All too often, power leads to corruption. Multiple of the characters in the novel Animal Farm written by Geroge Orwell demonstrate that those who have power tend to abuse it to take advantage of the weak. Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball, the pigs that leaded the rebellion, end up exploiting their power, leading to disharmony, cruelty, and dishonesty for the animals on the farm of whom they are taking advantage and who cannot do anything about it because the pigs are their superiors. Ultimately, the novel reveals that power corrupts those who are in control. Napoleon “educates” puppies, but while doing so “he took them up into a loft which could only be reached by a ladder from the harness-room and there kept them in such seclusion that the …show more content…
Many of the animals admired Snowball's intelligence and his compassion for the farm. Hence the reason why Napoleon got rid of him. In the beginning of the novel Snowball had many good intentions for the farm and the animals but as the power corrupted his mind he began to act more selfish. Snowball and the other pigs were aware that they broke one of the commandments but justified it by saying “Milk and apples contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of pigs. We pigs are brain workers; the organization of the farm totally depends on us" (Orwell 52). He was self aware of what they were doing was wrong yet did nothing because he and the other pigs believed that since they were the smartest animals they deserved the extra food. As the novel goes on it demonstrates how Snowball prioritized the farm itself not the animals he claimed “that it could all be done in one year..he declared, so much labor would be saved that the animals would only need to work three days a week”.Snowball glorified the idea and claimed that the animals' lives would be more at ease after the windmill is completed. He did this to hide the fact that he would be overworking the animals. It is impossible to finish a windmill in one year without overworking and even worse because they were animals not humans. Although Snowball wasn’t abusive with his power as much as Napoleon, if he wasn't taken out of the …show more content…
All the animals believed he was a brillant talker and claimed “he could turn black into white”(Orwell 36). This suggests that no matter what he was able to convince anyone into anything no matter what. This was a very good skill Squealer had and Napoleon knew it so he took advantage of it by making Squealer his spokeperson. Throughout the whole novel it was seen that squealer spreads propaganda to help Napoleon would stay in control. For example, when Clover remembers that there is a commandment against beds, “Squealer, who happened to be passing at this moment, attended by two or three dogs, was able to put the whole matter in its proper perspective” by stating that “A bed merely means a place to sleep in. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed, properly regarded. The rule was against sheets, which are a human invention. We have removed the sheets from the farmhouse beds, and sleep between blankets,” and he ends by explaining, “comrades, with all the brainwork we have to do nowadays. You would not rob us of our repose, would you, comrades? You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?” (Orwell 80). Squealer gaslighted the animals into believing their memory were wrong and constantly did this throughout the novel to justify Napoleons actions. Not only that but he brought up Mr.Jones name repeatilty to make
Snowball believes the windmill will make the animals' lives better and more efficient through technological advancement. Napoleon opposes the windmill, for no good reason other than his desire to maintain control because he thinks that any change on the farm could threaten his power. Napoleon shows many characteristics of a typical dictator. He lies to his people, and makes strict rules over the
When Snowball started acting as a threat to Napoleon’s power, he drove Snowball out of the farm with the help of his dogs and declared him as traitor. After Snowball left the farm, conditions of the farm worsned and animals(other than pigs) were not treated equally. “The importance of keeping the pigs in good health was all too obvious. So it was agreed without further argument that the milk and the windfall apples (and also the main crop of apples when they ripened) should be reserved for the pigs alone”. Napoleon even steals the idea of building a windmill from Snowball.
After that day Snowball ran away everything changed and could never go back to the way it was because Napoleon was in everyone’s mind, he could say anything and they will believe him that’s why they all hated Snowball so much. Snowball doesn’t mind any of it, at the end of the day he keeps returning to the farm and wondering around. Snowball is admirable because no matter how much hate he is receiving he will still come back. This reason clarifies why Snowball is my favorite character, he will never care about anything. Snowball is brave enough to fight for what he wants, he will do anything to get it and will not take failure as an
Then they lied and convicted the animals that it never existed by diverting blame to Snowball who they would believe deceived the animals. Other examples lies are those told about Snowball after he fled the farm, such as when Squealer asked, “Did we not see for ourselves how he attempted — fortunately without success — to get us defeated and destroyed at the Battle of the Cowshed?” (page 79-80). Snowball had, in reality, fought valiantly at the Battle of the Cowshed and was a key part of the animals’ success. Throughout Animal Farm Napoleon continuously defamed Snowball while elevating his own image.
However, the animals have reached the point where they need someone to dictate what they should do next. Both Snowball and Napoleon have different ideas on what the animals should do to better their lives. They start an election to see which of the pigs will become the leader of Animal Farm. All of the animals picked one of the candidates, except Benjamin, who is the oldest and wisest animal on the farm. Benjamin did not believe that either of the actions proposed by the pigs would make life on the farm any easier.
