Animal Farm Power Analysis

Improved Essays
In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, Orwell expresses how the utilization and abuse of power can affect a union. In the novel he expresses the Russian Revolution in the form of an allegory in which important figures are portrayed as animals. His main characters Napoleon and Mr. Jones illustrate how the misuse of power can lead to corruption and oppression, while Old Major shows that not everyone with power will abuse that responsibility. At the start of the novel, readers are introduced to Mr. Jones, who represents Tsar Nicholas II, as he drunkenly stumbles home after a long night. Jones is the owner of the Manor Farm and all the animals on it, but is an alcoholic and neglects to care for and feed the animals. On this particular night, …show more content…
With Old Major having passed away, a pig named Napoleon who represents Stalin is named the leader of Animal Farm. As the animal’s new leader, he uses fear and manipulation to get all the animals to obey his commands. In chapter 6 Orwell writes “...in August Napoleon announced that there would be work on Sunday afternoons as well. This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have rations reduced by half”(Orwell, pg. 26). Although Napoleon says this work is voluntary, he is manipulating the animals to work by threatening to take away their food. This abuse of power continued as Napoleon favored himself and the other pigs. In paragraph 10 of chapter 6, Orwell mentions that the pigs have moved into the farmhouse so that they could have a ”quiet place to work in” since they are “the brains of the farm”. He also writes “Nevertheless, some of the animals were disturbed when they heard that the pigs not only took their meals in the kitchen and used the drawing-room as a recreation room, but also slept in the beds”(Orwell, pg 28). Napoleon and the other pigs have also began to use human items, which is strictly prohibited. Napoleon and the other pigs have now returned the farm to its original state when Jones was in

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Although Napoleon manages to gain the farm animals' trust at the beginning of the story, it is later evident that he is a ruthless and cunning dictator. Napoleon, along with the other pigs, assume leadership position a few days after old Major's death. They turn Old Major's dream into a philosophy and vow to make life better for the animals on Manor Farm. Eventually, Napoleon becomes corrupted by greed and breaks his promise. He takes away the animals' freedom by taking away the weekly debate so that no one may voice their opinion or turn the animals against him, living in luxury in his barn while the animals live outside, not doing any actual work on the farm, persuading the other animals to labor on the farm while he supervises, reducing…

    • 250 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Leon Trotsky Quotes

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Jones was asleep. " First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform". (Page 4). When Old Major died the pigs were naturally left in charge. The pigs were considered to be the smartest animals.…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Animal Farm Essay There are several examples of tyranny displayed throughout George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm . “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” a statement by Lord Acton, is a recurring theme throughout the text. This is shown with Farmer Jones at the beginning of the story, as well as with Napoleon through the rest.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Destroying everything, and ordered everyone, to put up his picture instead of God, so he could have more power. This corrupted power is distinguished a lot throughout the entire book of Animal Farm, especially through Napoleon. Many people admit that the pigs possessed all of the power in Animal Farm. "The pigs did not work but directed and supervised the others"(Orwell 21).…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Squealer(one of the pigs) taps into the fears all the animals have by bringing the idea that Jones could come back. Squealer uses the animals fears, “Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back (36)?”…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In George Orwell’s novel “Animal Farm”, the pig to human transition represents how failed revolutions only end up worse than their predecessors. With Napoleon, there is an increase in dealing with humans, even though the goal of the farm is to be run by animals. The original seven commandments are constantly being modified to fit the pigs agenda. On top of all this, the living conditions get progressively worse and the animals must work harder than before. The name change from Manor Farm to Animal Farm was supposed to represent the animals taking control of the farm, but, the pigs end up mimicking human behaviours after becoming the leaders.…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There was only one candidate, Napoleon, who was elected unanimously” (Orwell 93). Napoleon even takes precautionary measures to ensure that he is the only leader and eventually concludes that having power means he is superior in intellect. Napoleon further abuses his power when he no longer is able to distinguish between right and wrong. The farm shifts from a republic to a dictatorship when Napoleon seizes the animals’ freedom of speech, kills traitors, and forces the animals to work seven days a week. The pigs slowly adapt to the laws of the human world, a world they so adamantly despised.…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Power: Animal Farm vs. Marked Power, power is the ability to do something. The word itself can mean a lot, as in the ability to complete something, the ability to influence, the ability to even move others and make them feel differently which can be both, good or bad. The power itself can also land in different hands, if it lands in good hands, good things will sure come as it will benefit people around that particular person or group. If the power lands in evil hands, it will be abused and it will only be used for his or her own benefits. Previously we read two books, Animal Farm by George Orwell, and the graphic novel Marked by Steve Ross.…

    • 1210 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Both the pigs in George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Vladimir Putin use fear and propaganda to stay in power. Animal Farm is an allegory meant to represent the events of the Russian Revolution in 1917. The book is about animals who take over their farm in order to run it themselves. They eventually fall under the leadership of a pig named Napoleon, who often deceives the animals in order to maintain power. The book highlights the ignorance of the animals who end up just as they were in the beginning of the story: as slaves to an ungrateful leader.…

    • 1265 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the book Animal Farm Napoleon, the leading pig on the farm, rules the animals in fear, consequently the animals seem to be no better off with humans versus pigs. The book shows how power can alter one's personality and approach to gain more power. Napoleon’s leadership was questionable to the animals yet they never tried to stop Napoleon just like when Jones ran the farm. Are the animals better off with Napoleon opposed to Jones running the farm? George Orwell showed how easily power can lead to something far worse than the animals had intended.…

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the book Animal Farm the author George Orwell uses animals to represent real people. Napoleon is the main pig who is representing Stalin and he shows inhumanity to Snowball who…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    It is not seen very often in popular books today that a pig instructs nine killer puppies to tear out the throats of traitorous hens. In Animal Farm by George Orwell, a satire of major European countries in the 1940’s, this is only one of the events that displays the leading pig Napoleon’s road to complete takeover. Napoleon mainly succeeds in his path to glory through the inequality of his “subjects.” Orwell expresses the theme of unequal treatment in society through the citizenry of the pigs, hens, and dogs in his story. Orwell explains the idea of inequality throughout a society through his hen characters in the story.…

    • 1494 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The story of Animal Farm is not just one of talking animals living on a farm. Rather, the tale chronicles the historical event of the Russian Revolution and the figures that took part in establishing the totalitarian regime in Russia, as well as the people that were affected by the ascendance of a corrupt leader. George Orwell, in Animal Farm, creates the villain character of Napoleon, a Berkshire pig, and the main antagonist in the novel, who rose to power through acts of exploitation, fear tactics, and manipulation to demonstrate the corruption of Joseph Stalin 's dictatorship. Throughout the story, corruption arose in the farm as Napoleon gained power and began to grant himself privileges.…

    • 1747 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Power is not only taken, but it’s magnified into control and totalitarian behavior. Political leaders who are corrupted can use their powers to their own benefit. George Orwell the author of Animal Farm portray this idea by the character of Napoleon. Napoleon is the main character in the fable Animal Farm. Orwell expresses the tyranny behavior that is seen through this character, Napoleon.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Power is the key for people to satisfy man-self desire, the novel, Animal Farm, is a dystopian allegory story that was written by George Orwell that satires on the corrupting influence power. Animal Farm is about the effect of the power using animals as an example. By reading Animal Farm, readers can find that power plays an important role in Animal Farm and the effect of power is massive. In the story, power is used for selfish purposes. First of all, power leads to avarice as seen by Mr. Jones who, as the owner of the farm, abuses the animals for his own profit.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays