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Essay on the characters in animal farm
Essay on the characters in animal farm
Essay on the characters in animal farm
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In the novel “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, Napoleon and Snowball are both leaders of the farm, but the way they treat the other animals, their view of animalism and what they want for the windmill is different.
Napoleon and Snowball’s treatment towards the other animals on the farm are very different. Napoleon always put himself and what he wanted first when running the farm. He didn’t care about the needs of the animals. For example; he would starve the other animals on the farm, but make them work very hard. Napoleon wanted as much extra food so he could sell it. The pigs also had more than enough food and barely did any work(find quote). Snowball always put the farm and the needs of all the animals first. He dedicated a lot of time to designing the windmill so the work that the animals had to do would become easier for them. (quote)
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Napoleon and Snowball both claim to believe in animalism,(idk think of something).
Napoleon didn’t actually want equality between the animals, he just wanted power. We see this multiple times throughout the novel when the pigs separate themselves from the other animals and sleep in the farmhouse, wear clothes, drink alcohol, etc. Napoleon also does less work than the other animals, but eats a lot more. This shows that he does not actually believe in animalism because it’s breaking the seven commandments which is based off of Old Major’s idea of how the farm should be run. Snowball truly believe in Old Major’s ideas about how a farm should be run. He wrote the seven commandments to make sure that the animals never forgot what animalism really was.
(quote) Although Napoleon and Snowball both liked the idea of having a windmill on the farm would be a good idea, they had different ideas about how quickly it would be built and what it would be used for. Napoleon wanted the windmill to be finished as soon as possible and made the animals work very hard for that to happen. Snowball’s plans were to have the windmill built slowly, so the animals wouldn’t have to work too hard and in the end the windmill would be built properly. The smarter pig worked very hard to design the windmill so work on the farm would be a lot easier for the others working on the farm. Napoleon needed this windmill so the animals could produce more food and he could sell it and make more money. In “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, the two pigs who run the farm, Napoleon and Snowball, both have very different ways of leading, such as the way they treat the other animals, their views of animalism and what they want for the windmill.
Napoleon does not possess honesty which is an important trait in a leader. Napoleon said he wants to make all the animal’s lives better. The windmill had the potential of benefiting the animals. Napoleon claimed the windmill plans were his to begin with, but the animals did not know that it was really Snowball because they are unintelligent and gullible. Squealer actually went to the animals to explain that “Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill. On the contrary, it was he who had advocated it in the beginning…” (57) and Snowball had just “stolen” the plans from among Napoleon’s papers. The animals built the first windmill three times because it was destroyed so many times. Once Napoleon saw how the windmill could
“When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess. The three hens who had been the ringleaders in the attempted rebellion over the eggs now came forward and stated that snowball had appeared to them in a dream and incited them to disobey Napoleon’s orders. They, too, were slaughtered” (pg 93). Napoleon like other authoritarian dictators throughout history is executing all of his political rivals in order to prevent a revolution or uprising to occur and further cementing his regime in the Animal Farm society. In this passage as he is directly violating one of the laws that Animal Farm created (No animal shall ever kill any other animal). This law was created by the Animal Farm society in order to prevent chaos and corruptness in the Animal Farm government, which in turn means that the abolishment of this law causes corruptness to reach a new height. “the winter was as cold as the last one had been, and food was even shorter. Once again all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs. A too rigid equality in rations, Squealer explained, would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism” (115). Napoleon’s regime has reduced rations on all of the citizens of Animal Farm except for the pigs and the dogs thus further amplifying the fact that everyone who isn’t a pig or a dog is a second class citizen who can’t vote, can’t sleep in the barn, and can’t eat as much. As Napoleon reached its most powerful state, it also reached its most corrupt state having inequality as a common recurring theme in the Animal Farm society and enemies of the state being publicly
As soon as Snowball was expelled Napoleon put his plan into action by saying that Snowball was a dangerous character and a bad influence and that was the reason why he was firstly opposed to the idea of building the windmill. In his propaganda he made the animals believe that the windmill should be built for their own benefit but he actually he wanted to use it to keep the animals busy building the windmill so they wouldn’t have any time to rebel. Napoleon was creating the illusion to the animals that their lives would be easier after the construction of the windmill. Napoleon provoked hatred against Snowball to ensure that he didn’t have an opponent. Napoleon was able to manipulate the animals with his propaganda.