However, as Snowball was not present for the entire duration of the novel it is unknown how his actions would have altered as story progressed. Before Snowball was run out the farm by comrade and the ultimate dictator, Napoleon, he practiced heroic actions and behaviours. Snowball revolutionised Animal Farm by attempting to educate the other animals. Snowball did this by broadening the animals knowledge through his speeches. "A bird's wing, comrades," he said, "is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulation.
After Snowball had finished his speech about the windmill, napoleon had called for his dogs with a “high pitched whimper,” to chase Snowball off the farm. The dogs created fear in all of the animals, making it easy for Napoleon to take over the leadership of Animal Farm. The dogs were the puppies that Napoleon had taken away from their mothers and “reared privately,” implying that Napoleon had intended to control the dogs for his own bodyguards from the beginning. The dogs would also prevent rebellion against Napoleon by letting out “menacing,” growls every time an animal would question Napoleon’s authority any further. Though later in the chapter, Napoleon orders his dogs to slaughter any of the animals who had previously questioned his authority on Animal Farm.
When Napoleon places the blame for the windmill's destruction on Snowball, he puts out a bounty: “This traitor has crept here under cover of night and destroyed our work of nearly a year. Comrades, here and now I pronounce the death sentence upon Snowball. ' Animal Hero, Second Class,' and half a bushel of apples to any animal who brings him to justice. A full bushel to anyone who captures him alive!" (64).
The animals face challenges and setbacks in their attempt to complete the windmill. If Snowball had gotten rid of Napoleon and taken control of Animal Farm there would have been a significant change. Snowball had a vision of a utopian society where all animals were equal and worked together to create a better life for themselves. He was a strong believer in education and advocated for the animals to learn new skills and
Animal Farm, by George Orwell, explores the idea that power tends to lead to corruption of the leader in which they manipulate their position of leadership to exploit other animals. The story tells of the rise in power of a pig named Napoleon, who takes control of the farm once the animals rebel against their owner. Napoleon becomes so focused on his power, he soon turns the farm into a dictatorship. Napoleon’s corruption is illustrated by his lack of concern for others, his superiority, and his part in violence. Power can create leaders that are indifferent to the agony of others' suffering.
Even when Napoleon said he was a traitor in the past, Boxer still holds the belief that Snowball was a brave pig and helped them plenty before the issue of the windmill arose. Moreover, it foreshadows a very close event that takes place almost immediately after this conversation between Squealer and Boxer, where animals are murdered for having some sort of contact or secret scheme with Snowball outside of the farm. The section reveals to tell that Snowball’s previous kindness and intelligence were not forgotten, and burned in their memory solidly, thus making him a very significant member of the farm. Altogether, Snowball is an admirable character chased away by wicked intentions, as he was generous to all animals of the farm, highly intelligent to create studies and plans for the animals, and was adept enough in both attributes for animals to still question Napoleon’s statement of “traitor” and by such was one of the most important and respected animals on the farm, even for a period of time when he was not on
Napoleon was now in total independent power and free to implement his own plans, “He announced that from now on the Sunday-morning meetings would come to an end. They were unnecessary, he said, and wasted time. In future all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over by himself. These would meet in private and afterwards communicate their decisions to the others”. Napoleon utilises propaganda to convince the animal crowd that Snowball was a ‘criminal’ and a threat
By masterfully spreading false information among the animals, Napoleon paints Snowball as a traitor colluding with humans, casting doubt on Snowball's celebrated courage during the battle. Employing devious tactics like unleashing ferocious dogs to expel Snowball from the farm and fabricating stories about him undermining Animal Farm at night, Napoleon successfully turned Snowball into an eternal threat to their safety. One significant change was Napoleon's claim that he, rather than Snowball, had been the mastermind behind the battle strategy. Originally, Snowball was not only present at the battle but also played a crucial role in leading the animals to victory. Later on, Snowball's portrayed as a “traitor” (Orwell 70) who had conspired with humans during the battle.
The Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is a classic novel that explores the idea of power and corruption. In the novel, the animals of Manor Farm overthrow their human masters and create a new society based on the principles of Animalism. While it might be true that power hoarding and manipulation led to the corruption of animal farms, ignorance was the most influential in the corruption of animal farms. One factor that led to the downfall of the animal farm was power hoarding, due to the ignorance and lack of knowledge from the other animals they were unable to protest to the pigs. “There came a time where no one dared speak their minds, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades ripped apart
I ended Animal Farm in this manner because it teaches people not to believe everyone they talk to. Most people are good people and can be trusted but, other people have to be looked out for. In this story, the animals should have waited awhile and made Snowball earn back his trust before believing in him. Before, when Snowball and Napoleon were in charge together, Snowball was the main one who was making many of the decision. However, he did let the other animals have a say which was different from Napoleon's view were no animals have a say in anything.