Farm And Allegory In George Orwell's Animal Farm

George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm is an allegory that not only exemplifies, but also satirizes the Russian Revolution. The animals on Manor Farm form a revolutionary and rebel against the tyrant Jones and begin to govern themselves under the philosophy of Animalism, where all animals are allegedly equal. Throughout the novel, Orwell unveils the tactics of propaganda used during the Russian Revolution. Propaganda serves the purpose of influencing popular opinion without any regard for truth or reason in order to promote a specific agenda. This is in agreement with Ralph Waldo Emerson, who stated, “Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel”. The power of language and speech that is used in propaganda is also demonstrated in Orwell’s allegory, as well as modern society in the real world today.

He portrays Squealer, the best known among them, as an eloquent pig who could persuade and convince anyone into believing anything. “He was a brilliant talker and when he was arguing for some difficult way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive” (Orwell, 16). This quote shows just how compelling Squealer can be, continually leading the other animals on the farm to believe and trust the relentless, perpetual lies flowing out of his snout. The figurative language Orwell utilizes, stating “he could turn black into white” (Orwell, 16) to indicate and prove that Squealer is, in fact, proficient in and capable of planting ideas into the others’ heads using evasive language. Therefore, Squealer is connected to a purveyor of propaganda in Animal