Andrew Cahill Mrs.

Waters English I PreAP- Period 2 17 April 2012 The Power of Language Millions cry, starve and die just minutes from a town, and not a single one of the oblivious residents in the town know that a massacre occurred on their door step. Just as Vladimir Lenin said that A lie told often enough becomes the truth, these people have been told repeatedly by Goebbels, head of Nazi propaganda, that the Jews relocation serves solely to separate the two races for the benefit of all. Similarly, disinformation misleads the animals in Animal Farm by George Orwell. Squealer, like Goebbels, utilizes propaganda to take control of the animals beliefs. Squealer uses eloquent language to influence the animals by changing the commandments and altering the truth to benefit the pigs, making his words a tool that can be used to control belief. Squealer employs articulate language to modify the truth to suit the pigs needs while making the animals believe that he revealed the entire truth. Squealer recalls how Boxer said, Forward in the name of the Rebellion. Long live Animal Farm! Long live Comrade Napoleon! Napoleon is always right! (124) right before he died. This situation seems unrealistic due to the fact that the pigs sold Boxer to the knacker, where the butcher slaughtered him. Squealer alters the truth so that the murder of Boxer benefits the pigs by providing the animals an example of true loyalty to try to live up to. Another instance where Squealer adjusts the truth becomes apparent when the pigs find incriminating papers about Snowball take away his prowess he gained from the Battle of the Cowshed. Squealer says that Snowball suddenly turned and fled,

andwhen panic was spreading and all seemed lost, Comrade Napoleon sprang forward with a cry of Death to Humanity! and sank his teeth into Joness leg(81) Squealers statement could not be more farfetched, since Snowball actually led the charge on Jones and attacked him, but the animals believe this entirely and cannot come up with anything to counteract this statement due to their poor memory. His speech serves to further vilify Snowball, Napoleons enemy, and also increase Napoleons leadership status. Since Squealer can modify history due to the animals lack of memory, almost any event can be changed to benefit the pigs. Beliefs originate in previous events, and when those events change, the beliefs transform into something new. Squealer also enlists eloquent language to tweak the rules of the society to suit the pigs needs while making the animals believe that the necessary amendments must occur to ensure the success of the farm. Squealer uses this technique first to convince the animals that only the pigs should have milk and apples by saying Many of us actually dislike milk and applesout soul object in taking these things is to preserve our healthIt is for your sake we drink milk and eat those apples(36). He continues, explaining that if the milk and the apples did not exclusively supply the pigs, Jones would come back, even though the current society rose on the premise of equality for all. Most of Squealers words float over the tops of the animals heads, but at the mention of Jones return all of them immediately focus, and any dissention dissipates. The pigs eventually move into the farm house, where Squealer again takes advantage of the animals naivety. The pigs start sleeping in beds when they move into the farmhouse, even though one of the commandments states that No animal shall sleep in a bed.(24), but the pigs add with sheets to the end, and Squealer calms the animals questioning minds by asking, You would not rob us of our repose, would you comrades? You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?(67). Squealer again plays the Jones card

by claiming that if exhaustion from not acquiring adequate rest takes the pigs, Jones will come back. The animals vaguely apprehend the transgression of sleeping in a bed, but they know without a doubt that their leaders breaking a minor law greatly surpasses the possibility of living out their entire lives as slaves. Squealer understands that Jones will not simply come back because the pigs did not receive apples or sleep in beds, but he still takes advantage of the animals incomprehensibility of the situation to further pamper the lifestyle of the pigs. Squealer utilizes this empty threat in a number of persuasive speeches to convince the animals that they made the right choice. With Squealers bluff that terrifies the animals, the pigs can get away with murder which eventually do they do. Squealer controls the animals beliefs by using eloquent language to change the rules of the society and modify the truth, taking advantage of the animals naivety. With the past altered and rules constantly changing, confusion of what separates fact from fiction takes hold in the animals minds. With complete control of all aspects of the animals perception of truth, Squealer becomes the only voice of reason the animals can turn to, advancing the totalitarian state by taking away the animals most important freedom: the freedom of thought.