animal farm language essay

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Language and Manipulation in Animal Farm

• Language and Manipulation in Animal…

Throughout the novel, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the build-up of power is caused by language and the use of eloquence. The control of words and language used is what causes the banishment of Mr. Jones to occur and thus Napoleon’s unjust dictatorship is made possible.

The pigs use their eloquent ability and manipulation through language for any situation that questioned their supremacy which is what controlled the destiny of the farm.

In this novel, the animals on the farm, demonstrate humans’ vulnerability to the manipulation of language, the false idea of righteousness and selflessness created by strong words and the influence of persuasive speech without actually grasping the meaning.

To begin, after the dismissal of Mr.Jones and the revolution on Manor Farm the animals create seven commandments in order to govern themselves that they must abide by. All the animals on the farm help formulate and engrave them on the side of the barn to ensure that they are visible to all of the animals.

The power of language in the novel is evidently shown through the pigs manipulation of these commandments to have authority over the other animals. The pigs disobey one of the commandments which is  “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy, but rationalize their actions to the other animals by using powerful speech.

This is evident as Napoleon announced that he had decided upon a new policy and says, “From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with neighboring farms: not of course, for any commercial purpose but simply in order to obtain certain materials which were urgently necessary.” (Orwell, p.42).

After the banishment of Mr.Jones the animals agreed that Animal Farm would never again socialize with anything that has two legs, predominately human beings. Being that the animals were low on materials for building the windmill and income for themselves, the pigs sold some of the  hens ‘  eggs  in the nearby town of  Willingdon .

Although this is contrary to what the animals originally stated in the commandments the pigs manage to persuade them into thinking that it was vital to their existence to communicate with the creatures around them.

Despite the other animals being doubtful of this proposal, the pigs are able to convince them using mannerism; the pigs assert their proposal on survival based on trade with humans, thus no trouble was brought.

Moreover, the power of language utilization is shown through the pigs modifying the fourth commandment which is “No animals shall sleep in a bed” so they could be the ones to takeover Mr. Jones’ old house, but when they are questioned by the other animals; the pigs construe the commandment’s true meaning.

This is evident when Squealer says, “You have heard, then comrades,’ he said, ‘that we pigs now sleep in the bed of the farmhouse? And why not? You did not suppose, surely, that there was ever a ruling against beds? A bed merely means a place to sleep in. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed, properly regarded. The rule was against sheets, which are a human invention.” (Orwell, p.45- 46).

Through the manipulation of language, Squealer is able to assure the animals that there is no difference between an animal bed and a human bed. He rationalizes his action by stating that they sleep without sheets; they follow the fourth commandment. Once again the animals tolerate this because of the pigs’ prudent use of words and ability to manipulate the meaning of the commandments to what they as the inferior want to hear.

In addition, after the rebellion on the farm, all of the major decision making was given primarily to the more intelligent animals on the farm, the pigs and their leaders, Napoleon and Snowball.

They were often the ones who opposed the many issues that were related to the farm until Napoleon banished Snowball from the farm by using the guard dogs to chase him out; took control of the farm and its inhabitants. Despite the banishment of Snowball, the pigs still find a way to take the pressure off of them by accusing him of any adversity the farm may encounter through the use of persuasive language.

The pigs accuse Snowball of destroying the windmill that the animals built for a long time with a lot of effort.  This is shown when Napoleon says, “Comrades,” do you know who is responsible for this? Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL! He suddenly roared in a voice of thunder” (Orwell, p.47).

It was obvious that the storm the night before could have had something to do with windmill being destroyed; although Snowball was banished from the farm, the pigs were still able to convince the animals that he was the one guilty of the damage.

Furthermore, subsequently, the Battle of the Cowshed, the pigs dishonor Snowball of his hero medal, Animal Hero, First Class, for courageously fighting during the battle. This is shown as the author states, “The animals now also learned that Snowball has never- as many of them believed hitherto- received the order of ‘Animal Hero, First Class’ (Orwell, p.65).

Before Snowball’s banishment, the animals considered Snowball as not only a gentleman, but a scholar and were doubtful about many terrible allegations which were passive-aggressively made about him. However, through the propaganda ability of Squealer and the other pigs, they successfully convinced the other animals into thinking that Snowball was never awarded the “Animal Hero, First Class” which is what made him known and respected by all.

By dishonouring Snowball’s award the pigs were able to successfully remove any tie of Snowball as a hero and could, therefore, use him as an escape for any of their problems without the other animals questioning them. Although the pigs obvious abuse on Snowball’s name was completely disregarded, greater manipulation by the pigs of other situations was only possible due to their intelligence and verbal communication which creates the false idea of their righteousness and selflessness.

Finally, numerous problems are thrown at the pigs when trying to run their own ostracized farm. The pigs, however, often find different ways for themselves to benefit from the threats of the other animals, but through the control of language, it creates the false idea of selflessness and righteous behavior.

This is highly evident when the pigs persuade the animals into thinking that Napoleon’s dictatorship of the farm was not something Napoleon wanted but was vital for the survival of the farm. This is seen when Napoleon says, “Comrades,” I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labor upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility” (Orwell, p.37).

