Propaganda In George Orwell's Animal Farm

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The Potency of Propaganda Propaganda and persuasion go hand in hand when trying to sway someone's views, but these powerful tools can be used in devious and deceitful ways to change people's ideas for the wrong reasons. Squealer, a representation of propaganda, is used as a manipulating puppet for Napoleon and can alter almost every animal's opinions through multiple types of propaganda. George Orwell, author of "Animal Farm," constructs a character who can morph other's views to his own liking by using the types of propaganda such as fear, circular reasoning, and euphemisms. After the overhaul of Manor Farm and its change to Animal Farm there were many questions and opinions that wafted around, so Squealer stepped up and started giving explanations…show more content…
Squealer’s use of fear rewarded the pigs with special perks due to the fact that, according to him, the pigs were “brainworkers” and if they didn’t get to have apples and milk “they would fail in their duty” and if they failed “Jones would come back” (Orwell 52). Squealer cleverness and skills at persuasion procured him and the other pigs ripe apples and milk simply because the animals were afraid that if the pigs failed, Jones would come home and reclaim the farm. Out of fear the animals blindly agreed and didn’t question the logic of the pigs, their leaders. Another example of this, is when originally one of the Commandments says “no animal shall sleep in a bed”(43) but, when the pigs start sleeping in beds it was reasonable because if they didn’t get the rest that they need everything would fall apart resulting in the arrival of Jones again, and the Commandment actually said that no animal shall sleep in a bed “with sheets” (79) and the pigs slept with blankets. Squealers clever wordsmithing along with…show more content…
When food rations were reduced even further Squealer brightened up the animals because it was a “readjustment of rations” (115) not a reduction. The animals, already been pushed towards confusion and even anger, should not hear that their food is being reduced, but rather readjusted as Squealer masterfully states. By using this euphemisms he relieved a bit of tension from the animals that could have eventually lead to angry and inobedient animals. When the hens were told that they had to produce more eggs for trading purposes instead of being told to just give more eggs they were to told to give a “necessary sacrifice” (54). People are forced to give things everyday and aren’t told how important their generosity is, but when Squealer said it’s a necessary sacrifice it lessened the blow. Even though the hens were still angry the words spoken released some of the anger and provided some ease for the grueling tasks that they had to perform. Euphemisms were incredibly effective and because of Squealer and useful for Napoleon as well as they were useful for Stalin during the Communist time period due to the fact that if people had to be told something bad they could be given the bad news with kind
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