essay on corruption in animal farm

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Animal Farm

George orwell.

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Theme Analysis

Animal Farm depicts a revolution in progress. Like all popular revolutions, the uprising in Animal Farm develops out of a hope for a better future, in which farm animals can enjoy the fruits of their own labor without the overbearing rule of humans. At the time of the revolution, all of the animals on Mr. Jones ’s farm, even the pigs, are committed to the idea of universal equality—but these high ideals that fueled the revolution in the first place gradually give way to individual and class-based self-interest. Animal Farm thus illustrates how a revolution can be corrupted into a totalitarian regime through slow, gradual changes.

At first, the revolution creates the sense that there could be a bright future in store for Animal Farm. Old Major makes a number of objectively true points in his speech to the animals, such as that Mr. Jones is a cruel and unfeeling master who cares little or not at all for their wellbeing, and that humans themselves don’t produce anything (like eggs or milk). The Seven Commandments that Snowball and Napoleon come up with in the months after are similarly idealistic, and, in theory, lay the groundwork for a revolution that truly will elevate individual workers above horrible, totalitarian leaders like Mr. Jones. Indeed, when the rebellion surprisingly happens, things initially seem as if they’re going to go in a positive direction for everyone: there are debates among the animals, animals have the ability to propose items for discussion, and every animal participates in the working of the farm. Best of all, the animals pull in the best and fastest hay harvest that the farm has ever seen, suggesting that their revolution has benefits in addition to freeing them from a cruel situation under Mr. Jones. It seems possible that they’ll truly be able to make self-government work.

However, the novel also offers early clues that corruption begins to take hold on Animal Farm long before Napoleon takes drastic steps to turn it into a totalitarian state, even when by most metrics, things seem to be going smoothly and fairly. For instance, it’s not an accident that only the pigs and the dogs are the ones who become fully literate. While to a degree, this becomes a chicken and egg question (in terms of which came first: literacy or corrupt power), the fact remains that the only literate creatures are the ones who ultimately seize control. Further, even idealistic Snowball insists to the other animals that because the literate pigs are “mindworkers” engaged in figuring out how exactly to run the farm, they need the entire crop of apples and all the cows’ milk. This power shift takes place during that first exceptional hay harvest, making it clear that things aren’t as rosy as the hay yield, and the increased productivity it suggests, might lead one to believe.

The corruption doesn’t end with the theft of milk and apples; by the end of the novel, the pigs sleep in the farmhouse, have a school for their pig children, drink alcohol, and consume sugar off of the Jones’s set of fine china—all things initially forbidden in some form in the original Seven Commandments. However, one of the most corrupt things that the pigs do is to modify the Seven Commandments to effectively legalize whatever it is they decide they want to do, from drinking alcohol to sleeping in beds. This corruption is something that most animals don’t notice, while those that do are either cowed into pretending that they don’t notice or executed for expressing concern. This combination of fear and unthinking trust in leaders, the novel suggests, is one of the most important elements that allows corruption to flourish.

Though the animals’ rebellion began as one against humans and everything they stand for in the animals’ eyes—greed, alcoholism, decadence, and cruelty, among other vices—it’s telling that the novel ends when animals, led by Clover , cannot tell Napoleon and his pig cronies apart from the human farmers who came for a tour and dinner. With this, the novel proposes that revolution is something cyclical that repeats throughout time. Because of corruption, those individuals who are powerful to begin with or who overthrow cruel and heartless leaders will inevitably come to resemble those former leaders, once they understand what it’s like to occupy such a position of power. In this sense, Orwell paints a grim view of revolution as a whole, as Animal Farm demonstrates clearly that even when the ideals of a revolution may be good, it’s all too easy to twist those ideals, fall prey to corruption, and poison the movement, harming countless powerless individuals in the process.

Revolution and Corruption ThemeTracker

Revolution and Corruption Quotes in Animal Farm

“Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings.”

“Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever. Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.”

“Remember, comrades, your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.”

“Comrades!” he cried. “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.”

“I have no wish to take life, not even human life,” repeated Boxer, and his eyes were full of tears.

At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws.

“No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?”

“Napoleon is always right.”

“Comrades, do you know who is responsible for this? Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!”

If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up, someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it, and when the key of the store-shed was lost, the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. Curiously enough, they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal.

If she herself had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip, all equal, each working according to his capacity, the strong protecting the weak [...] Instead - she did not know why - they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.

At the foot of the end wall of the big barn, where the Seven Commandments were written, there lay a ladder broken in two pieces. Squealer, temporarily stunned, was sprawling beside it, and near at hand there lay a lantern, a paint-brush, and an overturned pot of white paint. [...] None of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant, except old Benjamin, who nodded his muzzle with a knowing air, and seemed to understand, but would say nothing.

Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out.

Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer—except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs.

“Four legs good, two legs better !”

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.

The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

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Literary English

Main Theme of Animal Farm | Power and Corruption

The main theme of Animal Farm revolves around the corrupting nature of power and the dangers of totalitarianism. Through the allegorical portrayal of Manor Farm, Orwell explores how the pursuit of power leads to oppression, exploitation, and the betrayal of revolutionary ideals. The novel underscores the importance of vigilance in safeguarding democracy and resisting authoritarian rule. Additionally, “Animal Farm” examines themes of equality, justice, propaganda, and the cyclical nature of history. Overall, Orwell’s work serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of unchecked authority and the enduring struggle for freedom and social justice.

“Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”

George Orwell’s influential work, “Animal Farm,” stands as a poignant exploration of the age-old adage, “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Through the allegorical depiction of Manor Farm’s transformation into an oppressive regime under the rule of the pigs, Orwell vividly illustrates the insidious nature of power and its corrupting influence on individuals and institutions. This article delves into the main theme of power and corruption in “Animal Farm,” analyzing its manifestation in the characters, events, and overarching narrative of the novel.

The Rise of Tyranny

At the heart of “Animal Farm” lies the transformation of a hopeful revolution into a totalitarian regime. Initially, the animals’ uprising against Mr. Jones symbolizes their quest for freedom and equality. However, as the pigs seize control and consolidate power, they succumb to the allure of absolute authority. Led by Napoleon, the pigs exploit their positions for personal gain, betraying the principles of Animalism and perpetuating a system of oppression reminiscent of the humans they overthrew. Orwell’s portrayal of the pigs’ descent into tyranny underscores the corrupting influence of unchecked power.

The Betrayal of Revolutionary Ideals

Throughout “Animal Farm,” Orwell highlights the betrayal of revolutionary ideals in the pursuit of power. The Seven Commandments of Animalism, initially conceived to uphold equality and solidarity, gradually erode as the pigs manipulate them to justify their own privileges. Squealer’s persuasive propaganda tactics and the rewriting of history exemplify the perversion of truth to maintain the pigs’ grip on power. Orwell’s critique extends beyond the farmyard to reflect the broader disillusionment with political movements that deviate from their original aspirations in favor of self-interest and control.

The Role of Fear and Manipulation

Central to the pigs’ consolidation of power is their manipulation of fear and intimidation. Napoleon’s use of the ferocious dogs as enforcers mirrors the tactics of authoritarian regimes, instilling terror to quell dissent and maintain obedience. Similarly, Squealer’s skillful dissemination of propaganda serves to distort reality and suppress opposition. Orwell underscores how fear and misinformation become potent tools in the hands of those seeking to perpetuate their dominance, reinforcing the theme of power’s corrupting influence.

The Cyclical Nature of Tyranny

As “Animal Farm” concludes, the pigs’ transformation into indistinguishable oppressors mirrors the oppressive regime they initially sought to overthrow. Orwell’s narrative reflects the cyclical nature of tyranny, wherein revolutions often give way to new forms of oppression. Through the tragic fate of the animals, Orwell warns against complacency and the dangers of failing to recognize the signs of authoritarianism.

In “Animal Farm,” George Orwell delivers a powerful indictment of the corrupting influence of power, epitomized by the pigs’ descent into despotism. Through allegory and satire, Orwell exposes the dangers of unchecked authority and the betrayal of revolutionary ideals. As readers confront the chilling reality of “Animal Farm,” they are reminded of the enduring relevance of Orwell’s cautionary tale in an ever-changing political landscape. “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”—a timeless maxim that reverberates throughout Orwell’s seminal work, serving as a stark warning against the allure of unchecked authority.

Theme of Corruption in Animal Farm

In George Orwell’s classic novel Animal Farm , corruption takes center stage as the animals’ utopian dreams turn into a nightmare. This powerful allegory reflects the dark side of power and the inevitable corruption that follows. Through the characters and events in the story, Orwell highlights the dangers of unchecked authority and the manipulation of language for personal gain.

The Rise of Power

The revolution and its ideals.

