Napoleon+of+Animal+Farm

__**Synopsis**__ Animal Farm begins with a large variety of farm animals owned by a farmer. The farmer does not treat the animals well, but he does feed them and keep them alive (though some are taken away to be slaughtered for food). The animals are unhappy in this situation. An old boar calls the animals together and tells them about his philosophy of Animalism, which emphasizes equality and a utopian existence without human leaders. The animals are very excited about the idea, but the old boar dies soon after. Two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, take charge and lead a revolution to force the farmer off the farm.

The animals begin to lead the farm by themselves, learning basic agricultural techniques. Snowball, Napoleon, and the other pigs gradually form a ruling class, although this relationship is benevolent at first. The farmer then returns, but the animals defend the farm and force him away. This event unites the animals, but it also opens a rift between Snowball and Napoleon. Napoleon has trained some dogs on the farm to be his personal soldiers, and he orders them to attack Snowball, who flees. Napoleon then provides blatant lies to the animals in explanation. The animals reluctantly but foolishly believe him. Snowball is characterized as an evil traitor and Napoleon’s leadership becomes more absolute. The bad memory and stupidity of the animals contributes to their compliance.

For the rest of the story, Napoleon and the pigs gradually become more aristocratic and powerful and conditions on the farm worsen. The extra food is depleted and the infrastructure becomes damaged. The animals try to build projects like windmills, but their efforts fail. Napoleon denies the problems, and the pigs claim that conditions are actually better. The animals accept these lies, but a few of the more intelligent ones are reluctant.

By the end of the book, Napoleon and a few pig companions live in the old farmer’s house, sleep in beds, and wear clothes. They exercise complete control of the farm while the other animals struggle to survive. They also behave like humans, playing card games and eating from tables and plates.

The central themes of the book are the danger of powerful dictatorships and the problems associated with pseudo-communist governments. Many parallels exist between Animal Farm and the Soviet Union. Napoleon is much like Stalin. The society is founded with wide ideologies and good intentions, but it is abused by powerful individuals and eventually returns to its original depravity. For example, the gradual transition of the pigs from revolutionary animals alongside the others to aristocratic imitators of humans is made clear. Also, the author presents the establishment of a communist system as a severe hardship for the normal animals involved, even before power is abused.

__**Archetype**__ Napoleon fulfills the dictator archetype in the novel. The most basic component of this archetype is totalitarian leadership. On the farm, Napoleon does not start with this feature, but he soon acquires it. Absolute power is a common characteristic between Napoleon, historical figures like Stalin, and literary characters like Big Brother. All exercise complete power which often creates a society of fear, silence, and dishonesty.

The dictator archetype must have absolute authority. Napoleon meets this criterion in many ways, but his power is most concisely defined in the motto of one of his supporters: “Napoleon is always right” (page 125). Individuals in the society that Napoleon rules do not have the ability to contradict the will of the leader for reasons present in the other criteria.

Napoleon fulfills one of the most significant criteria for the dictator archetype by using violence to enforce his will. When he is not getting the support he needs at a meeting, “Napoleon…uttered a high-pitched whimper. Immediately, the dogs bounded forward, seized four of the pigs by the ear, and dragged them” (page 92). Napoleon trained a group of dogs to be his personal army. They only serve him, and they are used to accomplish many tasks around the farm. Napoleon can always get his way when the dogs take part. The threat of their presence is often enough to enforce his absolute leadership. In this example, Napoleon is not the actual actor of the violence, but he commands it as a leader.

Another one of the criteria for a dictator is the combination of fear and admiration that is inspired in the people. A correct example of the archetype is not a dirty character who everyone hates. Instead, he is impressive in his intimidation. Napoleon fulfills this necessity for the archetype: “The animals watched his coming and going with a kind of dread, and avoided him as much as possible. Nevertheless, the sight of Napoleon…roused their pride and partly reconciled them to the new arrangement” (page 78).

Despite the fundamentally illegitimate power wielded by a totalitarian ruler, the archetype does include claims of legitimacy, even if they are utterly absurd. Among the animals, it is taboo to doubt these claims. For example, Napoleon does not simply claim power. He uses a false ritual: “It became necessary to elect a president. There was only one candidate, Napoleon” (page 118). These activities do not fool anyone, but they are part of the hypocrisy and dishonesty of the archetype.

A final criterion for the dictator archetype is a life of luxury among poverty. Napoleon does not immediately fulfill this criterion. However, he soon advances himself and a select group of fellow pigs. He lives in a human house and uses luxurious beds, accessories, and activities, claiming that “it was also more suited to the dignity of the Leader to live in a house than in a mere sty” (page 79). This archetypical characteristic is also seen in 1984, where the ruling elite have far more luxurious accommodations at the expense of the common people.

__**How to Speak Like Napoleon**__ __1. speak in short and straightforward phrases __ Napoleon does not waste time with superfluous rhetoric or unnecessary words. To speak like him, get straight to the point and skip anything that does not need to be said. However, persuasiveness and intimidation are not compromised. For example, Napoleon says, “There is work to be done. This very morning we begin rebuilding the windmill, and we will build all through the winter” (page 82). Then, work begins, and no further time is spent on conversation. Napoleon wants his animals to be hard workers, not thoughtful speakers, so he does not indulge them with conversation. The words in the speech are also simple and unambiguous. Napoleon has to make himself clear to a wide variety of animals with various intelligences.

