Animal Farm, by George Orwell Essay -- Animal Farm Essays

In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the hog Napoleon handlings specific tactics to gain power and control all over the animal farm. Some of these techniques include controlling information through education, scapegoating, use of fear, smodal valueing public opinion and blind obedience.      end-to-end the novel, the most prominent way that Napoleon gained power was through controlling the education that the animals received. In the beginning of the novel, Snowball believes in educating all of the animals on Animal Farm, young and old, by trying to organize committees and instituting classes devoted to reading and writing (page 39). However, Napoleon openly states that educating the young is more important that the old. When Jessie and Bluebell have puppies, Napoleon takes them off and secludes them from the rest of Animal Farm to teach them on his own (41). Throughout the novel, after Snowballs removal, education becomes less and less important, and p igs and dogs are the only animals in reality being taught anything. This comes in handy for Napoleon as he begins to win "adjustments" to the rules that Animal Farm is based upon, such as drinking alcohol, sleeping in beds, and walking on two legs. The fact that the animals cant do mathematics is an benefit as well when Squealer starts reeling off facts and figures about rations and dying rates and other nonsense (105).     Another technique Napoleon takes advantage of is scapegoat...