Points on Napoleon
1.) He represents how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
“Even in the farmhouse, it was said, Napoleon inhabited separate
apartments from the others.” “He always ate from the Crown Derby dinner
service.” “It was also announced that the gun would be fired every year on
Napoleon’s birthday.” “He was always referred to in formal style as ‘our
leader.’ “The mill would be named Napoleon mill.”
2.) He represents how in a totalitarian regime a dictator gains authority by
force, threats, violence and inciting fear. “They too were slaughtered,” “They
were all slain on the spot.” “When they had finished their confession the
dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon
demanded whether any other animal had anything else to confess.” “The
four young pigs who had protested when Napoleon abolished the meetings
raised their voices timidly, but they were promptly silenced by a tremendous
growling from the dogs.” “Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly. He ordered
the hens’ rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so much
as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death.”
3.) Napoleon’s close relationship with Squealer suggests a totalitarian regime
relies on a partnership of violence and persuasion. “In his speeches Squealer
would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon’s wisdom, the
goodness of his heart, and the deep love he bore to all animals everywhere,
even and especially the unhappy animals who still lived in ignorance and
slavery on other farms.”
4.) Napoleon represents, through his ruthless exploitation of the working class,
the ruthless inhumanity of a totalitarian regime that does not value the
individual but instead Napoleon focuses on securing personal power for
himself. “Squealer went on to give further graphic details of Boxer’s
death-bed, the admirable care he had received and the expensive medicines
for which Napoleon had paid without a thought as to the cost, their last
doubts disappeared and the sorrow they felt for their comrade’s death was
tempered by the thought that at least he had died happy….” “And the word
went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money
to buy themselves another case of whiskey.”
5.) It is through the character of Napoleon that Orwell makes a powerful point
about power attracting those who abuse it to secure their own power.
“Napoleon took no interest in Snowball’s committees. He said that the
education of the young was more important than anything that could be
done for those who were already grown up.” “As soon as they were weaned
Napoleon took them away from their mothers, saying that he would make
himself responsible for their education.” “Napoleon produced no schemes of
, his own.” “They kept close to Napoleon. It was noticed that they wagged
their tails to him in the same way as the other dogs had been used to do to
Mr Jones.”
6.) Napoleon represents how in a totalitarian regime language is used as a
weapon to control the uneducated and the working class. Napoleon retires
from public and allows Squealer to create his public image and invents
rumours of cruelty on other farms to ensure the animals’ loyalty. “In these
days Napoleon rarely appeared in public, but spent all his time in the
farmhouse, which was guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs.”
7.) Napoleon creates Snowball as a common enemy and a frightening figure so
that he might distract the animals from their misery and hunger and
hardship. He then secures their support by appearing to protect the animals
by attempting to find Snowball. “With his dogs in attendance he set out and
made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings, the other animals
following at a respectful distance.” “For we have reason to think that some
of Snowball’s secret agents are lurking among us at this moment!”
8.) His flouting of the Old Major’s socialist vision for equality by enforcing a
hierarchy suggests he also is a significant part of Orwell’s critique of
Socialism. A lovely idea –it does not work in reality because it is at odds with
human nature. People are not equal. He does not treat the animals as equals.
The pigs are ‘naturally’ the leaders of the animals because of their innate
intelligence. “It had come to be accepted that the pigs, who were manifestly
cleverer than the other animals, should decide all questions of farm policy.”
“The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With
their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the
leadership.”
9.) Napoleon’s expulsion of Snowball and his executions of dissenting animals
suggests the ruthlessness of those in power in their bid to secure personal
power. “At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous
dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They
dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to
escape their snapping jaws.”
10.) The fact that Napoleon by the end of the novella resembles Mr Jones almost
entirely suggests the cyclical corruption of power and the failure of Old Major’s
socialist vision. “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.” “Out came Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances
from side to side.”
1.) He represents how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
“Even in the farmhouse, it was said, Napoleon inhabited separate
apartments from the others.” “He always ate from the Crown Derby dinner
service.” “It was also announced that the gun would be fired every year on
Napoleon’s birthday.” “He was always referred to in formal style as ‘our
leader.’ “The mill would be named Napoleon mill.”
2.) He represents how in a totalitarian regime a dictator gains authority by
force, threats, violence and inciting fear. “They too were slaughtered,” “They
were all slain on the spot.” “When they had finished their confession the
dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon
demanded whether any other animal had anything else to confess.” “The
four young pigs who had protested when Napoleon abolished the meetings
raised their voices timidly, but they were promptly silenced by a tremendous
growling from the dogs.” “Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly. He ordered
the hens’ rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so much
as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death.”
3.) Napoleon’s close relationship with Squealer suggests a totalitarian regime
relies on a partnership of violence and persuasion. “In his speeches Squealer
would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon’s wisdom, the
goodness of his heart, and the deep love he bore to all animals everywhere,
even and especially the unhappy animals who still lived in ignorance and
slavery on other farms.”
4.) Napoleon represents, through his ruthless exploitation of the working class,
the ruthless inhumanity of a totalitarian regime that does not value the
individual but instead Napoleon focuses on securing personal power for
himself. “Squealer went on to give further graphic details of Boxer’s
death-bed, the admirable care he had received and the expensive medicines
for which Napoleon had paid without a thought as to the cost, their last
doubts disappeared and the sorrow they felt for their comrade’s death was
tempered by the thought that at least he had died happy….” “And the word
went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money
to buy themselves another case of whiskey.”
5.) It is through the character of Napoleon that Orwell makes a powerful point
about power attracting those who abuse it to secure their own power.
“Napoleon took no interest in Snowball’s committees. He said that the
education of the young was more important than anything that could be
done for those who were already grown up.” “As soon as they were weaned
Napoleon took them away from their mothers, saying that he would make
himself responsible for their education.” “Napoleon produced no schemes of
, his own.” “They kept close to Napoleon. It was noticed that they wagged
their tails to him in the same way as the other dogs had been used to do to
Mr Jones.”
6.) Napoleon represents how in a totalitarian regime language is used as a
weapon to control the uneducated and the working class. Napoleon retires
from public and allows Squealer to create his public image and invents
rumours of cruelty on other farms to ensure the animals’ loyalty. “In these
days Napoleon rarely appeared in public, but spent all his time in the
farmhouse, which was guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs.”
7.) Napoleon creates Snowball as a common enemy and a frightening figure so
that he might distract the animals from their misery and hunger and
hardship. He then secures their support by appearing to protect the animals
by attempting to find Snowball. “With his dogs in attendance he set out and
made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings, the other animals
following at a respectful distance.” “For we have reason to think that some
of Snowball’s secret agents are lurking among us at this moment!”
8.) His flouting of the Old Major’s socialist vision for equality by enforcing a
hierarchy suggests he also is a significant part of Orwell’s critique of
Socialism. A lovely idea –it does not work in reality because it is at odds with
human nature. People are not equal. He does not treat the animals as equals.
The pigs are ‘naturally’ the leaders of the animals because of their innate
intelligence. “It had come to be accepted that the pigs, who were manifestly
cleverer than the other animals, should decide all questions of farm policy.”
“The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With
their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the
leadership.”
9.) Napoleon’s expulsion of Snowball and his executions of dissenting animals
suggests the ruthlessness of those in power in their bid to secure personal
power. “At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous
dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They
dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to
escape their snapping jaws.”
10.) The fact that Napoleon by the end of the novella resembles Mr Jones almost
entirely suggests the cyclical corruption of power and the failure of Old Major’s
socialist vision. “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.” “Out came Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances
from side to side.”
