Animal Farm: Establishing Common Enemies

Animal Farm Essay
2nd Period
Rosie Tran
Establishing common enemies, manipulating facts, and using force, intimidation and fear can lead to complete undeniable dictatorship of a community. However, there is still a vital factor to fully and effectively govern a population: the attitudes of the people. If a person can make use of these elements productively, they can have the power to gain control of a nation.
At the beginning of Chapter 7, Napoleon manipulates history by telling the animals, “Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start! He was Jones’s secret agent all the time.” (66) But the truth is Snowball wants to make Animal Farm a better place with his different reforms such as building the windmill and creating the many committees. Snowball is never in an alliance with Jones or any other human. Napoleon also claims he created the blueprints for the windmill when in actuality, Snowball creates the blueprints. Unfortunately, the minds of the animals are weak and are easily influenced by Napoleon and his lies and history is rewritten in their heads. They believe that Snowball is no longer someone helping them but the enemy, signifying that Napoleon is holding power over them. As a result of the slander towards Snowball, Squealer and Napoleon use not only Farmer Jones as a common adversary but Snowball as well, who is made out to be an enemy, to unify the animals. Unifying under a single cause allows people, in this case animals, to be stronger as a whole. They become less susceptible to the threat of insecurities and doubt of the inability to survive on their own. Together they blame Snowball for all things going astray. An example of this is the destruction of the windmill when the storm actually destroyed the windmill as a way to become one whole, thus allowing the two pigs to indirectly have dominance over the entire farm.
Out of fear for their own lives and family, the animals become submissive to Napoleon, allowing him to have direct rule over them. “There had come time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces…” (71 – 2) The day the animals were executed, they were executed for speaking out against Napoleon. Even the animals that show the slightest sign of disobedience are slaughtered before the eyes of their comrades. Using fear, force, and intimidation, Napoleon is able to oppress the voices of the animals.
There are one of two reasons why the animals are led by first Snowball, and then Napoleon which is desperation. When Farmer Jones is ousted, the attitudes of the animals on the farm are desperate because they need someone to guide them. Always living their lives as slaves for humans, they do not know exactly how to live once the humans that control them leave. Snowball takes this opportunity to become the leader. Unfortunately, Snowball is chased out of Animal Farm by Napoleon, who becomes leader by default; the animals allow him to become leader because of the desperation of needing someone to guide them.
A person can gain control of a nation if they know how to work with the attitudes of the people, appeal to their fear, brainwash them as well as making sure they unify together. Productively using these elements can assure the total domination of people with little resistance. Napoleon effectively exercises these elements and is able to not only take over Animal Farm, but rules it with an iron-fist.