The Evolution Of Government

Oh Look! My Animal Farm Essay!


Animal Farm Essay #1
The Evolution of Government
In Animal Farm, George Orwell freely expresses his views and opinions on politics and government, specifically Communism. As Orwell playfully creates a satire based on the flaws of Communism, there is quite the sense of truth in his words. He presents his opinion by inventing Animalism, the form of government established on the “Animal Farm”, obviously representing Communism. As the novel continues, Animalism develops from a pure government solely interested in the better of Animal-kind into a corrupted dictatorship supported by ignorant followers. I believe what statement Orwell was attempting to deliver was that all dictatorships have the potential to become, and will become corrupt, given the capability, no matter the changes that are made. I personally do not believe Orwell was not limiting his beliefs to Communism, but merely using it as one flawed design of the dictatorship formats.

The first form of government that appeared in Animal Farm was a variation of Totalitarianism, in which the dictator was Mr. Jones, representing Czar in an allegoric manner. The reader is introduced to an already corrupt system as they witness abuse and negligence by Mr. Jones, starting in the very sentence; “Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes” (3). This opening setting is to show the capabilities of a government with rather distorted priorities, setting the stage for much later on in the novel.
The second form of government that is displayed is some sort of bipartisan format of communism in which both Napoleon and Snowball express their different views on nearly every topic. The cause of this peculiar format is due to the fact that it is after the Rebellion but before any true type of government had its foundation laid down. The hate between Napoleon and Snowball led into countless debates however, as neither could submit to the other’s opinion; “This arrangement would have worked well enough if it had not been for the disputes between Snowball and Napoleon. These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible” (47). However, it was due to the conflicts between the two pigs that this stage of the government was in its most just form, as neither party could seize power in order to have the capabilities to have absolute control.
The final stage of the government in Animal Farm is when Napoleon has seized total control of the government, and begins to run the farm much like Mr. Jones did in the beginning, thus making a complete circle back into a corrupt government. Orwell exaggerates this point by phrasing the concluding sentence as such: “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” (141). This full circle of events was allowed by the ignorance of the animals, as well as the unrestricted power of the pigs.
In conclusion, I believe Orwell tries to point out that not all governments are doomed to fail; simply that just the governments that apply all the power to one being, unrestricted, accommodated with an ignorant class of citizens. Also, I think Orwell attempts to point out that we are doomed to the same failure as our predecessors if we do not learn from their mistakes, hence the circle of corruption he introduces in Animal Farm. Lastly, I would like to say I too believe that the power of a nation is all too much for one man, and must be distributed among fellow political branches accordingly.