At the heart of Animal Farm lies the initial revolution led by the animals against their human oppressors. Inspired by Old Major’s vision of a society where all animals are equal, the animals overthrow Mr. Jones and establish their own government. The ideals of equality, justice, and freedom for all are the driving force behind the revolution.

The Emergence of Leaders

However, power quickly becomes concentrated in the hands of a few animals, namely Napoleon and Snowball. Initially, the two pigs work together in harmony, but as the story unfolds, their differences become apparent. Napoleon, driven by a thirst for power, gradually manipulates the other animals and seizes control.

Manipulation and Propaganda

The manipulation of language.

One of the key tools Napoleon uses to maintain his power is the manipulation of language. He and his propagandist pig, Squealer, revise the commandments of Animalism to suit their own interests. The famous phrase “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” perfectly encapsulates the corruption at the heart of the farm.

The Role of Squealer

Squealer is instrumental in spreading Napoleon’s propaganda and justifying his actions to the other animals. Through persuasive speeches and clever wordplay, Squealer convinces the animals that Napoleon’s actions are for their own good. His ability to distort the truth and control the narrative showcases the power of propaganda in maintaining the corrupted regime.

The Abuse of Power

The reign of terror.

As Napoleon consolidates his power, he becomes increasingly tyrannical. He enforces strict rules and punishments, using fear and intimidation to control the animals. Those who dare to question his authority are swiftly silenced or even killed. The once-egalitarian society of Animal Farm descends into a totalitarian nightmare.

The Exploitation of the Working Class

Under Napoleon’s rule, the working class animals are subjected to harsh conditions and excessive labor. The pigs, on the other hand, live a life of luxury, indulging in excess and breaking their own rules. This stark contrast highlights the inherent inequality that arises when power is concentrated in the hands of a few.

Rebellion and Resistance

The spirit of rebellion.

Despite the corruption and oppression, the spirit of rebellion lives on in some of the animals. Characters like Boxer, the loyal and hardworking horse, embody the perseverance and resilience of those who resist the corrupt regime. However, their efforts are often met with brutal suppression, as Napoleon’s power remains unchallenged.

The Betrayal of Comrades

In their pursuit of power, the pigs betray the principles of Animalism and turn against their fellow animals. They form alliances with humans, disregarding the initial ideals of the revolution. This betrayal serves as a powerful reminder of how corruption can erode even the noblest of intentions.

Lessons for Society

Corruption as a universal phenomenon.

Animal Farm serves as a cautionary tale about the nature of power and corruption, applicable to societies throughout history. Orwell’s portrayal of the farm highlights the universal tendencies of those in power to exploit and manipulate for personal gain.

The Importance of Vigilance

The novel emphasizes the importance of vigilance and critical thinking in the face of corruption. The animals’ failure to recognize and challenge Napoleon’s tyranny until it is too late serves as a warning to societies to remain vigilant against the abuse of power.

The Power of Language and Propaganda

Through the manipulation of language and the use of propaganda, Orwell illustrates how those in power can shape public opinion and control the narrative. The novel serves as a reminder of the dangers of blindly accepting information and the need for a discerning and critical mindset.

Symbolism in Animal Farm

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Themes in Animal Farm by George Orwell

Themes and Analysis

Animal farm, by george orwell.

'Animal Farm' is a political allegory based on the events of the Russian revolution and the betrayal of the cause by Joseph Stalin.

Article written by Mizpah Albert

M.A. in English Literature and a Ph.D. in English Language Teaching.

The novel echoes the corrupting nature of power through the themes and symbols. It is a satire on totalitarianism and dictatorship.

Animal Farm Themes

Totalitarianism.

Orwell’s use of Totalitarianism as the theme demonstrates, without education and true empowerment of the lower classes, any revolution led would only be led into oppression and tyranny. Initially, the results of the revolution look promising, as the animals get the direct benefit of their labor. Soon, the pigs adopt human ways and make business deals with farmers that benefit them alone. But, only negative changes happen in the life of the other animals. Still, they continue to work as their leader Napoleon bid them. In the end, the revolutionary leaders become as corrupt and incompetent as the government they overthrew.

Power of Language

Language has the power to engage and disengage. In Animal form, Orwell excellently depicts the power of language through the pigs, only animals with a strong command of language. In the beginning, singing “Beasts of England,” taught by the Old Major, infuses the emotional response.

Also, Snowball compiles the philosophy of Animalism and with his eloquent speech persuades his fellow animals on the farm to follow it. Similarly, Squealer with his adept skill of oration controls the animals on the farm. At the same time, the animals’ adoption of slogans like “Napoleon is always right” or “Four legs good, two legs bad” underlines their lack of understanding and easy to be manipulated nature.

Class structures

From time immemorial class division seems to be a major issue of human society. George Orwell comments on the same through the class division in ‘ Animal Farm ‘ before and after the revolution. He ironically presents the human tendency to have class structures even though they speak of total equality. When the story begins, class division is evident with the human beings being on top of every animal as the rulers of Manor Farm.

During the revolution, they vow not to treat any animal inferior. Soon it all changes, when the pigs, so-called “brain workers”, assume the role of leader and superiors start to control other animals. Evidently, Orwell points out the threat the class division imposes on society when they aim to have democracy and freedom.

Power leading to corruption

“Power leading to corruption” is another major theme Orwell explores in ‘ Animal Farm ’. Many of the characters, predominantly the pigs after the humans demonstrate the theme in the novel. Initially, humans exploit their power over animals. Later following the revolt, the pigs start to fill in the gap created by the eviction of man. They manipulate their position of leadership to exploit other animals. Though Napoleon is presented as the villain of the novel, neither Snowball nor the Old Major is immune to corruption.

As brain workers, the pigs, including Snowball, take advantage of the animal and keeps milk and apple away for them. Even Old Major, who brings forth the idea “all animals are equal,” lecturing from a raised platform, symbolically presents an idea of him being above the other animals on the farm. Altogether, it is made clear that the desire for power, evidently corrupt people.

The Failure of Intellect

Orwell presents a sceptical view on intellect that doesn’t produce anything of importance. In the novel, the pigs, identified as the most intelligent animals, use their intelligence only to exploit other animals than making their life better. Similarly, Benjamin, who is good, acts indifferent towards using the knowledge and speaks philosophically of moral values. Also, the dogs, equally intelligent like the pigs, don’t use their knowledge except to read “the Seven Commandments”. Thus, intelligence is often being unused or ill-used.

The Exploitation of Working Class

‘ Animal Farm ‘ more than being an allegory of the ways humans exploit and oppress one another, throws light upon how they exploit and oppress animals. In the first chapter, through Old Major’s speech, we get a detailed picture of how humans exploit the animals and rob them of their productions.

Also, in the second chapter, when the animals break open the harness-room at the end of the stables, they see “the bits, the nose-rings, the dog-chains, the cruel knives” with which Mr Jones extracted cruelty on the animals. Much like this, during the conversation between Mr Pilkington and Napoleon in chapter 10, he loosely comments “If you have your lower animals to contend with […] we have our lower classes!” Ultimately, it gives a perspective that, in the views of the ruling class, animals and workers are the same.

Analysis of Key Moments in Animal Farm

Old Major shares his dream of a life without humans. He also teaches the animals “Beasts of England” a song that inspires them.
Few months after the Old Major’s death, the revolt breaks out when Mr Jones forgets to feed the animals and a fed-up cow pushes her way into the store-shed to look for food. The animals rejoice in their victory. They change the name of the farm to ‘Animal Farm’ and decide on seven commandments to live by.
The animals are happy and they work well together more efficiently than Mr Jones ever did. Boxer, the horse, puts in a huge effort, with the motto ‘I will work harder!’.
The Battle of the Cowshed establishes Snowball as a hero. He also sets up ‘committees’ focused on education, reading and writing.
Napoleon, however, thinks educating the old animals is a waste of time. He focuses on the youngsters and removes the puppies of Jessie and Bluebell, to educate himself which foreshadows his guile nature.
At one point, Napoleon drives Snowball out of the Farm with the help of the puppies, who are now grown-up dogs. But, Squealer convinces the other animals that Snowball was a traitor.
Napoleon announces himself to be the leader. And, he keeps making changes in the seven commandments. Finally, they have only one commandment that says, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
Later, he announces that the farm will be trading with neighboring farms. This comes as a shock to the animals as it goes against their commandments of Animalism.
In the final image, the animals in the Farms are confused and bewildered when they realize that they cannot tell the difference between man and pig. Both have been sublimated into each other.

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language

The style and language of ‘ Animal Farm ‘ are simple as it involves Animal characters. The dialogues are delivered in short sentences, including the conclusion of the novel: “It was a pig walking on his hind legs […] He carried a whip in his trotter” (Chapter 10). Further, Orwell has written the sentences in the passive voice, emphasizing the characters (animals) lack of control over the incidents that are happening.