This famous piece of literature, Animal Farm, was written by George Orwell himself around 1917 to 1945 after WWII because peasant farmers wanted to have a better life in general. In the book, Napoleon shortly becomes the leader after the rebellion. Just as Stalin had done, Napoleon used military force on the animals and intimidated them. Snowball represents Trotsky because he is a forward-thinking politician that wants to improve and help out with the windmill, but is chased out by vicious dogs Napoleon sends before he can do so. Like Stalin, the pigs build up and gain their power by manipulating the animals with propaganda techniques.
At the beginning of the story, there were two leaders, Snowball and Napoleon, who were sharing power. Snowball was good with words, honest, good at arguing, was inventive, and believed in technology. He stayed in touch with the animals, and wanted to make things better for them. Napoleon, on the other hand, was bad with words, dishonest, hated arguing, and was not inventive. He wanted to be above all the animals; he didn't care about making things better. He only believed in serving himself. In order for Napoleon to be above all the animals, he had to get Snowball out of the way. Napoleon did that by getting his dogs to scare him away so Snowball would never come back to the farm. Napoleon was now in total control of the farm and the animals. Napoleon and the pigs started acting like humans - they would drink, wear clothes, sleep in beds, fight, and walk. They did everything that they had once said was wrong.
Over the years, Napoleon and Snowball engaged in many disputes regarding the management of a successful farm. Snowball established committees to educate the other farm animals while Napoleon took no interest, he thought training the young should take priority over an adult animal’s education. He secured a group of nine puppies and took them under his wing. As years passed Napoleon and Snowball continued to butt heads. Their most explosive argument occurred over Snowball’s idea to construct a windmill. When the time arose for a vote to approve the windmill’s construction, Napoleon let out a strange whimper and the nine dogs he trained emerged from hiding. The ferocious attack dogs chased Snowball off the farm. With Snowball gone, Napoleon attained what he had always desired complete control of Animal Farm.
Snowball and Napoleon held a great deal of contrast between the way they each ruled over “Animal Farm/Manor Farm.” The only thing he did lack, was the ability of pursuasion to the other animals. Snowball had all the right ideas, all to better the whole farm. Napoleon, on the other hand, had a knack for stealing other animals’ ideas, then telling the rest it was his and getting credit for it. His ideas only seemed to benefit the pigs and not the animals. It was this, that led to the crumbling of the farm. Napoleons obsession with becoming the ruler is what got Snowball nearly killed by the dogs...in a plot made by Napoleon. Which then produced a whole new rebellion not of the animals to the humans, but of the animals to the pigs. So for these reasons, Snowball showed better qualities for leadership than Napoleon because he wasn’t selfish and thought about the future of “Animal Farm.” First, the dominated farm animals viewed Napoleon and Snowball differently at different times throughout the book. The way the animals reacted to each leader brought upon new problems of the farm. The animals respected Snowball, and believed that his teachings were all true and had a good cause. Although Snowball and Napoleon had superior qualities leadership, it was clearly Snowball who had the better qualities for running a farm. Under Snowballs’ rule, the animals were generally content with what was going on and were all for it if it was to better the farm. It was obvious that Napoleon had the better half of getting his own way on the farm. However, the animals had some problems with Napoleon but they didn’t know haw to express their feelings and show him that they didn’t like the way he ran things. It was the animals’ ignorance that helped keep Napoleon in rule for as long as it was. The responses were so different between the animals that it must have been a drastic change between Snowball and Napoleon.
Also, basically all the animals on Animal Farm were pretty dumb, they could not read or write. After Old Major’s death, just three days after presenting his vision to the animals, Snowball and Napoleon quickly become the leaders in planning for the Rebellion because they were the only animals that were smart enough. Besides from Napoleon and Snowball all the animals did many stupid things on the farm. The characters in Animal Farm said a lot of stupid things throughout the whole story, “ ‘He is dead, said Boxer sorrowfully. ‘I had no intention of doing that. I forgot that I was wearing iron shoes’ ” (822).