Although Napoleon’s high authority has given him all the fortune and power of the farm, the pigs have concealed this with arguments of work and pressure which Napoleon must undergo.

Furthermore, the pigs assert that their selfish hoarding of the extra apple and milk ratios are essential to the farm’s prosperity. This is shown when Squealer says, “Comrades!” he cried, “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself.

Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well- being of a pig. We pigs are brain workers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare.

It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. (Orwell, p.23). The refusing of these extra ratios perfectly depicts the pigs selfish intentions and corruption from the very beginning. Their control of language creates the false idea, that the pigs only require the extra ratios which are essential to make the farm a better place for all; however, this is far from the truth.

They have through words convinced the other animals with their “excess intelligence” of their need for the apples and milk as to not comprise their appearance of innocent and selfless.

In conclusion, Animal Farm shows that the true intention of some can often be hidden with humans’ susceptibility to the manipulation of language , the false idea of righteousness created by powerful words and the influence of persuasive speech without fully grasping its meaning, which often leads the masses into confusion and vulnerability.

Although the characters in the novel were animals and could be considered unintelligent, the novel portrays humans as being no better when it comes to utilizing one another with the power of words.

Related Posts

• Animal Farm: Character Analysis of Napoleon
• Animal Farm Monologue: Squealer
• Essay: How the Pigs Took Over the Farm in George Orwell’s Animal Farm
• Animal Farm: Characters, Political Allegory, Power of Language
• Animal Farm Critical Passage

Author:  William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team)

Tutor and Freelance Writer. Science Teacher and Lover of Essays. Article last reviewed: 2022 | St. Rosemary Institution © 2010-2024 | Creative Commons 4.0

thanks for the info, I can write my speech now.

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Animal Farm

George orwell, everything you need for every book you read..

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on George Orwell's Animal Farm . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Animal Farm: Introduction

Animal farm: plot summary, animal farm: detailed summary & analysis, animal farm: themes, animal farm: quotes, animal farm: characters, animal farm: symbols, animal farm: theme wheel, brief biography of george orwell.

Historical Context of Animal Farm

Other books related to animal farm.

• Full Title: Animal Farm
• When Written: 1944-45
• Where Written: England
• When Published: 1945
• Literary Period: Modernism
• Genre: Allegorical Novel
• Setting: A farm somewhere in England in the first half of the 20th century
• Climax: The pigs appear standing upright and the sheep bleat, “Four legs good, two legs better!”
• Antagonist: Napoleon specifically, but the pigs and the dogs as groups are all antagonists.
• Point of View: Third Person

Extra Credit for Animal Farm

Tough Crowd. Though Animal Farm eventually made Orwell famous, three publishers in England and several American publishing houses rejected the novel at first. One of the English editors to reject the novel was the famous poet T.S. Eliot, who was an editor at the Faber & Faber publishing house. One American editor, meanwhile, told Orwell that it was “impossible to sell animal stories in the U.S.A.”

Red Scare. Orwell didn’t just write literature that condemned the Communist state of the USSR. He did everything he could, from writing editorials to compiling lists of men he knew were Soviet spies, to combat the willful blindness of many intellectuals in the West to USSR atrocities.

Animal Farm

Introduction to animal farm ‎.

One of the best novels for children and adults alike, Animal Farm , is stated to be an allegorical novellet by George Orwell . It was first published in the United Kingdom in 1945. Since then it has been published every year and also has been part of the middle school teaching curriculum, mesmerizing the generations. Set in the background of the animal rebellion on an animal farm, the storyline reflects the cleverness of the clever animals leading the other simpletons and guiding them to victory with the allusion of freedom and happy life. Animal farm is also known as symbolic writing for Russia during the revolution in 1917 and the Soviet nation under the communist rule, and how the common people were affected by it. The novel created ripples for attacking capitalists and the communist regime, in other words, totalitarian states and propagandist approach of the statecraft.

Summary of Animal Farm

The story begins with animals on Mr. Jones’ Manor Farm who are fed up with his maltreatment and rise to rebellion after an old pig, Old Major. The Old Major narrates to them his dream of freedom and liberating from the cruelty of men. He also coins a slogan for them that four legs are good and two legs are bad. However, he does not live long to see the revolution. Later, Snowball and Napoleon, two clever pigs, lead the animals and when Jones and his men come to teach the animals a lesson, the animals beat them out of the far, making them flee for their lives. The pigs take charge of the affairs on the farm and issue seven commandments for animals’ rights and protection.

Following the success, the animals start harvesting and cultivation, with weekly meetings to debate on the policy matters. The pigs become administrators and assign duties to all the animals. However, Napoleon, the clever and astute pig, becomes the head, who does what he wants for himself. He also resorts to propaganda against his enemies and in his own praise. Therefore, Squealer is employed for this specific task. Although Jones and his men try to win the farm back, animals fight back ferociously. This is called the Battle of the Cowshed in which they are victorious. Soon the winter takes hold of the farm, while the only mare, Mollie, also flees. Snowball, on the other hand, devises innovative plans for a windmill installation and electricity generation. However, Napoleon opposes him for such schemes. Both go against each other and soon Napoleon, the astute one, uses the dogs to chase him out of the farm. Later, Squealer and Napoleon use his escape as the source of all evils on the animal farm.

