Thursday, January 16, 2020
How does George Orwell show this in the novel Essay
The pigs corrupt the animalââ¬â¢s minds and gain absolute power. How does George Orwell show this in the novel? In the novel ââ¬ËAnimal Farmââ¬â¢ by George Orwell, the pigs corrupt the animalââ¬â¢s minds and gain absolute power by using their wisdom and knowledge to exploit the uneducated and naive animals. They petrified the animals by using the dogs as their secret police; they made the animals believe that snowball was a traitor and that he had destroyed all their hard work, no matter what the pigs had to do to gain power they did even if it meant killing the animals because it would obviously still be to their benefits. They did not lose any opportunity to gain power; it was as if they were thirsty and hungry for power. Squealer is the pig which spreads Napoleonââ¬â¢s propaganda among the other animals. Squealer justifies the pigsââ¬â¢ exploitation of resources and spreads false statistics pointing to the farmââ¬â¢s success. In Animal Farm, the smooth-talking pig Squealer abuses language to justify Napoleonââ¬â¢s actions and policies to the working class by whatever means seem essential. By radically simplifying languageââ¬âas when he teaches the sheep to bleat ââ¬Å"Four legs good, two legs bad! (George Orwell, Animal Farm, Chapter 2 page 24) he limits the terms of debate. By complicating language unnecessarily, he confuses and frightens the uneducated, as when he explains that ââ¬Å"a birdââ¬â¢s wing â⬠¦ is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulationâ⬠(George Orwell, Animal Farm, Chapter 2 page 24). In this latter strategy, he also practices nonsense (ââ¬Å"tacti cs, tacticsâ⬠) as well as the usage of false vocabulary and statistics, engendering in the other animals of both self-doubt and a sense of hopelessness about ever accessing the truth without the pigsââ¬â¢ mediation. Squealerââ¬â¢s lack of conscience and unwavering loyalty to his leader, alongside his rhetorical skills, making him the perfect propagandist for any tyranny. Squealerââ¬â¢s name also fits him well: squealing, of course, refers to a pigââ¬â¢s typical form of vocalization, and Squealerââ¬â¢s speech defines him. At the same time, to squeal also means to betray, keeping in remainder of Squealerââ¬â¢s behaviour with regard to his fellow animals. Squealer is the insincere and expressive propagandist. We are told that he can ââ¬Ëââ¬â¢turn black to whiteââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ and that he has a ââ¬Ëââ¬â¢shrill voiceââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëââ¬â¢twinkling eyesââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢, which are his assets that he manipulates for his propaganda. He and the general persuasiveness of his character are fundamental to Napoleonââ¬â¢s success. Napoleon petrifying the animals also makes them think otherwise. In the novel the pigs use dogs as their secret police and whoever approaches to a disagreement of the pigs decisions are slaughtered by the dogs, making the unprotected animals even more petrified. As the pigs took more control the animals could not even lift their crowns up and say a word because of the terror and detriment they could possibly get from the secret police. They had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimesâ⬠(George Orwell, Animal Farm, Chapter 7 page 64). The use of the dogs begins the evil use of force which helps Napoleon maintain power. Later, the dogs do even more dastardly things when they are instructed to kill the animals labeled ââ¬Å"disloyalâ⬠. Since the pigs are the brains in the farm, they exploit the animalââ¬â¢s minds and gain absolute power by identifying an enemy to back them up. The usage of snowball for all the bad that happened ââ¬Å"If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up, someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it, and when the key of the store-shed was lost, the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. Curiously enough, they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of mealâ⬠(George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 7 page 57). The pigs made the animals believe that snowball was the traitor and in this case they could turn to Napoleon and consider him the most suitable. The pigââ¬â¢s management of all sources of information also achieves power. Since the animals are presented naive they cannot prevent themselves from being manipulated. ââ¬Å"It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. You would often hear one hen remark to another, ââ¬ËUnder the guidance of our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six daysââ¬â¢; or two cows, enjoying a drink at the pool, would exclaim, ââ¬ËThanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes! (George Orwell, Animal Farm, Chapter 8 page 67-68). It is clear that whatever it took the pigs to gain power, without doubts they would consider, since it was clearly a benefit for them. The pigs used their wisdom and knowledge to take power over the uneducated and naive animals. Their thirst for power was so great that they killed the animals to demonstrate that they were right and it was for their benefit to consider whatever the pigs commanded them to do. At the end the animals listen and carry out what the pigs would tell them to do, even if it meant petrifying them or killing them.
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