Theme Of Propaganda In Animal Farm

Propaganda is the spreading of ideas, rumors and other information to injure or help a person or an institution. One can see this concept in the book Animal Farm, a tale written in 1945 by author George Orwell. Orwell illustrates the use of propaganda in the Russian Revolution by utilizing animals as the main characters. In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the animals use elements of propaganda like scare tactics, scapegoating and disinformation to influence the other animals on the farm.

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, Napoleon, a pig leader that represents Stalin from the Russian Revolution plays a big role in the book as the pig leaders are a superior group among the population of Animal Farm. In the story Napoleon is representing Stalin in Animal Farm as the main leader after Mr.Jones is ran out of the farm and Old Major died, resembling how Stalin took over rising to power in Russia. Napoleon started as a seemingly good leader but that soon changed… Napoleon, just like Stalin started to have problems with citizens of their own community and tried to hurt people and take things away. Both leaders can be shown using their superiority and power to their advantage to get everything they wanted and felt was necessary.

Juliette Blalock Singh 4/5 Animal Farm In the satiric novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the character Napoleon represents a dictator in society, who turns a self-governed and unbiased farm into his own. Napoleon initially unifies with the rest of the animal’s, but soon decides to take matters into his own hands and disposes of Snowball and his proposals towards the farm. He takes advantage of the vulnerable animals so he can become in command. Napoleon is clever, brutal, and dictatorial to the animals.

In the novel written by George Orwell, the presence of narcissism amongst the pigs results in unjust control of the animals, as well as deprivation of their freedom and the ability to interact with the natural world. The use of propaganda within Animal Farm shows a great example of how media controls citizens in a dystopia. In order for the pigs to maintain total control of the farm’s society, they manipulate the other animals. The author presents, “he announced that, by a special decree of Comrade Napoleon, Beasts of England had been abolished” (Orwell 88).

Propaganda is used in the book Animal Farm to convince the animals to believe certain ideals. Squealer makes the animals think a certain way, and thus, manipulates the animals. In much the same way, the modern world uses propaganda to achieve nearly, if not the same, goals. In modern times, propaganda is utilized to achieve three goals: to deceive people, to justify wars, and to destroy the credibility of a person or nation. In George Orwell’s book, Animal Farm, Squealer uses propaganda negatively to influence inhabitants of the farm, which is parallel to today with how propaganda deceives people, justifies war, and destroys credibility of a person or nation.

Animal Farm- Lies and Deceit The book Animal Farm by George Orwell portrays the theme of how someone can lie and deceive others to get what they want just like how the two pigs Napoleon and Squealer used lies and deceit to gain power over Animal Farm. Napoleon lied to other animals, Squealer lied to other animals and they both deceived the other animals, but the sad part is that neither of them lied for the better of the other animals. They both lied to get what they want- power over the animals and the farm.

Napoleon also took this for granted by allowing the other animals to do it themselves and allowing the pigs to help at critical moments. This is a smart tactic that Napoleon uses by the animals thinking that they are working for the farm , but, instead they are working for him. This was a good tactic that Napoleon used but, the next one is even

Manipulation is the most deceitful way for us to achieve the things we desire the most. Throughout George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, language and the use of persuasive language lead to the accumulation of power. Language and the disappearance of Mr.Jones is where Napoleon dictatorship is made possible. The powerful rhetorical and their smart manipulations skills of language for any situation was what controlled the farm of its entirety. Pigs manipulated the Seven Commandments,Napoleon dictating, and the deceitful lies told by the Pigs were all methods for them to gain more power.

Furthermore, Napoleon gives the other animals the impression he was the sole leader of the rebellion on Animal farm and makes Snowball -a leader who wanted what was best for the animals- seem like an enemy who was in cahoots with Farmer Jones since long before the animals took over the farm. Napoleon and Squealer (another “fat cat” pig.) always put the blame on Snowball whenever something went wrong in the farm to avoid having the blame fall on them. Napoleon is an exemplary example of just how selfish and hypocritical people can be in furthering their own aims because he continued to subtly but purposely change the seven rules put in place as the pillars of animalism. For example, Napoleon and the other pigs move into Farmer Jones’s house and sleep in his bed after commanding “No animal shall sleep in a bed”, so he changes the commandment to read “no animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets”.

In both events, propaganda is widely used in various ways and was effective. Despite the differences between the propaganda used in World War II and Animal Farm, both of them aims for the same goal - to rule as a dictator. People uses fear to make people follow what they say since they don’t want to get hurt. As what has happened in Animal Farm, Napoleon declared “Snowball’s expulsion” (Orwell 54) without the Comrades’ approval since they made noises of disapproval. As a result, Napoleon uses “the dog sitting around him to let out deep, menacing growls (Orwell 54)” to scare them away.

The animals start recognizing Napoleon for any good achievement done that day. For example, one of the hens recognizes Napoleon for just one stroke of good fortune. “Under the leadership of our Leader Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days…”(78). These poor animals are tricked into thinking that everything good that happens is due to “Comrade Napoleon's Leadership”. Every quote we see is a deeper level of corruption in Napoleon, and now, his influence on the farm is tearing what the revolution was all about.

And it’s getting worse when he selled boxer to a slaughterer to have money for buying more alcohol, even if all of the barley is already reserve to the pigs. He begin to act like a human, meet them, smoke, drink alcohol and wear clothes. To show that all of the goal of the first rebellion never continue that way, they change the song Beast of England and the name of the farm for “Manor farm”. Napoleon didn’t do what the revolution had wanted. The animals follow him, respect him even if they didn’t have to.

The main difference between Farmer Jones and Napoleon, is that Napoleon ruled by force, while Farmer Jones really had no rule unless the animals were unruly. One example of Napoleon’s forceful rule is shown in the quote “Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly- He ordered the hens’ rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animals giving so much as a grain of corn to them, was to be punished by death”(87). This shows Napoleon’s ability to rule through the use of force and fear. Although morally wrong, force and fear are the most effective ways to rule.

(page 141) The quote shows that Napoleon is basically Mr. Jones in a different generation. Napoleon acts just like Mr Jones, and takes their work for money. Also, Mr Jones underfed the animals, and later Napoleon also did! On page 92, the author wrote, “Napoleon read out to them: The production of every class of food has increased by 300 percent.

The Use of Propaganda in Animal Farm by George Orwell Propaganda is defined as misleading or biased information spread for the advancement of a cause. In the historical fiction novel Animal Farm written by George Orwell farm animals overpower their human leader and attempt to construct a movement in which all animals are equal. Propaganda is evident throughout the story. Not far in it becomes apparent that the pigs are the most intelligent. Squealer, the propaganda agent uses propaganda in the story as a way to manipulate the animals who are not pigs.