Too Much? The Effects of Power on the Power-Hungry
Throughout the course of history, humanity has seen its fair share of suffering at the hands of all-powerful governments. From the monarchs of feudal England to the Nazis of World War II era Germany, there have always been, and most likely always will be controlling and corrupt systems taking advantage of the common man. When discussing the potential for corruption, a quote from John Dalberg-Acton, an English Catholic politician and writer, comes to mind: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Power in the quantity that politicians possess is undeniably a huge responsibility; therefore, it is all too easy to let absolute power mislead oneself. In the satirical novel …show more content…
The reason the pigs are such a noteworthy example of corruption is because of how drastically they let the ideals they once spoke of to be twisted to suit their own desires, and how little they end up caring about their fellow animals by the end of the text. In the beginning of the novel, the pigs appear to be concerned only with the abolition of the human rule of the farm and the freedom and equality of all animals that Major had spoken of. Squealer, Napoleon, and Snowball even work together to give these ideals a singular name: Animalism (Orwell 16). After the rebellion dies down and the humans are cast out, the farm flourishes as each animal works to fulfill their own specific duties; however, when the pigs learn how gullible the other animals are and how easily they can be taken advantage of, they soon begin to make excuses for themselves. Katrina King describes this transition in detail in her article titled Animal …show more content…
The sheep are a prime example of a group who are affected by the crookedness of the system set in place, and arguably become corrupted themselves. The sheep are an interesting case, as they appear to be entirely obedient to the pigs, notably Napoleon. Despite this devotion, they reap none of the rewards that the pigs do. They allow themselves to be taken advantage of, yet they are always ready with a cry of “four legs good, two legs bad” when their fellow animals start asking questions. This is where the corruption of the sheep occurs. It is strongly implied that Napoleon uses a sort of faux brainwashing on the sheep, encouraging them to drown out any complaints that naysayers might have had. In a particularity noteworthy scene in which Napoleon abolishes the singing of the crucial song Beasts of England, this behavior is explicitly pointed out: “Frightened though they were, some of the animals might possibly have protested, but at this moment the sheep set up their usual bleating of ‘Four legs good, two legs bad,’ which went on for several minutes and put an end to the discussion” (Orwell 88). Due to their ignorance, the sheep unknowingly assist Napoleon by justifying his actions with misinterpreted propaganda. Other animals are not allowed to have a voice due to the bleating of the sheep, which allows for conditions on the farm to go from bad to worse. The sheep
Throughout the course of history, humanity has seen its fair share of suffering at the hands of all-powerful governments. From the monarchs of feudal England to the Nazis of World War II era Germany, there have always been, and most likely always will be controlling and corrupt systems taking advantage of the common man. When discussing the potential for corruption, a quote from John Dalberg-Acton, an English Catholic politician and writer, comes to mind: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Power in the quantity that politicians possess is undeniably a huge responsibility; therefore, it is all too easy to let absolute power mislead oneself. In the satirical novel …show more content…
The reason the pigs are such a noteworthy example of corruption is because of how drastically they let the ideals they once spoke of to be twisted to suit their own desires, and how little they end up caring about their fellow animals by the end of the text. In the beginning of the novel, the pigs appear to be concerned only with the abolition of the human rule of the farm and the freedom and equality of all animals that Major had spoken of. Squealer, Napoleon, and Snowball even work together to give these ideals a singular name: Animalism (Orwell 16). After the rebellion dies down and the humans are cast out, the farm flourishes as each animal works to fulfill their own specific duties; however, when the pigs learn how gullible the other animals are and how easily they can be taken advantage of, they soon begin to make excuses for themselves. Katrina King describes this transition in detail in her article titled Animal …show more content…
The sheep are a prime example of a group who are affected by the crookedness of the system set in place, and arguably become corrupted themselves. The sheep are an interesting case, as they appear to be entirely obedient to the pigs, notably Napoleon. Despite this devotion, they reap none of the rewards that the pigs do. They allow themselves to be taken advantage of, yet they are always ready with a cry of “four legs good, two legs bad” when their fellow animals start asking questions. This is where the corruption of the sheep occurs. It is strongly implied that Napoleon uses a sort of faux brainwashing on the sheep, encouraging them to drown out any complaints that naysayers might have had. In a particularity noteworthy scene in which Napoleon abolishes the singing of the crucial song Beasts of England, this behavior is explicitly pointed out: “Frightened though they were, some of the animals might possibly have protested, but at this moment the sheep set up their usual bleating of ‘Four legs good, two legs bad,’ which went on for several minutes and put an end to the discussion” (Orwell 88). Due to their ignorance, the sheep unknowingly assist Napoleon by justifying his actions with misinterpreted propaganda. Other animals are not allowed to have a voice due to the bleating of the sheep, which allows for conditions on the farm to go from bad to worse. The sheep