While the work on windmill and harvest continues around the year, Boxer, the strong horse, proves very useful. Jones, also, seems to lose interest in taking back the farm, while Napoleon takes full charge of the animal form. However, his lust for power increases day by day. Seeing the shortage of grain, he issues a mandate to the animals to eat less than before. All the setbacks on the farm projects are attributed to Snowball or Mollie, while the pigs enjoy life in luxury on one or the other excuse. Soon Napoleon engages himself in timber selling and doing business with the neighboring farms. Despite attacks from the neighboring form owner, the animals win once again but lose their windmill. Boxer, though, tries to gird up his loins but feels that he is now old and cannot work. Napoleon, seeing the opportunity, sells him to a knacker to be butchered and make useful things from his bones. However, animals are told that he has been sent to a vet for treatment. The pigs also take charge of the commandments and start changing them one by one to suit their purpose. Life for animals continues to become harsh. Soon they see that their motto is changed to “ All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.” When the other animals see that the pigs have started living separate from them, they see that they have also started meeting the human beings of the neighboring farm and drinking. When the novel ends, the animals are at loss to distinguish between human beings and pigs when all of them are drinking in the barn.

Major Themes in Animal Farm

• Leadership and Corruption: Leadership and its corruption is the major theme of the novel as depicted through Napoleon and his propaganda minister, Squealer. Although in the beginning, he shares power with Snowball, the most creative one, but later, he turns to Squealer and proves devious by making Snowball run away and using every mishap to demonize him. He also starts doing what human beings are supposed to do, using his power. By the end of the novel, he proves as exploitative as Mr. Jones in the name of leadership.
• Control on Mentally Weak: The novel also shows that the people with sharp minds control the people having weak minds, or who do not want to think and work hard. The pigs, who are mentally sharp, take control of the revolution. Even among them, Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer prove leaders and compete with each other whereas the most devious and deceptive, Napoleon wins and Snowball flees to save his life. Napoleon, then, uses all the pigs to exploit other animals and enjoys life himself.
• Lies and Deceit: Animal Farm shows that politics is the game of lies and deceits. Although Old Major is sincere and his experience is honest, his successors do not prove sincere and honest like him. Napoleon, specifically, spreads so much lies and deceits about Snowball and Mollie that other animals lose the verve and memory of the revolution.
• Rules and Order: Animal Farm also shows that rules and order suit the upper class that exploits them and change them whenever the time is suitable, or whenever they do not suit them. The animals are amazed at the speed that pigs change the rules and Squealer changes the order. Even the main slogan of all animals are equal change by the end to all animals are equal but some are more equal than others.
• Foolishness and Folly: The novel, Animal Farm, shows that foolishness and folly cost dearly whether shown by an animal or a human being. Had Mr. Jones been clever and wise, he would have made arrangements to keep animal satisfied. The folly of the pigs and other animals of using only a few leaders without any check also cost them dearly.
• Dreams and Hopes: The novel also shows dreams of the animals for freedom, their subsequent hopes, and plans. Hens, horses, pigs, and other animals have various dreams. They dream of being equal to each other and even adopt the slogan of the Old Major. However, when they see the end of their revolution where pigs and human beings enjoying together, their hopes and dreams dashed to the ground.
• Cunning and Cleverness: Cunningness and cleverness in the novel are shown through the character of Napoleon and Squealer. The first one is deceptively cunning in wielding power and using it, while the second is dexterous in propaganda. Therefore, both make Snowball run away and use this power to their own end.
• Violence: The novel shows that every revolution and power usurpation involves violence. When the animals rise up to the rebellion, they resort to violence and change the status quo of Mr. Jones’ ownership. They again face violence when the neighboring people try to capture the farm. Also, when Snowball leaves the farm, there was fear of violence as the fierce dogs were chasing him.
• Propaganda : The use of propaganda to wield power has been shown through the character of Squealer. He not only paints black to white and vice versa but also distorts the very spirit of the revolution by changing the commandments one by one.

