Question

What did Napoleon use to intimidate and control the animals?

• A. Bribery
• B. His fierce dogs
• C. Promises of rewards
• D. None

Answer 1

Answer:

B. His fierce dogs

Understanding Napoleon's Control in Animal Farm

• In George Orwell's allegorical novel, Animal Farm, Napoleon, a Berkshire boar, emerges as the tyrannical leader after the Animal Rebellion.
• Napoleon's primary tool for maintaining power and suppressing dissent among the other animals is a pack of fierce dogs he raises from puppies.
• These dogs were originally taken from their mothers (Jessie and Bluebell) by Napoleon, who then trained them to be his loyal, brutal enforcers.
• They serve as his secret police, driving out his rival Snowball and intimidating any animal that questions his authority or policies.
• The dogs represent the Cheka or NKVD (secret police) under Joseph Stalin's rule in the Soviet Union, which Animal Farm allegorically critiques.
• Their sudden appearances and aggressive actions instill fear, preventing open rebellion and ensuring obedience to Napoleon's decrees, even when they are unjust.
• This use of force highlights the transition from revolutionary ideals to a totalitarian regime, where fear replaces freedom.

Key Facts about Animal Farm:

• Animal Farm was first published in 1945.
• The novel is an allegorical novella about the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Stalinist era of the Soviet Union.
• George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) wrote Animal Farm as a critique of totalitarianism.
• The pigs, particularly Napoleon and Squealer, represent the Communist Party elite, while Boxer represents the loyal, hardworking but exploited working class.
• The Seven Commandments, initially established by the animals, are gradually altered by the pigs to justify their oppressive rule, culminating in "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."