Animal Farm Rhetorical Analysis

Persuasion can be the most effective tactic when used efficiently. The book, Animal Farm by George Orwell, uses it very well in the first few pages. When he writes, George Orwell’s overall purpose is to blend political writing that showcases his own ideologies and artistic writing. Animal Farm is the first book where he explicitly does so. It’s an allegory for the Russian Revolution told via a story of farm animals rebelling against humans. Old Major, an old and highly regarded pig on the farm, tells the animals, in a speech, about how they all need to rebel because humans are the enemy. Old Major’s speech is effective in persuading the animals to rebel.

Old Major’s speech is effective because he uses Pathos to persuade the animals. Right

Old Major insinuates that he’s going to die soon, at the beginning of a speech where he’s trying to convince the other animals of something. This would be jarring to hear from anyone, but especially from him because he is the most respected animal on the farm. It’s emotional manipulation and would be effective in garnering support. Later on in the speech, he starts asking a lot of targeted rhetorical questions. He asks, “And you, Clover, where are those four foals you bore, who should have been the support and pleasure of your old age”(Orwell). Along with Clover, he calls on 2 other animals and asks them questions regarding how they are mistreated by humans, obviously evoking emotions of anger and sadness. When he lays them all out in a row like that, it is hard to argue that humans are not the enemy from an outside perspective, let alone from

At the beginning of his speech, Old Major says, “I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that I understand the nature of life on this earth as well as any animal now living"(Orwell). Old Major thinks that because he has been around longer, he is more valid in realizing and telling the other animals his big revelation. On top of that, the animals already love and respect him so this is just reinforcing their already established bias. Then during the speech, Old Major says, “For I myself do not grumble, for I am one of the lucky ones. I am twelve years old and have had over four hundred children”(Orwell). Old Major is trying to appear humble here, by considering himself just “one of the lucky ones”, there's no reason to question why he hasn’t met his end yet, despite saying throughout the speech how no animal will reach their natural span and that death will come for them all. Toward the end of the speech, Old Major reminisces on his past saying, “when I was a little pig, my mother and the other sows used to sing an old song…”(Orwell). He then goes on to say that the song came to him in a dream last night and then he starts singing it. This anecdote is making the animals feel bad for him. He’s sharing a personal story so that the animals think that they’re closer to him than they are and it works, and all the animals start