How Napoleon Achieved and Maintained Power in George Orwell's Animal Farm Napoleon was a pig in more than one sense. Words that you associate with pigs are not often pleasant. ‘Pig’ referring to one who is greedy and has more than their fair share; ‘pig headed’ refers to one who is extremely stubborn and thinks they are always right; ‘the pigs’ refer to police, or other figures of authority. Napoleon became dictator of Animal Farm merely due to the fact that he was a pig, and had the simplest of leadership skills. He maintained that power by propaganda and running the farm in a fascist, totalitarian manner. Violence, propaganda and the general ignorance of the other farm animals were major roles in keeping Napoleon in power. Power naturally fell to the pigs not because they had earned it, or were the best for the job, but merely as a result of their social standing in the animal hierarchy. ‘‘The work of teaching and organizing the others fell naturally upon the pigs, which were generally recognised as being the cleverest of the animals’ (P.9). The pig, Old Major was considered the oldest and wisest animal on the farm. The other animals may have thought it natural for any other pig to be like him and follow his vision and ethics of Animalism. Whilst Napoleon assumed the role of leader of the revolution, he was only able to maintain this position because the other animals took it for granted that the decisions he made were the right ones. To maintain this position...
How Napoleon Takes and Maintains Control Of Animal Farm in George Orwell's Novel George Orwell's character Napoleon is a very clever and sly animal. He uses several methods to take and maintain control of the farm. His primary methods are by using fear, by exploiting the animal and by bending the rules of the law. Napoleon uses his intellect to good effect. self-interest is concerned with.
Napoleon obtains power primarily by elimination. He believes that if he eliminates all the people standing in between him and ultimate domination, then he can govern the animals in any way that he sees fit. His first step of eliminating is to divide the animals into two classes. Napoleon, along with the other pigs, became of a privileged class, while the rest of the animals were inferior. This division of the animals is first seen when “the order went forth that all the windfalls were to be collected and brought to the harness-room for the use of the pigs';. When the other animals question this decision Napoleon’s propagandist, Squealer, assured the animals that “it is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples…if we pigs failed in our duty…Jones would come back';. This answer satisfies the animals, and they are content with this new separation, as Napoleon hoped they would be.
The first way the pigs use language to abuse their power is by using extensive detail and by using terms and vocabulary foreign to most animals. An example of the pigs using unknown terms can be found when Squealer explains to the other animals about how hard the pigs need to work to keep the farm running. “There was, as Squealer was never tired of explaining, endless work in the supervision and organization of the farm. Much of this work was of a kind that the other animals were too ignorant to understand. For example, Squealer told them that the pigs had to expend enormous labours every day upon mysterious things called ‘files,’ ‘reports,’ ‘minutes,’ and ‘memoranda’…” (129). In this scene, the animals, exhausted, hungry, and overworked, are told about how the pigs work just as hard as they do. Although this is completely untrue, seeing that the pigs only occupy themselves in self-centered and self-beneficial engagements, the other animals believe it to be true because they do not know what files, reports, minutes, or memoranda are. Their ignorance leaves them unable to question Squealers story and they mistake the pigs’ true...
Napoleon is a ‘large, fierce looking Berkshire boar, and is the only Berkshire on the farm.’ He is a character based off of Joseph Stalin, the dictator of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics from 1929 to 1953. He is not much of a talker, but has a reputation of getting his own way, whilst also proving to be more treacherous than his counterpart, Snowball. In the time period the rebellion was planned and formed among the animals, Napoleon rarely, if never, contributed to the revolution and never showed interest in the strength of Animal Farm as a whole, rather only the strength his own power over it. As the major events of the story unfolds throughout the story, he is shown secretly raising and training a litter of puppies which he later uses as a form of
The animals are treated almost exactly like how Farmer Jones treated them. This led to harsh conditions and “starvation seemed to stare them in the face” many times under the rule of Napoleon(Orwell 85). Napoleon made sure the pigs never went hungry by giving special food privileges to them. The pigs never had “readjusted” rations like the other animals on Animal Farm. One special privilege the pigs gave themselves was that the “milk and the windfall apples should be reserved for the pigs alone”(Orwell 53). The pigs thought of themselves as superior to the other animals and therefore began to ignore their needs.
To rise to power Napoleon used force and fear in order to win the animals over. It was not the best way to do it, but it worked. Throughout the book the pigs always showed leadership, but Napoleon slowly began to show more power. He took away
The pigs had objectives other than the benefits and the good of the other animals. On the contrary, their objectives were to use, conquer, and capitalize on them. One of the conflicts in Animal Farm is the strong against the weak. The strong are the pigs and the weak are all the other animals. There are two main offenders of the weak: Napoleon and the pigs in general.Napoleon was a tyrant. It is very likely Napoleon and the other pigs were conspiring to take over Animal Farm so that they could take advantage of the situation of having many animals at their disposal.
