animal farm essay on napoleon

Napoleon in Animal Farm: Power and Corruption Reimagined

This essay about Napoleon from George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” explores the character’s representation of power and corruption. It illustrates how Napoleon’s rise to authority on the farm symbolizes the degradation of revolutionary ideals and the perilous nature of totalitarian rule. The narrative details how Napoleon’s manipulation, use of propaganda, and control over the other animals exemplify the mechanisms through which tyrants consolidate power and suppress dissent. Orwell’s portrayal of Napoleon serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked authority and the complicity that enables such regimes to thrive. The essay underscores the importance of vigilance in preserving democratic ideals against the backdrop of ambition and authoritarianism, making Napoleon a timeless symbol of the corrupting influence of power.

How it works

In George Orwell’s literary masterpiece “Animal Farm,” the persona of Napoleon stands as a pivotal entity, epitomizing the perversion of authority and the abandonment of revolutionary principles. Through the guise of a seemingly straightforward barnyard narrative, Orwell constructs a sophisticated critique of totalitarianism, with Napoleon at the core of this sinister metamorphosis. As a literary construct, Napoleon transcends mere porcine existence; he emerges as a quintessential embodiment of despotism, illustrating the insidious nature of power and its capacity to corrupt absolutely.

Napoleon’s rise to dominance commences under the facade of egalitarianism and communal endeavor. Initially, Animal Farm flourishes on the collective ethos of its denizens, unified in their aspiration to cast off the shackles of human subjugation. Nonetheless, as Napoleon seizes control, the egalitarian ethos upon which Animal Farm was founded gradually disintegrates. Through a sequence of Machiavellian stratagems, including the ousting of his rival Snowball, Napoleon consolidates authority, laying bare his authentic disposition and intentions. This transition marks a pivotal juncture in the narrative, illuminating the mechanisms of authority and subjugation.

Orwell’s portrayal of Napoleon is pregnant with symbolism. The pig’s deeds and policies mirror those of historical despots, serving as a cautionary tale regarding the perils of unbridled dominion. Napoleon’s utilization of propaganda, manipulation of language, and distortion of history are stratagems devised to perpetuate his hegemony, stifle dissent, and rewrite the collective memory of the farm. The evolution of the character from revolutionary luminary to autocrat underscores a penetrating scrutiny of how ideals can be perverted by those entrusted to uphold them.

Moreover, Napoleon’s interaction with the other animals mirrors the dynamics of authority and defiance within societies. The gradual erosion of liberties, the instillation of dread, and the manipulation of truths are all implements wielded by Napoleon to fortify his reign. Through these maneuvers, Orwell not only censures the figureheads of oppression but also interrogates the complicity and apathy that facilitate the flourishing of such regimes. The varying degrees of awareness, resistance, and acquiescence among the other animals furnish a multifaceted portrayal of societal responses to authoritarian rule.

In delineating Napoleon’s persona, Orwell furnishes a timeless dissection of political authority and ethical degeneration. “Animal Farm,” through its allegorical narrative, serves as a reflective surface to our reality, challenging readers to contemplate the essence of leadership and the omnipresent peril of revolutions degenerating into despotism. Napoleon embodies the ominous potential inherent in all quests for dominion, serving as a reminder of the perpetual vigilance necessitated to safeguard democratic principles and liberties.

In summation, Napoleon transcends the confines of mere fictional portrayal; he emerges as a representation of the beguiling allure of authority and its capacity to corrupt. Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” with Napoleon as its linchpin, endures as a profound critique of authority dynamics and the fragility of ideals in the face of ambition and tyranny. Through this narrative, Orwell not only castigates the totalitarian regimes of his era but also issues a cautionary admonition that resonates across epochs, underscoring the imperative of critical discernment and the enduring struggle against the specter of tyranny.

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Animal Farm

George orwell, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions, napoleon quotes in animal farm.

THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal.

“Comrades!” he cried. “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.”

At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws.

“No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?”

“Napoleon is always right.”

“Comrades, do you know who is responsible for this? Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!”

If she herself had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip, all equal, each working according to his capacity, the strong protecting the weak [...] Instead - she did not know why - they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.

Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer—except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs.

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.