Major Characters in Animal Farm

• Napoleon : Napoleon is an important character in that he is the mainstay of the revolution following the Old Major, after his death. Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin. He comes into power along with Snowball’s support to lead the rebellion. However, he is quite clever and cunning when it comes to usurping powers. A taciturn but tactician, Napoleon leads the pigs and other animals to believe that he is the true leader after making Snowball flee and chased by fierce dogs. He is a strategist who knows the mob psychology and power of propaganda. That is why he uses Squealer for his purpose. He even uses a simpleton like Boxer and sells him to a knacker by the end and yet shows that he has sent him to a vet for treatment.
• Old Major: Old Major is another significant character on account of his importance as being the doctrinaire of the animal farm. He represents Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, who starts the animals to gain consciousness about the exploitation by humans, and how to rise up against it. His final speech shows him a dignified character who leaves the stage as soon the revolution is set in motion. Despite his absence and lack of direction by his successors, his words resonate until the end of the novel.
• Snowball: The second important leader of the pig community and animals is Snowball. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky. He is a creative, motivated as well as an intelligent person, whose ingenuity lies in developing things and preparing plans. With the help of Napoleon, he forms seven commandments, prepares the plan of a windmill, and also develops plans for its work. However, Napoleon soon realizes that Snowball could outwit him. Therefore, he makes him an outlaw. He sends dogs to chase him out of the farm on the pretext of helping enemies.
• Squealer: A very clever and eloquent fellow, Squealer joins hands with Napoleon to drive out Snowball from the animal farm and enjoy the life of luxury while leading the gullible animals. He represents Vyacheslav Molotov knowns as a protégé of Joseph Stalin. He is the cleverest one among all the pigs, the reason that he can write and read. He also writes the commandments and other rules and changes them when the time comes. However, he ensures to inform the animals about the changes and their reasons.
• Boxer: Boxer is the toughest and hard horse on the animal farm who sets examples of the blind following and hardworking people. He is also representative of Alexey Stakhanov, a hard-working and passionate role model of the lesser-known Stakhanovite movement. He is always found working very hard and getting up early than other animals. However, when he is unable to perform the duties, Napoleon and Squealer make a deal with a knacker to sell him.
• Jones: The representative of most upper-class citizens in the Soviet Union. Mr. Jones is a lazy and drunk landlord who merely seeks his own interests fulfilled, leaving others to go to dogs. The animals hate him for his cruelty and drive him out of the farm when he does not mend his ways. His repeated tries to subdue animals fail badly.
• Clover: A beautiful mare and Boxer’s friend, Clover is a kindhearted animal who sees the violations of the rules but does not take courage to explain it to others. She is the representative of the innocent animals who does not interfere in the statecraft.
• Pilkington: Owner of the other form, he feels a threat of the revolt on his own farm. Although his farm is quite small, he tries to win Jones to keep his animals away from rebellion.
• Frederick: The owner of the neighboring farm, the Pinchfield Farm, Mr. Frederick is a shrewd fellow who knows the legality of the land and issues of the landowners. He tries to purchase the animal farm from Mr. Jones, but once seeing the ferocity of the animals, backs out of his deal.
• Benjamin: The cynical donkey, Benjamin, has seen through his mind’s eyes that the situation after Mr. Jones would not change. Therefore, he always comments that life will be bad whether the farm is under Mr. Jones or Napoleon and pigs.

Writing Style of Animal Farm

Animal Farm is a very simple novelette written in a formal as well as informal style . The formal style is shown through terse and succinct prose , while informal style creeps in when the animals talk to each other or when the Old Major addresses the animal. The simplicity of language shows its tones changing according to the setting of the novel, from ironic to sarcastic and from simple to rhetorical. However, by the end of the novel, this tone becomes highly ironic.

Analysis of Literary Devices in Animal Farm  

• Action: The main action of the novel comprises the rise of animals and their fall like their previous condition. However, it comprises the rising action that is the successful rebellion of the animals culminating into the establishment of the Animal Farm and then the falling action that demonstrates the deteriorating circumstances of the animals.
• Alliteration : Animal Farm shows many examples of the use of alliteration in its songs.

Cows and horses, geese and turkeys, All must toil for freedom’s sake. Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken well and spread my tidings Of the golden future time. (Chapter-1)

The above lines taken from the first chapter show the use of alliteration that means the use of consonant sounds in quick succession in a line. For example, the /f/ sound is seen in 2 nd line.

• Allegory : Animal Farm is an allegory in that it shows how animals bring a revolution to set up a utopia dreamed by their old teacher, Old Major, but then it proves as futile as the efforts of human beings. Therefore, it shows the setup of a state and its working as shown through the animal story and then the elite class enjoying at the expense of the lower classes.
• Antagonist : Although it seems that Snowball is the antagonist for the animals on the farm, in a real sense, it is Napoleon and Squealer, who are antagonists, for Snowball flees to save his life, while they are still there to rule the animals and are involved in subverting the very structure of the farm that the animals have dreamed to set up.
• Allusion : There are various examples of allusions given in the novel, Animal Farm. For example, Old Major represents Karl Marx, while Snowball is the allusion of Leon Trotsky, the intellectual, who was chased out of the farm. Napoleon alludes to the character of Joseph Stalin, while Squealer alludes to Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister of Hitler.
• Anaphora : The novel, Animal Farm, also shows the use of anaphora as given below.

No animal shall wear clothes. No animal shall sleep in a bed. No animal shall drink alcohol. No animal shall kill any other animal. (Chapter-II)

The phrase “No animal shall…” is repeated in the beginning of these three commandments, showing a good use of anaphora.

