"animal farm": compare and contrast

Napoleon and Snowball, from the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, share many similar and different character traits when compared together. While Napoleon maybe cheating at cards, Snowball is hard at work developing a plan for a windmill to minimize animal work. Snowball could be talking away with his many speeches while Napoleon is trying his very best at training the puppy dogs to the rank of guard dog. Snowball and Napoleon, having their own similarities and differences, both seem to fight an endless war of being the best.

Napoleon and Snowball share their characteristics in many ways including intelligence, how convincing both pigs are, and leadership traits. First, Napoleon and Snowball both have similar intelligence traits. For example, both Napoleon and Snowball could read and write perfectly. Snowball had written all the windmill plans with careful thinking and use of time. Napoleon, however, had used his knowledge to write a fake letter said to be written by Snowball to have agreed to be a secret agent to the Foxwood Farm.

Napoleon knew that the other animals could not read very well and so by making his letter, no one could prove the letter was false except for the pigs that knew very well what Napoleon did. In addition, both Napoleon and Snowball were the most active in the speeches and the planning. Both pigs wanted to establish a social and economic system and be the leader of the farm. Furthermore, both pigs were smart to confuse the animals the animals in order to get their way. They used the same excuse of ” Do you want Jones and his men to come back?!?” The animals, however, were too stupid to think for themselves, thus letting the two pigs get what they wanted.

Second, the two animals were very convincing to the other animals. To illustrate, Snowball said that if a windmill was built, electricity could be used. There would be heat and hot and cold water. Work would also be cut down to three days per week. This, obviously a great deal, convinced the animals very easily that they wanted a windmill. Also, Napoleon convinced the animals very easily when he blamed all the farms troubles on Snowball. Napoleon said Snowball was a traitor and was working for Foxwood farms. Napoleon said he even had “ proof” of secret documentations that Snowball was working for Foxwood. Moreover, both animals knew that convincing the animals would easy. The animals usually found themselves agreeing with the animal currently talking.

Third, both Napoleon and Snowball had matching leadership traits. For instance, Snowball was in charge of educating the animals. All the animals got some kind of a degree although the hens and sheep only got to the letter A. ” The reading and writing classes, however, were a great success. By autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate in some degree” pg. 49. Additionally, the two pigs fought for the leadership place. Snowball believed in animalism and tried to make all animals equal. Napoleon, however, didn’t want animalism. He wanted a dictatorship. Finally, both of the pigs were greedy in a way. It was Snowball who declared that all apples and milk was to be in with the mash of the pigs. Napoleon also ordered that the barley field for beer be reserved to the pigs only.

On the other hand, Napoleon and Snowball both had differences too. The two characters from Animal Farm had differences in the way both characters wanted to rule, how Napoleon and Snowball worked, and how both characters enforced the “ law”. First, the way Napoleon and Snowball wanted to rule was very different. For example, Napoleon wanted a dictatorship government where he could rule the entire farm for his own greedy self. Napoleon wanted to control the farm so that his needs were met but as for the other animals, Napoleon didn’t care for them. Napoleon had also abolished the song Beasts of England because it symbolized freedom and democracy (in this case animalism) and was the exact opposite of what Napoleon wanted. The song that replaced it, however, was a new song called Comrade Napoleon.

In addition, Snowball was for Animalism, which was freedom and equally treated animals. Snowball was more into Old Major’s dream. Old Major was an old boar who had dreamed of a time where all animals would be free and treated equally. Snowball wished to achieve Old Major’s dream. Furthermore, Snowball ruled the farm by inspiring the other animals to do work. He made speeches convincing animals to do the work on the farm. Napoleon, however, did not make speeches or try to convince the animals a lot. Napoleon had a secret “ police” force consisting of seven fierce dogs. Napoleon had used these dogs to chase away Snowball from the farm and kill any animal that opposed his rule.

Second, Napoleon and Snowball worked differently too. To illustrate, Napoleon was a rather lazy person. Napoleon had Squealer, another pig, to do all his speeches for him. Squealer worked to spread propaganda around the farm (pigeons were used to spread propaganda and news outside of farm territory) about deaths and how Snowball terrorized the farm. “ Bravery is not enough’” said Squealer. “ loyalty and obedience are more important. And as to the Battle of the Cowshed, I believe the time will come when we shall find that Snowball’s part in it was much exaggerated…” pg. 70.

Napoleon took credit for every good idea and claims he thought of it first. Whenever something unfortunate happens, Napoleon always blamed Snowball. Also, Snowball planned much more than Napoleon. Snowball originally designed the windmill plans and made convincing speeches. Snowball never did blame anything that went wrong on some other animal unlike Napoleon. Moreover, both Napoleon and Snowball tried to disagree on each other’s ideas. Both of them wanted to be the top but only in a different way.

Third, Both Napoleon and Snowball have differences on how they enforced the “ law”. For instance, Snowball convinced animals to do work while Napoleon stopped all rations to any of the animals that opposed any order. Additionally, Napoleon had a secret “ police” or dog force. All traitors got their necks ripped off by the dogs. Finally, Napoleon wanted to rule all but with Snowball, Napoleon could not achieve full power. So Napoleon chased Snowball away used the seven dogs and then went on to become leader.

In conclusion, whether Snowball is working away on the windmill or Napoleon is killing animals that opposed him, the two characters compare and contrast very well. Both characters work very hard… in different ways that is. And finally soon and late the day is coming, tyrant man shall be o’erthrown, and the fruitful fields of England shall be trod by beasts alone…