The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Animal Farm — The Manipulative Power of Napoleon in Animal Farm

The Manipulative Power of Napoleon in Animal Farm

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Published: Mar 20, 2024

Words: 671 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

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Napoleon's manipulation of language, napoleon's use of fear and intimidation, napoleon's betrayal of the revolution.

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• Animal Farm

George Orwell

• Literature Notes
• The Russian Revolution
• Animal Farm at a Glance
• Book Summary
• About Animal Farm
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Character Analysis
• Character Map
• George Orwell Biography
• Critical Essays
• Major Themes
• Full Glossary
• Essay Questions
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• Cite this Literature Note

Critical Essays The Russian Revolution

One of Orwell 's goals in writing Animal Farm was to portray the Russian (or Bolshevik) Revolution of 1917 as one that resulted in a government more oppressive, totalitarian, and deadly than the one it overthrew. Many of the characters and events of Orwell's novel parallel those of the Russian Revolution: In short, Manor Farm is a model of Russia, and old Major , Snowball , and Napoleon represent the dominant figures of the Russian Revolution.

Mr. Jones is modeled on Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918), the last Russian emperor. His rule (1894-1917) was marked by his insistence that he was the uncontestable ruler of the nation. During his reign, the Russian people experienced terrible poverty and upheaval, marked by the Bloody Sunday massacre in 1905 when unarmed protesters demanding social reforms were shot down by the army near Nicholas' palace. As the animals under Jones lead lives of hunger and want, the lives of millions of Russians worsened during Nicholas' reign. When Russia entered World War I and subsequently lost more men than any country in any previous war, the outraged and desperate people began a series of strikes and mutinies that signaled the end of Tsarist control. When his own generals withdrew their support of him, Nicholas abdicated his throne in the hopes of avoiding an all-out civil war — but the civil war arrived in the form of the Bolshevik Revolution, when Nicholas, like Jones, was removed from his place of rule and then died shortly thereafter.

old Major is the animal version of V. I. Lenin (1870-1924), the leader of the Bolshevik Party that seized control in the 1917 Revolution. As old Major outlines the principles of Animalism, a theory holding that all animals are equal and must revolt against their oppressors, Lenin was inspired by Karl Marx's theory of Communism, which urges the "workers of the world" to unite against their economic oppressors. As Animalism imagines a world where all animals share in the prosperity of the farm, Communism argues that a "communal" way of life will allow all people to live lives of economic equality. old Major dies before he can see the final results of the revolution, as Lenin did before witnessing the ways in which his disciples carried on the work of reform.

old Major is absolute in his hatred of Man, as Lenin was uncompromising in his views: He is widely believed to have been responsible for giving the order to kill Nicholas and his family after the Bolsheviks had gained control. Lenin was responsible for changing Russia into the U.S.S.R., as old Major is responsible for transforming Manor Farm into Animal Farm. The U.S.S.R.'s flag depicted a hammer and sickle — the tools of the rebelling workers — so the flag of Animal Farm features a horn and hoof.

One of Lenin's allies was Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), another Marxist thinker who participated in a number of revolutionary demonstrations and uprisings. His counterpart in Animal Farm is Snowball, who, like Trotsky, felt that a worldwide series of rebellions was necessary to achieve the revolution's ultimate aims. Snowball's plans for the windmill and programs reflect Trotsky's intellectual character and ideas about the best ways to transform Marx's theories into practice. Trotsky was also the leader of Lenin's Red Army, as Snowball directs the army of animals that repel Jones.

Eventually, Trotsky was exiled from the U.S.S.R. and killed by the agents of Joseph Stalin (1979-1953), as Snowball is chased off of the farm by Napoleon — Orwell's stand-in for Stalin. Like Napoleon, Stalin was unconcerned with debates and ideas. Instead, he valued power for its own sake and by 1927 had assumed complete control of the Communist Party through acts of terror and brutality. Napoleon's dogs are like Stalin's KGB, his secret police that he used to eliminate all opposition. As Napoleon gains control under the guise of improving the animals' lives, Stalin used a great deal of propaganda — symbolized by Squealer in the novel — to present himself as an idealist working for change. His plan to build the windmill reflects Stalin's Five Year Plan for revitalizing the nation's industry and agriculture. Stalin's ordering Lenin's body to be placed in the shrine-like Lenin's Tomb parallels Napoleon's unearthing of old Major's skull, and his creation of the Order of the Green Banner parallels Stalin's creation of the Order of Lenin. Thanks, in part, to animals like Boxer (who swallow whole all of their leader's lies), Stalin became one of the world's most feared and brutal dictators.

