A Dictator and A Greedy Pig In his allegory, Animal Farm, George Orwell, uses satire to compare the aggressive Russian Communist leader Joseph Stalin, with Napoleon the pig. Stalin, as depicted by Orwell, is shown as both literally and figuratively a pig though symbolism. Napoleon and Stalin are both manipulative leaders who take over their nation through propaganda. Yet, there are some important differences between the two as well. Napoleon represents Stalin in the novella. Many of Stalin’s famous political campaigns are also shown by Napoleon. A similarity between the two is their abuse of power. Stalin’s main goal as a leader was to consolidate all of Russia’s power. He was successful by making himself the sole dictator of Russia. Likewise, …show more content…
He forced the animals to call him “in formal style as ‘our Leader, Comrade Napoleon,’ and the pigs liked to invent for him such titles as Father of All Animals, Terror of Mankind, Protector of the Sheep-fold, Ducklings-Friend, and the like,” (64). Additionally, Napoleon secretly changed the Seven Commandments to his benefit throughout the allegory. One of which outlawed drinking alcohol. However, after the pigs discovered whisky, it mysteriously changed to read, “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess,” (75). Both rulers used forms of propaganda to manipulate their followers. Stalin gained wide support by using children in his political propaganda. Napoleon used Squealer, another pig on the farm, to spread exaggerated or false information to ensure loyal followers. Under command of Napoleon, Squealer spread such sayings as “Long live Animal Farm! Long live Comrade Napoleon! Napoleon is always right,” (85). One of their main similarities is the massacre of their enemies. Stalin famously executed anyone who disobeyed or challenged him. He launched the event called the Great Purge, where Stalin prosecuted and executed anyone who opposed the Communist Party in order to …show more content…
Mainly, Napoleon just represents Stalin as a leader, but Orwell also wrote him to symbolize many other political tyrants. For example, the pig Napoleon additionally represents Napoleon Bonaparte, as the name implies. Bonaparte rallied the French people, only to abandon their democratic political system and rise in power as their emperor. Other minor differences come their different political programs. While Napoleon’s vicious attack dogs do represent the KGB; unlike Napoleon, Stalin did not kidnap children, or puppies, to reeducate or brainwash them into protecting him. This tactic could be a reference to Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany during this time. He established the Hitler Youth, a program designed to brainwash children into becoming the future Nazi of Germany. Lastly, Napoleon and Stalin had drastically different views on religion. Stalin was a Russian Orthodox Christian, but became atheist when he joined the Communist Party. Under his reign, he enforced atheism to be taught in schools. He spread the belief that religion was damaging to the perfect communist society. Stalin created a nationwide campaign to destroy thousands of churches and religious property in Russia. Contrary to this, Napoleon did not fight to end religion. Napoleon, along with the other pigs, did not believe in Moses the crow’s stories about Sugarcandy Mountain, “and yet they allowed him to remain
Thesis statement: Joseph Stalin was accurately embodied throughout this story through the pig Napoleon, Orwell’s representation of Stalin, who showed his attributes clearly.
Comrade Napoleon, the pig on the farm was effectively the Joseph Stalin equivalent of the revolution. The dogs followed Napoleon around like the KGB or secret police to Stalin. The dogs were devoted to Stalin and hurt those who were opposed to them. “Immediately the dogs bounded forward, seized four of the pigs by the ear and dragged ...
Propaganda: The Art of Bending the Truth “Propaganda is a monologue that is not looking for an answer, but an echo” (Audren, W.H). Power can make a man do many things. When power is left in the hands of people, hungry for their names to be the next god, they will defy every rule in order to achieve their goal. The use of lies and bending the truth in order to gain sustenance from others come into play.
Just as Stalin did in Russia, through their use of propaganda, the pigs gain power by manipulating the lower level animals through their use of simplicity and repetition, lying, and gaining trust. In Animal Farm, the pigs relate and connect to Joseph Stalin and the Russian Revolution because they both had power and gained leadership through agitprop techniques (Stults). “How easily totalitarian propaganda can control the opinion of enlightened people.” -George Orwell.
Another reason was identity. Napoleon only represented Stalin, and that really brought out his characteristics. Since Napoleon was meant to represent Stalin, all of Stalin’s traits, most of his bad deeds, and events occurred in the book. For example, in Animal Farm, Orwell made Snowball seem smarter than Napoleon, but made Napoleon more powerful. This is true in real life because Lenin was a lot more educated than Stalin, but Stalin ended up with the power (Radinsky 97)
In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the pigs take over Manor Farm and dominate the weaker animals by using a combination of strength, fear, and trickery. This book is an allegory to the Russian Revolution, which led to Josef Stalin’s rise to power and the beginning of his dictatorship. In the novel Farmer Jones symbolizes Czar Nicholas II and Napoleon symbolizes Josef Stalin. The animals overthrow their dictator, Farmer Jones, and eventually end up replacing him with another dictator, Napoleon the pig. Napoleon demonstrates how the other farm animals’ weakness can be dominated by strength, fear, and trickery, revealing one of George Orwell’s themes.
