Power In George Orwell's Animal Farm

Examples of Power In George Orwell’s Animal Farm

George Orwell's classic, Animal Farm, is a warning to his readers about about the danger of letting anyone acquire too much power in a society. Though it was written as an allegory of the Russian Revolution, it can be compared to other historical events, or even to current events.

The book begins with the humans having complete power over the animals. This can be seen in Chapter 1 when Mr. Jones is working with the animals on the farm. "He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself." As one can see, Mr. Jones makes the animals do all the hard labor and only gives them enough food for survival. Then, he

keeps the rest of the food for himself and he is also addressed as “Master” by some of the more loyal animals of the farm.
When the animals take over the farm, the reader is shown what might happen when a government is formed which does not equally represent all of the people, or in this case,does not represent all of the animals. Below you will see how five characters had or did not have power, thus creating a government of inequity on the farm.

Napoleon
Napoleon is the one animal in the farm with the most power and respect out of every animal. He is the leader of all the animals in the farm and has the power to make many drastic changes to the farm. An example of Napoleon’s power is in chapter 5 when the animals are thinking if snowball was a traitor. The book states that “"If comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right." This explains how much power he has just by using words alone. Another example of his power in the book is when he reduces the rations of food for all animals except for pigs and dogs.

Squealer
Squealer is also another animal in the farm with a lot of power He is one of the closest and most loyal animal to Napoleon. He is so close to Napoleon that he is almost like the Co-leader of the farm if Napoleon is the leader of the farm. One of his good attributes or talents is being a brilliant talker and having the ability to persuade others. An example of Squealer’s power is when in chapter 5 when Squealer persuades the other animals. The book states that “The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that accepted his explanation without further questions .” The book also states that ”Squealer was a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point, he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was some now very persuasive.” This explains to the reader that Squealer has the ability to be very persuasive and sometimes uses his power of bringing dogs to force it.
The Dogs
The dogs in the farm are the most physically powerful animals and together they have the strength to kill any of the other animals in the farm.

These dogs were taken from their mother at birth and raised by some of the pigs to train them to be used as a sort of weapon. An example of the animals power is when in chapter 5 when the dogs chase Snowball out of the farm. The book states that "Nine enormous dogs wearing brass studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball.” Another example is when the book states, "...the dogs who happen to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further

questions."

This quote explains how the dogs have the power to make animals run from them and instill fear into all the animals.
Old Major
Old Major was one of the oldest and wise animal in the farm. He was a boar and every animal had respect for him. This animal did have power on the farm because of his age and experiences living on the farm. An example of the animals power is when in chapter 1 when every animal in the farm lost an hour of sleep to hear what he had to say. The book states that "Old Major was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hours sleep in order to hear what he had to say." This explains the animals’ respect for him to lose an hour of sleep to hear his speech.
Boxer
Boxer was one of the most hard working animal out of everyone in the farm.

He was admired by everyone and his strength was unmatched by any other animal. He did twice the work as much as any other animal in the farm. However, he was not that intelligent and had only believed in Napoleon. This animal did have power on the farm because of his hard work and contribution to the farm. An example of his power is when in chapter 1 when the author states Boxer’s abilities. The book states that “Boxer not of rate intelligence but he was universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work.” This explains everyone’s admiration for Boxer and his hard

work.

Relationship to the Real World
The book is also similar to a historical event because the animals in this book try to fight for power and when one animal has too much power; he may become corrupt like Napoleon. This book is extremely similar to Joseph Stalin and Russia. For instance, Napoleon becomes a leader just like Stalin and they both exile the other opposing party they think is very dangerous. Also, they both have too much power and become very corrupted. Lastly, both their types of government are related to communism.

Animal Farm is cautionary tale for humans, even though it is focused on animals. Animals and human can be very alike in the way they think. Power and greed is what corrupts many people. Many people lust for power and the ability to make changes.