Power in George Orwell's Animal Farm Essay Example

Power is a fickle thing. We need people in power to control the masses, and keep a just society, but what happens when those in power are corrupted? Karl Marx once said, “All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is reflected in many stories and histories, to tell important messages of corrupted power. George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an irony-dripping and allegorical story that demonstrates the uses of corrupted power in society. Animal Farm begins with oppressed animals who push back for equality on their farm, but once that power is given to the wrong hands, the farm is even more corrupt than before. The farm was originally a place to strive for freedom amongst the animals, but this is unachievable because of the selfish agenda of the new leaders: the pigs. With their superior intellect over other animals, they can push fear-inducing propaganda which creates trusting and terrified subjects, and historical revisionism to stay preeminent when they may make wrongs to stay respected. With the use of these two devices, they are able to stay in power on the farm. 

The pigs become powerful with the use of propaganda, which instills fear and silences the animals’ voices. When the cows produce milk, and the pigs claim it for themselves, some aversion is shown by the animals to question the choices of the pigs. The pigs respond with a speech to convince the animals to listen to their choices. Orwell writes: “Milk and apples (this has been proven by Science, comrades) contain substances necessary to the well-being of a pig...It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back!” (Orwell 35-36) The phrase “(this is proven by science comrades)” tells that the pigs will spread propaganda to get their way on the farm, without thinking of the needs of the other animals. The pigs know that not eating the apples or drinking the milk will not affect their health at all and/or have no evidence to support that. However, the pigs tell the animals that any way to persuade them into allowing themselves to hog the milk and apples to themselves. The animals do this in light of the thought that if they resist, they could risk the pigs’ health. Because of the naive and easily persuaded nature of the animals, the pigs can take advantage of them; and control the animals with propaganda. This will trick the animals into following what the pigs have to say. This puts the pigs into power, making the animals submit to their words due to their convincing yet incorrect propaganda. 

Propaganda is a useful tool in getting the animals to follow their ideas; however, the pigs still need to enforce their propaganda on animal farm in other ways. In doing this, they cause fear through the device of propaganda. An example of fear used as a tool through the effects of propaganda is when the animals mumble about the pigs using beds like man. To retaliate, the pigs spread false information to inflict fear upon the animals. Orwell remarks: “You would not want us to be too tired to carry out our duties? Surely, none of you wish to see Jones back?” (Orwell 67). In this quote, the pigs ask the rhetorical question “Surely, none of you wish to see Jones back?” to the animals during their speech to persuade them into complying with the pigs’ rules, knowing it will make them uneasy. The pigs understand that fear makes the animals vulnerable and easily persuaded. The rhetorical question is brought up to only give them one answer to the question he asked, which will make the animals automatically have to agree with his statement out of fear of Jones’ return. When anyone is afraid, they don’t know who or what to believe, all they crave is a sense of safety and comfort, even if they find it in the wrong places. In the animals’ case, unfortunately, find this sense of comfort in the pigs. The pigs exploit the trusting and fearful state of the animals through propaganda, which instills more fear in the animals, putting themselves in a powerful, respected, and feared position on the farm. 

By inflicting fear upon the animals through propaganda, the pigs put the animals in a state of vulnerability and terror. This allows them to be able to make historical revisionism without being questioned because they have the trust of the animals; This makes it possible for the pigs to rise to power. Through historical revisionism, the pigs can take control over the farm by being able to change rules to benefit themselves and get away with it due to their sly wit. The pigs are discovered to be taking residence in the farmhouse, as well as sleeping in beds, which was originally against their commandments. The animals felt “disturbed” (Orwell 66) and questioned their actions by checking the commandments. At this, the pigs feel offended and begin to lecture them about their foolishness. The text states: “Clover had not remembered that the fourth commandment had mentioned sheets; but as it was there on the wall it must have done so… [Squealer says] A bed merely means a place to sleep in. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed, properly regarded. The rule was against sheets” (Orwell 67). The words “Clover had not remembered that the fourth commandment had mentioned sheets; but as it was there on the wall it must have done so.” (Orwell 67) highlights the way the animals will trust the pigs over themselves and their memory. The pigs use blaming language such as “The rule was against sheets.” (Orwell 67) makes the animals feel small and stupid for ‘forgetting’ those rules that never existed, making the animals think the pigs are more intelligent or better than themselves. The pigs are seen as intelligent on the farm by the animals, for ‘remembering’ such commandments and the animals will trust what the pigs have to say. This puts the pigs into power by making the animals feel dumber and less trusting of their memory while being able to change certain parts of history to get their ways to benefit themselves on the farm. 

Historical revisionism plays a major role in the book, especially when the pigs want to be seen as protagonists by the animals on the farm, without a fickle and ever-changing mind. After Snowball is thrown out of the farm for fighting for the windmill to be built, the brilliant plans for his windmill are being taken up by Napoleon, though he previously opposed them, to make for the farm. To explain why Napoleon suddenly changed his mind, Squealer makes another speech to the animals. Orwell dictates: “That evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill. On the contrary, it was he who had advocated it in the beginning...the windmill was in fact Napoleon's own creation” (Orwell 57). Once Napoleon had switched his mind to agree with Snowball, he needed to figure out how to maintain his respect on the farm. Napoleon does not want to seen as fickle-minded, or indecisive by the animals for throwing out Snowball on something he now areed with. If the had said he changed his mind, the animals would question him as a leader. So, to avoid being seen like this, he twists what had happened in the past to not lose his sense of pride, or admit to being wrong in kicking Snowball out. “The windmill was in fact Napoleons’s own creation” (Orwell 57). This line makes Napoleon seem protagonistic and witty, instead of crediting Snowball with his own idea, Napoleon steals it for himself, to make himself look better for Snowball’s brilliant idea. Through changing history to seem like a better and more intelligent leader, the pigs can acquire more power on the farm by gaining the respect and loyalty of the animals. Through the use of historical revisionism, the pigs can convince the animals to trust themselves instead of their own minds. This is enough to get them to believe their lies to paint themselves as heroes and convince the animals to believe their cryptic words, bringing themselves into a powerful leadership role. 

An imbalance of intellect among a group can cause unfair leaders, who can manipulate and take control of the rest of the group without being questioned. Animal Farm is an allegorical story of what happens in real life, of people not having the intelligence to point out the wrongs in their leaders, or being too afraid to. Animal Farm should teach us that we should question our authority, and make sure everyone has access to education so there is no imbalance of intellect. When one person has intellectual power over others, they can control and manipulate others. Without those educated and brave like Martin Luther King jr. or Muhummad Gandhi speaking up against their cruel leaders, nothing would have changed for the masses. It is important to recognize the significance of speaking up against unfair authority even when it may be scary because without those who speak up, there will never be a change.