Next, Orwell uses hyperboles to demonstrate why the animals submitted to Napoleon, even when the animals were abused by him; thus, mimicking the followers of Stalin during the Soviet Union. The animals of Animal Farm were exceedingly obscured, believing that their leader, a boar named “Napoleon is always right” without strictly observing Napoleon’s actions (Orwell 70). As if it were hypnotism, the animals on Animal Farm willingly believed that every demand or law made by Napoleon was a perfect decision; thus, Napoleon looked as if he was some sort of government guru. However, if the pigs had not muddied the waters as much, the animals would have been able to look through Napoleon’s deceptions. They would have been able to see that Napoleon
Napoleon believes that pigs are that of a superior race and that all animals, no matter how powerful in strength, are inferior to their genius. He is able to establish a ruling built off of violence and deceit. Napoleon, the fascist ruler over Animal Farm, is not only an appalling leader for the animals but also presents multiple examples on how his cruelty exceeds that of Farmer Jones’. Napoleon’s actions grow worse, going from working the animals endlessly to growing victim to the lowest of human traits, and even playing judge, jury, and executioner towards the seemingly guilty. Napoleon’s ruthlessness makes Jones look like a benevolent farmer in comparison but, unfortunately, many of the animals are too naïve to notice.
In Chapter three it clearly states “The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership”. The author is describing when the animals were animals were assigned their duties, the pigs were given less work because of this manipulative idea that their intelligence makes them superior than the others. In time, the pigs will create more excuses for themselves to prove that they deserve more just because of their high intellect which will ultimately end with power being
When they went to double check their recent findings, they found that it had been changed to, "No animal shall kill another animal without cause,"(65). This is not the first time Napoleon has done this either. He has also changed two other commandments in order to fulfill his and the other superior pigs needs. He is quite sly with his ways and tries his best in order to not be caught. This is easier to do because he has gotten rid of the only animal that has ever disobeyed, second-guessed, or challenged him, Snowball. Above all else, Napoleon is manipulative. He knew that,"...Boxer and Clover...had great difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves…," so they," accepted the pigs as their teachers,"(14). With this previous knowledge, Napoleon could teach them practically anything, and that will become their sense of reality. They will flaunt their new knowledge around the farm, which is very helpful to the pigs. It will help spread their messages faster, as everyone looked up to Boxer and wanted to be like him. Clover is a mother, so they trusted her and her words as if she was their mother. He manipulates the entire farm by just two box-cart horses and his ‘teachings’. Napoleon is a cruel, dishonest, and manipulative leader, or how some may call it, a
Napoleon, a main character in George Orwell's Animal Farm, was very cruel. so why does everyone consider him such an effective leader? In Animal Farm Orwell gives Napoleon, the dictator of the farm, many characteristics that make him an effective leader. Throughout the book Napoleon had a manipulative attitude, a strong support system, and he used scare tactics to intimidate and gain control of the other animals on the farm.
Old Major’s reoccurring dream of the Beasts of England instructs the animals to take control from the human owner’s in his passing. After Major’s death, Napoleon takes lead and the power soon goes to his head. Corruption has been the downfall to many successful leaders, those with authority are all soon to get wrapped up in the power and this only leads to their end. George Orwell’s infamous novel Animal Farm is based on the Russian Revolution and includes key figures from the revolution that the animals represent. Orwell uses the animals to show how the power went to their heads and leads to their own ruins. Napoleon who represents Joseph Stalin in the Russian Revolution and Squealer, his menacing accomplice represents the Russian media who spreads the word of Napoleon. Napoleon’s mentality clearly shows characteristics of a cold hearted leader, his power takes hold of him and Napoleon loses sight of the animal’s goal. Napoleon transitions from living under the rule of Old Major to running the farm himself. The newfound leader, his gentle ways turn to evil. He loses sight of the seven commandments that
Similarly, after the Russians eliminated their former leader, Tsar Nicholas II, things seemed to go well with the promises of a better life. However, the promises were neglected in both situations. The pigs, specifically Napoleon, saw themselves as greater than the others. What first seemed like a democracy quickly turned into Communism, or Animalism. Those who were close to the leaders, in Animal Farm and in Russia, quickly spread propaganda to encourage the new way of government. Many citizens, like Boxer, continued on with their way of life and obeyed the government. Just like in Russia, Napoleon the leader of the animals, turned to lying in order to trick those he ruled over. Napoleon used his group of nine dogs just like Stalin used his secret group of police, the NKVD. Napoleon used this secret force to punish and establish fear in those he ruled over. To conclude, it is easy to see the parallels and the ways in which both leaders were corrupt in the ways they
He makes the pigs seem like the superior species on the farm by showing their capabilities with reading and writing: “The pigs now revealed that during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book which had belonged to Mr. Jone’s children” (Orwell 23). None of the other animals know the alphabet or how words are formed, so that represses the others from arguing with their new leader. Napoleon’s plan for the renewed farm includes industrializing everything. He puts all of the other animals to work rather than doing the work with them. He makes them work long, rough hours with a lessened amount of rations to finish the windmill that Napoleon has conjured: “All that year the animals worked like slaves” (Orwell 59). Even though they are overworked, they still follow Napoleon’s leadership in bettering the farm for their sake. The animals do not realize that Napoleon is using them until it is too late, and they are all starving and overworked. Under Ceaușescu’s rule, the people of Romania went through food shortages as he was industrializing the country, and taking “drastic steps to curb the country’s heavy debts” (Nelson). Like Napoleon, Ceaușescu put his people to work even through the shortages in food: “ ‘Romania accumulated a large debt by the late 1970’s, and Ceaușescu made the people work night and day, amidst massive cutbacks’ ” (“Nicolae Ceaușescu