Essay On Corruption In Animal Farm

838 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Does Orwell use the pigs to present the theme of corruption in Animal Farm

Adlai Stevenson said that “Communism is the corruption of a dream of justice.” This means that people who longed for better lives often thought that communism would be their solution. However, it often became their bane, since those who gained power were often corrupted by it. In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, the animals on a farm are suffering greatly under the human’s rule. One pig, Old Major, shared his views of better lives for animals and how they should obtain it. These ideals came to be known as Animalism. When Old Major died, a pig named Napoleon seized power. Napoleon and the other pigs are corrupted by the power and rule Animal Farm with iron fists. George Orwell’s allegorical novel Animal Farm proves Stevenson right when he stated that “Communism is the corruption of a dream of justice.”
Old Major was very upset with the lives of the animals under the head of the farm, Mr. Jones. Before he died he called a meeting with all the animals on the farm. He explained what he felt was wrong with the lives of animals. Old Major explained that the lives of the animals are miserable, arduous, and very short. He also mentions that when the animals can no longer work, they are brutally slaughtered. According to Old Major, all of this is a result of man, if man did not exist the animals would have better lives. Above all, Old Major wants the animals to rebel against Jones and live freely. He wants all the animals in all of England to free themselves of man. While talking to the animals he said, “That is my message to you comrades: Rebellion!” (Orwell 20) Old Major wanted the animals to have better lives and to overthrow the tyrannical Jones. He dreamed of a land where animals could work and produce things for ...

... middle of paper ...

...nging of the last commandment. It originally read that all animals are equal. However, after years of Napoleon’s corruption and greed the commandment was changed to, “All animals are equal, but some more than others.”(Orwell 123)
George Orwell shows us that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Napoleon had all the power on the farm and was corrupted by it. Orwell’s novel also proves Adlai Stevenson right when he said, “Communism is a corruption of a dream of justice.” These dreams were furthered by Snowball. Once Snowball was kicked out of the farm, Napoleon was able to corrupt Animalism and bend it to his will. The animals who longed for better lives free of tyranny, much like people who longed to be free from tyranny, thought Napoleon could be their leader in a new age of freedom. This dream was ruined as Napoleon became the thing they tried to escape.

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of George Orwell's Animal Farm

    457 Words  | 1 Pages

    At the beginning of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, an aging pig named Old Major gives a speech to the rest of the animals. In his speech, he explains to them how awful their lives are in order to shows them that the Rebellion against Man, their one true enemy, will come soon. Old Major appeals to the animal’s emotions by using rhetorical questions and fear to effectively persuade the animals of the coming Rebellion.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Power and Authority in Animal Farm

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    Old Major, who is a respected animal on the farm, had given a speech to stir the animals emotion into rebellion. He used his power of respect and trust to persuade the others to pursue the vision in his dream.  “Old Major was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour’s sleep in order to hear what he had to say” (Orwell 15).  Old Major’s dream was for the earth to be ruled by animals.  Old Major strongly believed that animals have only one adversary.  “Man is the only real enemy we have” (19).  His oration inspired and energized the listeners.  “At this moment there was a tremendous uproar” (21).  Old Major had all the power and history has proven that dictatorship does not work, due to the fact that, power leads to corruption in a communism style government.  The power Old Major held led his friends into taking action in what he desired to do, which led to rebellion and future tragedies.  Power corrupted society and absolute power that is eventually obtained becomes corrupt within. (Lord Acton).

    Read More

  • Corruption of Power in Animal Farm

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    The statement, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”, simply means that the more power one has – the more control one has over people – then the more corrupt it is possible for that person to become. This statement is certainly correct if the person with the power has certain proclivities towards corruption. There are many examples in the book, “Animal Farm”, by George Orwell, of power corrupting those in charge because they had these tendencies. In the story, the most powerful animals are the two pigs, Napoleon and, to a lesser degree, Snowball. During the course of the story these pigs used their power to get more power, and in the process their inclinations towards corruption triumphed. When Old Major, the boar who came up with the idea of all animals uniting against humans, died, Napoleon and Snowball saw an opportunity where they could take control and took it. Napoleon used force to get rid of Snowball and take all the power for himself, and he used fear to keep the other animals from revolting. He used scapegoats so that he could not be blamed for anything that went wrong, and propaganda to brainwash the animals into loyal slaves. Napoleon changed and broke the commandments of Animal Farm to benefit himself, and he lacked empathy for all those who worked hard for him, executing those that might cause him trouble.