Numerous events in the novel are based on ones that occurred during Stalin's rule. The Battle of the Cowshed parallels the Civil War that occurred after the 1917 Revolution. Jones ; Frederick represents Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), who forged an alliance with Stalin in 1939 — but who then found himself fighting Stalin's army in 1941. Frederick seems like an ally of Napoleon's, but his forged banknotes reveal his true character. The confessions and executions of the animals reflect the various purges and "show trials" that Stalin conducted to rid himself of any possible threat of dissention. In 1921, the sailors at the Kronshdadt military base unsuccessfully rebelled against Communist rule, as the hens attempt to rebel against Napoleon. The Battle of the Windmill reflects the U.S.S.R.'s involvement in World War II — specifically the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943, when Stalin's forces defeated Hitler's (as Napoleon's defeat Frederick). Finally, the card game at the novel's end parallels the Tehran Conference (November 28-December 1, 1943), where Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt met to discuss the ways to forge a lasting peace after the war — a peace that Orwell mocks by having Napoleon and Pilkington flatter each other and then betray their duplicitous natures by cheating in the card game.

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Snowball And Napoleon In Animal Farm Essay

Snowball and Napoleon have two very different personalities and fight for the power from the other animals. Both have their strengths and weaknesses that make them unique as candidates for power. The animals of Animal Farm must pick the candidate that best suits their needs and keeps the animals more powerful than the humans. Snowball is very inventive, he strives to make new innovations on the farm. For example, “He talked learnedly about field drains, silage, and basic slag, and had worked out a complicated scheme for all the animals to drop their dung directly in the fields, at a different spot every day, to save the labour of cartage.

Snowball comes up with these schemes by himself and presents them to the animals. He has read books and pondered a lot in order to come up with his innovate ideas. These ideas or inventions are very helpful to the life on Animal Farm because they make they make their lives better and creates a better society for the animals. Secondly, Snowball is a very good leader, especially during the Battle of the Cowshed. “Snowball, who had studied an old book of Julius Caesar’s campaigns which he had found in the farmhouse, was in charge of the defensive operations.

He gave his orders quickly, and in a couple of minutes every animal was at his post. ” He studied tactics and used those to lead the animals to victory against the humans. During the battle, Snowball gave orders and told the soldiers how to fight the stampede of the enemy – humans. The battle was organized in waves of attacks, which most likely lead to their victory while only losing one animal. This is incredible, considering that they were battling humans; a much more powerful force than they. This skill will allow the animals to become more powerful in the future and be able to keep their power, without the humans taking it from them.

Snowball is very intelligent and uses that to benefit that animals. Snowball also has a set of disadvantages; one of them is that he formed committees to teach the animals. “On the whole, these projects were a failure. The attempt to tame the wild creatures, for instance, broke down almost immediately. They continued to behave very much as before, and when treated with generosity, simply took advantage of it. ” He wasn’t strict enough to teach the animals lessons on how to manage themselves on the farm. They took advantage of him because he was too nice to them.

Snowball should be a bit tougher, so he can organize the committees in order for them to be successful. Teaching the animals how to live and how to contribute to the farm in order for them to thrive is very important. This puts Snowball at a disadvantage because this skill is essential for the farm to function and for its survival. Another weakness of Snowball is he is naive. “At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws.

In a moment he was out of the door and they were after him. ” He doesn’t know the Napoleon is out to take advantage of him and ultimately overthrow him. Early in the book, Napoleon takes the puppies in and trainees them to do as he commands. This is not good for Snowball because he doesn’t know about what is going on around him; he is naive. If something were to be going on with the animals on the farm – a revolution against him for example – he wouldn’t know about it. It is useful for him to know what is going on between the other animals on the farm, so he can command accordingly.

Napoleon makes sure that the animals are self-sufficient and able to survive by having food and trading for essential materials. “The animals were not badly o? throughout that summer, in spite of the hardness of their work. If they had no more food than they had had in Jones’s day, at least they did not have less. The advantage of only having to feed themselves, and not having to support five extravagant human beings as well, was so great that it would have taken a lot of failures to outweigh it. ” Despite the animals having to work longer hours, they have enough food to survive.