• Conflict : There are two types of conflicts in the novel, Animal Farm. The first one is the external conflict that is going on between the animals and Mr. Jones. The internal conflict goes into the minds of the different animals about the changing behavior of the pigs about eating and drinking.
• Characters: Animal Farm presents both flat as well as round characters . Old Major, Boxer, and Benjamin are flat characters who do not show any change in them throughout the storyline. However, Snowball, Squealer, and Napoleon are round characters who change with the events of the story.
• Climax : Although it seems that climax is the success of the revolution, it is not the case; actually, the climax occurs when Napoleon accuses Snowball of every problem arising on the farm.
• Fable : Animal Farm shows the type of fable in which animals take part as if they are human beings. Old Major, Napoleon, Boxer, Benjamin, and other pigs debate the revolution and take part in it as if they are human beings.
• Foreshadowing : The first example of foreshadowing in Animal Farm occurs with the entry of Mr. Jones in the very first chapter where it is shown that he “was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes,” a foreboding that something sinister is going to happen. Shortly after that, the old Major speaks to the animals to make them prepare for the revolution.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole or exaggeration occurs when Squealer is engaged in stating things and attributing them to Snowball. Old Major is also engaged in hyperbole that all bad things are occurring due to man and that man is always the enemy of the animals.
• Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses.
• “At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tusks had never been cut.” (Chapter-I)
• There were shoutings, bangings on the table, sharp suspicious glances, furious denials. The source of the trouble appeared to be that Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington had each played an ace of spades simultaneously. (Chapter-X)

Both of these passages show the use of the sense of sound, hearing, touch, and sight in an effective way.

• Metaphor : Animal Farm shows good use of various metaphors such as the entire novel is a metaphor of the Russian for that matter of the Cuban Revolution. The names also refer to different personalities in a metaphorical manner. Gun, flag, milk, cowshed and even the animal farm is a metaphor.
• Mood : The novel, Animal Farm, shows a serious mood in the beginning but it suddenly charges up when the revolution takes place and becomes cheerful and light when the animal wins. However, it turns to darkly comic when the pigs transformed into the old masters.
• Motif : Most important motifs of the novel, Animal Farm, are the corroboration of songs and chants with the idea of revolution and then the ensuing rituals such as the flag march and parades.
• Narrator : The novel, Animal Farm, has been narrated by a third-person narrator . It is also called an omniscient narrator, who happens to be the author himself, as he can see things from all perspectives .
• Protagonist : Snowball and the Old Major are two main protagonists of Animal Farm, as they lay the foundations of the revolution.
• Paradox : Animal Farm shows the use of paradox in its amusing way. The statement, “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others” is a paradox where to illogical concepts have been bound together.
• Rhetorical Questions : The play shows good use of rhetorical questions at several places. For example,
• “Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours?” (Chapter-I)
• “But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell upon it?” (Chapter-I)
• “Why should we care what happens after we are dead?” or “If this Rebellion is to happen anyway, what difference does it make whether we work for it or not?” (Chapter-I)

These examples show the use of rhetorical questions mostly posed by the Old Major in Animal Farm. They are not supposed to elicit answers from the animals. They are rather supposed to make them aware of the existing realities.

• Theme : It is a central idea that the novelist or the writer wants to stress upon. The novel, Animal Farm is a critique of the revolutions such as the Russian Revolution or the Cuban Revolution. It also shows violence, human nature, and the use of deception.
• Setting : The setting of the novel, Animal Farm, is the farm where the rebellion takes place and where the animals set up their own government.
• Simile : The novel, Animal Farm, shows good use of various similes.For example,
• It was decided to set the gun up at the foot of the Flagstaff, like a piece of artillery (Chapter-IV)
• The earth was like iron, and nothing could be done in the fields. (Chapter-V)
• All that year the animals worked like slaves. (Chapter-VI)

The first simile compares the gun to a piece of artillery, in the second example, the earth is compared to the hot iron, and in the third one, animals are compared to slaves.

• Symbol : Animal Farm, the barn, the windmill , and the gun are symbols of different gadgets that the animals place value to show that they have brought a revolution and that the common people are always oppressed under any type of regime.
• Verbal Irony : The novel shows verbal irony through some of its commandments such as “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.” This is an irony that equality shows through its use with “more.”

Related posts:

• Animal Farm Characters
• Animal Farm Quotes
• Bought The Farm
• All Animals are Equal
• 1984 Themes
• 1984 Quotes
• George Orwell
• Literary Writing Style of George Orwell

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Essay about The Language Of Power In George Orwells Animal Farm

The novel Animal farm is a memorable fable that has an allegorical level to the Russian revolution. The novel Animal Farm by George Orwell is about animals in England who rebelled against man to gain power over their lives, but in the end the leaders become what they professed to hate. Power can easily corrupt any system if it has been used wrongly. Orwell shows how the minority in power uses vague language to control the thoughts and beliefs of the majority in the lower classes. The language of power has made Animal Farm very different because it has been given to the wrong person who can’t handle it.

The language of power has broken commandments, led to the classification of social classes, and the elimination of allies. The language of power has broken commandments in Animal Farm because power has corrupted the system and people are using it to get what they wanted. In the novel Animal Farm, the Seven Commandments represent the animal’s dreams after they overthrow Mr. Jones in Chapter Two. It does not take long, however, before the commandments are broken by the powerhungry and corrupt pigs. The commandments were written on the walls of the barn by Snowball and Napoleon.