To speak about the tone, it is playful and lighthearted in the beginning. It opens like any other fable where the animals could speak. Also, a tint of excitement could felt, as the animals win over their human suppressers and have hope for a beautiful future of their own. Soon, the tone turns bitter and monotonous in accordance with the story unfolds.

Two of the dominant figurative language use in ‘ Animal Farm ‘ is “onomatopoeia” and “Allusion”. Orwell employs animal sounds and movements to describe the actions. For example, while “stirring” and “fluttering” speaks of their movement, “cheeping feebly” and “grunting” explains their way of communications.

‘ Animal Farm ,’ being an allegorical novel, alludes to Russian Revolution, through its settings and characters. The character of the Old Major, Snowball, and Napoleon, alludes respectively to Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Stalin. Also, the events following the revolution: Battle of the Cowshed, Snowball being chased off the Farm, and the slaughter of the hens allude to Trotsky’s exile and the Moscow trials of 1936-38. Though, the character of Napoleon is an allusion to Joseph Stalin, Russia’s totalitarian dictator, his name attributes to Napoleon Bonaparte, the French world conqueror.

Analysis of Symbols

‘ Animal Farm ’ uses symbols prevalently as it is more than a story of animals. From the Farm to the animals represent the People and events of the Russian Revolution. Unlike a narrative fiction in which the author decides on which events or characters to highlight, here he carefully standardized his plot to evoke the desired response from the readers. are not driven by the plot as in. Instead, his choices are carefully calibrated to evoke a desired response from the reader.

“Whiskey” symbolizes corruption in the novel. The changing perspective of the pigs over, consuming Whiskey delineates how steadily they fall prey to corruption. In the beginning, when Animalism is founded, one of the commandments read: ‛No animal shall drink alcohol.’ For the animals suffered in the hands of humans. But, when Napoleon and the other pigs come to enjoy whiskey, they change the commandment ‛No animal shall drink alcohol to excess’. Finally, when Napoleon uses the money received by selling Boxer, embodies his corrupted nature similar to that of human beings.

The Windmill

The windmill in the novel represents the attempt to modernize Russia. Initially, when Snowball proposes the idea of a Windmill, Napoleon protests against it. Later, he claims it as his own idea. Also, the product coming out inferior in quality refers to the general ineptitude of Stalin’s regime.

Boxer’s character in the novel symbolizes the Russian working class. With his strength, he does most of the work on the farm. Similarly, the working-class people of the Soviet Revolution were exploited for their energy. Like Boxer and the other animals betrayed by the pigs, the people were betrayed by the intellectuals. On the whole, communism was not as beneficial for the working class as it was originally intended to be.

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About Mizpah Albert

Mizpah Albert is an experienced educator and literature analyst. Building on years of teaching experience in India, she has contributed to the literary world with published analysis articles and evocative poems.

About the Book

George Orwell

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Illustration of the silhouette of a man with an arm outstretched inside of the silhousette of a pig

Animal Farm

by George Orwell

Discussion Topic

The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell

The main theme in Animal Farm is the corruption of socialist ideals and the rise of totalitarianism, reflecting George Orwell's criticism of the Soviet regime. Orwell connects this theme to his own disillusionment with the outcomes of the Russian Revolution, emphasizing how power can corrupt and lead to oppressive governance, despite initial promises of equality and justice.

themes: Corruption

Authorship: George Orwell

themes: Totalitarianism

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What is the main theme in Animal Farm by George Orwell?

The main theme in Animal Farm is corruption. This theme is explored in various ways: in the corruption of ideals when when one attempts to put them into practice; in the way personal corruption becomes political; in the rise of the most corrupt individuals to the positions of greatest power; and in the way power corrupts them further when they get there.

The most important and overarching instance of corruption appears in the way Old Major 's vision of Animalism becomes something at least as bad as Mr. Jones's regime over the course of the book. The points made by Old Major are perfectly reasonable. The farmer does live parasitically on the work and suffering of the animals and on the eventual deaths of most of them. However, even as he exploits them, he protects them from being exploited by each other.

Orwell shows how the personal corruption of the pigs leads them to step into the power vacuum left by Jones and quickly adapt the circumstances to create existences of power and luxury for themselves. This begins even before the expulsion of Snowball when the pigs steal the apples and the milk. Snowball is not free from corruption, and there are clear indications that he would have been far from perfect as a leader. However, Napoleon ousts him, not because he is more intelligent, but because he is more ruthless and unprincipled—in other words, more corrupt.

Cite this page as follows:

Cavendish-Jones, Colin. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 14 June 2020, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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The main theme of George Orwell ’s Animal Farm is the usurpation of political power by ruthless leaders. The twentieth century saw multiple legitimate revolutionary movements fall victim to conflicts among the revolution’s leaders, with the most cunning and ruthless leaders often emerging on top. Animal Farm depicts one such revolution, using allegory to depict Joseph Stalin's rise to power after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Replacing real historical figures with animal counterparts, Orwell shows how easily corrupt leaders can exploit revolutionary sentiment to seize power.

The book begins with Old Major , a venerable but aging boar, introducing his fellow farm animals to the theory of Animalism, thus providing a philosophical basis for revolting against their cruel human owner. After successfully wresting control of the farm from Mr. Jones, the animals aim to create a utopian society where all animals are equal and free from the tyrannical oppression of their human masters. Things begin to fall apart, however, as the pigs, led by the cunning and ruthless Napoleon (representing Joseph Stalin), slowly take control on the farm. After a brief power struggle, Napoleon maneuvers his way to the top and chases away his idealistic political rival Snowball (representing Leon Trotsky). Under Napoleon’s repressive rule, the pigs proceed to selfishly exploit the other animals and violate the core principles of Animalism. In the end, the animals' collective dreams of a better life are crushed, and they are left no better off under the pigs than they were under Mr. Jones. This, then, is Orwell’s main theme: the subversion of legitimate revolutionary movements by autocratic and manipulative leaders.

Another major theme in Animal Farm is the power of language to manipulate the masses. The pigs— Squealer in particular—cleverly use language and propaganda to distort the truth and obscure their self-serving actions. The core principles of Animalism, including the commandment that “all animals are equal,” are all eventually subverted by the pigs for their own benefit. The following passage demonstrates Squealer ’s use of rhetoric to legitimize Napoleon’s autocratic methods:

“Comrades," he said, "I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?”

The pigs’ manipulations continue until, at the end of the novel, the original commandments painted on the barn have been replaced by the edict that “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.” This meaningless doublespeak, which is intended to confuse the animals and obscure the otherwise obvious hierarchy on the farm, demonstrates how language can be successfully used as a tool of oppression.

Another related theme is the control of information and exploitation of ignorance. As the pigs consolidate power, they are increasingly able to control what the other animals see, hear, and read. This allows the pigs to more easily manipulate the other animals, who are uneducated and generally unwilling or incapable of researching issues for themselves and arriving at informed conclusions. The ignorance of the animals on the farm ultimately proves to be their greatest weakness, leaving them unable to challenge the pigs’ leadership until it is too late.

Fischer, Walter. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 5 Mar. 2021, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

Educator since 2010

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I currently teach English in grades 9-12 and am in my 10th year of teaching at my current school.

I would go along with others to suggest that one of the main themes is that absolute power corrupts absolutely, which we see once the pigs become identical to the humans at the end of the book.

But an important thing to remember is that Orwell was very purposely focusing on the individuals involved in the rise to power of the communist government in the USSR and the various contentions and problems within that government. The book is not just about power but about how the various people interacted and his view of, for example, Trotsky being driven out because he was in fact too concerned with helping the average person.

Reichel, Niko. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 1 Aug. 2010, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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I currently teach middle school history and have taught at various K–12 levels over the last 13 years.

I like the idea of "meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Orwell was really ahead of his time in understanding how the government of nations such as the Soviet Union were not really transformative in how their government functioned. They were just better at packaging it and selling it as something distinctively different. Orwell's depiction of Napoleon and his drive for power, the practices of consolidating it in order to ensure that there is no threat, and the reduction of individuals to atomized part whose submission will either be received or simply be discarded is reflective of the theme of power corruption, as suggested in the previous post. At the same time, I think that another theme here is that in order to avoid this, there has to be courageous individuals, and quite a few of them, to make sure that government is responsive to the needs of its people. The lack of a courageous figure and quite a few of them is something that allows Napoleon to get away with what he does. The enotes analysis of the themes in the book would also be helpful to you.

Kannan, Ashley. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 1 Aug. 2010, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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I grew up in Micronesia and went to high school in Hawaii.

There are a number of themes that you can identify in this book. You should follow the link to read what eNotes has to say about the themes.

To me, the major theme is that power corrupts people. I think that Orwell is trying to tell us that even people who start out very idealistic can become corrupted. You can see this in how the pigs start out with Old Major's vision but are exactly like the people (oppressive) by the end of the book.

