Joseph Stalin Animal Farm Analysis

"The easiest way to gain control of the population is to carry out acts of terror," Joseph Stalin. In the satirical novella Animal Farm, the author Eric Blair creates a allegory about animals on a farm that symbolize the followers and leaders during The Russian Revolution of 1917. Napoleon, who represents Joseph Stalin, is a totalitarian leader that instills fear into the other animals in order for them to comply. Through the propaganda spread about Napoleon, the animals are brainwashed into thinking Napoleon is a beneficial leader the farm. It is shown that their lives are in danger if they show any disagreement to Napoleon. In the novella the animals show signs of being blind followers of Napoleon's tyrannical society due to the propaganda …show more content…
"The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively and the dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions." (58) This quote from the novella shows how Napoleon uses the dogs, the representation of the KGB, and the pig Squealer as propaganda in order for the farm animals to accept his decisions for the farm. "When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animals had anything to confess." (84) This quote from the novella shows how Napoleon mercilessly kills many of his followers, and it also shows how he used fear to threaten the animals and make sure they obey his rules on the farm. Many of Napoleon's actions are manipulative, through many of these actions Napoleon made the farm animals believe he is an exceptional leader. "When he (Napoleon) did appear, he was attended not only by his retinue of dogs, but by a black cockerel who marched in front of him and acted as a kind of trumpeter, letting out a loud "cock-a-doodle-do" before Napoleon spoke." (93) This quote shows how Napoleon cares about himself more than the other animals on the farm. His goal is absolute power on the farm, and he achieves it through the …show more content…
One specific example of this is Boxer the Horse. Napoleon treats the farm animals, such as Boxer the horse, unfairly and dominates them using dogs. Many of the animals give up their freedom when Napoleon kills their fellow animals. However, Boxer never realizes he is losing his freedom due to the propaganda brainwashing him into thinking Napoleon is an excellent and benevolent leader through the propaganda spread about him. "These scenes of terror and slaughter were not what they had looked forward to on that night when old major first stirred them to the rebellion." (86) This quote shows how the views of the animals, such as Boxer, are different from what they expect at the beginning of the novella. It also shows how Napoleon terrorizes the animals, and how they did not intend for this to