How Does Orwell Use Language In Animal Farm

Language as a form of communication is a very powerful tool, that in the right hands can bring about overwhelming results. In Animal Farm by George Orwell, the pigs’ use of inaccessible and manipulative language plays a pivotal role allowing them to rule over other animals on the farm. Moreover, the gullibility of the other animals due to their lack of language comprehension, facilitates the pigs’ ability to remain in power. In this essay, I argue that the pigs’ use of language as a means of misinformation, manipulation, and propaganda eventually leads to their rise and reign and the overall enslavement of the other animals.

The rise of the pigs can ultimately be seen in how they use language to misinform the other animals, who, without knowing any better, agree and comply

Squealer convinces the animals that milk and apples are “necessary for the well-being of a pig” (Orwell, 23) and since the “whole management and organisation of [the] farm depends on [pigs]” (23) they are the only ones who should eat them. Moreover, Squealer goes on to state that if the pigs are not nourished, “Jones would come back” (23). The milk and apples can be viewed as symbols of power. Since they were harvested by all of the animals, that “power” should be shared between everyone. However, Squealer strings together false facts and even indirectly threatens the animals with the return of Jones. This misinformation combined with the animals’ gullibility forces them to agree with Squealer’s points, thus handing over their power. Another instance occurs when Napoleon secures his place as the leader by informing the other animals that Snowball was never fighting on the animals’ side, but “fighting on Jones’ side” (78). Moreover, Napoleon states that it was he who inflicted “the wounds on Snowball's back” (78). Napoleon attacks Snowball’s image directly, as Snowball was one of the pigs the animals looked up to. Napoleon attributes Snowball’s wounds to himself to show