I would say that another theme is that people who are idealistic end up getting exploited and then oppressed by those who are power-hungry. I think you can see this especially in the character of Boxer . He is very idealistic but ends up getting worked to death by the new regime (which then essentially sells his body).

Schimmel, Isabell. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 1 Aug. 2010, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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I am currently an adjunct professor at Community College of Beaver County, which is located just outside of Pittsburgh, where I teach introductory early childhood education classes several evenings a week.

Some of the prominent themes that Orwell explores in the novella Animal Farm are the dangers of consolidating government power, the manipulation of language and meaning, and the corrupting influence of power. Orwell's novella can be perceived as a critique of communism and a warning against consolidating government power. In a communist system of government, the authority and power of the nation are consolidated at the top, which can easily become corrupted and used to oppress the populace. Orwell also explores the way that authoritarian regimes mislead and control the citizens by manipulating language and utilizing various forms of propaganda. The most obvious examples of propaganda are illustrated by Napoleon's expertise in manipulating language, his using Snowball as a scapegoat, and his revising the Seven Commandments. Napoleon's tyranny also portrays how power can corrupt an individual. As soon as Napoleon usurps power, he begins to act like a ruthless tyrant, executing political dissidents and oppressing the population while he enjoys exclusive privileges and lives in luxury.

Southern, Curt. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 26 Dec. 2018, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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I have a PhD in Classical Literature and Languages.

Orwell's Animal Farm starts with a set of ideals that are set forth one night by a boar named Major. Unfortunately, Major dies three nights later.

Major's ideals, however, are picked up by the animals to which he had explained them and used as the springboard for a revolution in which the animals overthrow their human masters.

Unfortunately, as Orwell's novel progresses, we see that the pigs, who had been masterminds of the revolution, become corrupt and argue with one another. By the end of the novel, the pigs become allies of the humans whom Major had declared as enemies of the animals at the novel's outset.

Thus, Orwell seems to be predicting that over time the original ideals of a movement will become corrupted and forgotten. Thus, in the final lines of the novel, Orwell writes:

The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

THORBURN, JOHN. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 10 Jan. 2012, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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Animal Farm by George Orwell was written as a fictionalized repudiation of communism. Orwell was strongly opposed to all types of totalitarian systems, and though his sympathy with the working classes initially made him support Trotskyite ideals, his firsthand experiences in Spain and his understanding of how the communist revolution in the Soviet Union had evolved from idealism into authoritarianism made him increasingly skeptical of all totalitarian political systems, whether those of Hitler or Stalin.

The main thesis of Animal Farm is that absolute power corrupts and that even the most idealistic revolutions can be subverted by self-serving authorities. While the animal revolution is triggered by genuine abuses -- animals are used as food by humans -- the result of the revolution is not a utopia but instead a system even worse than the rule of the human farmer, with what once was a legitimate cause being transformed into propaganda covering up the self-interest of a new ruling class.

Wofford, Lynnette. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 25 Mar. 2016, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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Reynolds has taught for more than ten years at the university level.

What is the main point of Animal Farm?

The main point of Animal Farm, a withering commentary on totalitarianism, is that dreams of a better society can easily go wrong if people don't first take a stand against despotism and, second, pay attention to the abuse of language. Power corrupts and must be contained and controlled so that no one group can amass too much of it.

The tragedy of Animal Farm is that the pigs, especially the unscrupulous Napoleon, gain too much power and end up using it despotically, replicating the behavior of the humans they displaced. This is tragic because it could have been prevented. If an animal like Boxer had taken a stand against Napoleon when it was still possible, he would have rallied other animals to him and could have curbed the tyrant's excesses. Instead, he exhibits blind loyalty. He abdicates his responsibility to question Napoleon's outrageous actions and speak truth to power. This is a huge mistake. All the little abuses must be addressed immediately or big abuses will follow.

Second, and very importantly, the animals fail to pay attention to language and to how the pigs are cleverly twisting it to support their own agenda. Orwell is showing that ordinary people have to use their heads and analyze what the people in power are saying to them. Slogans and propaganda may sound and feel good, but they are usually used for evil purposes.

Orwell's point is that democracy and equality are not givens: people have to exert themselves to protect these freedoms

Reynolds, D.. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 4 Dec. 2020, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

George Orwell's main point in Animal Farm is to show how the best of intentions and ideas can, and generally do, become corrupted in practice. Orwell was himself a socialist, and he clearly has genuine sympathy for the thoughts expressed by Old Major at the beginning of the book. Old Major is is right that the animals are exploited and that they would be better off if they could organize themselves into a cooperative society where they worked for the common good rather than serving a master who simply takes the products of their labor, leaving them with just enough to sustain life.

Orwell once described England as a family with the wrong members in control. This description applies, to some extent, to any society. The people (or, in this case, animals) who seek power are not those most inclined to use it for the common good. Snowball is not a perfect leader and might well have become corrupt over time, but he is highly intelligent and offers hope for the future. He is defeated by Napoleon simply because Napoleon is more ruthless and violent. Any type of person may inherit a kingdom, but it is generally unscrupulous, power-hungry men who manage to seize one. Such men have little interest in implementing someone else's idealistic program of reform, which means that revolutions undertaken in the name of the people, or animals, are generally betrayed by their leaders.

Cavendish-Jones, Colin. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 3 Dec. 2020, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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I would argue that the point of George Orwell's Animal Farm relates to the dangers of any despot, whether or not this autocratic leader has sociocultural similarities to you.

At the beginning, the animals of Animal Farm exist under the tyranny of Mr. Jones, and their life is miserable. By the end, they are under the tyranny of Napoleon and the other pigs, who have learned to walk on two legs and be as similar as possible to humans. In their long term, the animals' happiness and satisfaction with their lives have not improved. They are simply under the jurisdiction of a new leader—one who played on their emotions to obtain this power.

At its heart, Animal Farm is a criticism of the type of communism implemented in the Soviet Union. Just like the communist leaders, the pigs started out talking about equal rights and how everyone should have a say in how things are run. It turns out, both in Russia and on Manor Farm, that the new leaders are no better than the old. Both are committed to their own motivations, and neither actually cares about those living under their rule.

In a nutshell, the point of Animal Farm relates to the necessity of a just political system. It is an allegory showing the perils of the communist movement and of totalitarianism.

Müller, Steph. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 2 Dec. 2020, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

2,301 answers

I have a first-class honours degree in history and have published four books, with a fifth due out in 2017.

At its heart, Animal Farm is a warning against the dangers of totalitarianism. Specifically, Orwell argues that after a revolution, the people should not allow power to be concentrated into the hands of a single individual or small group of individuals because if this happens, that power will corrupt the leaders and turn them into self-interested tyrants.

Orwell supports this argument through the characters of the pigs, particularly Napoleon, who become increasingly greedy and self-interested as the story progresses. Moreover, they corrupt the ideas of Animalism, the foundation for their new society, and, by the end of the novel, have become just as tyrannical as the humans they overthrew. More importantly, by the time the other animals realize what has happened, it is too late. They are trapped in a dictatorship, unable to change their situation.

In terms of allusions, this argument also applies to the political situation in the Soviet Union. Through his allusions to Soviet leaders, particularly Stalin, Orwell shows that this exact thing happened: Stalin corrupted the principles of communism and turned it into totalitarianism.

Mccord, Thomas. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 27 Mar. 2018, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

The main point of Animal Farm , by George Orwell, is to criticize communism, or at least the way that communism was implemented in the Soviet Union.

The book shows how the communist movement starts with talk about helping the people and about letting everyone have a voice in their own lives. But then it quickly evolves to the point where the communist leaders (Napoleon the pig, etc.) are no better than the people they replaced. They put themselves above the common people and they run things tyrannically, driving out those they disagree with (Snowball because of the windmill).

Schimmel, Isabell. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 4 Nov. 2009, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

4,780 answers

The main point of Animal Farm is about the nature of power. At first, the revolution had noble intentions. The communist ideals, seen in the seven commandments, sound great in theory. However, in time the leaders on the farm are not able to follow those ideals with any consistency. As the story progresses, they follow the ideals less and less. Towards the end, they completely betray any ideals. This is precisely why at the end of the book, Orwell has the pigs turn into men.

Clover cannot see who is man or pig, or pig and man. Here are the words of Orwell:

No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

From this quote it seems clear that the main theme is about how power corrupts. To ground Animal Farm in history, we can say that even though Orwell believed in communist ideals, he believes that the Soviet Union, under Stalin, implemented these ideals in a perverse and wicked form.

Lee, Inuk. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 7 Nov. 2015, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

15,884 answers

I am a middle and high school English teacher, as well as an instructor in a Master of Education program at a major university.

Orwell wrote Animal Farm in order to describe the process of corruption in revolution, specially the Russian Revolution.