The seven commandments are: 1. “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal. ” (Orwell 21). There were seven commandments and 4 of them were broken by the pigs as a result of the language of power. The first commandment that was broken was no animal shall sleep in a bed, the one who broke the commandment was Napoleon. It was about this time that the pigs suddenly moved to the farmhouse and took their residence there” (Orwell 61).

This quote proves that one night the pigs went into the farmhouse and slept on the beds. This quote is significant because the pigs and the other animals hated the humans and broke the commandments. The other animals were very upset when they heard that the pigs were breaking the commandments. “Nevertheless, some of the animals were disturbed when they heard that the pigs not only took their meals in the kitchen and used the drawing room as as a recreation room, but also slept in beds” (Orwell 61).

This quote is important because the animals were very angry because all of the animals followed these commandments and now the pigs are starting to break them. The commandment was later edited by the pigs to “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. ” (Orwell 61). The second commandment that was broken was “No animal shall kill any other animal. ” This commandment was broken by Napoleon when he and his dogs slaughtered any of the animals that had confessed to the crimes that were thought to be committed by snowball. “They were all slain on the spot.

And the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of ying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones” (Orwell 76). This quote is important because the animals have always been together and were supposed to be a family, they had worked together to get rid of Mr. Jones and now they are destroying each other. The third commandment was “No animal shall drink alcohol. This commandment was broken when the pigs sold Boxer to get alcohol.

“Word went around that from somewhere or the other the pigs had acquired he money to buy themselves another case of whiskey” (Orwell 111). This quote is important because the pigs are supposed to be supervising and checking on the farm, however they just get drunk and don’t care. The fourth and final commandment that was broken was “All animals are equal” and this was the final and most important commandment to the other animals. “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. ” (Orwell 118). This quote is significant because this was the law that brought them together and made the animals feel like they were in a family and now its gone.

The language of power has broken commandments in Animal Farm because power has corrupted the system and led the government to it’s destruction. The language of power has led to the classification of social classes as a result of some animal acquiring more power and rose to the top and was considered more important than others. The animals who had more power were at the top of the social class pyramid, whereas the others who had little or no power were forced to the bottom and were given instructions and harmful jobs that were expected to be completed.

At the bottom we have the other animals that have no power and do all of the work. The first piece of evidence is a quote that is said by Orwell to the reader, which shows that the animals do all the work and the pigs do nothing. “every animal down to the humblest worked, except for the pigs” (Orwell 24). This quote is significant because it shows that the animals are the ones who are hard at work while that pigs just lay there doing nothing. The pigs give wrong justifications for the selfish actions, they manipulate the rules to get what they want and a prime example of that is the windmill apples and milk. Milk and apples (this has been proved by science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. ” (Orwell 31).

This quote is important because it shows that the pigs have outsmarted the other animals because they are not well educated like they are, they are getting what they want which shows how much power they have. It is bad enough as it is that the animals work but they do not have breaks and are treated badly which shows just shows that they have no power over anyone which makes them at the bottom of the social class pyramid. throughout the spring and summer they worked a sixty-four-hour week, and in August Napoleon announced that there would be work on Sunday afternoons as well. ” (Orwell 54). This quote is important because it shows how little power the other animals have compared to the pigs. At the top of the social class pyramid we have the pigs who have all the power who do not do anything on the farm.

This quote happened when the animals had been working on the harvest and the pigs were not doing any of the work. “The pigs did not actually work, but dictated and supervised the others. (Orwell 23). This quote is important because it shows that the pigs have all the power because they do not do any of the work and no one ever talks about how unfair they are being. This quote happened when Old Major was saying a speech and the animals were coming in to listen, and the pigs came at the front. “Then the pigs who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. ” (Orwell 2). This quote is very important because its shoes that the pigs are considered more important from the beginning of the story.

In conclusion, power has led to the classification of social classes which are reflected in the actions of the animals. The language of power has led to the elimination of allies; this is because when power is placed it corrupt absolutely everything leaving the holder of the power eliminate people so no one can have as much power as him. This quote occurred when Napoleon killed snowball by making the dogs run after him until they caught him. “They dashed for straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape. ” (Orwell 48).

This quote is significant because it shows that Napoleon has led power get to him and killed Snowball so he couldn’t have much power as him. This quote occurred when Boxer was in need to go to a hospital but Napoleon sent him to his death by sending him to a glue factory. “Muriel began to spell out the words. But Benjamin pushed her aside and in the midst of a deadly silence he read: Alfred Simmons, Horse Slaughter and Glue Boiler, Willington. ” (Orwell 108). This quote is significant because Napoleon lied to all the animals by telling them that Boxer was sent to the hospital.

This quote happened when Napoleon when he and his dogs slaughtered any of the animals that had confessed to the crimes that were thought to be committed by snowball. “They were all slain on the spot. And the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones” (Orwell 76). This quote is very important because power led Napoleon to kill other animals so they cannot be more powerful than him.

