How Power Corrupted the Pigs
- Date Submitted: 01/28/2010 06:28 AM
- Flesch-Kincaid Score: 66
- Words: 808
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The satire Animal Farm by George Orwell expresses
the idea of self-government through the animals. The
animals play the role of humans, in this way using
most, if not all, of the human characteristics.
Because the animals decide that they want to run the
farm by themselves, they make up a way of living
called Animalism. The basic principles of Animalism
are two, all animals are to be treated as equals, and
no animals shall acquire any human traits or
characteristics whatsoever. The seven commandments
under which they live are based on these major
principles. As soon as they develop a whole new
system, they throw out all of the humans that run the
farm. Even though they are supposed to be equal, the
pigs begin to take control. By the end of the novel,
the pigs have manipulated the rest of the animals into
doing everything they want. The pigs then become
almost exactly like the humans. The most important
pigs are Napoleon and Snowball, that is until Napoleon
throws Snowball from the farm. It is throughout this
satire that Orwell illustrates how power corrupts by
showing the pigs actions.
Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely is
a concept widely understood after having read Orwell’s
satire. It is first shown when the pigs take the milk
and apples, explaining to the rest of the animals that
everyone is equal, but some are just more “equal” than
others. They also argue that the pigs do more
thinking, and therefore need more energy to do so. It
is in the latter part of the book, that the concept of
corruption gradually earns its meaning. When Napoleon
forces Snowball to leave the farm, the power is all
his. Napoleon fixes anything that goes wrong on the
farm simply...
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