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Abuse of Power in George Orwell’s Animal Farm Essay
Language techniques for animal farm and meanings
The theme of power and corruption at George Orwell animal farm
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Recommended: Abuse of Power in George Orwell’s Animal Farm Essay
Language and Meaning in Animal Farm by George Orwell
In Animal Farm, his allegory of the Soviet Revolution, Orwell examines the use of language and the subversion of the meaning of words by showing how the powerful
manipulate words for their own benefit. As a journalist, Orwell knew the power of words to serve whichever side the writer backed. In the novel, Snowball is a quick talker who can always explain his way out of any situation. When the birds object to the maxim, "Four legs good, two legs bad," that the pig teaches the sheep, he explains that the bird's wing "is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulation. It should therefore be regarded as a leg." The birds do not really understand this explanation, but they accept it. Orwell particularly comments on the abuse of language with his character Squealer, "a brilliant talker," who acts as an unofficial head of propaganda for the pigs. Like Joseph Goebbels, who bore the title of Nazi party minister of propaganda and national enlightenment during World War II, Squealer "could turn black into white." This is also reminiscent of the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Pravda, which was often used to rewrite the past. (Ironically, its title means "Truth.") When a bad winter forces a reduction in food rations to the animals, Squealer calls it a "readjustment." In a totalitarian state, language can be used to
change even the past. Squealer explains to the animals "that Snowball had never—as many of them had believed hitherto—received the order of 'Animal Hero, First Class'."
God and Religion
In the novel religion is represented by Moses, the tame raven. The clergy is presented as a privileged class tolerated by those in power because of their...
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...d the commandment, however, it is discovered that it reads, "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause." "Somehow or other," the narrator comments, "the last two words had slipped out of the animals' memory." Similarly, when the pigs get into a case of whiskey and get drunk, Muriel looks up at the barn wall where the Seven Commandments had been written and sees that the Fifth
Commandment reads, "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess." She thinks the animals must have forgotten the last two words of this commandment as well. She comes to believe
that the original event of the writing of the commandments on the wall did not happen the way she and other animals remember it. With this theme Orwell challenges the Soviet state's—and any totalitarian state's—method of controlling public opinion by
manipulating the truth and, in particular, rewriting history.
When the milk and apples went missing and they found out the pigs had taken them, the animals were not happy, as they thought they were going to be divvied up among the animals equally. When this happened Squealer was, of course, there to explain as to why this was the case. He cried out, “‘Comrades!...Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health...It is for 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!...Surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?’” (Orwell 52). Another time, when the animals began talking about Snowball being the front hand man at the Battle of the Cowshed, Squealer showed up to reposition their thinking. Squealer heard them talking and explained to them, saying, “‘As to the Battle of the Cowshed, I believe the time will come when we shall find that Snowball’s part in it was much exaggerated...Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back?’” (Orwell 70). Squealer twisted the animals’ thinking around and made them reconsider all of Snowball’s actions during the battle. Squealer did not want them thinking Snowball was brave in the battle at all. Then, to get them to never mention it again, he used rhetorical questioning to
We got to put a stop to this immediately. We got to bring Snowball back.” All the animals had agreed upon what Clover had said. Secretly the animals would have meetings now and then when Napoleon and the others were not around. “I have found a way to get rid of that obnoxious pig, Napoleon, but I am going to need your help and Snowball is willing to help us”, Clover said to the animals at one of their planned meetings....
Although George Orwell’s Animal Farm was created in order to mimic individuals as well as occurrences that took place during the Russian Revolution period, it is still possible to gain a comprehensive understanding of the text without a past knowledge of history through the exploitation of human nature’s imperfections. Following the publishment of his novel, Orwell confirmed that his goal in writing this fable was to expose the wrongdoing of the Soviet Union as well as the treachery of the true ideas of the Revolution. Nonetheless, there have been several other examples of events such as the French Revolution that can effortlessly be contrasted against components of the allegory. However, we need not to dig no deeper than to the fundamental faults in human nature to witness the catastrophic consequences that attributes such as hierarchy, propaganda and betrayal have on today’s society.
throws Snowball from the farm. It is throughout this satire that Orwell illustrates how power corrupts by showing the pigs actions.
The executions in chapter seven show clearly the animals’ naivety towards the fast approaching leadership of the pigs. During the killings, the animals stand back and do not do a thing. Some animals, like Benjamin, suspect the overthrowing of the rebellion, but are afraid to do anything alone.
