Corruption Of Power In Animal Farm By George Orwell

One of George Orwell 's most noted themes or quotes for his book Animal Farm is power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I believe that Animal Farm Shirley represents the meaning of this quote. Naturally the pigs obtain all of the power on the farm because of their intelligence. When the pigs use their power they abused it by using the other animals to do their Injustice. Oppressed by mr. Jones and his negligence towards the animals well-being Old Major Lance the farmers rebellion of Manor Farm.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Luther’s statement about ignorance being dangerous is a recurring idea in Animal Farm, written by George Orwell. In this allegorical story, Orwell uses the animals of Manor Farm to represent the corrupted leaders of the Russian Revolution, as well as the people who stood by and let it happen. Through his characters, Orwell attempts to expose the seriousness of the dangers presented by Stalin and other totalitarian leaders at the time and the need for people to think for themselves and oppose the tyranny. George Orwell uses Napoleon to take advantage of the other animal’s hardworking, albeit ignorant and naive attitudes to gain power and provoke fear and manipulate the farm animals, proving that, without followers, leaders have no power.

In Animal farm, Napoleon displays absolute power corrupt unquestionably by changing the commandments, satisfy himself, and by betraying his most faithful worker, Boxer. Napoleon changed use his power to gain more “power” aka a more higher status. He changed the law just so he could get drunk. The worst he had ever done was to betray his best worker for a couple of bottles. Napoleon is not a good leader.

“When they had finished their confessions, the dogs promptly tore their throats out...”. These executions show, the animals made false confessions because they were uneducated. In conclusion the author of Animal Farm, George Orwell, metaphorically explains that with knowledge and education comes great power, and this can be extremely dangerous if it falls into the hands of those who are self-serving. As you see throughout the story the pigs only benefit themselves, they get to kill their animals, and they break the rules for their own advantage.

In the satire, Animal Farm by George Orwell, the theme is that selfishness can lead to corruption. These bible verses have a correlation to the book Animal Farm like 2 Peter 2:19, Philippians 2:3, and Proverbs 29:4 The first reason selfishness can lead to corruption is in 2 Peter 2:19. “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” My first piece of evidence is “Almost overnight we could become rich and free”.(p9)

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.

The rulers of the farm take advantage of the low reading skills that the rest of the animals possess and use that weakness against them, as the animals just believe whatever the pigs tell them to, as they have no reason not to. The pigs’ goals seem intact and they do

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men...” said Lord Acton, a 19th century British historian, concerning the morality of men in power. This principle is largely evident to political leaders, especially Communist leaders in the 20th century. Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is a political satire novella written to reveal the corruption of Communism in Soviet Russia. Orwell uses Communism and Animalism in Animal Farm to define the theme of corruption by explaining how one group is superior to others in an expected egalitarian society and by demonstrating how people in power without control or opposition abuse it.

“It is not wisdom but authority that makes a low.” Thomas Hobbes’ quote reveals that the world is all about authority and how powerful people are. In other words, to be able to rule, wisdom is not essential. However, authority is crucial. This quote relates to George Orwell’s Animal Farm as it represents the theme of power by the pigs that use propaganda, intimidation and false informations to take over the farm and to control the animals.

All major wars have occurred over the position or want of power. Napoleon Bonaparte, the French conqueror, conquered Europe for the power to rule it. Hitler started up slowly in his political career, and e started World War II, murdering 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. Napoleon in the political rankings of Animal Farm, up to the point which the desire for power corrupted him. Orwell shows how power corrupts a person by turning Napoleon, a good animal, into a monster.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton) This quote is telling us that when people get into roles of absolute power they tend to become corrupt, as a result of that power. This quote can be applied to Napoleon from the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, because at the beginning of the novel Old Major’s words inspired Napoleon. As a result, he believed that humans were evil for forcing animals to work for them and that animals should be able to live freely, not under anyone’s control; however, as the story progresses his belief changed and the animals did not get to live their utopian dream. At the start Napoleon and the other pigs strongly believed that all animals were equal and had the right to live in a place that took care of their well being.

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.

Power corrupts those who possess it. One who has power can lose the sense of right and wrong, so that morals do not matter. Absolute power corrupts those who possess it. This can be seen throughout history, such as during in World War II how Adolf Hitler’s power corrupted him, and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory Animal Farm by George Orwell. Orwell shows the idea, power corrupts whose who possess it, in the novel through the characters of Farmer Jones, Napoleon, and Snowball.

Animal Farm -the history of a rebellion that went wrong- is George Orwell 's brilliant satire on the corrupting influence of power. It was first published in 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalin era in the Soviet Union. In the book, Mr. Jones, the owner of the Manor farm is so lazy and drunken that one day he forgets to feed his livestock.

The less intelligent animals have for example not realised that the swine add conditions to the rules of Animalism, work in their favour. Animal Farm begins increasingly to resemble a dictatorship where the less intelligent animals working for the more intelligent animals, just as all animals that initially did for the people. The pigs begin to behave more human. At one point they even begin to walk on two legs, while one of the first rules of Animalism was that everything on two legs was the enemy. That change is really visible when Napoleon 'traitors ' openly off late slaughter by his dogs.