The Role of Propaganda in Animal Farm free essay sample

Propaganda is the act of perverting information in order to influence the thoughts or actions of others. Propaganda is used in order to accomplish goals which cannot be attained in more honorable or more principled ways. In the novel, Animal Farm, George Orwell’s characters use various examples of propaganda in order to achieve and promote their own selfish desires. Animal Farm is an allegory using a farm as a metaphor of communist Russia under Stalin. The pigs in the novel, or Stalin’s supporters, use propaganda to persuade the other animals to revolt against Farmer Jones, who represents the Czar. Throughout the duration of the Russian Revolution, propaganda served the purpose of keeping Russia under Stalin’s control. After the revolution on the farm, the pigs exploit propaganda to obtain the power of the farm. The following will present examples of how propaganda is used, and what techniques are most prominent. We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Propaganda in Animal Farm or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Scapegoat is the foremost example of propaganda used in the book. Scapegoat is when all of the tribulations and disasters that transpire are attributed to an individual or group. Scapegoat is used frequently in alliance with quick fix – a fast and easy solution to all problems that are occurring in the present time. At the beginning of the novel, we find that when Old Major, the prize Middle White boar, attempts to illustrate his dream, he exclaims, â€Å"There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word – Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene †¦ and overwork is abolished forever. † Thus, man serves as the scapegoat for all the animals’ woes. Instead of attempting to look within to find how to solve a problem, it is often easier to cast blame on another. Therefore, â€Å"Man† becomes the perfect scapegoat. Again, we find in the middle of the book that when Napoleon, the pig who represents Stalin, wanted to expand his control, he evicts Snowball, another pig who is meant to parallel Trotzky. Napoleon then scapegoats him by placing all the farm’s faults upon him. The simple, dense animals thus have no choice other than to rely on Napoleon even more out of their loathsomeness for Snowball. For example, after days of laborious and strenuous labor of constructing the windmill, a storm pulverizes it. While scrutinizing the ruins, Napoleon concludes, â€Å"Snowball! †¦ Snowball has done this thing! I now pronounce the death penalty upon him! † This statement illustrates how Napoleon exploits Snowball as a scapegoat. In another example, towards the end of the book, Napoleon again blames his own errors on a scapegoat – Frederick, the neighbor. Napoleon sold Frederick a pile of lumber, to which was paid for with forged counterfeit bank notes. â€Å"The news of what hap pened sped around the farm like wildfire. The bank notes were forgeries! Frederick had got the timber for nothing! Napoleon called the animals together and†¦ pronounced the death sentence upon Frederick. When captured, he said, Frederick should be boiled alive. † Napoleon had the obligation to inspect the bank notes before he accepted them for the huge amount of lumber that he gave him. Here again Napoleon uses this manner of propaganda to avoid the scrutiny of the other animals and cast blame on someone else rather than to accept any responsibility on himself. Through all of these scapegoats used by Napoleon and the pigs, the simple farm animals were unable to realize how they were deceitfully misled, and did not comprehend what actually occurred. The next most common form of propaganda is red herring. This is a distraction used to get the audience to stray from the original topic of discussion in order to avoid from either dealing with or solving a problem. In the beginning of the novel, after the animal’s revolution, the cows produce five buckets of creamy milk which many animals desired. When they inquire of the milk’s usage, Napoleon responds, â€Å"‘Never mind the milk, comrades! ’†¦ ‘The harvest is more important. ’† When the animals returned it was noticed that the milk had disappeared. The animals did not receive any portion of this delicacy. Thus, we see that the shrewd and cunning boar used the harvest as a ‘red herring’. Then later on, Squealer, the hog who plays the part of the propaganda minister, and the other pigs assure the other animals that saving all the milk and apples for themselves was not their own choice: â€Å"You don’t imagine†¦ 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†¦ is to preserve our health. Do you know what would happen if we fail our duty? Jones would come back! † By mentioning their recent master as an excuse for keeping the apples and milk, Squealer distracts the animals from the reality of the pig’s selfishness. The pigs use Jones as a ‘red herring’ numerous times throughout the novel. For example, we find a little later when Squealer warns the animals, â€Å"Discipline! †¦ Iron discipline! †¦ One false step and our enemies would be upon us. Surely, comrades, you don’t want Jones back? † Again, when the pigs begin to sleep on beds, which is against the spirit of the revolution, Squealer justifies this by saying, â€Å"You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back? † The pigs use this form of red herring many times, whether relevant or not to the situation. The third instance of red herring in the book is after Frederick sprung an attack on Animal Farm. This encounter, known as the Battle of the Windmill caused a great amount of casualties to both sides. The humans slew and injured many animals, and in return, Boxer, the enormous cart-horse, a beast nearly eighteen hands high, provided them with three â€Å"heads broken by blows from (his mighty) hoofs. † Immediately, after the clash, however, to the animal’s surprise, they hear a â€Å"solemn booming of a gun. â€Å"‘What is that gun firing for? ’ said Boxer. ‘To celebrate our victory! cried Squealer. ‘What victory? ’ ‘What victory, comrade? Have we not driven the enemy off our soil†¦? ’† This red herring is to assure the animals of how brilliant their â€Å"Comrade Napoleon† was, and that even after a defeat, they still praise and appreciate him. As we see, red herring is used to cause forgetfulness on a to pic, which the user knows is false, to discourage attention. A final example of propaganda in the novel is sloganism. Sloganism consists of a brief and concise catchy maxim that is simple to retain. Because of this, it is declared and believed by all. The first example of this occurs in the beginning of the book after the revolution. The pigs construct â€Å"Seven Commandments† to which all animals that belong to Animal Farm must obey. The first of the six reads as following: â€Å"Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy† and the second law of â€Å"Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. † This, however, was difficult to remember, so the sheep originate a slogan – â€Å"Four legs good, two legs bad. † This locution creates a hatred for all humanity, thus expanding their faith to the higher authority – the pigs and Napoleon. The next illustration of this form of propaganda that transpires is Boxer’s simple but sincere mottoes of â€Å"Napoleon is always right† and â€Å"I will work harder. † This honest beast was sadly indoctrinated by Napoleon to believe this. However, Napoleon still desired to be relieved of him, for his huge muscles and incorruptible reputation might eventually cause a revolt. Therefore, he instructed his massive and vicious dogs to attack him, but Boxer easily set them off. Once Boxer’s lung became seriously impaired, Napoleon takes the opportunity to rid himself of this animal. He sends for a horse slaughterer to secure him, thus making a profit to which was spent in whisky. Boxer’s second maxim, â€Å"I will work harder,† shows that he places the blame to many occurrences on himself. For example, after Napoleon cruelly murdered many poor, innocent animals for â€Å"sins† which they never took part in, Boxer says sadly, â€Å"I don’t understand it. The solution, as I see it, is to work harder. From now onward, I shall get up one hour earlier in the mornings. † This is the opinion of a simple, honest peasant in the times of Stalin’s rule. The third case of sloganism, which occurs many times in the book, is â€Å"Death to Humanity! † This was created by Napoleon while trying to convince the animals of Snowball’s intention during the Battle of the Cowshed. Squealer, of whom Orwell narrates, â€Å"He could turn black into white,† convinced the animals that Snowball was leagued with the humans. â€Å"Do you not remember how, just as the moment Jones and his men had got inside the yard, Snowball turned and fled?.. and do you not remember†¦ that Comrade Napoleon sprang forward with a cry of ‘Death to Humanity! † Afterward, this slogan was modified to â€Å"Death to Frederick† when rumor had it he was approaching with twenty men to engage in fighting. Sloganism is an essential form of propaganda in the book because the animals’ intellectual capacity is not very great. This encouraged them to fall back on slogans, for they were capable of comprehending these. In conclusion, this essay portrayed examples of how propaganda is used in the novel, Animal Farm. Frequently, when the public or addressees are obtuse, the speaker or leader can unfortunately convince or entirely alter a person or entity’s sentiment. Napoleon, with the help of Squealer and the other pigs, swayed, affected and influenced every animal’s thoughts and beliefs on Animal Farm using propaganda as a fundamental instrument. Napoleon had the authority to do as he wished, which proves that absolute power can be completely corrupt and crooked. I predict that just as Absolutism by communist Russia and Stalin’s regime collapsed, so to with Animal Farm. Hopefully, farmers will learn the lesson of respecting their animals as Jones unfortunately failed to do, for then such a revolution would never have occurred.