George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm is a great example of allegory and political satire. The novel was written to criticize totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalin's corrupt rule in Russia. In the first chapter Orwell gives his reasons for writing the story and what he hopes it will accomplish. It also gives reference to the farm and how it relates to the conflicts of the Russian revolution. The characters, settings, and the plot were written to describe the social upheaval during that period of time and also to prove that the good nature of true communism can be turned into something atrocious by an idea as simple as greed. This essay will cover the comparisons between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution. It will also explain why this novel is a satire and allegory to the Revolution that took place in Russia so long ago.
In 1917, a majority Russian people were unhappy with their leader, Czar Nicholas II. As the dislike grew, Vladimir Lenin began forming a revolution against the leader. After Lenin, along with Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky, overthrew the Czar, they began to slowly take control of the people (Stults). Orwell wrote an allegory to the revolution, Animal farm, which includes the same pattern of events as in the Russian revolution. He explains how the manipulation using words can be a powerful tool against many audiences (“Animal Farm” Novels). The animals on Animal Farm supported the revolt against Jones because they felt they were not living as they should be, in the same way that peasants and farmers supported the revolution because they felt they were not treated right (“Animal Farm” Literature). In both situations the purpose of rebellion in to overthrow the hierarchy that later forms again by the leaders of the mutiny. A...
Later in the novel, Squealer claims that Napoleon is a suitable leader for animal farm, and explains that Snowball is a traitor. Squealer supports this idea by comparing Snowball to Napoleon. The animals were confused on why Snowball was chased off the farm. One of the animal...
The Seven Commandments are the basic principles of animalism worked out by the pigs and described originally as "unalterable laws" by which the animals were to live. The Seven Commandments were written on the barn wall for all animals to see and read if they could. The original Commandments are:
Napoleon’s greatest challenger is Snowball. Napoleon has been evil from the start but now, with Mr. Jones gone there is no-one strong enough to oppose him. He can finally do as he pleases. He only needs to convince the animals. He has always wanted his own way and it seems he will go as far as it takes, even condemn Snowball’s work on the windmill. He knows very well that with the construction of the windmill under Snowball’s guidance, Snowball will be viewed as ‘better’ and would give him power. Power, that he believes, is rightfully his. He knows the windmill will benefit his welfare yet he is still willing to oppose this idea in order to keep Snowball from taking any power. Snowball was a real threat to Napoleon. Unfortunatel...
There is a substantial amount of conflicts that occur in this satirical story. Often these conflicts are between the pigs and the rest of the animals. Only a minute portion of the animals didn’t really have some sort of conflict with Snowball, Napoleon, Squealer, or the rest of the dominating pigs. Overall, Snowball was a better leader than Napoleon, yet the animals reacted differently to Napoleon than to Snowball.
Though Snowball was a fair leader who truly believed in the raw ideas of animalism, Napoleon was a corrupt, sly tyrant, who would stop at nothing to achieve complete dominance over the farm. He takes advantage of the naivety of his comrades and slowly crawls his way to power, first by driving Snowball away from the farm and tricking the animals into believing that Snowball had malicious intentions, and then by steadily altering the rations of food so that the pigs result with the most. He breaks every commandment and entirely alters the definitions of animalism and equality, as the pigs are treated as higher beings than the others. The animals are helpless against Napoleon’s cunning wit, and before they can put a stop to the tyranny, Napoleon has already taken complete control of the farm, stating that “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than
After the succession of their rebellion “the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that everything that they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings.” (6.1) The writer mocks at their ignorance ironically by saying that they were “well aware” of the procedure that is functioning. Their intellectual inferiority is evident through it from the beginning. This particular nature of the animals invites and signals the rulers, the pigs that they are ready to be subjected. This intellectual inferiority, causes the amendment of the seventh ...
The effectiveness of propaganda is evident through the rise of a despotic and tyrannical government in Animal Farm. Used as a successful, manipulative tool in the story, Animal Farm depicts the dangers of propaganda to an ignorant and gullible society. Orwell’s story describes the actions that brought about the eventual collapse of an ideal utopian society. Orwell demonstrates the inhumanity and corruption of the Soviet system through the actions of Napoleon and Squealer. Animal Farm is a satire of the Russian Revolution, one that accurately describes the political actions of the Soviet government. Through his novel, Orwell warns the readers of the dangers of propaganda used skillfully.
Orwell highlights how powerful the use of language and propaganda can be when used to control society. One of the first times ...