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... t this point, the threatened and enraged Napoleon (Stalin), unleashes his secret weapon. Nine vicious dogs that he had taken from dogs Jessie and Bluebell upon their birth claiming he personally would educate them. However, he viciously trained these dogs to be unwavering in killing and loyal to him. Furthermore, the dogs rushed right at their designated enemy, Snowball. They chased Snowball off of the farm and he would never be heard from again but would still be an important character.
All this reminiscent of when Stalin's dogs, or his growing and grudgingly ruthless military, chased Trotsky out of the Republic to never be seen again. The animal population was stunned and did not know what to do about this horrible event. Napoleon had planned on this and now has able to announce his sole rule and domain on Animal Farm. This is the turning point in which the farm takes a horrible turn towards totalitarianism and oppressive communism. Soon after, Napoleon decides that a windmill shall be built and when questions are raised the propaganda dispersing pig Squealer quickly dismisses that Snowball had stolen Napoleons windmill plans and that Napoleon was then forced to oust the traitor. Eventually, the weak windmill comes down in storm and the very next day an outraged Napoleon instantly blames Snowball for undermining and conniving against the farm and committing secret ambush attacks on the farm at night.
This is the first example of many where Napoleon blames Snowball for any sort of problem. Paralleling, in 1934, Stalin's ally Serge Kirov was assassinated, prompting Stalin to begin his unfair and severe purges of the Communists and the USSR. Stalin began to blame any fault on Trotsky's influence and evil doing just as Napoleon does. Furthermore, Stalin found scapegoats for his failures and would kill innocent Communist workers by labeling them traitors and would then have them executed. Corresponding, Napoleon called a special meeting of the animals where he forced four pigs, whom had supported Snowball, to ridiculously and erroneously admit to conspiring with Snowball against the Animal Farm. Furthermore, Napoleon executes three hens that had resisted to giving their eggs to him, a goose who had stolen corn, a sheep who urinated in the drinking pool and two other sheep for murdering a ram.
These ridiculous executions and purges only showed the absurd lengths that Napoleon and Stalin would go to keep an intimidating stronghold on the animals and the peasants. By this point the farm is a political regime of Napoleon based on subordination of the individual to the state and strict control of all aspects of life. Meanwhile, numerous hypocrisies occur on the farm and appear to be in contradiction of the Seven Commandments. For example, following the mass executions, Clover, a suspicious, good-hearted female horse, questions the sixth commandment but when she goes to check the list and has Muriel, a goat, read her the commandments to check.
However, the pigs have added two key words to the end of the commandment, without cause. These new words make it perfectly justified and necessary then, according to the lying Squealer, to have killed those traitors and conspirators. Furthermore, eventually, once the pigs have decided to inhabit the farmhouse they begin to break just about every commandment. The high-class pigs begin to wear Mr. Jones old clothes, begin to sleep in his bed and drink alcohol on a regular nightly basis. Finally, when Clover catches the pigs walking on two legs like a human they have broken the biggest rule and commandment of all.
A disheartened and confused Clover goes to check the commandments and once again finds the commandments have been changed. This time they read ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS. This is the last and greatest example of the atrocious manipulation of language for use as an instrument of control by those in power. After years of violence, hunger, dishonesty and fear, the spirit of Animal Farm seems like a distant memory.
By seeking to become more equal than the other animals, the pigs have horribly transformed the original ideal of the farm, have used language to betray the truth and have simply found a more sophisticated and humanly method for literally stepping into the position of their former tyrannical masters. The leadership styles of Napoleon and Stalin were not as clever as they were effective, by immortalizing themselves and ruling through intimidation and trepidation, they wallowed in prosperity and power. Furthermore, there are plenty examples of ridiculous abuse of power that are comparative to the abuse the USSR peasants suffered at the hands of Stalin. These hypocrisies only exploited and neglected the workers and people of the USSR and the Animal Farm. In the novel the sheep are too dumb to think for themselves and cannot even remember the commandments and rely simply on sporadically and without reason shouting out their maxim, Four legs good, two legs bad. And when they see the pigs walking upright towards the end of the story, upon seeing the pigs walking upright, the ignorant sheep are convinced now that Four legs good, two legs better!
These sheep are a perfect example and illustration of the ignorant and helpless people that were fooled and deceived by the tyrannical and gluttonous leaders. Furthermore, Boxer, the great, hard-working and incredible workhorse is another great example of people being deceived and used as an implement and pawn for the insatiable Communist despots. Boxers strength, dedication and work ethic made him the model comrade as well as the reason for the farms early success. His two motto's and creeds are I will work harder and Napoleon is always right. However, when the tremendous Boxer goes down, Napoleon sells him to a glue-maker for money to a crate of whiskey. This ultimate betrayal on the model and perfect comrade is perhaps the saddest and most obvious need for change and outrage among the people.
All of these horrible unjust's and double-standards are covered up by Squealer, the propaganda department just like Stalin used to spread lies and blame about Trotsky. The Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution were alike in many ways, both started with bright ideas for the future of the people and ended with a corrupt government turning the settlement into what it initially opposed. The Animal Farm was written as a specific attack on a specific government, but its general and underlying themes of oppression, injustice and tyranny are a powerful attack on any political or military powers that seek to unjustly control human beings. Too much power brings out the worst in us and great and absolute power corrupts us in a way that only seems natural to an animal.
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Research essay sample on Four Legs Good Two Legs Animal Farm
