Animal Farm Power corrupts

Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is a complex book, which conveys a lot information. The book is basically a parallel of the Russian Revolution, but Orwell also wrote this book with, as an objective, to understand the major theme: power corrupts. This theme is obviously presented in the novel, but to simplify your understanding of this essay, Napoleon will be used as an example of a corrupted individual by power. To conclude this introduction, the corruption of Napoleon will be presented under three aspects: Desire, Achievements and absolute power. Dishonest by those in power’, despite the dictionary definition of the word, corruptions could be used in many ways and contexts, here is an example: Napoleon’s, Squealer’s and Snowball’s nature has been corrupted by old Major’s speech. Only his words and idea corrupted the pigs’ nature. Napoleon forgot what he was and only foreshadowed what he would be as a leader. I think that this is the first step of how power corrupts someone. The desire of power makes Napoleon forget about his own nature because he only sees how he could rule the farm. This desire came from the pigs’ inferiority to Mr. Jones and to add some more Napoleon was for sale, so his value to the farm owner was even more relevant. It is the same story in the real life, with Joseph Stalin and the Tsar Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov or Nicholas II. Stalin was a peasant which from nothing got the absolute power because the desire that he had to get it was so big and did some smart moves, just like Napoleon. Stalin took advantage from the situation to get out of his labor class. This communicates that we, inferior people, ‘’hate’’ so much powerful individuals. Not because they are because we would so much like to take their place. This feeling could be summarized with the word jealousy, desire and pride. Let’s get back to our pig, only the idea got him ready to take Mr. Jones’ place, by learning the alphabet and creating animalism as it is said at the page 13 of the novel. Those are two hints proving Napoleon’s corruption and so only because of an old individual who said I had a dream! Now that the corruption cycle started, our pig, Napoleon is ahead of the ‘’temporary government’’ followed with Squealer and Snowball. They took control of the farm and now get advantages which will get them attached to their power. They now could do anything from the farm as they are the leading group and they have Squealer which is all the propaganda that cover up their dishonest activities. One of these activities is stated at the page 14 when Squealer explains to the animals that the pigs need the milk and the apple for their health, that if the pigs were to get sick Mr. Jones would be back on the farm. So all the animals concluded that the milk and the apples shall be reserved for the pigs. We clearly see that the pigs are now manipulating he others animals, another proof that their intentions are again corrupted by power as if the pigs wouldn’t had it, they would never had lie to the other animals on the farm. It’s the same story in real life, Stalin and Trotsky, when Nikolay died, with the control of the Medias they (Squealer) they set up exactly what they wanted. More corrupted than the others, Stalin even took control of one Newspaper and made it the national journal calling it ‘’La Pravda’’ which means the truth in English, by doing so he gets another key to control the population. This show the ‘’Facette’’ of power that everybody would like: the benefits that corrupts. At this point, our individual, Napoleon has already reached a certain level of corruption as he gains more and more power. The last step he can reach is, absolutism and to do so he need to eliminate any other leader and get another way to control despite Squealer to gain the ultimate power. This is exactly what Napoleon will do, by chasing Snowball off the charm with the puppies he took from their mother as it is written at the page 21 of the book. Here we can see the complete corruption of Napoleon as he now has all the power he wanted, he does anything he wants even what is forbidden by the amendment, like drinking alcohol or sleeping in beds. In a parallel world, it’s the same story with Joseph Stalin, who exiled Trotsky, the only other leader that limited his powers. In the both world this complete corruption could be seen because of one detail. Both leaders killed to get their entire power without any problem, act that no slave, normal person or powerless human could do without getting punished. On a deeper level we can even say that by doing so the leaders corrupted their fate and souls because killing is the only way to ‘’divide’’ in a breaking way your soul. Finally everyone would absolutely like to get power as it gets you ‘’higher’’ than others, everyone would enjoy it as it gets you benefits and finally everyone would like to be upon everyone else as it’s human nature. The power really corrupts and one of the main reasons is that man will always want more: let’s take a guy in a Porsche parking beside a Honda civic, he will feel good but he know his power is limited as the dude at the cross light laughs in his Ferrari but even him feels limited when he see that family passing by on their yacht at port. Even them when they are enjoying the sun will see a private jet taking off they will know that the person inside is even more powerful. This cycle will never end because even the owner of this private jet will feel inferior to the guy in the space station with his clown nose. This only shows us that power corrupts because men will always want more as feeling such as happiness aren’t supposed to be developed with properties material and power.