In conclusion The language of power has led to the elimination of allies because power has made people hungry for more and with people all wanting power you need to eliminate them to make it easier for yourself to get power. In conclusion The language of power has broken the commandments that were the laws that the animals lived by, created social classes based on the amount of power that each animal has, and the the elimination of allies. The commandments that were broken have changed the daily life on the farm and crushed the trust that the animals had with the pigs.

The creation of social classes made everything totally unfair, it was created because some animals acquired more power and rose to the top and were considered more important than others. The language of power has led to the elimination of allies because when power is placed it corrupts absolutely everything leaving the holder of the power eliminate people so no one can have as much power as him. The final analysis is that the power of language can corrupt any system if it was given to the wrong person, and that the language of power determines your social class and if you have rights or not.

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“Animal Farm” by George Orwell Essay

The first thing that can be highlighted is that most of the literature pieces are not created just for the sake of entertainment and relaxation but also for meaningful reflections. A lot of novels and books are extremely thought-provoking and encourage readers to engage in discussions and conversations with others. What is important to mention is that different authors achieve this goal in different ways. For instance, some prefer to build their reading on metaphors, some on specific organizations and structures, and others establish their texts on satire. One of such literature prices is an allegorical novella Animal Farm written George Orwell. This reading is extremely interesting from that point of view and, for this reason, should be carefully analyzed. Therefore, the following paper will prove that Animal Farm is a satirical work by using the elements of satire.

Before discussing the elements of satire in the identified novella it seems essential to learn more about its plot and meaning. This reading is an allegory, which is a specific story where the chosen characters and situations represent other characters and situations for the purpose of making a point about them (“Animal Farm at a Glance”). In the story, a group of animals rebel against the human farmer, embrace the idea of Animalism, and organize a revolution in order to achieve justice and equality. However, everything ends with a totalitarian dictator becoming the head of the community and ruining its desire for progress and justice. Since the reading is an allegory, the readers should try looking at the vents from a different perspective. As it appears, Animalism stands for communism, farm stands for Russia, the farmer for the Russian Tzar, the pig for the revolutionary Trotsky, and Napoleon stands for the figure of Stalin (“Animal Farm at a Glance”). Therefore, even by analyzing what characters and situations represent in the story, it can already be stated that the reading is a satire because it represents real people and situations in an ironic way.

Satire and its elements are used in literature works in order to highlight some features of the situation or a person and make fun of them. It effectively represents stupidity of humans, especially those who are the members of the high society layers. One of the most obvious elements that the author of the Animal Farm uses in order to highlight the satire is irony. He uses animals and represents then as being able to talk, feel, and make decisions “in order to illustrate the abuse of one group of humans by another” (Boremyr 3). It can easily be noticed in the end of the story when it becomes almost impossible to tell the animals apart from the humans. Throughout the story, they became more human despite the commitment to the Animalism philosophy. By doing this, he achieves the goal of showing the brutality, corruption and incompetence of the Soviet Union not just like in a history book but in an entertaining and fun way.

Additionally, another way in which the author frames the story as a satirical work is the concept of defamiliarization. As suggested by Adhikari, this idea “tends to throw light on the special use of language in the works of art, unlike the use of language in the everyday life” (378). This concept generally suggests that that various forms of language used to present familiar things in unfamiliar ways for the purpose of persuading their readers and appealing to their emotions can encourage them to look at those things from a different perspective (Adhikari 378). For this reason, by using the concept of defamiliarization, the author increases the irony of the whole novella, makes the forms unfamiliar and difficult to understand, and increases the process of perception and decision-making. Orwell did not adopt the violent mode in order to represent and satirize communism (Adhikari 385). On the other hand, he satirized it and employed a more subtle way of representation (Adhikari 285). Therefore, Animal Farm can be called a satirical piece of literature because the author uses the concept of defamiliarization in order to present the readers with a different and more ironic perspective on a familiar issue.

To summarize, Animal Farm is an interesting and thought-provoking novella. It is very insightful not just from the point of its meaning but also the effective use of satire throughout the story. The author was able to incorporate the different elements of this concept in order to increase its satirical nature and encourage the readers to reflect on this more. Therefore, the presented paper proved that Animal Farm is a satirical novella.

Works Cited

Adhikari, Krishanu. “Animal Farm: A Satire on Communism Through ‘Defamilirization’.” An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations , vol. 1, no. 1, 2014, pp. 378-385.

“Animal Farm at a Glance.” CliffsNotes . Web.

Boremyr, Hanna. “Reading Orwell’s Animals: An animal-oriented study of George Orwell’s political satire Animal Farm.” 2016.

