Propaganda plays a really important part in the Russian Revolution, and as a result propaganda was also one of the main themes in Animal Farm. In the Novel, George Orwell portrayed the manipulation of speech through a character named Squealer, a pig who acted as a spokesperson for Napoleon. One example of Squealer’s use of propaganda to gain the animals’ support can be seen in his speech denouncing snowball part in the rebellion after he was banished from the farm. Using the animal’s stupidity to his advantage, Squealer played with the minds of all the animals, describing a twisted version of the events of the Battle of the Cowshed, one of the battles that were fought during the rebellion. In Squealer’s version of Snowball’s part of the battle, Snowball was planning to “leave the field to the enemy” (p54).
The general themes of oppression, suffering, and injustice have broad applications for those that watch the film. In the beginning of the movie, the oldest, wisest, pig on the farm, Old Major, is giving a speech to the animals encouraging them that they must overthrow the farmer, Mr. Jones, who rules the farm as a monarch. He s a cruel, alcoholic owner that is irresponsible to his animals (lets them starve), sometimes beats them, and yet sometimes is kind. In his speech, Old Major reveals his feelings about Mr. Jones implying that he is man that consumes but does not produce or give back to those that occupy the farm. A monarchy is political system in which supreme authority is given to an individual ruler who functions as the decision maker for all in the society.
Should the government have absolute power? Should citizens blindly follow their leaders? George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 convey the theme of “absolute power corrupts” by providing original plots, characters, allusions, and irony. The theme “absolute power corrupts” is portrayed in both Orwell’s and Bradbury’s plots. In Animal Farm, there is a cruel owner of the Manor Farm named Mr. Jones.
The oligarchy of pigs abused their fellow farm animal’s trust from the very beginning. The sliest of the pigs, Napoleon, sought out power most fervently and in any way that it came. The pig’s first act of deceit was stealing the slim supply of milk the farm had. When questioned about what the milk should be used for, Napoleon quickly responded, “never mind the milk, comrades! That will be tended to.
In Animal Farm, the windmill also comes to symbolize the pigs' totalitarian triumph: the other animals work to build the windmill thinking it will benefit everyone, and even after it benefits only the pigs the animals continue to believe that it benefits all the animals. The second code and convention I can identify is stereotypes. Orwell represents Joseph Stalin through an image of the pig Napoleon. Through the existing stereotypes of this animal in popular culture, he intends to portray the greed, laziness and viciousness of this evil ruler of the Soviet Union. Pigs are stereotyped as “dirty”, as their pig sties are usually covered in mud and
Orwell’s writing makes this moment in the novel so moving, for the reader, by his use of emotive language and characterisation of the animals in relation to the Russian revolution. The allegory is able to convey the feelings of betrayal the animals felt when they realised that their reality was nothing like the utopia of animalism. Napoleon and the pigs betrayed the other animals in the novella as they went against commandments 6 and 7. Orwell wrote, at this moment in the novella, that clover accepted ‘the leadership of Napoleon’. This meant that Napoleon was above all the other animals on the farm, Napoleon was a leader; therefore, the animals had to follow what he said.
87). In this way, Napoleon rules like a tyrant over the animals; he takes advantage of the animals’ blind loyalty and hard work by using it for his own selfish reasons. Old Major declares that man is the cause of suffering. However, when the animals remove the alleged evil of man, the animals continue to suffer. Consequently, by removing man from the scene, the animals pave their own path towards evil.
Jonathan Safran Foer successfully argues that factory farmed animals are detrimental to the health of humans and also to the environment of the planet. The author is able to accomplish this by effectively using both pathos and logos based arguments. Jonathan Safran Foer aims this essay towards all meat eating humans. More specifically the author intends the essay towards American parents. Foer specifically mention problems in the United States throughout the essay.
Animal farm parodies the events of the Russian Revolution mocks humanity’s morally weak government foundations. Under the rule of animalism, the seven commandments are representing their views of equality, allegorical of communism; this is further enforced through the characterisation of animals which draw links to past figures. These ideals are epitomised by Old Major, “a majestic looking pig” who poses as an allegory to Karl Marx the founder of communism. Old Major’s dream of an ideal world was brilliant but unrealistic. Through his speech, Major shapes one of the Revolution’s key notions, stating “Even when you have conquered him do not adopt his vices,”
Orwell cleverly satirises the corruption and greed of Stalin’s supposed ‘classless’ society of the 20th century through allegorical characterisation of seemingly facile, farm animals. Signifying the beginning of the revolution, “Animalism”, Old Major advocates the initial utopian ideals paralleling that of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. Propagating the notion of a classless society. He calls the animals to a meeting where adopting a sincere and uplifting tone proclaims that “Man is the only real enemy” of the animals and if they were to “remove man from the scene… the root cause of hunger and overwork” would vanish. He outlines the founding idealistic principles of Animalism, “ Let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle.