Power in its Darkest Hour

Being in charge isn't always easy, it requires a lot of dedication, patience, and knowledge. My personal opinion is that people aren't fit to rule over other people with complete control. This also goes for animals.

Having complete control can drive on to do things many would not do in their right mind. People were not meant to have power over others due to our inability to remain sane. This is also in the case of the animals the novel Animal Farm who attempt to run a farm by their own. Their attempt to drive out humans is a success, but their idea that all animals are equal fails due to those put in charge. Power over few is a challenging job for humans, power over all is an impossible job for anyone with a mind of their own.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This means that any country with one person in complete control, will undoubtedly fail. No one person can handle the responsibility of ruling over a country without help, or someone to share the power. Still, even if more than one people are sharing the power, there is always the possibility of jealousy and selfishness arising between the companions.

In the beginning of the book, the idea of a revolution excites everyone, adrenaline runs through them. When the animals have overthrown Mr. Jones and his workers, they have no leader or anyone to follow. Put to power by themselves, the pigs make decisions convincing the less bright animals that it is for their own good. Each animal is bound to the seven commandments, meant to keep them from turning into what they had recently overthrown. A human. The seven commandments includes the idea that “two feet bad, four feet good” as the sheep constantly chant, wearing clothes, sleeping in a bed, and drinking alcohol is unacceptable. It also says that animals may not kill another animal, and that all animals are equal.

As the story continues, each rule is slowly and mysteriously changed to make seem as though the pigs are obeying every rule. The once worshipped commandments now represent exactly what was feared in a animal ruled farm. These animals slowly represent what was the one and only fear of the Animal Farm, not to become like the humans they had just driven out of power. Those animals not educated enough to understand the true meaning of what is going on, that their fearless leader has the mind of the propaganda, turn a blind eye to all deaths of their comrades and the truth they cannot look in the eye.

As a satire should, these characters represent the personalities and weaknesses of historical characters form the Russian Revolution. The three pigs who take control over Animal Farm represent Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky, these six share the weakness of power. Mr. Jones and his wife represent Czar Nicholas and Alexandria, who used to enjoy lives many luxuries while their people starved on the little food they could afford. Some characters represent a group of people that play a large part in the Revolution, yet not on person. For example, the sheep represent all of the peasants, fooled by the mask of glamour put up by the Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky.

In the novel Animal Farm, power is the true ruler, not Napoleon or Snowball, power controls their every rule and action. With the strength of power in control, Mr. Jones is overthrown and Animal Farm succeeds, yet they never truly won. With Mr. Jones out of the way, the true enemy is still in control, to win they must over throw power or Napoleon. The animals need to remember what their revolution really meant, their freedom, and know what Old Major meant by a revolution.