Question

How are power and corruption shown in Animal Farm?

Accepted Answer

In Animal Farm, power is expressed through physical intimidation and psychological manipulation, and corruption is expressed through the pigs' resemblance to humans and alteration of ideology as they gain power. The ability of power to corrupt is a major theme in the book.

Answer

In Animal Farm, power and corruption were woven throughout the entire text to display that one can end up being, in the end, the very thing that one despised in the beginning. Orwell's use of literary devices, character development, and dialogue display how power and corruption were used in the novel. Power is first shown by humans, namely Mr. Jones, the brutal and careless owner of the farm. The animals, who are at his mercy, often go unfed, unwatered, and neglected. The cruel treatment of the animals by Mr. Jones causes the animals to join forces, revolt, and take over the Jones' farm by force! The animals' revolt creates a shift in power, as the animals are in control of the farm in Mr. Jones' absence. The animals develop a hierarchy among themselves but vow that animals are far superior to humans, thus the mantra "Four legs good, two legs bad," which is repeated mindlessly by the sheep and others.  The use of dialogue shows the steady progression of corruption shown by the pigs.  
Since there is no power without some corruption, the animals' hierarchy with Napoleon the pig at the helm, shifts from a "fair" representation of the animals being one united front to Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball ruling the roost. Instead of all the animals being "equal," in the end, "some animals were deemed more equal than others." Napoleon began conspiring with human beings from neighboring farms and therefore (literally) seemed to morph into a human being-the very force that the animals despised in the beginning. Napoleon was witnessed wearing clothes, drinking alcohol, writing checks, and also walking on two legs. While two legs were deemed as "bad," the pigs' corruption and abuse of power coupled with dim-witted animals, changed the mantra to "Four legs good, two legs better." Literary devices such as satire and allegory bring everything full circle in the novel.  
Power and corruption were evident in Animal Farm through character development, dialogue, and literary devices.

Answer

Power is expressed a number of ways in Animal Farm. Sometimes it is physical intimidation, such as when Napoleon's dogs ran off Snowball. Sometimes it's psychological manipulation, such as when Napoleon suggests that Jones comes back at night. Sometimes it's fact revision; since the pigs know how to read and write, they control what is written, and they can re-shape previous ideas or slogans to fit their needs. Then they psychologically bully the other animals into accepting the changes.
Corruption is likewise expressed in different ways during the story. At first, the animals' "revolution" seems driven by sound principles and a unified vision. Slowly, though, the pigs corrupt revolutionary ideals as they seize power. They become more and more like the previous human landlords. The iconic slogan from Animal Farm succinctly expresses this corruption. The pigs change a founding revolutionary slogan, "All animals are equal," by adding a clause: "...but some are more equal than others."

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Answer

Lord Acton quotes "Power corrupts and absolute power absolutely." Animal Farm is a true depiction of this quote. the pigs attain power initially. when they exercise that power and see the after math of it, they are delighted. this is a very common idea that every powerful man gets corrupted at some point in his journey to attain power. corruption is inevitable in power. this ultimatum is depicted in animal farm. the pigs revel the power they are bestowed with. although the start is filled with sincerity to confer freedom to animals from the brutal humans but soon their motive gets tainted with private lust for power. when the pigs are granted a little power, they see its effect is good. everyone respects them, they start leading all and this leadership, the ability to dictate a huge group arouses thirst to attain more power. to gain more power they get corrupted. and soon they are mere doppelgangers of what they previously stood against-the humans. power goes hand in hand with corruption. power is not just a word but a force, a very moving force which compels man to enact many actions. it makes him corrupt and dangerous and the sole reason is lust for power. this lust is also evident when the trio of pigs later compete in the race for power. the once united house is now divided all due to power.
another brilliant example of power and corruption is Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.

Answer

The corrupting effect of power is one of the central themes of Animal Farm. At the beginning of the book, Old Major describes the oppression that the animals experience, and predicts that the day will come when they overthrow their human masters and build an equitable society. When the animals of Manor Farm drive off Jones, it appears that day has come. But we quickly see that the pigs, by virtue of their leadership of the revolution, quickly become corrupted by power. Napoleon continues to pay lip service to the principles of the revolution through most of the book, but his actions are far removed from the principles of Animalism. He and the other pigs begin to claim privileges for themselves, and eventuallly he uses the dogs to purge those who question his authority. Snowball is driven from the farm for dissent, and gradually, the pigs become more like the humans they fought to overthrow. The corruption of the principles of the revolution is illustrated by the changing Seven Commandments, which are perverted over the course of the book to the point where, at the end, they read only "ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS." The book's final passage, when some of the animals witness the pigs arguing and playing cards with Pilkington and the other humans in the farmhouse, makes the corruption of power most clear:

Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. 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.

Animal Farm

How are power and corruption shown in Animal Farm?

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