It is the same amount as when Jones ruled them, but they are animals, not humans. If Animal Farm is to be led by animals and not humans, then they have to be able to make an adequate amount of food for themselves. Napoleon is leading them in the right direction for being more powerful than the humans. Also, Napoleon trades with the humans, even though it is controversial, but they need the supplies. “From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbouring farms: not, of course, for any commercial purpose, but simply in order to obtain certain materials which were urgently necessary. ”

Despite the animals being upset with this, trade is necessary for Animal Farm to obtain the essential resources that they can’t produce. The animals have been trying to go against the humans, but they are not trading to be friends with the humans, just for resources. They are just animals and they can’t manufacture everything that humans are able to make. After gaining the knowledge of how humans gain their resources and make them, they could overtake the humans. If they continue down this path, then Napoleon could make the animals superior. Napoleon strengths help the farm become more sustainable and help the animals prosper.

On the other hand, Napoleon has some weaknesses. He tries to reinterpret some of the commandments for his own good – he is more concerned about himself. “‘You have heard then, comrades,’ he said, ‘that we pigs now sleep in the beds of the farmhouse? And why not? You did not suppose, surely, that there was ever a ruling against beds? A bed merely means a place to sleep in. ” Napoleon starts to take advantage of his power over the other animals, especially when he goes against the 14th commandment with the other pigs. They also get their food from the kitchen and used the house for their other needs.

This is not how Old Major wanted the society to run. He wanted the animals to be equal and Napoleon is going against that by abusing the power. This is not good for the other animals, they work very hard and deserve the same treatment as the pigs; the way the animals wanted it in the beginning. Secondly, he starts to take the rights away from the pigs and give them no say in the government. “Napoleon, with the dogs following him, now mounted on to the raised portion of the floor where Major had previously stood to deliver his speech. He announced that from now on the Sunday-morning Meetings would come to an end.

They were unnecessary, he said, and wasted time. ” Without the meetings, the animals could not discuss future plans for the community and have the other animals have say in things. Also, the animals could not ask any questions; they would have to brought up to a committee run by Napoleon. The debates also came to an end, which gives Napoleon the appearance of a dictator. He has stripped the animals of their rights and participation in the government. In conclusion, Snowball is most suited candidate to govern the animals of Animals Farm. He fights the humans in battle against the humans and commands them successfully.

This quality makes him most suitable because he is fighting for the animals to overpower the humans. His inventiveness allows for the society of animals to prosper over the humans; the inventions allow them to build their society up. He reads and learns to make Animal Farm better, while trying to educate the other animals too. Overall, Snowball is more involved with the animals and doesn’t want to have more power than them. Napoleon on the other hand, is more of a dictator and is more concerned for himself. For example, when he overlooks the commandments for himself. He takes Snowball’s ideas and claims they are his.

Also, Napoleon acts much more immature than Snowball. For instance, “then suddenly he lifted his leg, urinated over the plans, and walked out without uttering a word. ” He doesn’t handle disputes maturely and his actions show this. Also, he blames Snowball for the destruction of the windmill, even though it was the storm. Snowball is the obvious candidate to govern Animal Farm and is best for protecting all the animals that reside there. Napoleon seems to be covering the farm from animalism to communism. All of the animals of Animal Farm should rally together and say, “Snowball for everyone, Napoleon for himself. ”

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Reading Animal Farm in Zimbabwe

From minority white rule to dictatorship and beyond, orwell’s 1945 novel—now in a new translation—has proved prescient.

George Orwell’s 1945 novel Animal Farm speaks directly to Zimbabwe’s readers in 2024—especially with a new translation, writes Beaven Tapureta of Writers International Network Zimbabwe. Courtesy of AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi .

by Beaven Tapureta | April 17, 2024

I began to notice Animal Farm references proliferating in Zimbabwe in 2008.

That was the year hyperinflation nosedived the economy, and long-time leader Robert Mugabe felt threatened enough by a newly formed opposition party that he silenced its supporters.

In the years since, writers and independent media have repeatedly turned to Animal Farm as a way to illuminate our political reality—even after Mugabe’s 2017 ousting. Last year, a group of Zimbabwean writers published the first-ever Shona translation of it, Chimurenga Chemhuka or Animal Revolution . Chimurenga Chemhuka , published by House of Books , strategically appeared on the literary stage in the lead-up to last August’s general elections to encourage Zimbabwean readers to think critically about politics at home and abroad.

