Animal Farm Essay
Animal Farm by George Orwell is widely known as a novel that holds many parables to modern society. Whilst it is often interpreted as an allegory to the Russian Revolution, its application may be broadened to include other examples of totalitarianism. George Orwell uses his novel to illustrate the corruptive nature of absolute power, and the hold it is allowed to gain through the use of propaganda, fear and the distortion of language.
Throughout the novella, poems, chants and songs are used as propaganda. These pieces serve as an aid to social control. Just like successful propaganda departments in communist countries support the leader’s image and lie in order to do so, Squealer takes on the same role in Animal Farm. He is the gossip of the farm that convinces the animals to support Napoleon and manipulates the commandments to promote his task. One such example is the “Beasts of England” song that Old Major heard in his dream and taught to the animals during the gathering in the barn. This song brings out the courage in the animals by its use of the revolutionary language. Squealer worries about the influence of a song of such an idealistic future as shown in the line, “the golden future time.” In order to dissuade the hope that the animals start to possess, in the vein of socialism, Squealer makes Minimus write a replacement for the “Beasts…” that honors Napoleon and highlights the loyalty to the farm instead of the wish of a free state that was the songs original meaning.
