If we were to combine strong leadership with strong workers, what could we achieve? It has been proven time and time again, that we as a human race have the capacity to stand up against times of crisis. Whether it be famine, hunger, or natural disasters, time and time again have we seen humanity stand firm together in times of need. Strong leaders make for strong people. But what happens when leadership turns corrupt? What damage is done to society and the everyday individual’s life? The flaws in human nature are what’s holding us back.
Today I am here presenting to you why this warning against corrupt leadership has stood the test of time, having been played out through the plot of ‘Animal Farm’. The book was written in 1945 by George Orwell, but not without getting a controversial response from the public, who were able to read into the deep meanings and representations found within the fable. After all, this book was released at times of war and unsettled politicians. The book being communicated in a fable genre meant that there was a broader target audience and was generally just more entertaining. But it also meant that, as it did not directly challenge leadership, it stayed politically correct.
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The battle for power between the tyrannical pig Napoleon, representing the Russian counterpart of Stalin, and Snowball, who opposes him, representing Trotsky, reveals to us what a corrupt leader would do out of lust for power. This leads to the animals being ignored, starved and ultimately treated in many unfair ways, reflecting what actually happened in Russian society. And yet, the working class just kept on working harder and harder, trusting that their leaders were correct.
Snowball was one of the pigs who took charge of the farm after the abolishment of humans. He was an innovative leader. One who was constantly looking for ways to make life for the animals better and easier. He was well-educated, a good speaker, and had a relatively genuine passion for leading the animals to what he believed to be a better life. His adversary Napoleon, however, was none of these things. He was selfish, sneaky, and ultimately greedy for power so that he could lift himself above all the other animals and give himself special treatment. Between the two, Snowball represents the true, inspired leader who has a genuine belief that they can make the world a better place.
In the Russian Revolution, Snowball represents Leon Trotsky, a Russian politician. He stood for the people and genuinely believed in making life better for everyone. A large part of this was exploring the idea of true fairness. This included giving the poor land and wealth, whilst making the rich give up some of theirs. He was well fared with public matters, was a visionary, and was influential. All the animals trusted him and his word and he was good at public speaking and addressing the animals.
These are the kind of leaders that society should be electing and putting in charge. Ones who aren’t self-centered, but the ones who have a true passion for the individuals which they lead. Leaders like Snowball who are always looking forward to how society could be, are the leaders who are going to lead to success. Self-centered, dangerous, and threatening leaders who suppress the people through power are not going to have so much of a positive impact.
The next part of this speech will move on to address Boxer, the horse who resided on Animal Farm. Boxer was a strong and determined horse whose mottos were, “I must work harder”, and “Napoleon is always right.” Even through the toughest times, he stuck by these words, however in the end they did not serve him well. He had misplaced his trust in Napoleon and worked himself beyond what he could bear. This ultimately led to him facing a long-term injury, which meant he couldn’t work anymore; Napoleon, of course, saw this as a waste and hence ordered the horse to go to a ‘vet’, which was actually a horse dispatching company. Boxer was never seen again.
Now which group of people does Boxer symbolise in real life? Boxer represents the working class during the Russian Revolution. The people who put unwavering trust in their leader, and worked hard, ignorant of the corruption exploiting them, only to be continually suppressed and mistreated. And what happened when they couldn’t work anymore? Well, the Government was done with them. They had no more use. They didn’t matter, so why should the Government care for their safety or security?
The fact that the working class was suppressed and ignored, allowed for corruption to come onto the country. Readers of ‘Animal Farm’ see Boxer and truly realize what an asset he was to the farm’s economy, however, the stability he provided the farm with was never truly recognized.
The book reads, “The other animals found more inspiration in Boxer’s strength and his never-failing cry of ‘I will work harder!’” He was an inspiration and a driving factor in society, yet he was only suppressed and cast aside. And look what price was paid. Not long after Boxer was dispatched, ‘Animal Farm’ was falling more and more back into the hands of misfortune and a starving society.
But what if, after all this has been said, a strong leader had the opportunity to lead a strong working class? If we put Snowball and Boxer together, what could happen? What could ‘Animal Farm’ have achieved, if only corruption was not let in? Ladies and gentlemen, surely you can see that ‘Animal Farm’ has stood the test of time as it is a valued piece of literature, formed in the hands of a man with dreams. Dreams of a society that has no corruption, but has only strong leaders, leading strong people to create a strong future for all - not just the pigs or those in power. Is this not what inspires people to work harder and be better leaders? ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell is a book written about our structure of society, that challenges our leadership, work ethic, values, morals, and more.
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