Orwell’s books expose the dark side of the human condition. He wrote Animal Farm because he wanted to create an allegory, or fable , of the Russian Revolution. He based all of the characters and the events on what actually happened. Therefore, he strongly was convinced that the Russian Revolution was a force of corruption, because that is what he presents of the revolution in Animal Farm.

Using allegory … Orwell made his political statement in a twentieth-century fable that could be read as an entertaining story about animals or, on a deeper level, a savage attack on the misuse of political power. (enotes introduction)

Although Orwell wanted people to realize the abuses that came with the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union, he also wanted to get people thinking about the nature of revolution in general. Animal Farm ’s ending describes how he felt about revolution.

The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. (ch 10)

The pigs promised a better life for the animals, but they abused them and used them just as much as the humans did. In the end, they cannot tell the difference between the humans and the animals. The animals are so corrupt they have basically become human.

Another famous line captures the key to the book and Orwell's beliefs.

There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. It ran: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS (ch 10)

With this comandment the pigs are able to take over the farm. Orwell wanted people to realize that the Soviets were doing the same thing.

Orwell intentionally wrote his book in simple, easy-to-translate language.

"I thought of exposing the Soviet myth in a story that could be easily understood by almost anyone and which could be easily translated into other languages." (enotes historical background)

Orwell wanted to be sure that no one bought the lies. He was not convinced that the Soviets were telling the truth, and he told the story in such a way that it was obvious who was Stalin, Trotsky, and Hitler. He was writing because he was fed up.

Tracy, Trinity. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 28 Jan. 2013, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

891 answers

I completed M.A.

Orwell is trying to make the point that the vision of an idealistic society cannot translate into reality, that political and social revolutions seldom, if ever, manage to hold to their original purity of purpose. The original aim of Animal Farm, after the euphoria of the victory against the common enemy, Man, is for all the animals to work together for the common good, to create a community where there is true freedom and equality for all, and where the strong protect the weak. However, this soon degenerates into disagreements and power struggles and leads to oppressive rule by a tiny minority. In fact, the majority of the animals find that they have simply exchanged one oppressive government (the humans) for another (the pigs). Most ironically, the pigs actually end up joining forces with humans once again. Orwell based this fable on events in Russia in the first half of the twentieth century, where an idealistic communist revolution led first to brutal civil war and then eventually, a grim totalitarian state under Josef Stalin. However Orwell's point about the nature of revolutions and the corrupting effects of power can be applied universally.

Effertz, Brayan. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 28 Jan. 2013, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

I think that one of the most essential points that Orwell is trying to make is that citizens cannot afford to blindly follow and trust their political leadership in the modern setting. While Orwell features a great deal of venom and vitriol for Napoleon and the leadership of the pigs, Orwell is also fairly critical of the other animals for blindly trusting the pigs. Orwell believes that the citizenry that mirrors Boxer's faith in leadership is asking for trouble.

One of the single and most important points that Orwell makes is that when there is blind leadership in political authority, the grounds for abuse and tyranny are laid. Citizens have to voice dissent and criticize their authority figures at every possible instant. The ability for citizens to become politically engaged is vitally important for Orwell. Granted, when animals in the novel do speak out, they are killed by Napoleon. Yet, this would only underscore the importance of citizens learning to get turned on to politics before politics turns on them. In the end, Orwell's demand for citizens to become politically aware of their leadership is one of the most critical and important points that comes out of the novel. This is a reality that Orwell views as needed in both Communist Russia as well as "the West."

Kannan, Ashley. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 30 Mar. 2013, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

Old Major's main idea is to make the animals aware of a transformative vision of reality. His primary purpose was to suggest to the animals that they can be the agents of their own state of being on the farm. The vision Old Major proposes is one that calls for the overthrow of the humans that own the control of the farm. In his vision, Old Major seeks to inspire the animals to no longer be relegated to the periphery of decision making, but actually move to the center. In teaching the animals the song, "Beasts of England, Old Major reaffirms to the animals that they can collectivize to cause change. This is something that his "disciples" like Snowball and Napoleon take to heart in the acting upon the call for revolution. Old Major's main idea is one that serves as the catalyst for the events that follow and the advancement of the plot of the novel.

Kannan, Ashley. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 2 Feb. 2011, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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To me, the central point of this book relates to deception. It is a commentary on a well-intentioned, ferverntly believed revolution which fails to achieve its ultimate aim because 1) political animals mixed with apolitical animals in a political setting led to an imbalance of power and 2) the imbalance of power was instituted and made possible by an ability to deceive on the part of the politically savvy animals.

As Gandhi said, when words lose their meaning, we lose our freedom. The leaders in Animal Farm were able to steal the freedom of the labor force by robbing the language of the commandments of their meaning.

At least, that's one way to look at it.

Bergman, Bruce. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 16 Apr. 2012, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

Tracy, Trinity. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 27 Oct. 2011, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

225 answers

I have been happily married since 2007 to the most amazing man in the world.

I'm not sure this is the "single most important" point Orwell was trying to make, but I think a major one is the importance of educating the masses especially in the wake of a revolution. Because of this lack of education, the animals were blissfully ignorant of all the things the pigs did to manipulate them. The conditions on the farm did not improve because there was not enough intelligent animals to check the pigs on any of their wrong doings. Napoleon even took great strides to ensure that education wasn't available to all animals, as he set up special courses for certain animals but deprived the majority. This was well calculated, and there is no coincidence that he was against Snowball and all his committees that attempted to provide the masses with education and skills that would make them independent and no longer reliant on the pig's oppressive leadership.

Marca, Hilah. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 28 Aug. 2011, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

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I have taught English and French at the college level. I take great delight in reading and writing about literature.

Published in 1945, Animal Farm, whose major plot events parallel occurrences in the Russia and what was to become the Soviet Union, served as a criticism of the rule of Joseph Stalin. Napoleon's altering of the Seven Commandments resembles the dictates of the Communist Manifesto.

The Communist Manifesto (1848) stated that the result would be ‘an association in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all’.

"The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 6 July 2011, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

I agree with everything said in the first two posts. I also think that Orwell is trying to tell us that there is no such thing as a utopia on Earth. I think that he is telling us that even beautiful visions of a perfect world will be corrupted by human beings and human nature. This fits in with what the other two posts are saying because what makes us unable to have utopia is what they mention. It is the fact that people don't really hold their rulers accountable and it is the fact that rulers become power hungry.

Schimmel, Isabell. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 26 Apr. 2011, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

309 answers

I am a passionate learner, and have a constant need to create. I teach all the "touchy-feely" classes in high school (English, Theatre, Speech, Journalism) and love it!

I think Orwell wanted us to realize that the old saying, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" rings true no matter what type of government has control.

Animal farm is a thinly disgused re-telling of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. Much like the Russians under the thumb of Czar Nicholas, the animals were being mistreated by the selfish, cruel Farmer Jones. So, the animals rose up (like the Bolsheviks) to depose the dictator and rule themselves.

At the beginning of animal rule, under the idealistic ideas of Old Major (Karl Marx) it seemed that everyone sharing everything was a wise and fair way to construct a society (like the communism that took over in Russia after the Czar). However, very soon a couple of the animals (Napoleon and Snowball) like Trotsky and Stalin wanted control so they fought for power.

Eventually, Napoleon won and became the new leader of the animals. It looked like he was giving the animals control over their lives, and making everyone share with everyone but that was just propaganda.

The power of Napoleon's position was heady for him. The more he got, the more he wanted. When he couldn't get it fairly, he stole, cheated and lied to get it. He became so corrupt, that at the end of the book...no one could tell him apart from the humans that he had rebelled against. His power ruined him.

That, I think, is what Orwell wants us to know. We must learn from history and watch those in power...because it is all too human for those good people we put in power to become corrupt because they cannot handle the lure of absolute power.

Michaelson, Anna. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 22 Apr. 2011, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

There are many specific points that Orwell was making in Animal Farm. In my mind, the most pressing was how individuals have to exercise a level of scrutiny regarding their government. The animals' lack of an effective voice of dissent at the earliest of stages is what causes the farm to be run in the manner it is and becomes the reason why Napoleon is able to consolidate his power over the farm in such a manner. I think that Orwell wants people to understand how political power is constructed and advocate that the peoples' need to speak out and to exercise a voice of dissent is the one element that can serve to limit or ensure that a government is responsive to the needs of its citizens. The animals on the farm believe the government with so much ease that it makes it easy for the pigs to strengthen their control on the farm. From Boxer's need to "work harder," to Mollie's self- interest, to Benjamin's cynicism, to Moses' religious diversions, to Clover's willignness to believe, to the mimicry of the sheep, Orwell contributes a narrative that suggests if individuals remain silent or refuse to question the authority structure that governs them, bad things cannot be far from behind.

Kannan, Ashley. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 17 Apr. 2011, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

396 answers

What is George Orwell's connection to the theme in Animal Farm?

