Animal Farm

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Recommended: Use of propaganda in today's world

Propaganda is the spreading of ideas either rumors or facts, using media such as television or newspapers, for the purpose of influencing the public's opinion of an individual or institution. Propaganda is used heavily in the novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell. The novel is an allegorical story with both a literal meaning, animals overthrowing an abusive farmer and then, the farm descends into a tyrannical state, as well as symbolic meaning of the Russian Revolution. The leader of Russia after the Russian Revolution, Joseph Stalin, constantly used propaganda to influence and control his citizens. Napoleon, the leader of animal farm used Squealer to create propaganda as a means of controlling and having power over the animals on the farm. In George Orwell's novel, Animal Farm, the idea that those who controlled the means of communication have the power to create the truth is evident when Squealer convinces the animals to give up their voting rights, when he justifies Snowball’s exile, and when he falsifies statistics to make the animals believe conditions on the farm are better than they appear.

Napoleon uses Squealer’s propaganda effectively to twist the truth and make the animals believe, giving up their voting rights is actually beneficial for the future of Animal Farm. An example of Squealer’s ability to manipulate and control is the following quote: “ ‘But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be? Suppose you has decided to follow Snowball, with his moonshine of windmills - Snowball, who, as we know is no better than a criminal?’ ”(Orwell 55). This quote from Squealer, shows Napoleon’s control over the information distributed on Animal Farm, which is delivered by Squealer and other...

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...ations gives him the power to create truth, which he uses to influence the animals to work harder.

In George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, the theme of Squealer and other propagandists using their control over communications as power to create the truth is evident when Squealer persuades the animals to relinquish their voting abilities, when he justifies Snowball’s exile, and when he forged food production statistics to deceive the animals into assuming that condition of the farm were preferable to under Mr. Jones. Propaganda was used throughout the novel to influence the animals into believing all of Squealer’s distorted truths. Joseph Stalin, the leader after the Russian Revolution also took advantage of these techniques to manipulate his people. Propaganda has been and will continue be used to control peoples’ beliefs on social, political, and economic issues.

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