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Point of view of power corruption in the animal farm
In animal farm how napoleon wields control
Point of view of power corruption in the animal farm
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END – Achieve freedom from humans and be able to look after themselves
The means to get this was by Napoleon and Snowball taking charge and organizing the events in the other animals’ lives
JUSTIFY – To whom was justification needed?
- Other Animals
- Pigs
The animals believed that whatever the means, no matter how hard their lives would become, all would turn out for the best. Therefore, Squealer and Napoleon were able to justify this means to an end for them.
Napoleon and Squealer were happy and felt that the means was justified because they were advantaged over the others.
HOWEVER WAS IT JUSTIFIED?
Most people would say ‘no, the end does not justify the means because the pigs were cruel’. However the means can be justified because the animals knew what the means would be, and the end that they had accepted the means for did not include cruel pigs. They felt that as long as the end was good for everyone, the means was justified.
What the people mean when they say that ‘the end does not justify the means because the pigs are cruel’ is that they don’t like how the end that all the animals were looking forward to did not eventuate. This didn’t happen because there were in actual fact two ends, not one. Both the pigs and the other animals felt that the means had been justified, but unbeknown to the other animals, the pigs had a different goal.
The means of giving Napoleon absolute power to let all animals have freedom and the ability to look after themselves was justified, however, unfortunately, due to the power which corrupted him, Napoleon never let this end get achieved. Napoleon changed the purpose for which this means was to be used. It is the pigs’ end of benefiting themselves only and dominating the other animals that does not justify the means. It is this end that people refer to when they do not agree with this statement, because this end is not a good end.
Of course, the pigs thought that their end was good, but it wasn’t because they only wanted to advantage a minority and didn’t care about the other animals. It wasn’t enough for them that they succeeded in living comfortably, everyone else had to fail and struggle to live.
The means
The pigs have a lot of power over the animals because they know that the animals can not realise that they are doing all the work. The animals trust that the pigs are telling the truth. Because of this, the pigs take full advantage of it and choose to slack off and take the animals' trust for granted.
In the beginning of the story Old Major gives a speech to the animals on the farm, and in this speech he mentions how cruel the humans are. During his speech Old Major uses Boxer the horse as an example when he says “You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds.” (Orwell 11). He then proceeds to tell the animals that once they revolt the cruelty will end, and at first it does, but soon the pigs begin to act more like humans. The pigs act so much like the humans that at the end of the book it is said that the other animals can’t even tell the difference between the pigs and the humans.
Which makes him one of the villains in this novel with Squealer by his side who is an allegory to the Soviet Press, who Stalin would control. The rest of the farm animals would believe everything and anything that Napoleon would tell them. He favored the pigs the most, he gave them privileges such as getting to sleep in beds, eating all their supply of food, and not having to work which that the rest of the animals could never have. He convinced the other animals into thinking that the privileges he gave the pigs was to make things better for the farm. “Many of us actually dislike milk and apples...We pigs are brainworkers” (pg. 14). He let the pigs do what they wanted the same way, Stalin led the Soviet Press when he was the
Throughout the novel, the most prominent way that Napoleon gained power was through controlling the education that the animals received. In the beginning of the novel, Snowball believes in educating all of the animals on Animal Farm, young and old, by trying to organize committees and instituting classes devoted to reading and writing (page 39). However, Napoleon openly states that educating the young is more important that the old. When Jessie and Bluebell have puppies, Napoleon takes them away and secludes them from the rest of Animal Farm to teach them on his own (41). Throughout the novel, after Snowball's removal, education becomes less and less important, and pigs and dogs are the only animals really being taught anything. This comes in handy for Napoleon as he begins to make "adjustments" to the rules that Animal Farm is based upon, such as drinking alcohol, sleeping in beds, and walking on two legs. The fact that the animals can't do math is an advantage as well when Squealer starts reeling off facts and figures about rations and death rates and other nonsense (105).
...ll return. By cleverly inducing fear into the animals, the pigs are able to convince them to agree with and support anything they suggest.
After the Animal Revolution the pigs take the initiative and place themselves in charge because of their claim of having higher intelligence. Over time this power begins to distort the basis of their revolt by recreating the same social situation they were previously in. “When the pigs takeover they claim that their goal is to preside a farm of equal animals, all working together to support one another, yet power quickly proves too much for a pig.” Though the animals originally took over the farm to increase the animal’s independence as a whole, because of the pig’s superiority they soon take the place of the humans further limiting their independence.
