Rhetoric In George Orwell's Animal Farm

756 Words4 Pages
The problematic and complex nature of rhetoric is explored indepth in the book, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. These qualities of speech are depicted through several characters and language devices, and contribute to the progression of the plot throughout the book. Firstly, the persuasive nature of speech is discussed during the early chapters of the novel. Old Major, an ageing boar at the Farm, calls the animals together and gives a speech, proposing that the animals “get rid of man… and among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship,” (Orwell 31) using repetition to emphasise his point. This speech results in the animals being “[thrown] into the wildest excitement.. giving the animals on the farm a completely new outlook…show more content…
This exploitation is shown predominantly in the pig character, Squealer, with animals claiming he could metaphorically “turn black to white” with his speaking skills. Soon after the revolution, the pigs decide to claim several rich foods for themselves, whilst squealer is tasked with convincing the animals of the benefits of this selfish decision, claiming, using exclamation to draw focus to his point, that “It is for [the animals’] sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples…if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back!” ( Orwell 52) This speech results in the animals being convinced and unaware of the pigs selfish intentions.When it was put to them in this light, they had no more to say.Similarily, under Napoleons orders, Squealer soon convinces the animals that their regular diplomatic debates were unnecessary, and that the pigs should make all the decisions, as they conclude that “if the holding of debates was liable to bring [Jones] back, then the debates must stop,” using imperatives to imply the extent of their changed feelings. Finally, when Napoleon wanted the animals to work on building more devices, squealer is again Centeno

More about Rhetoric In George Orwell's Animal Farm

Open Document