    Read More

  • Animal Farm: Snowball vs. Napoleon

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was the glorious speech from Old Major that made the animals want to rebel so badly. Animal Farm, written by George Orwell is an excellent novel that portrays the need for power. It shows how power can be used for either good or evil. The story begins on Manor Farm, owned by a farmer named Mr. Jones. One of the pigs, named Old Major, gives a speech that motivates the animals to rebel.

    Read More

  • How Does Napoleon Gain Power In Animal Farm

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lord Acton, the British historian once said, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the author gives many examples of how power is used to manipulate and produce fear. In this book the main character, Napoleon, became a master of using various tactics to gain and maintain power over the rest of the animals. Napoleon used propaganda, manipulation and fear to gain more loyalty and power throughout the farm.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Napoleon In Animal Farm

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the protagonist Napoleon emerges as an active political member in a utopian communist society after the animal revolution with the intention of benefiting society as a whole. Napoleon eventually turns into a ruthless dictator without any political opposition. Napoleon’s Transition from political activist, to unitary political figure, to ruthless dictator brings a whole new meaning to the statement, “power corrupts”.

    Read More

  • The Collape of Animal Farm

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... read what was written there. But it appears to me that that wall looks different. Are the Seven Commandments the same as they used to be Benjamin?” It was true, the wall was different. All the commandments were gone, except for one single commandment which read, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” The pig’s power had taken over Animal Farm. They had completely ravaged everything they once believed in. Even the name was changed back to Manor Farm. Napoleon was no longer an animal, nor the leader of the animals. He was a human, and an inspiration to other humans. Everything was gone, and Animal Farm, was no more.

    Read More

  • Animal Farm: An Allegory of Russian History

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the main characters of Animal Farm is an allegorical parallel of Joseph Stalin. Napoleon is the pig that emerges as the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. He represents the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in Animal Farm, but can easily stand for any of the great dictators in world history. Napoleon seems at first to be a good leader, but he is eventually overcome by greed and becomes power-hungry. Stalin was the same in Russia, leaving the original equality of socialism behind, giving himself all the power and living in luxury while the peasants suffered. While Stalin’s national and international status flourished, the welfare of Russia remained unchanged. In Animal Farm, Orwell writes a similar thing: “Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves richer – except of course the pigs and the dogs.” In the novel, Napoleon openly seizes power for himself by using the dogs he trained to chase Snowball off Animal Farm. He banishes Snowball with no justification and rewrites history in order to further his own ends. Similarly, Stalin forced Trotsky from Russia and seized control of Russia. Stalin used his secret police ...

    Read More

  • Politics in Animal Farm

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    In George Orwell’s Animal Farm we get a glimpse of a strange switch in totalitarian rule.  From Mr. Jones a cruel farmer who feeds his animals to little and works them to hard, to Napolean a pig that will have you killed for a bottle of liquor.  Through stupidity, narrow mindedness and pure cowardice of some animals we view the inevitable as the farm animals become ruled by pigs.  Old Major probably not the first animal to think of as an animal to ruin a utopia for the farm, is in most cases not a favored example to contribute to the pigs takeover.  This pig finally near the end of his better than average life chose to create a rebellion against the then in power Mr. Jones.  A truly justifiable act executed in a time to late, for Major died to soon to lead the farm.  If Old Major had summed up an ounce of courage in his closer to piglet years further and earlier then his dying days the animals might have had a chance of a better life.  Old Major can be seen as him being a late coward having what is thought on the farm to be a good life trying to end it a false legend or maybe Old Major was a slow hero wanting to leave a better life for his friends.  Still though we should agree that for Old Major’s failing action or neglect was the time he chose to start a rebellion, in the few days before he died.

