Faulty Leadership In George Orwell's Animal Farm

497 Words1 Page

Harold S. Geneen once said, “Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.” Throughout George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, Orwell uses the animals on the farm to criticize the Soviet Union, and portray an analysis of faulty leadership based on historical events (1). There are a variety of animals with different roles on the farm, although very few are capable of operating the farm in a successful manner. Many can argue that Snowball could have been a more suitable leader over Napoleon because Snowball is a pig, but does not act like one. Snowball is everything that Napoleon is not. He believes in being organized and maintaining sustainability within the farm, as opposed to power and sovereignty. His visions to develop …show more content…

Snowball is far more intellectually advanced than most of the animals on the farm; he is able to read and write fluently, as well as coming up with ideas for the betterment of the animals, such as the windmill. Planning the creation of the windmill without claiming credit for himself is a prime example of how Snowball would be a more noteworthy leader in comparison to Napoleon. In Animal Farm Snowball portrays Leon Trotsky and follows the views of Marxism, the original outlook of communism where everyone is equal without being exploited or ruled by higher-ups. Snowball does not exploit the animals, in fact, he is dedicated to the total well-being of all animals by teaching them to be intelligent and efficient workers. Snowball always keeps the best interest of the farm animals in mind, standing up for what is right when he knows Napoleon might not be making adequate decisions. The devotion to the animals on the farm and the intelligence of Snowball are shown in further depth when he reduces the Seven Commandments to "Four legs good, two legs bad"

Open Document