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The Value Of Education In Animal Farm, By George Orwell

Decent Essays

Evan Thomas
Period 1 Kas-Margoi
English 9A
Monday, July 16, 2017
Ignorance

In a society where an elite class has access to tools that the masses do not, this elite group of people often use these tools to dominate and oppress society. In George Orwell’s story, Animal Farm, Orwell demonstrates that education is a powerful weapon and is a tool that can be used to one’s advantage. Living in a world where power is easy to gain, the pigs quickly use education (or lack thereof) to manipulate the rest of the animals on the farm to serve themselves. This story ultimately reveals the underlying message that first, education is important to all levels of society, next, for when it is not, society is stratified, resulting in the masses suffering. …show more content…

Orwell is able to show how when education is not given to all, it is very easy for those with it to abuse it for more power. Now that the pigs have the initial advantage over the other animals, the future holds plans of using it as a personal tool to oppression.

After the pigs have fully educated themselves, they continue to deny the others education and change certain rules to assert their elite dominance. After Napoleon has gotten rid of Snowball to have all power to himself, he takes away all power from the other animals as well. Napoleon announces to all the animals:
From now on the Sunday­morning Meetings would come to an end... [also] all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over by himself. These would meet in private and afterwards communicate their decisions to the others...[additionally] there would be no more debates.” (21)
Through having Napoleon declare that “there would be no more debates,”Orwell is able to portray that the pigs are silencing their subjects in order to maintain power for themselves. Napoleon’s education makes it possible for him to assume all power through manipulation. Napoleon’s complete control and silencing of the animals foreshadows that he may resort to more oppression and take

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