Animal Farm is a brilliant satire of the Stalinist era of the USSR. Author George Orwell had a personal connection to this theme. Orwell (whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair) considered himself a democratic socialist, but he did not believe that Stalinist Russia was truly concerned with promoting democratic socialism. Rather, he believed that the Soviet Union was little more than a dictatorship based on Stalin's personality cult. He wanted to demonstrate--through an animal fable--that the Soviet Union was not truly Marxist.

Moreover, he wanted to show that Joseph Stalin was not a man socialists should idolize or emulate. This was especially important to Orwell, because many people in Great Britain (Orwell's nation of residence) were fond of Stalin and because Great Britain was allied with the Soviets during the early part of World War II.

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Walker, Garrett. "The main theme in Animal Farm and its connection to George Orwell" edited by eNotes Editorial, 15 Feb. 2016, https://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/questions/the-main-theme-in-animal-farm-and-its-connection-3126480.

Corruption In Animal Farm Essay

In Animal Farm, factors such as ignorance, manipulation, and power-hoarding behavior are big factors in the corruption of the farm. The sheep are ignorant, pigs are power-hoarders, and Squealer is manipulative, which all contribute to corruption and rebellion in various ways across the farm. While it’s true that both ignorance and power-hoarding led to corruption on the farm, manipulation was most influential within the corruption of Animal Farm because of its manipulation tactics. To begin with, ignorance: a factor of corruption is shown in various ways through the sheep. The sheep are an example of ignorance as they illiterately listen to the pigs and what they have to say without even realizing their word is wrong. While the sheep are …show more content…

The pigs are quick to take control once Mr. Jones is out of the picture, and this puts them at a feeling of superiority over the other animals. The text 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” (Orwell 27). The pigs are power hungry in this sense, and believe that they are the “brains” of the farms and should be leaders simply just because they can read and write. This causes corruption amongst Animal Farm because the pigs are power-hoarding so much that they aren’t even working; this is putting the other animals in a place to have to work harder, while the pigs simply take control over the …show more content…

Squealer takes advantage of the animals, and convinces them that the pigs need the milk and the apples more than the other animals. The text states, “Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been provided by Science, comrades) contains substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig” (Orwell 36). Squealer uses these tactics to gain a greater supply of milk and apples for him and the other pigs, while using reasons of science to pull the other animals into what he was saying. This is a corruption starter for Animal Farm because the animals are taken advantage of when Squealer convinces the animals the farm would go back to its old ways if they didn’t give up their supply of milk and apples. This is the most influential corruption contributor, as Squealer is manipulating the pigs, only to selfishly gain for himself and the other

What Is The Difference Between The Lost Letters Of Frederick Douglass And Animal Farm

To begin, in the stories of “Animal Farm” the book concludes on how the animals of Manor Farm turn into the owner of them by dictating each other, stealing ideas from one another, changing rules, overworking each other, and being just overall a communist farm. The author’s perspective and tone regarding intelligence explains how the pigs and Napoleon used their intelligence to trick and persuade the animals to their way of living. In the book “Animal Farm”, “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” (Orwell 12). The pigs dictate the animals and use them as slaves because they were not intelligent.

Animal Farm Socratic Seminar

From this, the pigs would probably not be able to spread their propaganda and deception resulting in them not having power. Sadly, in the story, this is not the case. Instead, the animals were so uneducated that they could not understand specific things very well. There are a few exceptions but for the most part “None of the other animals on the farm could get further than the letter A” (Orwell 50) resulting in the pigs having an extreme advantage in power due to their education. In our world, if everyone was highly educated then governments would have a hard time controlling and taking advantage of their people.

Examples Of Abuse Of Power In Animal Farm

In addition, “All the sheep bursts out into a tremendous bleating of- FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BETTER! FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BETTER! FOUR LEGS GOOD TWO LEGS BETTER!” (Orwell 134).

The Failure Of Power In George Orwell's Animal Farm

A necessity to ensure an ideal and functional community, as demonstrated in George Orwell 's 1945 novel Animal Farm, is the ability to detect and prevent corrupt conduct, read, and the will to challenge authority, which the animals do not possess, therefore putting them at major fault. One of the main factors that leads to the downfall of the farm and Animalism itself is the blatant stupidity that the animals, excluding the pigs, possess. They are overly dense to the point where the concept of corruption is near unfathomable, and thus cannot detect it or act upon their suspicions. Their willingness to believe Squealer 's persuasive speeches whenever doubt arises indicate that the animals are unable to think for themselves. “The other animals understood how to vote, but could never think of any resolutions of their own” (Orwell 19).

Ignorance In George Orwell's Animal Farm

In “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, there are many ways that manipulation, power-hoarding, and ignorance relate to the corruption of Animal Farm. The pigs take complete control of the farm and spread corruption and disarray throughout the animals. The pigs have more intelligence than the rest of the animals, so they can take advantage of them, change commandments, and lie straight to their faces. The other animal's ignorance has the most significant impact on Animal Farm because of these reasons.

Lies And Deceit In Animal Farm

Animal Farm- Lies and Deceit The book Animal Farm by George Orwell portrays the theme of how someone can lie and deceive others to get what they want just like how the two pigs Napoleon and Squealer used lies and deceit to gain power over Animal Farm. Napoleon lied to other animals, Squealer lied to other animals and they both deceived the other animals, but the sad part is that neither of them lied for the better of the other animals. They both lied to get what they want- power over the animals and the farm.

Power Tends To Corrupt In Animal Farm

In addition, Squealer often threatens the animals that Mr. Jones will return if they did not follow as instructed by Napoleon to manipulate the farm animals. For instance, pigs decided that the milk and windfall as well as the main crops of apples should be reserved for the pigs alone. Ostensibly, pigs need to be in healthy state as they claimed to be the Einstein of the welfare of the farm. Here also, Squealer threatens the animals that Jones would return if they oppose the idea. Therefore, the animals agreed with

Power Corrupt In Animal Farm

Power. It is the world’s most dangerous asset anyone can hold on to. It can be used for prosperity or for a complete destruction depending on the person. As the famous Lord Acton 's quote says, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Animal Farm stands for the best example that can display this matter in a clearer and funnier version.

Power Corrupts In Animal Farm, By George Orwell

Napoleon also uses manipulation to gain and maintain a firm control by changing the Commandments for the farm in ways that work to his benefit. Squealer, Napoleon’s propaganda department, Keeps the farm animals believing in Napoleon by describing what they hear and see to make it seem harmless. Using effective tactics of fear, convincing propaganda, and manipulation, Napoleon gains and maintains control of Animal Farm. “Animal Farm” has corruption and equality in a way the animals try to succeed and achieve a goal to make the farm better. Power corrupts in “Animal Farm” because the pigs have a goal which is working together and helping one another.

Corruption Of Power In George Orwell's Animal Farm

The corruption of power in Animal Farm has gone badly. The entire pigs act like a monarch over other animals. They often corrupt in some many ways especially Napoleon and Mr. Jones that they all have different leadership except all of them are dictators. One of the things that make Farmer Jones bad is that they don’t feed the animals properly.

Examples Of Greed In Animal Farm By George Orwell

the milk and the windfall apples (and also the main crop of apples when they ripened) should be reserved for the pigs alone” (Orwell 36). Essentially, the pigs had deceived the other animals because they had wanted the apples and milk all to themselves, even though the other animals worked harder than the pigs did.

Abuse Of Power In Animal Farm

“Animal Farm” includes not only corrupt leaders but also a vast majority of oblivious followers. An epitome (prime example?) of a blind follower is Boxer, a beloved horse on the farm. To preface, Boxer was not the most astute animal on the farm as he “could not get beyond the letter D”, and could only remember 4 letters at a time. (33) With this, he was much more susceptible to falling for lies and believing everything the pigs said. Since he was such a passionate supporter of their leader, Napoleon, Boxer followed with unwavering optimism and trust.

Animal Farm Corruption Essay

In today’s society people put their trust in the government and their laws. The leaders are trusted to make the best choices for the people, and laws are looked at as rules to be followed, but when the government is corrupt and laws are manipulated the people suffer. Animal Farm by George Orwell is about animals that dream of freedom and a better future but end up with a worse leader than before and a corrupt life. While it is true that ignorance and manipulation, led to the farm’s corruption, power hoarding was most influential in the corruption of animal farm. One factor that led to the corruption of animal farm was ignorance.

Literary Analysis Essay On Animal Farm By George Orwell

The pigs constantly lie to the animals and manipulate things so that it is as if they

Rebellion In George Orwell's Animal Farm

Mr. Jones notices them when they break into the area where the food is stored and whips them in order to counterattack but looses against animals attack and runs away from the farm. Rebellion happens in a few minutes and pigs takes the authority without any voting and then animals take control of the whole farm. With this, Orwell shows that power can be gained effortlessly when you supported by others. In the end, rebellion ends and rest of the pages shows the farm controlled by animals and corruption of power-obsessed pigs. It is undeniable fact that Animal Farm is a political parody of the Soviet Union.

