Gullibility and Naivet in Animal Farm

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Gullibility and Naiveté in Animal Farm

George Orwell's Animal Farm clearly illustrates the ignorant gullibility of the general population in any given nation. This aspect of the novel is clearly portrayed by the sheep, the dogs, and Boxer, who represent the general public, the secret police, and the workforce, respectively.

The Sheep are quite possibly the most offending character to society because their naïveté relates to everyone in the public, and anyone reading the book.  Firstly, they show ignorance when Napoleon and Snowball teach them quite easily their "four legs good, two legs bad" phrase, even though they do not quite understand what they're saying.  They come to love their newly adapted slogan, and tend to break out into it in the middle of tumult.  Although they like it so much, they are willing to change it to "four legs good, two legs better." without much resistance. And finally, they show gullibility in that they too become terrified of Napoleon after the executions just like all the other animals. This trusting characteristic is especially taken advantage of by Napoleon and shows great weakness from the sheep.

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Boxer is easily convinced to work and easily motivated, even if it's sometimes for the wrong reasons.  He adapted the maxim "Napoleon is always right" without knowing why; he didn't even have to comprehend the situation to use his phrase. The narrator says, "The most faithful disciples were the two cart horses, Boxer and Clover. Those two had great difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves, but once they accepted the pigs as teachers, they absorbed everything they were told, and passed it on to other animals by simple arguments."  Lastly, Boxer trusted Napoleon even though as soon as he ...

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