By first using propaganda to persuade the animals that Snowball was an enemy, Napoleon’s rise to power began. Snowball was Napoleon’s only real threat to assuming leadership. In the story, the two pigs always disagreed with each other. The other animals were divided equally in supporting either Snowball or Napoleon. By spreading the rumor that Snowball was a traitor, Napoleon was able to drive Snowball from the farm and become the leader of Animal Farm with no one to oppose him. Napoleon, with the help of Squealer, turned all the animals against Snowball. Squealer, who was a masterful manipulator, played an important part in convincing the animals that Snowball was an enemy. Naming Snowball as a “traitor”, Squealer played on the animals’ fear of humans and told them that Snowball had been a spy for the humans. The animals believed Squealer and thought that Snowball was only trouble on the farm. They later suspected that S...
From the very beginning, Napoleon started breaking the commandment that stated all animals are equal. He had all the milk and apples set aside for the pigs. He put forth the idea that the pigs depended on these things for survival, and that it was in the interest of the entire farm that they be set aside for them. The others were convinced by Squealer’s arguments that
Surrounding the premise of the barn were a whole army of animals. Walking up to the barn was a pig that was old but could still be recognized. “Where is Napoleon, the dogs and the other pi….” Snowball never realized until now that the farm house was burned down and all the new advancements to the farm. “Well…. I guess I didn’t need to waste 12 years of gathering an army to take Napoleon and all of them down, when I’m guessing that you all took care of them…” All of the animals finally gathered in front of the old Snowball and Snowball cleared his throat, “Today, I will be your leader, but I will make this place a democracy! Where all animals are free to do whatever and that they get a right to vote!” The animals didn’t seem to disagree when they gave a cheer in response. After that, England’s animals left their farms and went to the Animal farm. Where they all made a large civilization that was remember for centuries. For it was the first civilization of
In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, a main theme is that power corrupts those who possess it. A definition of corruption is,“dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.” Orwell develops this idea through the character Napoleon in various ways. Looking back in the book, the animal’s rebellion quickly turned political and revolved around, “Leader, Comrade Napoleon (Orwell 81)”. The power Napoleon possed was executed through lies and selfishness, aided by the lack of intellectual ability in the other animals. The corruption of Napoleon’s power is displayed when he favors himself, along with the other pigs, and eventually the dogs, who all get better rations of food compared to the other animals. Another main demonstration of how power corrupts Napoleon is how he separates himself from the other animals on the farm, displaying his feelings if superiority to the other animals. A ceremonial nature develops towards Napoleon. The last way power corrupts Napoleon is how he acts recklessly; killing other animals and lying about
After the succession of their rebellion “the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that everything that they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings.” (6.1) The writer mocks at their ignorance ironically by saying that they were “well aware” of the procedure that is functioning. Their intellectual inferiority is evident through it from the beginning. This particular nature of the animals invites and signals the rulers, the pigs that they are ready to be subjected. This intellectual inferiority, causes the amendment of the seventh ...
" The animals listened first to Napoleon, then to Snowball, and could not make up their minds which was right indeed, they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment"(56).... ... middle of paper ... ...
One central element of this theme that remains true is that regardless of how upstanding the person or how virtuous their goals are, power still can corrupt. In the novel the pigs (like the other animals) had a noteworthy goal of ending the oppression that the animals of the farm faced through the revolution, however once they came into power after the revolution the pigs changed. While the goal of equality was one of the key principals set forth by the intellectual father of the revolution Old Major, the pigs found it ultimately too tempting to resit their urges to use their power for their own benefit (Orwell
Saying that “the ends justify the means” is an invalid statement , those agreeing with this statement obviously believe that killing, stealing, and cheating does not matter as long as it has a good outcome and the goal is obtained.The phrase “the ends justify the means” refers to the morality of an action,which basically means “A good outcome excuses any wrongs committed to attain it.” (End Justifies the Means, the). This topic is among the most controversial subjects discussed today.
Orwell's novel depicts how a society can be corrupted if all the power was left to one individual. In this case, the animals left all the power to the pigs and they took advantage of that power. In my opinion, Orwell did a good job in portraying animals to signify the human counterpart. I enjoyed the fact that he made the pigs in charge and later we found out that the pigs were evil and corrupted, similar to politicians that runs our government. This analogy depicts politicians to be like dirty pigs.