Topic: Animal Farm shows readers that power always corrupts
The novel “Animal Farm” written by George Orwell is an allegory, which narrates the story of the power struggle between Trotsky and Stalin, which is represented by Snowball and Napoleon. Some points listed are some misuses in their power and how making them in charge of the farm made them turn their good intentions into bad ones. Also, how their lives ended up worse than what their lives were initially with Mr. Jones.
Napoleon was one of the leaders of the pigs and has “a reputation of for getting his own way” – page 35. Napoleon expels Snowball from the farm and takes over, this shows great manipulation of power as Napoleons good intentions were turned into bad ones. Napoleon rewards the pigs and especially to himself a lot of special privileges, misusing his power for greediness. Orwell reflects Napoleon’s appetite for power with a name that raises Napoleon Bonaparte, the very successful French leader who became Emperor and boldly attacked Russia before being defeated by Russia. But Napoleon the pig represents Stalin in his frequently changing policies and actions, his stealthy activities, his intentional betrayals and manipulation of the public, and his use of fear schemes and massacres.
Snowball was also one of the leaders of the pigs, however was betrayed by Napoleon later. He was a lot more diligent than Napoleon but he lacked more depth in character and personality. Snowball, who represents Leon Trotsky, is a gradual politician and targets to advance Animal Farm with a windmill and other technological improvements, but Napoleon expels him before he can do so. In his absence, Snowball comes to characterize a conceptual idea of evil. The animals blame hardships on him, including the windmill’s destruction, and amuse the idea that he is waiting on one of the close farms, scheming revenge. Napoleon uses the animals’ fear of Snowball to create new excitement and changes history to make it seem as though Snowball was always a spy and a traitor. Snowball’s name is symbolic in this way.
In conclusion, Animal Farm had a lot of power struggle with Napoleon changing history and Snowball being the blame for everything. In the end, Animal Farm was supposed to provide a better life for all of the animals in there but the power struggle the farm faced ended up making their lives worse. The leaders became worse than the initial ones because they could not control their power. It goes t show that the misuses of power can end up turning your good intentions into bad ones.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
It is quite clear that they were similar when we know the story is criticising h Soviet Union. Other than that, pig can also represent the idea of greed that help the reader understand Stalin’s personality which always took advantage of other people like boxer(his loyal citizens). Orwell used Napoleon as a pig to represent Stalin successfully, the characteristic of Napoleon is perfectly connected to Stalin’s and the events that happened when they became the leader are identical. As both turned a peaceful government into dictatorship with a tyrant which Stalin/Napoleon…
- 625 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The name Josef Stalin is very often brought up when talking about dictatorship. In George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, Napoleon is meant to be an allegory for Stalin. He shows the natural desire for power present in people. Firstly, he kicks out Snowball. Right off the bat, Napoleon is going out of his way to make himself a single dictator. Napoleon knows the power a single dictator…
- 667 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
First, Orwell uses Napoleon to talk about Stalin, the Russian dictator. One of the similarities he highlights is manipulation. Napoleon states, "The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare" (31; ch. 3). In saying that they will "watch over your welfare", Napoleon ensures that the animals will trust him. He exaggerates the "day and night" part to make them feel reliant on him. Stalin does this as he convinces the people of Russia that their previous leader was far worse than he. Another similarity Orwell uses is forced labor. He says, "[I]n August Napoleon announced that there would be work on Sunday afternoons as well. This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half" (54; ch. 6). Napoleon often plays mind games with…
- 1164 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Orwell's 'Animal Farm' is an allegory because it represents Stalin's rise to power in Russia. His dictatorship to the people of Russia is how Napoleon treated the animals on the farm. Napoleon the pig represents Joseph Stalin, the dictating leader of the Soviet Union. Napoleon tricked the other animals into believing he was the only one that wanted the best for them. He slowly brought the farm from a more equal state to a state where he was considered and treated as a king. He also murdered any of the animals who opposed him or stood in his way, without trial. Stalin did the same by consolidating power and expanding the limits of his role. He eliminated anyone who tried to oppose him. He organized a massive purge where "enemies" were imprisoned,…
- 397 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In the satiric novel entitled Animal Farm by George Orwell, the character Snowball exemplifies Leon Trotsky, and leads the animals to rebel against Farmer Jones in order to attain freedom. However, the utopia that they willingly fought for was short lived and they are deceived by the pigs, in turn, they find themselves no better off than they started. The character Snowball is portrayed as ambitious, brilliant, and eloquent and he made sure that Animal farm was self sufficient. Without Snowball, Animal Farm would have not been able to prosper, after the expulsion of Farmer Jones.…
- 595 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
George Orwell's Animal Farm is a satire written about the Stalin Era. The events and characters in Animal Farm parallel the early history of the Soviet Union. While all of the animals seem to have parallel characters in the real world, Orwell directly connects the character Napoleon to Joseph Stalin in a letter to the publisher in 1945. Orwell created Napoleon to represent Stalin, a dictator who was supposed to reshape the Soviet Union but instead created many problems during his regime. He used a secret police force that is also noted in animal farm by the puppies that Napoleon raises to be his secret guard dogs. Orwell shows a strong disapproval of the Stalinist corruption of socialist's ideals. This book has become well-known for showing what happens when power is overthrown only to have the over thrower become power-hungry and oppressive. This is represented by the swift transformation of the animals on the farm. The seven principles of animalism, known as the seven commandments, are reduced to a single principle that reads, "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." The animals become more and more like the humans that they had once thought were awful. They walk upright, wear clothes and carry whips. The animals have become the very thing that they had been working against. If nothing else, we are left with the feeling that a totalitarian government is never a good idea.…