More about Corruption In Animal Farm Essay

Power and Corruption in Animal Farm

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” is a quote from George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, that conveys a sense of the central themes of class, power and corruption, and language and propaganda that play out in the novel (112). Through the experiences and society created by a group of farm animals, Orwell is really suggesting that human society is flawed in many of the same manners that play out as themes in his book. Concerns over the separation of class, power and corruption wielded by those in positions of authority, and usage of language to manipulate and persuade others drive the storyline as Orwell supports how these themes translate to the human experience.

“Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer-except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs,” demonstrates how the animals are separated by class where some reap more benefits than others (Orwell 129). As the animals struggle to produce for the humans, not all the animals are treated the same or get the same rewards, so there is a class system among the animals. While some animals are aware of the inequality, others are not, which is how it plays out in human society. Orwell is trying to tell mankind to treat people fairly or society will suffer. If all the animals were equally productive and reaped the same benefits, then there wouldn’t be a plot to the novel. The separation of class is an important element in the upheaval that occurs in the book that highlights power and corruption.

“Napoleon is always right,” is a quote that demonstrates Orwell’s use of power and corruption in the novel (Orwell 56). No one can be completely right all the time, yet the animals look to Napoleon to solve all of their problems and they don’t think much past that. Orwell is highlighting how mankind blindly follows those in power because of the power they wield, but without thought to their motives. He is suggesting that society could benefit from thinking more about who people are instead of the power that they hold. There are good and bad people everywhere and just because they make it to a position of authority doesn’t mean they are right for the position. He is telling us to think for ourselves. Yet, as with the animals, not all the people are capable of thinking and understanding at the same level, so does this even work? Perhaps there is a need for authority, whether corrupt or not, to guide those who cannot think for themselves. Either way, Orwell is providing us a glimpse into the problems associated with blindly following power and authority when corruption is involved.

Orwell uses the seven commandments to highlight how language is used to manipulate and control the animals (Orwell 24-25). He continues this use of persuasive language throughout the novel to show how words can be used as propaganda to persuade others. This is much the same as human society. Propaganda is used to make people buy products through commercials, or endorse political ideas. Again, Orwell is suggesting the importance of thinking things through and not blindly following others. Words can be used to compliment, to hurt, or to persuade, so words should be considered very carefully.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm highlights themes that are shared by human society. Class, power and corruption, and language and propaganda are all concerns that can cause disruption and unhappiness. He points out that society is sort of built on a separation of class and an assignment of power to guide those who cannot guide themselves. He makes an interesting point for consideration that perhaps there is no society without these themes playing out, so that they are essentially a necessary evil. He is also concerned with fair treatment of all and leaves us to ponder if society can ever become fair.

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Corruption In Animal Farm

Animal Farm is a horrible and corrupt place. The pigs in the story, “Animal Farm” by George Orwell do not care for the other animals. The pigs only want to better themselves, and by gaining absolute power over the farm, have created a corrupt system in which they prosper despite doing practically nothing and the others are given little reward despite their hard work. The pigs are living prosperous lives within a farmhouse, where they are surrounded by guard dogs and other pigs that share their greed and selfish desires. Because of the way Animal Farm is run, I believe the quote, “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely” by Lord Acton applies well to the story. The pigs on animal farm constantly change the commandment to better themselves. They change the words that the other animals live by in order to give themselves the freedom to do whatever they want. The pigs have set themselves above the law and use their power to manipulate the animals into doing their bidding, regardless of morals.,after the lead pig, Napoleon has killed several of the animals on the farm for committing small, hardly influential “crimes”. The animals are sure this breaks a commandment stating “no animal shall kill any other animal”, but the line now reads, “no animal shall kill any other animal without cause.” the animals, seeing this, convince themselves that this is how the commandment has always been, and the book goes on to say, ”Somehow or other the last 2 words

Animal Farm Corruption And Corruption

The subjects of inequality and corruption are heard all the time via media and real life. How these two definitions are connected and co-exist in various societies? Humans are born with different abilities, various ambitions, values and goals. In addition, everyone is raised in a their unique environment that starts with family, school, country and society. The actual path in achieving the goal would be different as well. It is given that certain group of people are giving some merit benefits that

Animal Farm Corruption

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Theme Of Corruption In Animal Farm

George Orwell the author of “Animal Farm” and Barry Levinson director of the Cinematic production “Wag the Dog” both explore in their texts the corruption of society. Various key ideas are explored to expose Corruption and highlight how powers use manipulation and half-truths to gain and retain control. To make their ideas prudent to the audience, Orwell and Levinson make use of various literary and filmic techniques, most prominent of these in both texts is the use of Irony. These texts influence

Animal Farm Corruption Quotes

Corruption of Animal Farm Corruption is a bad thing that can ruin a great thing and can happen anywhere like a government, business, or a farm.Animal Farm is a novel by George Orwell were the animals are treated very badly so they rebel against their leader and start a new farm called Animal Farm.After the rebellion life on animal farm was great,everyone get along, they have plenty of food,and have a set of rulesthat everyone follows,even the leaders and everything is great until corruption happens

Animal Farm Corruption Essay

people can fall subject to corruption. Likewise, one who is already an unjust figure is more than capable of becoming a tyrant. Such is the case in Animal Farm, a novel by George Orwell. Animal Farm focuses on the rebellion of the animals on Manor Farm, and their attempt at a socialism-esque society. The leaders of the farm, two pigs named Napoleon and Squealer, gradually change from fair authority figures to unethical dictators. Orwell’s critically acclaimed novel Animal Farm establishes a theme of

Corruption Of Power In Animal Farm

Individuals who assume leadership positions yield their power in different ways. In Animal Farm, the authour, George Orwell, illustrates the psychological phenomena of egocentrism and counter-normative behaviour that can stem from these roles. It is clearly demonstrated throughout the novel that an abundance of power often leads to corrupt behaviour by the power holder. This corruption is most apparently shown through instances of demagoguery by the novel’s characters, the unjustified exile of

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your farm when suddenly the horses start kicking at your shins, the chickens peck at your toes, and the pugnacious pigs throw you off your own land. Fittingly, that was Mr.Jones’ situation after his animals rebelled against him in the story Animal Farm. Using an allegory for the Russian Revolution, George Orwell explains how Napoleon, a self-centered pig, takes power over the farm and all its animals after they kick their drunken owner off the land. Napoleon begins running the farm as

Examples Of Corruption In Animal Farm

hide things from their faithful followers and how could that allow corruption in a society? When citizens are always cognizant of what is happening in their government, corruption can easily take place and ruin the vision and occurrence of an improved society. Many examples of this include Boxer’s death, the changing of the commandments, and Napoleon teaching the puppies. There are many instances in Animal Farm when the other animals are not cognizant of what is happening in their government. One example

Animal Farm Power Corruption

people selfish and controlling. In Animal Farm by George Orwell, the character Napoleon was corrupted by the power given to him. Napoleon was sharing the leadership of the farm with Snowball, but his desire for complete leadership drove him to do acts that most would consider downright evil. In an act of attempted murder, Napoleon chased Snowball off the farm with his pack of vicious dogs. “One of them all but closed

Corruption In Animal Farm Essay

Show More The story of Animal Farm is not just one of talking animals living on a farm. Rather, the tale chronicles the historical event of the Russian Revolution and the figures that took part in establishing the totalitarian regime in Russia, as well as the people that were affected by the ascendance of a corrupt leader. George Orwell, in Animal Farm , creates the villain character of Napoleon, a Berkshire pig, and the main antagonist in the novel, who rose to power through acts of exploitation, fear tactics, and manipulation to demonstrate the corruption of Joseph Stalin 's dictatorship. Throughout the story, corruption arose in the farm as Napoleon gained power and began to grant himself privileges. Ignoring and having little interest …show more content… Throughout the story, corruption arose in the farm as Napoleon gained power and began to grant himself privileges. Ignoring and having little interest in Old Major’s prophecy, Napoleon, with the help of his pig follower, Squealer, began to change the seven commandments, ignoring the intention of bringing equality amongst all the animals. Motivated by power and greed, he takes the seventh commandment, “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL,” and converts it by adding, “ BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS,” (Ch. 10, pg. 112) and from there on continued to change the rest for his own amusement. Similarly in the Soviet Union, Stalin had no desire to work for the good of his country and was only concerned about his own gains and authority. In addition, instead of changing commandments, Stalin took the rights of his people. Just like Napoleon, who re-wrote the history of Animal Farm after getting rid of his rival, Snowball, he changed Russian history by making himself part of important events, such as being responsible for the Russian victory in World War II. While his country starved, Stalin lived a lavish life and completely ruined Karl Marx’s ideas of communism, just like how Napoleon gained privileges from changing the commandments and also made a mockery of …show more content… Squealer, an allegory for propaganda and Stalin 's KGB agency, was able to change the beliefs of the animals and help Napoleon mislead them into believing in his leadership. “ But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?”, (Ch. 5, pg. 48) states Squealer who attempted to make the animals believe that Napoleon will make the right decisions for them. Likewise, Stalin used propaganda to create a false image of himself in order for people to believe that he had good intentions as the “chosen successor” of Lenin, who in fact did not trust him. He had made himself appear as if he were a god and a man loved by everyone, including children, which made him seem like a great leader. Those who were gullible enough to rely on and trust him, were taken advantage of, just like Napoleon took away meeting days and voting privileges from the animals that believed in him. This clearly makes him a villain because he is taking advantage of the rest of the animals just like Stalin did to his own people, especially the working class and those who were too ignorant to even realize he was abusing them. Napoleon represents the perfect villain in Animal Farm. He is manipulative, greedy,

