Abuse Of Power In Animal Farm By George Orwell

Thus, many types of power are corruptible, the power of the people does not abstain from such corruption. However, it

If you are reading your history book, a play, or even watching the news today, you will see how people abuse the power that they have over somethings. There have been many leaders and people who abuse their power over civilization and places. Even the littlest taste of power often leads them to corruption. Many times, citizens and adversaries riot over some of the things that they disagree on and, in some cases, murder comes in to play.

Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” When one person is placed in complete control, they have a tendency to strive for higher power. That power continues to manifest, and could eventually lead to their own self destruction. In these four literary works: Animal Farm by George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury, “Beowulf” told by an Anglo-Saxon poet, and Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the common themes portrayed are that power has led to immense greed and selfishness. Orwell demonstrates this theory best in his book, Animal Farm.

“It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” - Aung San Suu Kyi Power corrupts. After individuals come into a position of power, control becomes second nature to them. They find it excruciatingly strenuous to relinquish the authority they have.

While some people can be right-minded and powerful, power is a corrupting force because power causes greed and selfishness. Power can easily be abused, and power amplifies any personality traits you may have, good or bad. In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, this is a key point. Power can be abused in many different ways. Whether it’s an autocracy with one person having absolute power, or even a democracy where the person in power is limited by their own branches of government, people have always wanted power.

For example, the corruption of power over slavery. Plantation owners back when slavery was legal were corrupt with power. The plantation owners would put their slaves in hard working conditions, hardly feed them, and abuse them. They would do this because they had power over people they believed were lesser than them. This shows human with power can become corrupt and treat people how they should not be treated.

Too much power causes a negative effect and leads to selfish desires. When people with power do not get what they want they lash out. In the play Antigone, Creon who is appointed king threatens Sentry because he does not get what he wants. On line forty Creon tells Sentry “I’ll string you up alive, and there will be certain way to make you discover your employer before you die.”

Corruption of Power “Being president doesn’t change who you are. It reveals who you are,” (Obama Michelle). Definition of corrupt, dishonest or illegal behavior, specifically by powerful people, such as government officials or police officers (Merriam-Webster). Many leaders are corrupt, but that doesn’t mean that power caused their corruption. They were probably like that before.

Power can be extremely corruptive. When a person is given a certain amount of power they start to feel like they can do anything they’d like with it, and many tend to abuse of it. Zimbardo talks about how people are most likely to do “evil” when they are given power without the responsibility of the damage it will make. During an experiment, one person was chosen to be a teacher and the other a student, the teacher had to shock the student when they’d get the answer wrong and reward them if correct. During this experiment the more wrong answers, the shock would increase.

Becoming ambitious for more as well as being a megalomaniac and sanctimonious are characteristics resulting in having too much power over people. Although power can be used acceptably, when given ability over others, humans tend to get carried away and strive for more. Having too much authority over others causes innocent lives to be manipulated, the guiltless to suffer from being abused, and individuals to act egotistical. When presented with too much power, it can cause individuals to wield it in incorrect ways, hurting blameless beings. Although some may believe that power is a good trait to have, it may harm faultless people and cause them to be maneuvered against their own will.

“Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.”- William Gaddis. People take advantage of power when it is entrusted to them because of their own greed, which as a result lead to societal deterioration. In the story, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood, the higher-ups from Gilead abuse the power that is given to them, ruining the life of the citizens in the society. This was the cause for the need of higher birth rates and fixing conflicts in the world, but this was handled immorally.

Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain, is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing.

“Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power” (John Steinbeck). Maybe it isn’t power that necessarily corrupts people, but the idea of having it relinquished that does. Someone in control will enjoy the power and control they possess so much that he or she will never want to lose it. Power can be very addictive, and most people who have tasted it only desire and long for more.

The first thing that power exploits is the personal perception of themselves that a person might have. Business Insider gives advice on the topic of moving into power, suggesting people to “Act the part before you’ve got the part,” then adding that, “Over time, you will become more like you’re acting- self-assured, confident and mores strongly-convinced of the truth of what you are saying.” (Groth, 15 Tips On Becomig More Powerful) When a person has a lot of authority over them, they tend to see themselves as a smaller part of a larger unit- which is what a human is no matter how much or how little power they have.

Animal Farm and V for Vendetta: The Practices of Society “Power is dangerous. It corrupts the best and attracts the worst. Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up” (“A Quote by Ragnar Lothbrok”). Many people in history have abused their power.