Power And Control Over The Animal Farm example essay topic

In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the pig Napoleon uses specific tactics to gain power and control over the animal farm. Some of these techniques include controlling information through education, scapegoating, use of fear, swaying public opinion and blind obedience. Throughout the novel, the most prominent way that Napoleon gained power was through controlling the education that the animals received. In the beginning of the novel, Snowball believes in educating all of the animals on Animal Farm, young and old, by trying to organize committees and instituting classes devoted to reading and writing (page 39). However, Napoleon openly states that educating the young is more important that the old. When Jessie and Bluebell have puppies, Napoleon takes them away and secludes them from the rest of Animal Farm to teach them on his own (41).

Throughout the novel, after Snowball's removal, education becomes less and less important, and pigs and dogs are the only animals really being taught anything. This comes in handy for Napoleon as he begins to make 'adjustments' to the rules that Animal Farm is based upon, such as drinking alcohol, sleeping in beds, and walking on two legs. The fact that the animals can't do math is an advantage as well when Squealer starts reeling off facts and figures about rations and death rates and other nonsense (105). Another technique Napoleon takes advantage of is scapegoating and uses Snowball as the scapegoat. Throughout the novel he blames Snowball for mischievous crimes such as knocking down the windmill (72), hiding in another farm, either Pinch field or Pilkington (77), and smaller crimes by night like gnawing the bark off trees, upsetting milk-pails, and stole corn (78). Every single thing that goes wrong on the farm is immediately deemed as being Snowball's doing.

The use of fear is another tactic practiced by Napoleon and his followers. When Napoleon orders that the milk and apples be used only for pigs, the first excuse is that the pigs need it to fulfill their duties as leaders, and added to the end is 'Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! ... Surely... there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?' (42). Again when Snowball is driven out, Napoleon uses public executions to show the other animals what will happen if they make contact with Snowball (82).

Blind obedience plays a role in Napoleon's rise to power. Because the animals don't have an education, they don't bother to think for themselves and instead take everything Squealer tells them for the truth. Examples of this are mainly portrayed by Boxer, who upholds the motto's 'I will work harder!' and 'Napoleon is always right!' (81). At the beginning of the novel, we learn that the sheep learn the maxim 'Four legs good, two legs bad' in order to understand the basic spirit of Animalism (41). When Napoleon gains power, he uses this simple thought and 'adjusts' it so instead the sheep continually bleat 'Four legs good, two legs better' (122).

All of these tactics are actively displayed throughout the novel, showing the rise to power by Napoleon. By controlling who knows what and manipulating those who can't think for themselves, Napoleon is able to use propaganda to easily sway the public opinion as well as create a common enemy through scapegoating. No bibliography except the book itself.