Animal Farm: An Allegory For The Corruption In Power

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Animal Farm: An Allegory for the Corruption in Power George Orwell’s writings have been known to present political criticisms through the usage of symbolic story-telling. This is exactly what Orwell does in Animal Farm, the novel that brought him to fame. Animal Farm was originally written as a critique against Stalin’s communist regime, specifically through the character of Napoleon. This is contrasted with Boxer, who represents the oppressed masses. These two characters, when juxtaposed, shed light on a dichotomy of total power versus total suppression. Napoleon, at the beginning of the story, is not the preferred leader. His rival Snowball is known to be more popular amongst the animals. However, Napoleon changes this by striking with brute force. He sends his trained dogs to chase Snowball of the property, and convinces the…show more content…
Brute force becomes Napoleon’s strength as he rises to power. He is not powerful because of his ideology or actions, but because of the fear that he instills in the citizens of Animal Farm. When the animals complain, Napoleon often reminds them that Mr. Jones could return if the farm begins to weaken. Therefore, the animals work even harder, terrified of the threat of their old master’s return. Those who do not follow Napoleon are executed, or have their rations cut even lower than they already are. All the while, the animals are pushed forwards in the hope of a better day. Napoleon brainwashes them, specifically the sheep, by chanting the saying “Four legs good, two legs bad” (Orwell.) He abuses the animals by deceiving them into trusting him; this is mostly due to the fact that the pigs have a higher learning capability than the horses, sheep, and hens. Squealer, speaking of Napoleon, reaffirms this dilemma by saying: “He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might makes the wrong decisions” (Orwell). Over time, Napoleon

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