Animal Farm Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” (134). This final commandment expresses the underlying theme within Animal Farm, a satire on Soviet Communism, written by George Orwell. Throughout the novel, the animals overthrow Jones, rename the land Animal Farm, and bring prosperity to themselves under the pigs’ guidance. Napoleon, after many debates, banished Snowball as a traitor and strategically began taking control of the farm. In chapter six, Orwell employs rhetorical devices to illustrate the authoritative rule that the pigs have gained over the rest of the animals on the farm, initially creating a hierarchy that emphasizes a divide in classes when theoretically everyone is supposed to be equal. The idea that …show more content…

In this passage, Squealer addresses Clover as comrade, like one would greet a fellow soldier, establishing a friendly, yet formal, relationship between them. Following his greeting, Squealer begins his speech by telling Clover, “[a] bed merely means a place to sleep, a pile of straw in a stall is a bed, properly regarded,” (67). The key phrase in this seemingly logical statement is properly regarded, meaning “to be satisfactorily considered in a specific way.” Orwell, by using these two words, expresses that a pile of straw in a stall is not a bed by definition, but qualifies as one by the standards of Squealer and the other pigs. Using manipulation to solidify his argument, Squealer can continue to seem infallibly logical to the remaining animals. He concludes his speech by saying, “[s]urely, none of you wishes to see Jones back?” (67). Squealer perfectly timed this loaded statement to manipulate the other animals’ emotions. The word surely is condescending towards the animals, causing them to feel patronized. By ending with this threat of Jones’s impending return, Squealer also ensures that the animals are frightened into believing that the pigs are always doing what is best for the farm. Squealer’s way with his words usually guarantees him the reaction he wants from the

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