Question: Describe at least one important character in the written text. Explain how this character is revealed to you throughout the text.
Solid essay. Just be sure to identify characters when you first introduce them.
HIGH MERIT
Introduction:
An important character in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ is Napoleon (a large berkshire boar based on the communist dictator Josef Stalin). Napoleon is an important character because he demonstrates power corruption, for example: using dogs to intimidate the other animals and to consolidate his power. Napoleon is a rather crafty pig by using propaganda and manipulating the other animals.
Preamble:
George Orwell wrote ‘Animal Farm’ to tell us about how having an abundance of power can lead to corruption and to explain the dark side of the human condition. The main point was to criticize communism and was based on the Russian revolution which was a civil war during world war 1. Orwell wrote about this to tell us and the readers of ‘Animal Farm’ about what can happen when you have too much power.
Paragraph 1:
At the start of the novel ‘Animal Farm’ Napoleon was a caring pig and thought of the other animals. But when the novel goes on he becomes evil and is the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion, and also breaks all seven of the commandments. One of the commandments that Napoleon broke was “no animal shall kill another animal”, he breaks this by training 9 puppies to be feral and do what he tells them to do. It first starts off by chasing Snowball who is this? off the farm because Napoleon wanted all the power and Snowball was his rival, after this Snowball becomes a scapegoat.
Another example of him killing his comrades is when Boxer who is this? becomes sick and tired and he collapses when hauling stone to the windmill, Boxer’s motto is “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right”. However when he overworks himself and becomes sick he is sent off to the Knackers, but the other animals think that he is getting sent to the vet to be treated. This is an example of Propaganda because Napoleon betrayed Boxer even though Boxer was the most loyal and hard working animal on Animal Farm.
Paragraph 2:
A huge thing that happened near the end of the novel is when Napoleon the pig started to carry a whip and stand on his hind legs. Napoleon carrying a whip symbolises slavery and this is how he makes the animals do what he desires. He also does this to be like man because when Jones had the farm he used a whip to abuse the animals and is a symbol of man’s exploitation. Napoleon brings back the whip in Chapter 10 because this is when he has the most power over his so-called comrades. This example is another commandment that has been broken because the commandment says “whatever goes upon Two legs is an enemy”. Napoleon’s method of getting his own way involves a combination of propaganda and terror that none of the animals can resist. By this time, all power is corrupt and Napoleon has gone out of hand thinking that he is more equal than his comrades. And he changes the commandment to “all animals are equal, but some are more equal to others”.
Paragraph 3:
Napoleon is a very important Character in the novel ‘Animal Farm’ because he demonstrates a lot of things that happened in the Russian revolution. One of the main things that he demonstrates is power corruption. The pigs use the power of speech to maintain their control of the other animals and to manipulate them and make the animals believe what the pigs tell them is true and they should all follow orders from Napoleon. Napoleon’s violent power can be seen through his expulsion of snowball and how he uses the nine dogs to chase him away, this was just the beginning of Napoleon’s power being corrupt. Napoleon also uses Squealer (representing Vyacheslav Molotov) to maintain Napoleon’s dictatorship through the force of propaganda and fear.
Importance to the modern world:
George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ is important to today’s world because it shows, if you have too much power it will corrupt and things will change rapidly and shows the potential dangers of good intentions. And the themes of Animal Farm are still relevant today with things like Racism and lots more things.
Conclusion:
In conclusion Napoleon the pig representing Josef Stalin is important and plays a huge role in Animal Farm by demonstrating his supreme craftiness and manipulation. By fooling the other animals they believed everything Napoleon said.