Animal Farm teaches about communism because of its characters. Napoleon was based on a famous Russian dictator named Joseph Stalin. The next character is named Snowball, who is based on Leon Trotsky because he was another Russian leader. Between these three characters I, will show the relationship to the animals and real life communism. Napoleon has an obvious relationship between the famous Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin. Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union who is known from the mid 1920’s to 1953. Just like Napoleon, he was a cold heartless dictator who would kill anyone who did not agree with what he had, to say just like napoleon in the book animal farm. Napoleon used lots of violence in order to keep and maintain his leading position in Animal Farm. An example of this can be seen when Napoleon is training the puppies but he is not doing it not for their own education but instead so that they could protect him and eliminate anyone who stands in his way. Another trait of Joseph Stalin that can be seen in Napoleon i...
The main purpose of satire is to attack, and intensely criticise the target subject. This is superbly carried out in the classic piece of satire, Animal Farm. The main targets at the brunt of this political satire are the society that was created in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and the leaders involved in it. George Orwell successfully condemns these targets through satirical techniques such as irony, fable, and allegory. The immediate object of attack in Orwell's political satire is the society that was created in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The events narrated in Animal Farm obviously and continuously refer to events in another story, the history of the Russian Revolution. In other words, Animal Farm is not only a charming fable ("A Fairy Story," as Orwell playfully subtitles it) and a bitter political satire; it is also an allegory. The main target of this allegory is Stalin, represented by Napoleon the pig. He represents the human frailties of any revolution. Orwell believed that although socialism is a good ideal, it could never be successfully adopted due to uncontrollable sins of human nature. For example, although Napoleon seems at first to be a good leader, he is eventually overcome by greed and soon becomes power-hungry. Of course Stalin did too in Russia, leaving the original equality of socialism behind, giving him all the power and living in luxury while the common pheasant suffered. Orwell explains: “Somehow it s...
Just as during the revolution, when at first Stalin was fair and just but as he was given power he turns into a corrupt man with dictatorship qualities. He became more selfish and sinister. When securing his power base he engineered the permanent exile of Trotsky. This compares to the book, when Napoleon and his ‘nine sturdy puppies’ chased Snowball out of the farm. Napoleon then proceeds to portray his true nature of an assassin.
The characters and events that George Orwell put in his novel Animal Farm, can be linked to the similar events and people associated with the Russian Revolution. People like Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky can be compared and represented by the 2 pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, in Orwell’s Animal Farm. By writing this novel, Orwell attempted to expose the truth behind the totalitarian-type government in Russia at that time. However, he did this in a discreet way by using animals to symbolize the different people that played a role in the Revolution.
In Orwell's Animal Farm, the animals revolt against the cruel human leaders and set up a better method of farm management where all animals are equal. As time passes, the new leaders become greedy and corrupt, and the other animals realize conditions are just as miserable as before. There is a major connection between Animal Farm and Russian communism. The pigs are one of the most significant of these connections, representing the communist rulers of Russia, like Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Their traits, personalities, and actions are similar to the actual men in power. In the novel Animal Farm, the pigs represent the communist leaders of Russia in the early 1900s.
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 ...
Using threats and harsh punishments, he becomes a dictator, just like Stalin. In the novel Animal Farm, George Orwell uses political satires that correlate with the ruling of Stalin in Russia and his inhumane ways of controlling the country. Animal Farm was a metaphor for the Russian Revolution. The animals on the farm overthrew the farmer who treated them unfairly, and they began their own government. As time went on the pigs made themselves rulers, the main pig in charge being Napoleon.
Pigs walking on two feet, horses and sheep talking. This is how George Orwell satirizes human nature in his classic novel Animal Farm. Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The title of the book is also the setting for the action in the novel. The animals in the story decide to have a revolution and take control of the farm from the humans. Soon the story shows us how certain groups move from the original ideals of the revolution to a situation where there is domination by one group and submission by all the others. The major idea in this story is the political corruption of what was once a pure political ideal. Orwell uses satire to ridicule human traits in his characters such as Napoleon and Squealer. There are several different characters in the novel utilizing animals as symbols of people in real life during the Russian Revolution. Napoleon is the leader of the pigs that ultimately come to dominate the farm. The characteristics that we associate with pigs , lazy, greedy, and pushy are meant to symbolize the characteristics that the leaders of the Russian Revolution exhibited. Napoleon is admired by all of the animals because he is their leader. All of the animals believe that their leader wants to fulfill all of their needs. They also are convinced that Napoleon’s decisions are made the best interest of the animals. Napoleon’s piglike qualities are shown throughout the story. He exhibited greediness when he sold the dying horse, Boxer to a slaughterhouse for money so that he and the other pigs could purchase whiskey. Orwell ridicules human nature through Napoleon in the sense that he is trying to show how the greedy and power hungry eventually end in corruption.
Animal Farm is an allegoric moral satire by George Orwell that depicts the struggles and conflicts of the Russian revolution. The novel can be said to be an intriguing child’s book in which animals could talk and express their opinions. It can likewise be said to be an evaluation of the communist regime, which took place in Russia under the rule of Joseph Stalin. The reader comes across a plethora of interesting characters from whichever perspective it is looked at from, especially the pigs who possess the traits of human behavior. In this essay, I intend to look at how Orwell depicts Napoleon, one of the major characters.