- Level: AS and A Level
- Subject: General Studies
- Word count: 2524
Compare and contrast the roles of Napoleon and Snowball in shaping the social structure of Animal Farm after the Rebellion
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Introduction
"Compare and contrast the roles of Napoleon and Snowball in shaping the social structure of Animal Farm after the Rebellion". All humans are equal and each human should be treated the same way. But what does equality mean? It's the fact that people are given equal opportunities in relation to access education, employment and different services. In addition, the concept of equality includes providing the same opportunities for everyone regardless any aspect.. Equality at its simplest is accepting differences and respecting others as they are. However, this fact isn't being established nor practised in our society. In the novel, Animal Farm written by the George Orwell, the author describes the democratic beliefs throughout Animalism, in which all the animals own the farm and tries to form a government where everyone is dependent upon everyone else. The book conveys the message that no matter what laws and equality bind the citizens, corruption and power will seek to destroy the balance that has been created. Two pigs named Snowball and Napoleon, quickly took charge and got the animals ready to start the rebellion despite both their very different views .The roles of Napoleon and Snowball have their own similarities and differences in shaping the social structure of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. In the beginning of the story, the animals were introduced to the idea of a rebellion against humans by the most highly respected farm animal, Old Major. ...read more.
Middle
Napoleon had also abolished the song Beasts of England because it symbolized freedom and Animalism. The song that replaced it, however, was a new song called Comrade Napoleon. "The general feeling on the farm was expressed in a poem entitled 'Comrade Napoleon' which was composed by Minimus" ( Orwell 63). All the pigs were beginning to become more human-like and things were getting worse. Eventually the pigs were walking on two legs, which was prohibited, and they were even talking with humans and making friends with them. In the end, the other animals couldn't tell the difference between the pigs and humans, but they never did anything about it. "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which" (Orwell 95). This passage portrays how Napoleon is not treating the animals equally. He is giving more superior power and more privileges to the pigs and less to the rest of the animals. Napoleon clearly held a more dominant role on the Animal Farm because he would always receive the larger portions, where as the other animals would receive about the same and sometimes less than what they had received in the past. This also shows as Napoleon continues to elect not to work and he is only seen at the gatherings accompanied by his bodyguards. ...read more.
Conclusion
Napoleon also ordered that the barley field for beer be reserved to the pigs only. "The pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whiskey" (Orwell 84). In conclusion, Animal Farm is a good example of human behaviour. Napoleon by the end of the story is making deals with humans and has every characteristic of one. The roles of Napoleon and Snowball are similar, yet different, in shaping the social structure of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Snowball unlike Napoleon is trying to make animal farm a free place where no one should be laboured and everyone was equal. He was around before the revolution, giving the animals hopes that if they work hard during this lifetime they will live in a paradise. Snowball was more concerned and worried of the welfare of the animals. The dogs in this novel that have been taken away from their mother and secretly raised by Napoleon serve their master at all times. He also uses Snowball as an animal to place all of the blame on whenever something goes wrong creating Snowball to be a sort of enemy to the animals on the farm. Eventually Napoleon manipulates every commandment to suit him and has all of the animals working for him. George Orwell does an excellent job of mocking and characterizing humans into different categories. The animals were therefore never able to keep the balance and the plan of Animalism. Accordingly, the ending wasn't a pleasant one, because not all struggles have happy ending. ...read more.
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