Monday, January 30, 2017

What are two good quotes from Animal Farm that indicate corruption?

Corruption is defined as doing something illegal or dishonest, especially by individuals or organizations in power. The goal is to gain an unfair advantage or to benefit from such conduct. 

In Animal Farm, there are a number of instances where the pigs, who took over leadership of the farm, behave in just such a manner to live in privilege. The first of these relates to the disappearance of five pails of milk and the windfall apples. These were supposed to be shared equally amongst all the animals in terms of the principle of equality, as expounded in the seven commandments. In chapter two, we read: 



But at this moment the three cows, who had seemed uneasy for some time past, set up a loud lowing. They had not been milked for twenty-four hours, and their udders were almost bursting. After a little thought, the pigs sent for buckets and milked the cows fairly successfully, their trotters being well adapted to this task. Soon there were five buckets of frothing creamy milk at which many of the animals looked with considerable interest.


"What is going to happen to all that milk?" said someone.


"Jones used sometimes to mix some of it in our mash," said one of the hens.


"Never mind the milk, comrades!" cried Napoleon, placing himself in front of the buckets. "That will be attended to. The harvest is more important. Comrade Snowball will lead the way. I shall follow in a few minutes. Forward, comrades! The hay is waiting."


So the animals trooped down to the hayfield to begin the harvest, and when they came back in the evening it was noticed that the milk had disappeared.



The following extract, from chapter three, explains what happened to the milk and mentions the apples:



The mystery of where the milk went to was soon cleared up. It was mixed every day into the pigs' mash. The early apples were now ripening, and the grass of the orchard was littered with windfalls. The animals had assumed as a matter of course that these would be shared out equally; one day, however, the order went forth that all the windfalls were to be collected and brought to the harness-room for the use of the pigs. At this some of the other animals murmured, but it was no use. All the pigs were in full agreement on this point, even Snowball and Napoleon. Squealer was sent to make the necessary explanations to the others.



Snowball provided an explanation as to why these had been reserved exclusively for the pigs by saying, in effect, that it was brain food which enabled them to perform their task of managing the farm efficiently. If they did not, Jones would come back. The animals accepted this as a reasonable explanation and, since they feared Jones' return, did not ask any further questions. This, of course, opened the door for more corrupt acts and many were soon to follow.


Another instance, mentioned in chapter five, is Snowball's expulsion from the farm. Napoleon raised Bluebell and Jessie's puppies in secret and trained them to become his fiercely brutal guard dogs. On the day on which Snowball was to present his final plans for the windmill, Napoleon summoned them:



But just at this moment Napoleon stood up and, casting a peculiar sidelong look at Snowball, uttered a high-pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him utter before.


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. In a moment he was out of the door and they were after him. Too amazed and frightened to speak, all the animals crowded through the door to watch the chase. Snowball was racing across the long pasture that led to the road. He was running as only a pig can run, but the dogs were close on his heels. Suddenly he slipped and it seemed certain that they had him. Then he was up again, running faster than ever, then the dogs were gaining on him again. One of them all but closed his jaws on Snowball's tail, but Snowball whisked it free just in time. Then he put on an extra spurt and, with a few inches to spare, slipped through a hole in the hedge and was seen no more.



The other animals were clearly terrified. Napoleon, through this act, had asserted his power and brutality. He immediately commenced changing the rules of democracy to favor the pigs. Napoleon's behavior was clearly corrupt, since he removed his greatest opposition by using a deceitful and malicious tactic. This kind of aggressive response to all opposition would, from then on, become part of the natural order of things on the farm.

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