Animal Farm Power Corrupts Absolute Power

This was not the beginning of the Rule of Napoleon; it was supposed to be “All animals are equal;” however, it was changed to “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.” Napoleon’s ultimate demise was shown through some small actions in the beginning. Power twisted Napoleon’s conscience and his morals created a monster from which many feared.

When thinking about pigs, you generally associate them with being dirty, repulsive and gluttonous. Well, that's Napoleon. In the novel, Animal Farm, by George Orwell Napoleon is a pig on Manor Farm who slowly exerts power over others and begins his reign as a dictator. Napoleon takes over and renames the farm Animal Farm while being completely deceptive and unfair. Napoleon is a prime example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely because he is unjust and doesn't care for the wellbeing of any of the other animals on the farm but himself.

The best theme for Animal Farm by George Orwell is absolute power corrupts absolutely. According to “Animal Farm” by George Orwell it states, “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy,” (pg.43) and later on in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell it states, “...came out Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side (pg.132)…All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (pg.133). The quote on page 43 shows how Napoleon has had rules set in order so that the farm would be under control. The quote on page 132 shows Napoleon standing on his hind legs, which is against the rule. The quote on page 133 it shows the new rule that allows Napoleon to do what he wants. Napoleon took his power as the one in control and used to do what he wants and not what was best for all the animals. He changed the rule, so that he could do what he wants and not get reprimanded for it. Another quote in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell is“...giving birth between them to nine sturdy puppies. As soon as they were weaned, Napoleon took them away from their mothers saying that he would make himself responsible for their education” (pg.51) and later in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell it states, “Napoleon stood up and, casting a particular sidelong look at Snowball, uttered a high-pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him utter before. At this there was a terrible baying sound outside. And nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came

Finally, power corrupts is shown by Jones being powerful and always wanted more power by being cruel to his animals and not feeding them well enough. Napoleon chased Snowball of the farm so they would not have to compete for power. Napoleon also shows power corrupts by only caring about himself and the other pigs on the farm and was very demanding. George Orwell shows how power corrupts throughout the whole

The undeniable greed Napoleon possesses can only be fulfilled by giving the other animals the illusion of bettering themselves by not questioning his logic: “Boxer, who had now had time to think things over, voiced the general feeling by saying, ‘If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right.’ And from then on he adopted the maxim, ‘Napoleon is always right,’ in addition to his private motto of ‘I will work harder’” (Orwell 60). Because Animal Farm’s audience predominantly consists of working class citizens, they begin to feel sympathy for Boxer since he cannot recognize Napoleon is exploiting him exclusively for his personal goal of becoming a puissant leader; therefore, animosity towards Napoleon develops in the audience. Considering the animals promptly welcome Napoleon’s promise of a better life, they work towards exhaustion, unknowingly fueling Napoleon’s greed: "All that year 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" (63). Although the animals working for Napoleon are unaware he is gradually becoming more human and willfully betraying his fellow animals for his own benefit, it is evident to the audience that Napoleon is corrupt. As Napoleon cunningly achieves power, his greed continues to grow, the same as a totalitarian leader’s:

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton) This quote is telling us that when people get into the roles of absolute power they tend to become corrupt, as a result of that power. This quote can be applied to Napoleon from the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, because at the beginning of the novel Old Major’s words inspired Napoleon. As a result, he believed that humans were evil for forcing animals to work for them and that animals should be able to live freely, not under anyone’s control; however, as the story progresses his belief changed and the animals did not get to live their utopian dream.

Napoleon uses the animal's lack of knowledge to change the commandments to his side. “...ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS,”(Doc A, Chapter 10). Napoleon uses the animal's knowledge to his advantage because he manipulated the law of Animalism so he can stand higher up than the other animals. At the beginning of the book, Napoleon makes the animals chant, “Four legs good, two legs bad,” towards the end of the book he makes the animals chant, “Four legs good, two legs better!...”(Doc A, Chapter 2-3 and Chapter 10).

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.

“Four legs good, two legs bad” (Orwell 34) the sheep kept shouting whenever someone tried to question Napoleon. Before any animal could say their point on what they thought, the animals other than Napoleon were rudely interrupted. Through these outbursts and other schemes Orwell introduces the idea that power can corrupt those with too much control and he shows it through Napoleon. During Animal Farm Napoleon and his side kicks, the other pigs are changing the commandments and doing whatever they please. Napoleon, and the pigs never follow the rules instead they change them up. The dogs are the secret police that Napoleon has formed to protect him. All of the animals are afraid of Napoleon because of his dogs that he has trained to obey only

The body, mind, and soul of an individual are capable of becoming corrupted by power. Power makes one feel as if that person was a God, which is a sign of the corruption in that individual. According to Lord Actin, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely," states that power can make an individual vulnerable to corruption. The second portion of Lord Actin?s quote discusses absolute power corrupting absolutely which implies that absolute power can corrupt an individual as well as the individual?s surroundings. This idea of corruption can be located in fictional novels such as Animal Farm by George Orwell. Animal Farm is a story about animals dictated by a former animal comrade. The dictator in the novel, Napoleon,

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.

After the expulsion of Farmer Jones and Snowball, it was only expected that Napoleon would take leadership of Animal Farm and, of course, continue practicing the principles of animalism. Animalism is the belief that all animals are created equal and should be allowed and, in fact, encouraged, to speak their mind and never lie or manipulate other animals, or other comrades. However, as Napoleon's reign of dictatorship progresses, we, as the readers, see him becoming more of a tyrant than a trustworthy ruler. Napoleon has truly started developing the characteristics of a human and acting more like Mr. Jones. We see him acting like a human through his use of brutal force, fear, and slander to keep the animals in line and working to the bone; he also uses these characteristics to benefit himself.

Napoleon treated the animals poorly with very little appreciation. Napoleon treated the animals like the human, Mr. Jones and even worst. Napoleon used his power and intelligence to work a lot with very little reward. Napoleon convinced the animals that the extra work they did was for themselves and not the humans. Napoleon used his power and authority to execute animals.

In George Orwell’s allegory, Animal Farm, the characters portray important people from the Russian Revolution. One of the main characters, Napoleon, has become a tyrant. He suppresses all ideals as a rebellion and makes his own rules. He overthrows fellow animals to become a leader with power. Moreover, with Napoleon as a leader, he has become a unfaithful, cruel, and manipulative pig.

Throughout history, leaders with power become corrupted causing them to become tyrants and rule their lands harshly and unfairly.. In April 5, 1887, Bishop Mandell Creighton stated, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The quote states that the amount of power the person has directly influences how much they changed. In Animal Farm, the pigs obtain power causing them to turn corrupt. Power corrupts all