ANIMAL FARM ESSAY

“Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In Animal Farm, how does George Orwell
explore power and corruption?

George Orwell portrays power and corruption throughout the events Animal Farm where certain
animals gain power. The animals who have figurative actions and a strong commitment to the seven
commandments confirms they have good motives. As the pigs gain more knowledge and grow in
power, they gradually get more corrupt, which is demonstrated when they modify certain rules, kill
other animals, steal the animals produce all to benefit themselves.

Orwell illustrates the animals having virtuous objectives when they use their forces to overtake Mr
Jones and his men from the farm and eradicate of all his belongings. During the start of the book, all
the animals gather together and plan the rebellion, which is to have a war against Mr Jones and his
men and kick him off the farm. Mr Jones was always seen as lazy, greedy, and violent towards all of
the animals as most of them agreed that “All men are enemies” (p. 7) and how only they benefit
from all the animals hard work. Whilst they were overpowering Mr Jones and his men, the men were
“Frightened” (p. 12) and ran off the farm due to the immense power of the animals. As they were
removed from the farm, the animals opened his old shed and found his “nose-rings, the dog-chains,
the cruel knives with which Mr Jones had been used to castrate the pigs and lambs” (p. 13) and they
all “were all flung down a well” (p. 13). The rest of Mr. Jones belongings “Were thrown onto the
rubbish fire” (p. 12). These actions which removed any memories of the violent days with Mr Jones
before the rebellion and had fulfilled the Animals “dream of the earth” (p. 8) “when [all] men [have]
vanished” (p.8). The animals victory from the great rebellion shows how Orwell explores Power in
Animal Farm but it doesn’t show corruption as the animals had moral intentions.

The modifications and increased rules from the pigs ends up with them becoming progressively
more selfish, misleading, and disloyal to all the animals. When the apples and milk had disappeared,
the animals found that the pigs took the apples and milk for themselves. While the pigs were caught
in the act, they stated that their reasoning for taking the apples was to “preserve [their] health” (p.
22). Since the pigs persuasion and use of their intelligence always won the minds of the animals,
they made excuses and “did not actually work” (p. 17) as they saw themselves as “brain workers” (p.
22). As the windmill was destroyed, the pigs stated that “there would now be work on Sunday
afternoon[s]” (p. 35) “and that anyone who didn’t work had their “rations reduced by half if [they]
didn’t show up” (p. 35). Whilst the majority animals didn’t enjoy doing this extra work, they were
always convinced by the pigs that if no work was done “jones would come back” (p. 22). They would
use professional terms to make themselves sound and be ‘superior’ to the other animals.
 ANIMAL FARM ESSAY

The highest level of corruption from the pigs is shown through the foretold deaths of the animals
and the symbolic items which Napoleon carry, while the pigs change different attributes of
themselves to make them seem more advanced than the other animals. At the beginning of the
book Napoleon is seen as being “highly regarded” (p. 3) on the farm and that he is the “lord of all the
animals” (p. 6). As more animals died on the farm due to the brutalness and unfairness from the
pigs, they modified the rules on how “no animal shall kill any other animal” whilst adding “without
cause” to the rule to justify their actions and gain their favour. Even though all the animals had
burned the human belongings and threw them down a well, during the end of the book Napoleon
can be seen carrying a “whip in his trotter” (p. 76) and “himself appearing in a black coat” (p. 77)
which goes against the first rules which were made. These items which Napoleon carried made him
seem to be more like Jones, or any evil man. As the humans met with the pigs on the farm for
trading, “the pigs appeared completely at ease in their chair” (p. 78) which shows their
comfortableness of being next to humans. The pigs became so much more human-like with their
stance, outfit, and greedy actions that when the animals outside saw the inside, they looked from
“from man to pig… and from pig to man again” (p. 81) but found it “impossible to say which was
which” (p. 81) which illustrates how corrupt the pigs were as they compared to man similarly. Orwell
shows the gradual corruption of the pigs when given power through the deaths of the animals, the
items which Napoleon bared, and the pigs corruption making them seem more like men.

In Animal Farm, Orwell represents the association between power and corruption through the
different times throughout the book when different animals gain power. The animals acts of
damaging and eradicating human items and their patriotism towards the 7 commandments show
their good motives. As the pigs get smarter and lazier, it leads them into lying to all the other
animals with the technical language they utilise, and their involvement in trade with humans. The
presaged deaths of many animals and the representational items which Napoleon holds.

Word Count: 898 Words