“Animal Farm” by George Orwell highlights that political idealism can easily have the opposite effects of what it is intended to do. It also shows how easily power can corrupt people and what that can mean to others. This essay will prove how easily this happens and how Orwell proves it while at the same time writing an interesting story.
How do the pigs get more food than the other animals? The Seven Commandments state quite clearly that all animals are equal. And how does Napoleon manage to become a leader of a communist (And therefore leaderless) farm? Why doesn’t anyone stand up to him? The answer? A complicated plan involving brainwashing techniques, propaganda and brute force to dominate Animal Farm and crush any resistance from the other animals.
Power corrupts. ‘Animal Farm’ proves this is so, it shows it through an interesting storyline
Right from the outset it is obvious that the smarter animals on the farm will always fare better than their less intelligent counterparts. Barely weeks have gone by before Napoleon, the biggest and strongest pig, has got rid of all opposition and has gained complete control of Animal Farm.
His opposition takes the form of Snowball, a clever, quick thinking pig who has a witty tongue but is not as large or strong as Napoleon. Snowball looks on course to take leadership of the farm, but Napoleon uses his propaganda techniques to gain control of Animal Farm; some puppies are trained into “Secret Police”. These ferocious dogs exist solely to do Napoleons bidding, and whenever anyone speaks out against him they grow and snap at the speaker. Sheep and horses are brainwashed in to thinking Napoleon is always right. Slowly but surely Napoleon continues to extend his power.
It is the dogs that show the first signs of Napoleons dominance. They chase away Snowball just as he is unveiling his new special project, which would cut down the animal’s working week to two days. The dogs also attack anyone doing or saying anything against Napoleons wishes.
Napoleon continued to expand his leadership on Animal Farm by ‘re-writing’ history to make Snowball out to be a villain dedicated to brining Mr Jones back to Animal Farm. He accuses a number of animals of helping Snowball and executes them on the spot; this breaks two of the most basic commandments
2.Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
6.No animal shall kill any other animal.
The animals executed, are also the animals that pose any threat to Napoleon’s dominance. None of the other animals realise this is a concealed attempt by Napoleon to wipe out any resistance on the farm. The reader does however, and this is what makes the story interesting, seeing how subtly the pigs manage to dominate the farm. The novel is serious however, and although it is presented as a fable, like many fables, a serious point lies behind it.
The sheep are also brainwashed. Sheep, being particularly stupid, take no time at all to be brainwashed and whenever someone raises a valid point against Napoleon they bleat out at the top of their voices
“Two legs bad, four legs good”
This may seem like a good motto, but by the end of the novel it is obvious that Napoleon has taught the sheep to shout it whenever he thinks he may be in trouble.
One by one the animals are persuaded to agree with Napoleon. Boxer is a tremendously hardworking, powerful carthorse. He is admired throughout the farm for his hard work and his devotion to Animal Farm. He is respected universally apart from the pigs and no one likes to disagree with such an influential figure. Unfortunately Napoleon with Squealers help, gradually tricks and brainwashes Boxer until he adopts the slogan
“Napoleon is always right”
A strong example of how powerful propaganda can be and how easily it can be spread. The animals are used; they are overworked and given very little in return. Power corrupts the pigs who at the start wanted only to do good, but they gradually get corrupted until they are as bad as the humans they overthrew.
Slowly but surely the Seven Commandments are distorted, Animal Farm continues to deviate from its original idealism. It is surprisingly easy for Squealer, Napoleons personal assistant, to persuade the animals to let the pigs have extra food.
"Comrades!" he cried. "You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well being of a pig.”
Squealer, under Napoleons instructions, takes advantage of the animal’s lack of education. “Science” has proved that pigs need fruit and milk to stay healthy. The animals, having had no education, take this to be the truth and so the pigs get away with extra rations. Squealer also uses the word “Comrade” often to make the animals feel like he is their equal; even though it is obvious he is not.
Another example of the pig’s cleverness is how Squealer makes use of a very basic but very effective technique often used when making speeches. The technique relies on the fact that our mind conjures up images of what we are being told. For example take the phrase,
“The cow jumped over the moon”
The mind automatically gives us a picture of a cow jumping over a moon. Squealer uses this technique a number of times during his many addresses to the so-called ‘lesser animals’.
“…Necessary to make a readjustment of rations”
Squealer tells the animals they will now receive even less food than they have now, even though they are on the brink of starvation. However, the news is softened to the animals because from the statement above, their minds conjure up a picture of them getting a different amount of food, not a smaller amount. The pigs use their cunning and slyness to take advantage of ‘Animal Farm’ and its less intelligent inhabitants.
Unlike most fables, Animal Farm has no happy ending. By the end of the last chapter Animal Farm is dominated by one species. This species does little or no work but takes food from the hard work of others. It is not until it is too late that the animals realise that the situation they are in is remarkably similar to the one they were in before the revolution.
A full circle has taken place, one species dominates, there is unrest until it is overthrown, another species dominates, there is unrest…