    Read More

  • Animal Farm Comparison

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    Old Major, a eminent pig on the Jones farm, is regarded as the wise superior by the other animals. He has had a strange dream and calls the other animals together to talk about their disastrous situation. Old major declares: ';Let us face it, our lives are miserable, laborious and short';. He declares in Marxist terms that Man is the problem: ';Only get rid of the Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we could be rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades. Rebellion!';

    Read More

  • George Orwell's Animal Farm

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    Snowball and Napoleon held a great deal of contrast between the way they each ruled over “Animal Farm/Manor Farm.” The only thing he did lack, was the ability of pursuasion to the other animals. Snowball had all the right ideas, all to better the whole farm. Napoleon, on the other hand, had a knack for stealing other animals’ ideas, then telling the rest it was his and getting credit for it. His ideas only seemed to benefit the pigs and not the animals. It was this, that led to the crumbling of the farm. Napoleons obsession with becoming the ruler is what got Snowball nearly killed by the dogs...in a plot made by Napoleon. Which then produced a whole new rebellion not of the animals to the humans, but of the animals to the pigs. So for these reasons, Snowball showed better qualities for leadership than Napoleon because he wasn’t selfish and thought about the future of “Animal Farm.” First, the dominated farm animals viewed Napoleon and Snowball differently at different times throughout the book. The way the animals reacted to each leader brought upon new problems of the farm. The animals respected Snowball, and believed that his teachings were all true and had a good cause. Although Snowball and Napoleon had superior qualities leadership, it was clearly Snowball who had the better qualities for running a farm. Under Snowballs’ rule, the animals were generally content with what was going on and were all for it if it was to better the farm. It was obvious that Napoleon had the better half of getting his own way on the farm. However, the animals had some problems with Napoleon but they didn’t know haw to express their feelings and show him that they didn’t like the way he ran things. It was the animals’ ignorance that helped keep Napoleon in rule for as long as it was. The responses were so different between the animals that it must have been a drastic change between Snowball and Napoleon.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Animal Farm

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    ANIMAL FARM  About 80 per-cent of all the animals on Animal Farm completely followed the seven commandments.  The other 20 per-cent of the animals would rarely follow all the rules and they were often treated like a piece of dirt.  All the animals on Animal Farm were treated differently according to their social status, where in today’s society everyone should treat everyone equally.  The characters in Animal Farm had many diverse characteristics, some of the animals were powerful, stupid, and sneaky  First of all, Napoleon is a huge Berkshire boar and he clearly is the most powerful of all the animals.  He was able to take complete leadership of the farm because he secretly trained the dogs to attack Snowball.  George Orwell writes, “ ‘Never mind the milk, comrades!’ cried Napoleon, placing himself in front of the buckets.  ‘That will be attended to, the harvest is more important’ (817).&nb describe Napoleon as a leader, “ ‘long live Comrade Napoleon’ ” (846).  All the animals on the farm (no matter what Napoleon did to them) would treat him as a powerful leader and whatever he said they would do.  Often Orwell stirs up controversy about the rebellion, “ ‘forward in the name of the rebellion.  ‘Long live Animal Farm!’ ‘Long live Comrade Napoleon!’ ‘Napoleon is always right.’

    Read More

  • Leadership's Corruption as Represented in Animal Farm

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    Leaders are not always to be trusted, and this is highlighted in the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell as the message of the text. In Animal Farm, leadership is represented through the actions and personalities of the various characters as a powerful, but easily corruptible force. The Leaders of Animal Farm start off with good intentions but as the story goes on it becomes obvious the leaders have grown power-hungry and have become the ‘superior’ animals, showing that equality does not exist. Propaganda and manipulation play a big part in the novel, stopping the animals from protesting or noticing that their leader was extremely greedy and corrupted. There are excellent leaders as well as awful ones, making it hard to know who to trust in, who to believe and what to do, after all leaders are hard to go against, but a corrupted leader is never a good thing.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Corruption In Animal Farm

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, a main theme is that power corrupts those who possess it. A definition of corruption is,“dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.” Orwell develops this idea through the character Napoleon in various ways. Looking back in the book, the animal’s rebellion quickly turned political and revolved around, “Leader, Comrade Napoleon (Orwell 81)”. The power Napoleon possed was executed through lies and selfishness, aided by the lack of intellectual ability in the other animals. The corruption of Napoleon’s power is displayed when he favors himself, along with the other pigs, and eventually the dogs, who all get better rations of food compared to the other animals. Another main demonstration of how power corrupts Napoleon is how he separates himself from the other animals on the farm, displaying his feelings if superiority to the other animals. A ceremonial nature develops towards Napoleon. The last way power corrupts Napoleon is how he acts recklessly; killing other animals and lying about

    Read More

  • Animal Farm by George Orwell

    1890 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mr. Jones is overthrown from the farm, and the animals take charge. Three pigs, Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as the leaders. These pigs create a system called “Animalism” along with a set of rules called The Seven Commandments that go as follows:

    Read More

More about Essay On Corruption In Animal Farm

Open Document