__<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">2. speak in a motivational way __ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Napoleon is eager to have his statements fulfilled. He is able to use force, but he often directly appeals to the animals for their compliance, even if he is not offering any choice. He tells the animals, “Forward, comrades! The hay is waiting” (page 44). Statements like this one encourage hard work in the animals so that Napoleon does not have to resort to other methods. When using Napoleon’s motivational style, keep the statements simple. However, they can still be developed more sophisticatedly, like the personification of hay that Napoleon uses in this example. Such devices make the message and the request of the motivation more clear.

__<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">3. be dishonest __ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Napoleon’s speech is full of dishonesty. To speak like Napoleon, use blatant lies. Even when these lies are obvious and do not makes sense, continue to use them. The syntax and diction of the speech that surrounds the lie can be adjusted to remind the listeners of the consequences of disagreeing, so some exclamation and excitement can be added. For example, “Snowball has done this thing!...This traitor has crept here under the cover of night and destroyed our work of nearly a year” (page 82). In this situation, it is obvious that the destruction was not caused by the pig Snowball. However, Napoleon simply says otherwise. The enthusiasm in the first sentence helps to make the message clear because it is not something that would normally be thought of.

__<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">4. make the speech absolute and unquestionable __ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Napoleon is always right, no matter what he says. Do not let any part of your speech reflect otherwise. The phrases in the speech should be unquestionable and absolute. Napoleon’s words should be treated as absolute truth to be enforced or enacted exactly, not opinions or requests. The author of the book conveys this aspect by blending some of Napoleon’s speech with prose, not quotes. It can also be created with simple declarative statements that are disconnected from the speaker and any mistruth that is inherent in a speaker. For example, “He announced that from now on the Sunday-morning meetings would come to an end. They were unnecessary, he said, and wasted time. In future all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over by himself. These would meet in private and afterwards communicate their decisions to the others” (page 68). In this example, there is no room for questioning or dissent. The words are absolutely clear with unambiguous definitions and an overshadowing expectation of complete enactment.

__<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">5. add subtextual violence __ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Napoleon rarely makes direct threats of violence. However, through his behavior and presentation, he often makes it clear that violence could occur if his demands are not executed. One of the most obvious ways in which this requirement is fulfilled is with a retinue of attack dogs: “With his dogs in attendance he set out and made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings (page 88). It is important to make the violence unspoken but obvious. All listeners need to know that any problems will be met with strict consequences.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">By imitating Napoleon’s speech, a normal person can become a totalitarian ruler with absolute power over a population. Although there could be problems with the actual practical survival of the listeners, they are certain to be obedient and allegiant to the speaker.

__**<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Future Events **__ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The book ends with a meeting between pigs and farmers. The animals are unable to tell the difference between the two species because the pigs behave as autocratically and violently towards them as the farmers. However, the farm is not finished, and a description of possible future events is provided here.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Conflict with the neighboring farms is over, but tensions still exist. Animal Farm (renamed Manor Farm) still has very different policies from the human farms. Napoleon dies a few years later. There is no way to select a new leader. The pigs decide to share power together. Pretensions of Animalism are maintained, but poverty, starvation, censorship, and totalitarianism are also unthreatened. Soon, the pig Squealer gradually takes power, ending the instability of shared power but increasing the totalitarianism of the government. He institutes policies of “de-Napoleonization”, but very little changes. However, the forced productivity of the farm animals does produce some benefits. The farm competes with the neighboring human farms in a race to generate electricity. Some success is enjoyed when the windmill generator is completed, but its benefits are not distributed fairly.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Squealer dies and is followed by another period of collective rule and then a new pig leader. Conditions on the farm remain similar. The farm builds up more military power to supposedly defend against humans, although the soldier animals are disadvantaged by poor health and technology. The original farmer is long dead, but other humans are interested in ending the pseudo-Animalist institution. Discontentment increases among the animals, but disobedience or dissent is still highly taboo and severely punishable.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This pig is replaced by a new one with more moderate views. Animal Farm dissolves into smaller farms with more freedom. This dissolution is tense but not particularly violent; the failure of the pigs’ government is obvious. The scattered animals remain somewhat dependent and highly disadvantaged, but they gradually pull themselves to the levels of life present in other farms.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">These events are inspired by the history of the Soviet Union from the end of World War II under Stalin (Napoleon) to the dissolution on 1991 December 26.

__**<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Setting **__ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The story takes place on Animal Farm, which seems to be in the English countryside. The animals interact with the neighboring farms and their humans. The setting is especially important to the story. The wide variety of resources on the farm allows the animals to survive by themselves. However, the resources are not plentiful, forcing the animals to bargain with humans. The seclusion of the pigs in their own separate house is also important. It allows the farm to develop two distinct classes and gives the pigs the ability to diverge in comfort and habit from the animals still in the farmhouse. My speculative map of Animal Farm is provided.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">__**Interactive Features**__ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">hyperlink : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Lj-4iIh28 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This music video does not provide an entirely accurate summary of the plot, but it summarizes the themes and general ideas of the story very well.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGSiFESwWtI Here, a 1954 film version of Animal Farm can be viewed. In this version, the ending was altered so that Napoleon is overthrown by the animals. This change makes the film more fitting for its anti-communist propaganda purpose but less literary and meaningful.