Animal Farm is certainly among George Orwell's most famous works. It is an allegory of totalitarian regimes and how they worked. A very important tool used in the company is propaganda. Propaganda is the main source from which pigs get their power. While propaganda can be a broad term and there are many different ways to spread it, the main way to spread propaganda in Animal Farm is through language. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Squealer is the main character when it comes to propaganda. He manipulates the other characters with his explanations and thus it can be said that life on the farm is shaped by the ruling party: the pigs. In the character of Squealer, Orwell demonstrates how easy it is to convince farm animals using powerful words and powerful speeches. This describes how people, in general, can easily become victims and start believing lies thanks to very powerful and persuasive language. The ironic thing is that most of them don't understand the true meaning of the words, so they mindlessly devour all the propaganda that is fed to them. Right at the beginning we can see a great example of powerful use of language in the song "Beasts of England". The purpose of this song is to create a unification of the animals: "Sooner or later the day will come,/Tyrant Man will be overthrown/And the fertile fields of England/Will be trampled only by beasts./The rings will fade from our noses,/And the harnesses of our backs,/The bit and the spur will rust forever,/The cruel whips will break no more." (Orwell 32) They are completely magnetized by the song and its words as it gives them an enemy: the human being. Because of this common enemy the animals feel all united and all "under one flag", even if they didn't get along very well before. These lyrics make them think that things would be better if there were no humans around. Naming humans as evil tyrants, while admitting that the world would be a brighter place without them, will surely influence the thinking of the animals who sing the song. Old Major's speech also describes how words can be used powerfully: “Old Major uses a Hobbesian figure when he declares, 'Let's face it, our lives are miserable, laborious, and short.'(Robb) And he also speaks in terms Marxists when he declares that man is the problem. “Just get rid of Man and the product of our labor will be ours. From one day to the next we could be rich and free. What should we do then? Because you work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! This is my message to you, comrades. Rebellion!“ (Robb) Another use of propaganda is shown when Old Major tries to influence the other animals into believing that humans are the enemy. This is called “identifying the enemy” (Roland) and is often the most used type of propaganda. “Spot the enemy” is by far one of the most used types of propaganda in wartime and had a great impact during the reign of Adolf Hitler during World War II. The reason this is very popular in wartime is that it is very easy to perform. A normally very complex problem is marginalized to a simple solution: blaming a specific person or group for everything and painting them as the ultimate enemy. Another way animals are persuaded by words is commandments and their changes. The Commandments are a strong tool of manipulation. Just like the song "Beasts of England", they werecreated to unite all animals by portraying humans as the ultimate enemy. These rules were created so that animals feel part of something new, of a new world, of a so-called utopia in which they are free and have no masters. However, this soon proved to be completely false. Squealer is a pig in Animal Farm. He constantly promotes stories to show how wonderful Napoleon is and to demonstrate how he is always right, which is that Napoleon's primary concern is the greater good of the farm when in reality the only thing he cares about is his personal gain. A great example of this would be when Squealer comments on the war between the three farms: “…Russia entered the European war on the side of the Allies, increasing attempts [were] made by Stalin to reach a certain level of…agreement, with the other allied nations. A series of meetings were held between the leaders of various nations and one particular conference led to the long Cold War. The meeting is [shown] in the novel by [a] final meeting between the pigs and the humans, during which a fight breaks out over cheating at cards." (Fitzpatrick) Squealer lies to the animals by saying that they won the war .The truth is that there is no winner and they have gained nothing. He made them believe that they had won a useless and pointless war. The most notable example of Squealer's lying would be the way he described Boxer's death : "It was the most touching sight I have ever seen!" said Squealer, raising his paw and wiping away a tear. "I was at his bedside at the very last moment. And at the end, almost too weak to speak, he whispered to me his only pain was that he had passed before the windmill was finished. "Forward, comrades!" he whispered. "Forward in the name of the rebellion. Long live Comrade Napoleon! reason." Those were his last words, comrades. (Orwell 117) Squealer successfully convinces the other animals that Boxer's death was justified and that there was nothing wrong with it. This is by far, if not the best, example of how propaganda is used in Animal Farm. Boxer was in fact sent to the slaughterhouse as he was deemed unusable after the injury (due to overwork). A very important character in the novel is, of course, Napoleon himself and how he manages to make his propaganda work. It does this with the help of many different methods. At first he has the other animals march in front of Old Major's skull. He does this to strengthen his position as a leader and perhaps to become similar to Old Major so that the other animals admire him as much as they admired Old Major. In his speeches he often uses words like "sacrifice" and "own contribution" to manipulate other animals into believing that they are working for a cause greater than themselves. Napoleon uses Squealer as his right-hand man and gives him the position of “propaganda minister,” just as Hitler had Goebbels as his propaganda minister. Squealer uses complicated words and phrases that are too difficult for other animals to understand. When the animals began a protest, Squealer discouraged them by threatening violence. Sheep are used to cheer up the mood by shouting their slogan. Over the course of the novel, the dogs are seen more often in public and with their help, as his personal militia, Napoleon further strengthens his position as a leader. To summarize Napoleon, he is indeed a very intelligent and "masterful" dictator. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay All in all, words are one)..