Examples Of Corruption In Animal Farm

Corruption can occur when one person or group manipulates the rest of the population for complete power. In the classic novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, demonstrates how even though a government or a group with patriotic beginnings can become corrupt in the end. Two ways that George Orwell Demonstrates this are control over the less intelligent, and lies and deception. These two things help show that even great beginnings can go downhill.
Napoleon manipulated and took advantage of the animals on the farm a lot, one way he manipulated them was that he would control the less intelligent with big words and complex sentences. ”The birds did not understand Snowball’s long words, but they accepted his explanation”(Orwell 34). This shows

that even though the animals do not understand what Snowball is saying, they still accept it. They accepted it because the words that Snowball was saying sounded so sophisticated that the animals just accepted it. Corruption can occur when you manipulate your citizens into thinking that what you are doing is the right thing. Also ”At the meetings Snowball often won over the majority by his brilliant speeches”(47) was said later in the novel. The animals would usually vote for Snowball because he was great with words, and when you transfer that talent into telling the animals that the pigs should get more food and water, you get what you want. Which can lead to corruption because this power can be abused easily.
Another way that Napoleon manipulated the animals was how he knew that he could lie and get away with it because, the animals would believe it because he is their leader.

“Comrades!” he cried, “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us dislike milk and apples. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health.”(Napoleon 35). The reason that Napoleon could say this and get away with it is because he is their leader and the animals wouldn’t suspect that the leaders would be corrupt, and lie to them so that they could take the delicious food for themselves. Another example is when Napoleon said “Do you know who is responsible for this? Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!”(70). Napoleon blamed this tragedy on Snowball because he couldn’t believe that his creation had flaws, so he found a scapegoat to blame it on, rather than take the blame himself. This act can cause corruption easily because he can blame problems on others and get away scot-free. Napoleon made it even more convincing that Snowball committed this crime by telling the animals that the first one that captures or kills Snowball gets half a bushel of

apples.
Throughout the novel, Napoleon was looking for ways that he could manipulate or control the animals so that he could get away with doing little to no work. Lying and deceiving his peers gave him a scapegoat where he could blame anything on. The way he controlled over the less intelligent, gave him a one up by using complex words and phrases to confuse them, in time he was able to obtain complete power and restore corruption in the farm once again. Absolute power does not always lead to corruption, it’s what you do with that power that leads to corruption.