- 639 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Quotes like these show the concerns that George Orwell is trying to portray about society in the novel Animal Farm. Orwell uses many literary techniques such as allegory, the use of a fable and satire. These styles are a contributing factor to help Orwell show some of the concerns about society like the need for human rights, the use of education and intelligence as tools of oppression and using violence and terror as a means of control. These three concerns can be seen in the competition and rivalry between Snowball and Napoleon. People argue that this novel is linked to the Russian Revolution as the events that happen between Snowball and Napoleon can be linked to the events that happened between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Others argue that it is a timeless piece as George Orwell didn’t write a date as to when all these events where happening and how he guessed that these concerns will still be apparent today, and are still very apparent in today’s society.…
- 1312 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
‘Animal Farm’, by George Orwell, is a novel that shows how easily leaders can be corrupted and how it can attract differently to the characters in the novel. Even though that power can be easily corrupted in the hands of a tyrant, power is both morally good and bad. Old Major, before his death holds his power for the good of his fellow comrades. After the death of the Major, the characters; Napoleon and Squealer abuse their use of power for bad. As there use of power is unrestricted the holders of power are liable to be corrupted causing there fellow comrades to suffer from their actions and consequences.…
- 637 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
‘Animal Farm’ is a novel based on the Russian Revolution, about a group of animals wanting to rebel against man. Snowball a smart, fair and strong leader gets ruled over by Napoleon, an unfair and selfish leader. This was the first error in the rebellion. Snowball would have defiantly made a better leader than Napoleon. The reasons for this are that he educated the animals, had future economic plans and knew how to keep a fair and smart community.…
- 854 Words
- 4 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Animal Farm is most famous in the West as a stinging critique of the history and rhetoric of the Russian Revolution. Retelling the story of the emergence and development of Soviet communism in the form of an animal fable, Animal Farm allegorizes the rise to power of the dictator Joseph Stalin. In the novella, the overthrow of the human oppressor Mr. Jones by a democratic coalition of animals quickly gives way to the consolidation of power among the pigs. Much like the Soviet intelligentsia, the pigs establish themselves as the ruling class in the new society. The struggle for preeminence between Leon Trotsky and Stalin emerges in the rivalry between the pigs Snowball and Napoleon. In both the historical and fictional cases, the idealistic but politically less powerful figure (Trotsky and…
- 1025 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm,’ is an allegoric novel set on an English farm, telling the story of the animal’s difficulty in overthrowing Mr Jones and running the farm. However, the storyline shares many parallels with the Russian Revolution from 1915-1945. One of the many similarities between the two is the way the leader preserved his power. The character Napoleon, a young pig, can be compared to Joseph Stalin, as they both created and sustained their power using similar methods. Napoleon did this by taking advantage of the animal’s poor memory and supplying them with incorrect information and propaganda. He also created his power by blaming all of the farm’s misfortunes on Snowball, who can be compared to the intellect, Leon Trotsky, as he was a common enemy and scapegoat. The final method Napoleon used to keep and generate his power is through the use of emotive persuasion, more specifically fear.…
- 1021 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
On the Animal Farm, once known as the Manor farm, Napoleon, the pig self-established leader, argues that Snowball is the real evil, an animal turned against his comrades, a criminal. Napoleon claims that it was all Snowball from the start, every wicked deed done was his fault and puts a reward out for his capture. The claims Napoleon makes are supported by Squealer, a fellow pig in his league, by first saying that that Snowball had not fought bravely at The Battle of Cowshed, though he had, and that bravery is not of much importance anyway. Several other incidents are brought up against Snowball such as the windmill and every other problem on the farm. And hence, Napoleon has succeeded in his purpose, using words and lies to to take control…
- 247 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Once Napoleon is in a sustainable place of power he lashes out in extreme measures. Executions are made, animals are oppressed, and one by one the commandments are changed in the pigs’ favor. It stars bad, and gets worse. What’s funny about this book, is at first Napoleon doesn’t seem to be a very significant character. You don’t really know who the book is going to be about, but it sure doesn’t look like it will center around the quiet but entitled pig Napoleon.…
- 781 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
had the best interest for the farm. “Without halting for an instant, Snowball flung his…
- 506 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The pigs represent russian leaders, for example, Napoleon would be Joseph Stalin, second leader of the soviet union, and Snowball represents the first, Leo Trotsky, who was expelled from the politburo in 1925 by Stalin as he rose in power. This is similar to how Snowball was chased away from the farm by Napoleon as he became stronger. "If she herself had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip, all equal, each working according to his capacity, the strong protecting the weak... Instead - she did not know why - they had come to a 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 after confessing to shocking crimes."…
- 3267 Words
- 14 Pages
Better Essays