Analysis Of Corruption Of Power In George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test their character give them power. ”(Abraham Lincoln) In the novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell relates to this quote, when an animal revolution occurs. One animal has power over everyone, he seems to be corrupt. That one leader makes all the other animals suffer just from him being corrupt with his power.

People play an enormous component in our lives and the choices we make. In George Orwell's “ Animal Farm” there are several people that show leadership and guidance. The Leaders of Animal Farm start off with good intentions, but as the story goes on it becomes obvious the leaders have grown power-hungry and have become the 'superior' animals, showing that equality does not exist. This source of power has been used by leaders at the expense of their followers for their own personal gain, like Napoleon, whose first sign of corruption occurred early in the book when he seemed to be the main leader of them all.

Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain or wrong doer is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing, showcased in Animal Farm as Utopian ideals but with failed practices.

Often times in a communist society, a leader’s use of language can lead to abuse of power. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the farm leaders, the pigs, use unknown language, invoke scare tactics, and create specific laws, thereby enabling them to control other animals, to suit their greedy desires, and to perform actions outside their realm of power. Because of the pigs’ use of broad language, implementation of scare tactics, and creation and manipulation of laws, they are able to get away with avoiding laws and convincing other animals into believing untrue stories and lies that are beneficial to the pigs.

Uneducated citizens can allow a corrupt government to succeed because they believe that what the government is doing is the right thing because they are the most educated and that is what they were made to believe since the beginning. This theme can be seen in George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm. In this novel, the animals start to riot of how they are not being taken care of properly and that their farmer, Mr. Jones, is awful towards them by not feeding them any food and mistreating them. One of the animals, a pig, named Old Major decides to take a stand and gathers all the animals together to kick out Mr. Jones from the farm. Since Old Major ends up dying other pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, end up taking charge of the farm naming it Animal Farm and making amendments for all to follow, putting humans as their

“Remember that all things are lawful to me” (Tranquillus). These words by Gaius Caesar Germanicus, more commonly known as Caligula, epitomize the corruption caused by absolute power. Under his rule, the Roman treasury was emptied, people suffered from seemingly random acts of brutality, and Rome was ruled by an emperor who thought of himself as a god. Similarly, in the novel Animal Farm, the Manor Farm is taken over by its four-legged inhabitants. Their equal government is soon taken over by a power-hungry leader, a young boar named Napoleon. George Orwell’s fictional dictator Napoleon in the allegorical novel Animal Farm and the lavish life of the Roman Emperor Caligula both prove that power always causes corruption.

In Animal Farm, George Orwell proves the quote “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This quote is saying that power can corrupt anyone, and with all the power complete corruption can occur. Farmer Jones had the power, it began to control him but then he lost it to the animals. He didn’t have control long enough for it to corrupt him.

Language is a powerful tool, some abuse it to obtain power and some use it to inspire movements and bring change. I believe that language is more powerful if you use it to control a population via lying, manipulation, and fear. There have been many instances of individuals and groups using fear and language for control.

George Orwell painted an allegorical depiction of Communist Russia with Animal Farm: a short Roman à clef centered around a farmstead and its inhabitants. The pigs in Animal Farm declared the animals of independent and took control of their naïve counterparts, and set off to run the world’s first farm run independently by animals. Orwell exploited the tyranny of Jones and Napoleon to convey the inevitability of corruption that comes with dictatorial authority and disclose history repeating itself throughout the course of the short story.

Throughout all of history and fiction, one thing has stayed the same, those with power shall become corrupted by that power. In Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the author best shows that power corrupts through Napoleon's many actions. Examples of this are how at the beginning of the novel, Napoleon doesn’t do very much, just taking small things, like milk and food. Later on however, when he has more and more power, he becomes corrupted. He violates many of the earliest resolutions and eventually starts changing the seven commandments.

George Orwell in his novel Animal Farm explores the reality through the abuse of power using the character Napoleon. In order to gain absolute power, Napoleon eliminates any opposition, uses propaganda, and chances the commandments.

As a political writer and socialist of the time, Orwell turns the tragedy of the Russian people, whose dreams of a communist utopia were crushed by the Stalin regime, into a message to society. These people of the Russian Revolution were treated just as poorly, if not worse, than before the revolution because of political innocence and an authoritarian government. With his novel, Animal Farm, serving as allegory for the Russian revolution, Orwell warns that any society that gives the leader absolute power is fated to become corrupt and oppressive because of the inevitability of a leader manipulating his power for personal gain. Even revolutions that have the best intentions will ultimately fail if the leaders are not held accountable.

Throughout history, there are endless examples of people who became leaders and let the power they gained corrupt them. Some started as kind and generous humans and then turned to selfish, greedy dictators. One example of the corruption that comes with power can be seen in the events of the Russian Revolution which led to the death and destruction of a plethora of Russians under the communist rulers who let power corrupt them. George Orwell uses his novel Animal Farm as an allegory for readers to have insight into the corruption that power can bring. Power corrupts those who possess it because it makes them selfish, it makes them lie and be dishonest to serve their own agendas, and it leads them to compromise their morals.

Power is an evil thing. Power can even manage to corrupt angels into devils. Yes, power has the ability to change the world for the better, but most would use power to enrich themselves. Wars even got started over the greed of the leader. In the story, Animal Farm by George Orwell, the story demonstrates a corrupt animal leader known as Napoleon.

Revolutions are supposed to induce a new and improved government system. However, in George Orwell's Animal Farm, an attempt to overthrow a human dictator results in an even more corrupt leader taking over. The remaining animals, too ignorant and powerless to defend themselves, are left struggling to survive under dangerous living conditions along with daily threats of starvation, exhaustion, and execution. In Animal Farm, George Orwell asserts the idea that absolute power results in corruption. Napoleon and the other pigs, interested in remaining superior, persuade the other animals by using intimidation and emotional appeals in order to keep control of the gullible animals.