Animal Farm Rhetorical Analysis

George Orwell's story, ‘Animal Farm’ is a dystopian allegory that shows how tyrants rise to power, commonly using unfair methods, during a time of struggle. George Orwell portrayed the similarities of communism to Russia under the rule of Joseph Stalin. He symbolized characters and their actions by using farm animals. One example is Napoleon, who was the ruler of the animal Farm, and was the character that represented Stalin. In 1924, Lenin (Old Major) died which caused a struggle for power between Trotsky…

The Russian Revolution: A Major Turning Point In Russian History

Under the rule of Stalin his citizens were not able to speak their mind if it involved his rules or beliefs. The people of Russia had to read what the government allowed, see what the government allowed and listen to what the government allowed. The government had total control over what the citizens of Russia were able to follow. Stalin uses censorship to suppress images, words, or ideas that may be considered harmful or offensive to his ideas. In Animal Farm, propaganda was frequently used by the main pigs Napoleon, Squealer and Snowball to…

Animal Farm Human Nature Essay

In George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, he proves that it is inevitable for humans to equate everyone. Orwell explains this by his story which is about a group of farm animals that rebel against their farmer. After he gets kicked out, Napoleon, a pig, takes power and corrupts the farm. His power gets to the point where they were better off with the farmer, Mr. Jones. Orwell also illustrates how it is human nature to make mistakes and take control of power.…

Theme Of Pathos In Animal Farm

Violence and Corruption of Leaders “They had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes” (Orwell 87) This is the scene for George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where pigs take over governmental rule after driving out the tyrannical Mr. Jones. Although the new government was designed from ideas of equality, corruption amongst the pigs leads to a reign of terror equal to or worse than that of Mr. Jones. Orwell’s intention in writing Animal Farm was to indirectly critique the ruling of the newly formed Soviet Union, therefore many characters in the novel are related to prominent leaders after the Russian…

Similarities Between Macbeth And Animal Farm

The story Animal Farm, is about how one can gain power to be superior to others as such when the character Napoleon tries to gain authority from the animals by stealing. In the text it states, “Napoleon took them away from their mothers saying that he would make living responsible for their education” (Orwell 51). This passage means that Napoleon steals the pups from their mothers to raise them for his own use. He does this to obtain more control over the animals and the farm. Napoleon resembles a fearful dictator allowing him to take over much like Joseph Stalin who began the terrifying Soviet Union.…

How Does Napoleon Change In Animal Farm

Napoleon is a pig from the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. Napoleon has gone through one of the largest dynamic changes in the book. He started off as a quiet pig in support of the rebellion, but his desire for power turned him into to a dictator leading a totalitarian state. He has changed by becoming more oppressive, more like humans, and corrupt throughout the book.…

How Does Stalin Use Propaganda In Animal Farm

When Mr. Whymper, Napoleon’s human contact with the world outside of Animal Farm, visits the farm, Napoleon does everything he can to show prosperity even though the farm is obviously struggling. In a similar fashion, Stalin had artwork painted of him amidst acts of kindness, such as playing with children, even though his people were working like slaves. Also, Napoleon and the other pigs often changed the Seven Commandments to suit their excessive desires. At the end of the novel, it is revealed that the only commandment remaining is that “All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others.” This is a motif throughout the story, as pigs live in excess while the other animals live in poverty. In a similar way, Stalin and his officials changed legislation and history to allow for them to live better than and separate from the society over which they rule.…

Why Animal Farm Why Did Animalism Fail?

The perception Napoleon had with this shaped his actions because he felt powerful more than ever and it also shaped his decisions that were somewhat bad for Animal Farm. For example, Boxer knew that the things that were happening were not right but he did not want anything bad to happen to him so all he ever said was “I will work harder” and “Comrade Napoleon is always right”. With boxer saying this, a lot of the animals went along with even though some of them should have spoken up when things weren’t right at all. Another example is when the pigs started acting like humans pretty quickly once the power got to his head, the pigs started drinking, the pigs started sleeping in the farmhouse and in beds, and etc.…

Propaganda Techniques In Animal Farm

1. The person I am trying to promote is Napoleon, the “Terror of Mankind,” and the acceptance of his leadership. 2. The speaker is Squealer. 3.…

Power Corruption In George Orwell's Animal Farm

INTRODUCTION: Someone in position of power might do anything to maintain their position. They disregard the rule and strive to be superior over everyone. This is seen in George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm through the antagonist napoleon. Napoleon starts to take privileges for himself.…

Essay On The Failure Of Animalism In Animal Farm

Once Major died the role of leadership went to Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer. Snowball wants to listen to what the animals want by heart, but soon after Napoleon start getting vastly excited with the fact that all the animals had to go to his command. He had Squealer to back him but ahd the dogs to attack anyone that went against him. In the beginning of the books they stood by the 7 commandments, by about Chapter 9 and on, it was that the commandments are write to only about one rule that some animals are equal and some aren’t.…

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Stalin, also known as the man of steel, was known as a god among his people and still can remembered as one today. However, were his views on the world and racial profiling correct? Think about it, Stalin killed well over 53 million based on religion, race, and stupidity. Many would argue that Stalin was an evil man, but I disagree. Stalin stepped up to the plate to what he had to.…

Abuse Of Power In Animal Farm By George Orwell

A mindset can change from good to evil by the power of greed. Power requires responsibility, and if an individual does not use their power in a positive light then they will destroy the people around them. Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory of animals based of the Russian Revolution leaders that rebel after being harshly mistreated by their owner. The leader of the animals, Napoleon, manipulates the farm animals to establish a tyrannical rule over the farm. George Orwell reveals how the use and misuse of power can inspire or corrupt a society through the main characters Napoleon, Squealer, and Old Major in his novel, Animal Farm.…

Struggle, Abuse Of Power In Animal Farm, By George Orwell

The book we have read is Animal Farm written by George Orwell. The book is a fable and the main genre is drama and satire, satire because Orwell is humiliating the rule in the Russian Revolution. The theme in the book is power struggle, abuse of power and leadership. Animal Farm is a novel that shows us in a more simple and easier way how the Russian Revolution happened and developed.…

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Animal Farm — The Issues of Power and Corruption in Animal Farm and Divergent

The Issues of Power and Corruption in Animal Farm and Divergent

Categories: Animal Farm Corruption Divergent

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Words: 1213 |

Pages: 2.5 |

Published: Jun 29, 2018

Words: 1213 | Pages: 2.5 | 7 min read

Animal farm essay outline, animal farm essay example, introduction.

Introduction to the theme of power and corruption in "Animal Farm" and "Divergent"
Mention of the assertion that "all power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Power and Corruption: Inseparable

Discussion of how both texts demonstrate that power cannot be attained without corruption
Examples from "Animal Farm" and "Divergent" illustrating the use of corrupt means to gain power

The Craving for More Power

Exploration of the idea that once a taste of power occurs, the individual/institution craves more
Examination of characters in both texts who exhibit this craving for more power

Intellectual Superiority and Psychological Manipulation

Discussion of how power is tied to intellectual superiority
Analysis of how leaders in both texts psychologically manipulate others to expand their power
Examples illustrating the use of intellect and manipulation in "Animal Farm" and "Divergent"
Summarization of the central theme that "all power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" in both texts
Restating the role of corruption, the craving for more power, and intellectual superiority in the theme

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Revolution and Corruption Quotes in Animal Farm

Main Theme of Animal Farm | Power and Corruption

“Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”

The Rise of Tyranny

The Betrayal of Revolutionary Ideals

The Role of Fear and Manipulation

The Cyclical Nature of Tyranny

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Animal Farm Themes

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Power leading to corruption

The Failure of Intellect

The Exploitation of Working Class

Analysis of Key Moments in Animal Farm

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Analysis of Symbols

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