Animal Farm follows a group of anthropomorphized barnyard animals who gather to overthrow their oppressive human masters and set up an egalitarian society on the farm. However, power-loving pigs take advantage of internal divisions to subvert the revolution. Concluding that “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” the pigs install a dictatorship led by the despotic pig Napoleon.

George Orwell intended the book to be a commentary on Joseph Stalin’s betrayal of Russia’s  Bolshevik  revolution. But since Animal Farm was published in 1945, the story’s message has served as a bitter pill to all Napoleons threatened by freedom and equality, including in Zimbabwe.

After the end of white-minority rule in 1980, Mugabe, like Napoleon, seized the reins and installed himself as the head of the country for the next three decades.

When a people-powered movement finally pressured Mugabe to step down, euphoria filled streets and homes. Only it did not last long. People had expected a government of national unity would run the country until the house was in order, but new leaders ignored that.  The people of Zimbabwe came to feel they had been neglected by the same leaders they had united with to remove a dictator.

Orwell’s tale is a powerful reminder of how freedom decomposes when it’s entrusted to the hands of the selfish.  

Over and over again, we see people unite in times of revolution—but once the goal is collectively achieved, greed and power crash the original dream. Who in Africa did not hope that after colonialism and apartheid, the people would enjoy true independence?

Petina Gappah, a lawyer and leading Zimbabwean writer, said that she first hatched the idea for a Shona translation of Animal Farm a few years ago. She and the rest of the team behind the effort sought to do more than put Orwell’s book in the Shona vernacular—they wanted it to feel Zimbabwean.

“Reading [ Chimurenga Chemhuka ] is like reading a story told in Shona to a Shona audience. This makes it our story, and the similarities also inform the reader that human beings are almost the same in deeds in spite of differences in skin color and geographical space,” another translation team member, Tinashe Muchuri, a Shona author, translator, poet, and journalist, told me.

The settings and places of traditional Shona folktales are vague, just like in Orwell’s tale.  However, the translators used different Shona dialects to appeal to a local readership here. In his article last year, Zimbabwean literary scholar Tinashe Mushakavanhu called attention to the number of dialects employed in the book: “Though Chimurenga Chemhuka is mainly in standard Shona, its characters speak a medley of different Shona dialects—such as chiKaranga, chiZezuru, chiManyika—plus a smattering of contemporary slang.”

Through the translators’ creativity, the original tale gained additional meanings as well. In most African folklore, and many other cultures, the pig represents selfishness. This makes the actions of Napoleon, and his fellow pigs, even more resonant.

Chimurenga Chemhuka is part of a larger renaissance of literary translation happening in Zimbabwe today, which is often centered on works about human rights. Ignatius Mabasa, an illustrious Zimbabwean writer and translator, has said that he sees translating as a “form of liberation struggle” that furthers a decolonized mindset. His translations include Finnish author Tove Jansson’s 1962 “The Invisible Child” (“Mwana Asingaonekwe”), which tells the story of a girl named Ninny who became invisible after her caretaker mistreats her, and Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarebga’s Nervous Conditions (Kusagadzikana). First published in English in 1988, Nervous Conditions tells the story of Tambudzai Sigauke, who dreams of escaping a life of poverty in rural Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the 1960s to pursue an education.

Recently, I attended a writers’ retreat in Nyanga, here in Zimbabwe, where I discussed today’s translation efforts with Blessing Musariri, a Zimbabwean children’s book author, poet, and screenwriter. Musariri said that she sees translation as a way to begin a global conversation in the Shona vernacular. “Translation is a great way to expand on the literary lexicon of works written in Shona. International literature usually deals with broader themes and ideas than what we might write about specifically in our own language,” Musariri told me.

Animal Farm is an important example of this. Zimbabweans have long been conscious of Orwell’s novel, but reading Chimurenga Chemhuka offers a chance to fuse the novel’s 1945 message with present-day politics.

Now it’s only a matter of making sure these translated works are made accessible to their intended audience.

Distribution must not be limited to critics and intellectuals in offices and universities. Instead, publishers must be diligent about getting books in local bookstores and libraries, and thus to the ordinary Zimbabwean—the very people whose lives these stories reflect.

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