Leaders Turned Dictators In Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution Will your trusted leader become a pig? The novel, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, tells a story of animals on a farm in England. The animals bonded and respected each other during the awful times they went through due to Mr. Jones, the farm owner and irresponsible caretaker. The animals were hardly ever fed and they were subjected to brutal conditions. Old Major, the oldest and most respected animal on the farm taught useful lessons and was looked up to by everyone. He knew he was slowly getting in worse condition and told the rest of the animals that after he passes away, they should revolt and take the farm for themselves. Several pigs lead the pack through the revolt and …show more content…
Each system was thought to create a healthy code for everyone to follow. Over time Napoleon and Stalin slowly tweaked the laws to give themselves small advantages over citizens. For example, Animalism had a strict rule that no animal could sleep in a bed, so that they would not act like humans. Napoleon, however, changed it to: “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets” (Orwell 67) Although this seems like a minor change, it puts the pigs closer to the humans they rebelled against. Many animals on the farm are not as intelligent as the pigs and don’t realize the change, giving the pigs several advantages over the rest of the citizens. Joseph Stalin gained the trust of his nation and completely abolished the Fundamental Laws and created a new system that put him in complete power. Stalin enforced his new system with extreme consequences for slight wrong doings. The citizens of the systems could not say anything against their new leaders or they would be killed and had no control of what was happening in their own nation. "Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary General, has unlimited authority concentrated in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be capable of using that authority with sufficient caution.… Stalin is too rude, and this defect, though quite tolerable in our midst …show more content…
Napoleon controlled the farm completely and knew he was superior to the rest of the animals; this caused him to make harsh decisions to keep the animals under his control. For example, he began to assign more work to the animals and treated them as slaves. They were working more hours than ever before and the work was harder than anything they had done before. Napoleon also brainwashed some of the less intelligent animals into thinking that he was their god; he made them believe that he was always right. Boxer, the most loyal worker on the farm, constantly repeated his slogans, “I will work harder’ and ‘Napoleon is always right’” (Orwell 61) even when he was being worked to death. The worst way that Napoleon abused his power was by killing innocent animals. One day, when all the animals were gathered in the barn, four pigs confessed to crimes they didn’t actually commit and were murdered ruthlessly in front of the whole farm. The animals now knew not to challenge Napoleon’s authority because staying loyal to him was the only way to stay alive. Napoleon’s clear abuse of power parallels Joseph Stalin’s reign of terror in Russia. Once Stalin achieved the leader ranking he began to treat citizens as his slaves and publically executed citizens who though otherwise than his new system. Citizens were terrified of his actions and the
The 1945 novel 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell is an allegory for the Russian Revolution specifically for a variety of themes, such as lies and deceit, manipulation, and dreams and hopes. The novel shows great similarities to the Russian Revolution through these themes. In Animal Farm, Orwell portrays a society that is somewhat messed up that promises things that which people betray, which is rather quite alike our society where one is higher up than another and to be intimidated is very often. Lies and deceit, manipulation and hopes and dreams are themes that are portrayed and displayed in Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution.
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.
Napoleon’s method of victimizing the animals with his physiological attacks allows for his control over Animal Farm and its animal population. Napoleon initially bombards the animals with propaganda and thus conditions and enslaves them to his subjective ideals. Afterward, Napoleon’s implement of expert power overwhelms the animals and subjugates them to him. Finally, the animals are controlled by Napoleon as they are besieged with his coercive powers. Overall,
Education is not as prominent in the book as during the Russian Revolution. In the book, education is mentioned when Snowball finds old spelling books, once belonging to Mr. Jones. He begins to teach himself, followed by the other pigs, and finally he helps the other animals to read and write. Some of the not so intelligent animals find this quite taxing, whereas the pigs– being the most intelligent, learn the fastest. Snowball is the most interested in educating the animals, and the well being of the other animals on the farm. Just as Trotsky was intent in educating the Russian people, and their well being during the Revolution. “Napoleon took no interest in Snowball’s committees. He said that education of the young was more important than anything that could be done for those who were already grown up.” This shows Snowball’s commitment to the animals compared to the uninterested Napoleon.
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.
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.
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 ...
From then on, Napoleon had complete control over the farm. Anyone who went against him would no doubt feel the wrath of his army of dogs. Eventually, Napoleon went so far as to change the ...
Napoleon was a leader who led with an iron fist. A fist he used to secretly abuse his fellow animal. He began by raising several ferocious dogs to aid him in enforcing his rules, laws, and expectations. Using them, he abruptly ended Snowballs reign by using the dogs to exile him from the farm. Shortly after, he halted the construction of the windmill. More often than not he would cleverly work his way around the seven commandments by altering them to his pleasure. For example, 'Now animal shall drink alcohol to excess.'; Or 'No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.'; Napoleon grounded the rations of each and every animal. The farm slowly fell into a dark abyss with every wretched move Napoleon made.
Karl Marx introduced Communism, bringing around ideals that would change the course of Russian Society, such as equality via the creation of a classless society. Similarly, Old Major called for an equal society of animals, without man. Both Muse and Metaphor cautioned against the corrupting properties of power, warning both animal and man against the adverse effects of power. In an act of cruel irony, both rulers falling to the corrupting allure of power. Karl Marx unfortunately died before his ideas were put into place, and was unable to see the tragic corruption of ideals at the hand of a corrupt ruler. Similarly, Old Major peacefully met his demise before his ideas were formulated into Animalism, then simplified down to the seven commandments, which the corrupt metaphor of Stalin disobeyed and twisted to meet his own selfish gain. (Schmidt Sec.
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.’
While Nikita S. Khrushchev and Napoleon the pig both believe in the upsides and simplicity of communist dictatorship, the metaphorical depictions represented by Napoleon in the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell represents the future actions of Nikita S. Khrushchev. Although Napoleon’s are just only in a novel, Nikita Khrushchev and Napoleon are technically of the same time period. Napoleon is just a metaphorical representation of the former “president” of Russian, Joseph Stalin. Napoleon has laws and policies that are completely opposite to those of Khrushchev. On the same note, the cruelties both have are also completely different, but they had the same ideas and obstacles when it comes to rising to power.
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
In every society there are leaders who, if given the opportunity, will likely abuse their power. Napoleon takes over the farm but in the process he becomes exactly like the humans by mistreating the other animals and actually becoming friends with a human that owns a farm nearby. He breaks the laws that the animals made for everyone.
The pig establishes themselves as the riegning class after the overthrow of the humans much like Stalin did when overthrowing Trotsky. The pigs promised government would be different under thier rule, however that was not the