is a likely threat to his leadership such as the four porkers. The others who are killed have angered him somehow (The hens who led their rebellion) and they serve as a warning not to disobey him. (The hens who led their rebellion) At the same time, he further erodes Snowball's image by making the animals confess that he was planning to kill napoleon. By using statistics, another form of lies, he convinces the naïve animals that the farm has prospered and flourished under him, again

As you can see, the pigs are able to maintain control of Animal Farm because, the pigs use fear of Mr. Jones coming back which gave the animals the advantage of scaring them that if they didn’t agree with the pigs; the pigs exclaimed that Mr. Jones would surely come back, which the animals do not want. The pigs also use manipulation to gain control of Animal Farm by justifying what they did is right, when they know it’s wrong, but since the pigs know that the other animals are dumber than they are and it doesn’t matter if the pigs lie because the other animals don’t know. Finally, the last way the pigs gain control of Animal Farm is the education, since the pigs know that the other animals’ memory isn’t all that good they can’t recall everything that happens. All in all, this is how the pigs maintain control of Animal Farm.