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• Animal Farm

George Orwell

• Literature Notes
• Major Themes
• Animal Farm at a Glance
• Book Summary
• About Animal Farm
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Character Analysis
• Character Map
• George Orwell Biography
• Critical Essays
• The Russian Revolution
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Critical Essays Major Themes

Satire is loosely defined as art that ridicules a specific topic in order to provoke readers into changing their opinion of it. By attacking what they see as human folly, satirists usually imply their own opinions on how the thing being attacked can be remedied. Perhaps the most famous work of British satire is Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726), where the inhabitants of the different lands Gulliver visits embody what Swift saw as the prominent vices and corruptions of his time. As a child,  Orwell discovered and devoured Swift's novel, which became one of his favorite books. Like Gulliver's Travels , Animal Farm is a satirical novel in which Orwell, like Swift, attacks what he saw as some of the prominent follies of his time. These various satirical targets comprise the major themes of Orwell's novel.

Broadly speaking, Animal Farm satirizes politicians, specifically their rhetoric, ability to manipulate others, and insatiable lust for power. Despite his seemingly altruistic motives, Napoleon is presented as the epitome of a power-hungry individual who masks all of his actions with the excuse that they are done for the betterment of the farm. His stealing the milk and apples, for example, is explained by the lie that these foods have nutrients essential to pigs, who need these nutrients to carry on their managerial work. His running Snowball off the farm is explained by the lie that Snowball was actually a traitor, working for Jones — and that the farm will fare better without him. Each time that Napoleon and the other pigs wish to break one of the Seven Commandments, they legitimize their transgressions by changing the Commandment's original language. Whenever the farm suffers a setback, Napoleon blames Snowball's treachery — which the reader, of course, knows is untrue. Napoleon's walking on two legs, wearing a derby hat, and toasting Pilkington reflect the degree to which he (and the other pigs) completely disregard the plights of the other animals in favor of satisfying their own cravings for power. Thus, the dominant theme of Animal Farm is the tendency for those who espouse the most virtuous ideas to become the worst enemies of the people whose lives they are claiming to improve.

Role of the Populace

Orwell, however, does not imply that Napoleon is the only cause for Animal Farm's decline. He also satirizes the different kinds of people whose attitudes allow rulers like Napoleon to succeed. Mollie , whose only concerns are materialistic, is like people who are so self-centered that they lack any political sense or understanding of what is happening around them. Apolitical people like Mollie — who care nothing for justice or equality — offer no resistance to tyrants like Napoleon. Boxer is likened to the kind of blindly devoted citizen whose reliance on slogans ("Napoleon is always right") prevents him from examining in more detail his own situation: Although Boxer is a sympathetic character, his ignorance is almost infuriating, and Orwell suggests that this unquestioning ignorance allows rulers like Napoleon to grow stronger. Even Benjamin , the donkey, contributes to Napoleon's rise, because his only stand on what is occurring is a cynical dismissal of the facts: Although he is correct in stating that "Life would go on as it had always gone on — that is, badly," he, too, does nothing to stop the pigs' ascension or even raise the other animals' awareness of what is happening. His only action is to warn Boxer of his impending death at the knacker's — but this is futile as it occurs too late to do Boxer any good.

Religion and Tyranny

Another theme of Orwell's novel that also strikes a satiric note is the idea of religion being the "opium of the people" (as Karl Marx famously wrote). Moses the raven's talk of Sugarcandy Mountain originally annoys many of the animals, since Moses, known as a "teller of tales," seems an unreliable source. At this point, the animals are still hopeful for a better future and therefore dismiss Moses' stories of a paradise elsewhere. As their lives worsen, however, the animals begin to believe him, because "Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious; Was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere else?" Here, Orwell mocks the futile dreaming of a better place that clearly does not exist. The pigs allow Moses to stay on the farm — and even encourage his presence by rewarding him with beer — because they know that his stories of Sugarcandy Mountain will keep the animals docile: As long as there is some better world somewhere — even after death — the animals will trudge through this one. Thus Orwell implies that religious devotion — viewed by many as a noble character trait — can actually distort the ways in which one thinks of his or her life on earth.

False Allegiance

A final noteworthy (and again, satiric) theme is the way in which people proclaim their allegiance to each other, only to betray their true intentions at a later time. Directly related to the idea that the rulers of the rebellion (the pigs) eventually betray the ideals for which they presumably fought, this theme is dramatized in a number of relationships involving the novel's human characters. Pilkington and Jones ; Frederick , for example, only listen to Jones in the Red Lion because they secretly hope to gain something from their neighbor's misery. Similarly, Frederick's buying the firewood from Napoleon seems to form an alliance that is shattered when the pig learns of Frederick's forged banknotes. The novel's final scene demonstrates that, despite all the friendly talk and flattery that passes between Pilkington and Napoleon, each is still trying to cheat the other (as seen when both play the ace of spades simultaneously). Of course, only one of the two is technically cheating, but Orwell does not indicate which one because such a fact is unimportant: The "friendly" game of cards is a facade that hides each ruler's desire to destroy the other.

Thus, as Swift used fantastic places to explore the themes of political corruption in the eighteenth century, so Orwell does with his own fantastic setting to satirize the twentieth. According to Orwell, rulers such as Napoleon will continue to grow in number — and in power — unless people become more politically aware and more wary of these leader's "noble" ideals.

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Comparing Language Use in 1984 and Animal Farm

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