Snowball and Napoleon are battling for control of the farm, they both want to be the leader because they know that the leader has the most privileges. The animals that are in charge, the pigs, do less work than the other animals. "All that year the animals worked like slaves." The title of leader is highly sought after, because the leader tells everyone what to do without actually having to work. The pigs not only do less work but they receive more food. "Once again all the rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs." The fact that the pigs receive more food than the other harder working animals, shows that the farm is full of inequality. This type of governing is wrong, and Orwell wants it to stop. Less power should be given to the leader, so that the leader and his followers can be more equal. Once a group or an individual obtains power, it is impossible to manage it correctly.
Napoleon had a lust for power and getting his own way. When Old Major, the original leader of the barn died, Napoleon and Snowball took control over Manor Farm which they renamed Animal Farm. After that battle, Napoleon used propaganda and brought terror over the farm. Claiming that extra milk was necessary for a pig’s nutrition, he steals the cows milk. Because Snowball challenged Napoleon’s leadership, Napoleon strategized and succeeded at
The relationship surrounding Snowball and Napoleon in George Orwell's Animal Farm tends to be on rocky grounds. Snowball, a clever pig, tends to be loyal, brave, and outgoing. These are just a few excellent qualities of a leader. Napoleon, a boar, on the other hand, is quite frankly rude, wretched, and full of greed. Both have had their share of leadership on the farm, yet both have had their share of conflict as well.
From the death of Old Major, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer replaced him. At first things started off pretty well; the harvest was very good the first year and the reading and writing system had helped some, but had limited success on others. In time, the leaders of animal farm started to have mixed feelings. Snowball and Napoleon were in constant disagreement. An important meeting that was held ended with an astonishing outcome. One decision that was made was concerning the windmill project and the most important decision made was who would be the head animal. Snowball and Napoleon each gave their input on what needs to be done around the farm. “Snowball stood up and, though occasionally interrupted by bleating from the sheep, set forth his reasons for advocating the building of the windmill. Then Napoleon stood up to reply. He said ver quietly that the windmill was a nonsense and that he advised nobody to vote for it” (57).
Napoleon and the executed victims were of the same kind: animals, but because they confessed to be associated with Snowball, no matter how minor the crime was, they were still put to death. To order the execution of the animals that once had the same goals and purposes as you, just reveals Napoleon’s cold, unforgiving nature. Another trait that Napoleon has, is his hypocrisy. “They had thought the Fifth Commandment was "No animal shall drink alcohol," but there were two words that they had forgotten. Actually the Commandment read: "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess" (109). This passage from the novel displays Napoleon’s hypocrisy because the original commandment does not have the words “to excess,” it was added so that Napoleon could manipulate the animals into thinking that whatever he does is right. Earlier in the story, Napoleon made a decree that if any of the animals drink alcohol, they will be punished by death, but later, he proceeds to drink alcohol anyways. In addition to drinking alcohol, he also takes an area that was meant for retired animals and uses it to sow barley to make
Snowball the boar, a leader of animal farm, loved by his fellow comrades, is conflicted by Napoleon and his decisions throughout the story. In Animal farm by George Orwell, the revolution against the humans creates new opportunities for the farm, but also formulates conflict, Snowball is faced with important decisions for the better of the farm, and competes with other animals to lead the group. Although Snowball isn’t the biggest or hardest working animal on the farm, he is one of the most intelligent, and he is a great leader, which shows how leadership is just as important as hard work.
The corrupting influence of power on Animal Farm creates two very different characters, Snowball and Napoleon. Even though Snowball, who is the lively and friendly pig, and Napoleon who is the fierce, cruel boar, they have their similarities. They want to become the leaders of Animal Farm, they agree on the seven commandments and Animalism, and they are masters of convincing and persuasion. Although most characters are not perfectly similar or polar opposites, it is important to know that the end of Animal Farm may have been quite similar if it had ended with Snowball as the leader.