Theme Of Politics In Animal Farm

The various notions of people and politics, such as motivation for power, the gaining and maintaining of political control and the characteristics and strengths of great leaders can be explored through the representation of characters and events. This is effectively brought to life in Shakespeare’s play “King Henry IV Part 1” through compelling characterization and soliloquys, George Orwell’s satirical fable “Animal Farm”, which explores similar notions through the simple depiction of domestic farm animals who abuse their power, and William Ernest Henley’s confronting poem “Invictus”, which provokes the reader with notions on the power of the individual, through the use of intense and emotive language.

Shakespeare represents the notion of

The character of Napoleon is used by Orwell to embody the greed of man, demonstrated through “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?” The condescending and ironic tone in conjunction with rhetoric language belittles the other farm animals, which allows the pigs to assert their dominance. Napoleon constantly abuses political power for personal gain, evidenced through his undermining of the initially pure commandments established by Old Major, such as “All animals are equal”. Napoleon gradually subverts this, as he adds “… but some animals are more equal than others”, which completes his quest for absolute power. Such harsh satire is most effective in allowing the reader to appreciate how dictators abuse their power for personal gain, also, Orwell uses the character of Napoleon to demonstrate how pure ideals can become tainted. Squealer is undoubtedly successful in blinding the masses, as he is able to convince his audience with a persuasive tone that many of the pigs “… actually dislike milk and apples” and that “It is for your sake that we [do]”. The propaganda used by the pigs demonstrates their political ambitions to have absolute control and power, and in turn, their utopia. Orwell uses the characters of the pigs to demonstrate the notions of people

Henley uses suffering to represent the strength that is held within man, depicted through “Under the bludgeonings of chance/ My head is bloody, but unbowed”. The powerful imagery presented by Henley in conjunction with alliteration, demonstrates the perseverance and strength of humanity. Moreover, the theme of oppression is continued, as Henley describes the suffering of man as “the horror of the shade”. Henley uses the “shade” as a metaphor to represent the power that is possessed by an individual in order to oppress and abuse others. Henley is able to use this suffering to convey messages of peace to his audience as he believes that “I am the master of my fate/ I am the captain of my soul”. The positive tone reaffirms that power is within man and controlled by every individual. This powerful image that Henley presents allows his audience to reflect on the power that possessed by individuals to oppose immorality, such as dictatorships and the abuse of power. Henley is able to display notions of people and politics through expressing messages about the power of humanity. These moving reflections allow the reader to consider our human capacity to display valour and honour. The notion of honour is dramatically explored through the character of Falstaff. Falstaff’s subversive view of the medieval notion of