The Power of Power

To have power is one thing, yet to use that trait effectively is something even greater. Not many people can obtain these attributes for an extended period of time or even at all, but when they do they will always exceed the limits set by the pioneers before them. In the novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, many animals have power. Though they may come in different forms, they are still there. Examples of this are Snowball, Napoleon, and even Boxer the powerful horse. Unfortunately, only Snowball was able to do good with his, and he was eventually ridden out of his leadership. Supremacy is a rarity in today’s society, and needs to be used not in destructive ways, but in constructive manners which help the everyday life of the citizens.

In the Russian Revolution, leadership was changed repeatedly. First Czar Nicholas II was in control and then Trotsky was accompanied by Stalin in controlling Russia. Later Trotsky was eliminated from the system by his thought-to-be friend, Stalin. Yet, under these main figures other people had power, but they had the problem that lets Communism continue its dominance in the country, being that they can’t put their skills in effect to overturn Communism.

This scenario is exactly what happens in Animal Farm. Farmer Jones, who would represent Czar Nicholas II, owns and runs Manor Farm. Then, the animals of Manor Farm rebel, being led by Snowball and Napoleon. Eventually, the animals were found to be victorious and Snowball and Napoleon ran, what was now called Animal Farm, side by side. Later, in power’s usual fashion, Napoleon turns against Snowball and voids Snowball’s authority on the farm. This signifies the large-scale dispute Trotsky and Stalin engaged in.

Simply, dominance is something that is ever-changing and is quite unpredictable. It also comes in forms that you wouldn’t expect. For example, Boxer is the strongest horse in all of Animal Farm and nothing can even think of challenging his strength. What holds Boxer back is the intelligence aspect. Boxer doesn’t have one thought of his own and he just follows whatever the leader of the moment says. This is proven by one of his two famous sayings, “Napoleon is always right”. In cause of this, Boxer is as ineffective at rebelling against the corrupt Napoleon as a calculus lecture given to kindergarten students. So, Boxer represents the peasants of Russia who work all day and worship, cherish, and love every syllable that falls out of their leader’s propaganda-ridden mouth.

The peasant’s and Boxer’s unintelligence feed the Communist government and helps it prosper. Stalin being a smart dictator realized that this would happen and kept the Russian peasants from education. Therefore, they would never have the brain power to form a rebellion, let alone even think of one, so they just clasp on to the lies from the leaders that are eventually converted into facts.

George Orwell litters his writing with warnings to all the non-Communistic governments in a satirical form. Even though average farm animals, running a farm seems like an immature idea, it actually contains a deep intellectual level. Animal Farm is made to make us afraid of what happened in Russia to the point where we should never let this happen to our Democratic government. Also, due to the fact that I read carefully, I found some suggestions from George Orwell to keep this from happening, like getting an education and having thoughts of my own.

John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton once said that “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Animal Farm thoroughly shows us this throughout its course and many lessons can and need to be taken away from it. For those of us who can find the responsibility of power and authority among ourselves, we must learn this lesson of how to control our greed and use it in a way to help the people. Then, we will truly have what Karl Marx intended for, a fair society.