Animal Farm Rhetorical Analysis

An Upbringing of a Dictatorship

At its essence, power is the ability to influence others. History has demonstrated that power can corrupt even the most moral leaders. When a person obtains a substantial amount of power, the likelihood that their rule will become abusive is high. This same principle holds true in literature. In the novella Animal Farm, George Orwell satirizes the Russian Revolution and the dictator that it spawned: Joseph Stalin. Unfortunately, Marx’s principles of communism, which were meant to uplift the common man, were used by Stalin, and others, to control the masses. Careful analysis of the process by which totalitarian governments arise demonstrates that there are three essential components for both creating and maintaining

To further his ideologies, he applies pathos in his speech, emphasizing the anguish the animals endure laboring on the farm. As a part of his speech reads, “Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short,” (Orwell 28). By referencing the routine hardships of working on Manor Farm, Old Major reinforces his connection with the other animals. Through this mindset, many of the animals follow Old Major’s proposal of a revolution since many were seeking a more leisurely lifestyle. Hence, the promises of never having to worry about rations or heavy labor compelled the animals. The pre-existing conditions the animals suffered allowed for a conjoined sense of hope among the collective. However, after the passing of Old Major this unified faith was exploited upon by the other pigs. Deviating the intended denotation of Old Major’s rebellion allowed for Napoleon to fully take advantage of the animal’s desperateness. Consequently, this left the animals vulnerable to the pigs as later on, they labored relentlessly to support the farm. Further exemplified in Chapter 7, as Napoleon’s reign continued, so did the harsh labor

For instance, in Chapter 2 as the leadership naturally fell into the hands of the pigs, Orwell introduces Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer. Among them, Squealer was expressed as “a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult points he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive,” (Orwell 36). Moreover, not only is it a given that Squealer’s clever as he is a pig, he is also very persuasive. When retaining a dictatorship, regulating the masses is necessary to prevent any upbringing and have plans follow accordingly. Inevitably, the tactic of manipulation is frequently used to achieve this. Orwell references propaganda and symbolizes it through Squealer’s actions. Given the naive animals also lack any formal education, when this is paired with Squealer’s schemes, it gives many more opportunities for Napoleon’s tyranny. Correspondingly in Chapter 7, the animals were informed that Snowball had never received the order of “Animal Hero, First Class” and it had been spread as a legend the whole time. When aware of this, “some of the animals heard this with a certain bewilderment, but Squealer was soon able to convince them that their memories had been at fault,” (Orwell 103). Though it was true that Snowball had been awarded that title, Squealer exploited the animals’ obliviousness and