Animal Farm Essay: The Currency Of Power

Language: The Currency of Power
Compelling language and the mastery of infectious rhetoric are the currency of power in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The expulsion of Mr. Jones, and Napoleon’s undemocratic rise to power, are achieved through the brute force of vowels and consonants. This is best exemplified by Squealer and his skillful manipulation of language to quell any rumblings before revolt could ignite. He commands a variety of literary devices; rhetorical questioning, repetition and logos, to ensure Napoleon retains a firm grasp on the feeble-minded animals. The artfully transparent allegorical nature of the novel is plainly intended to cast a negative light on the plight of humanity. The animals demonstrate human susceptibility to manipulative

Milk and apples (and this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare.
He manages to convince the animals that it only makes sense to provide for the pigs first and foremost, as they are the ones managing the workers. He lays out the facts in such a way that disagreeing would make any animal feel illogical, thus perpetuating his agenda.
Ultimately, Squealer’s employment of rhetorical questioning, repetition and logos shrouds the corruption of Napoleon's regime and results in successful mass deception.Through the shrewdness of the farm animals, Orwell implies that we humans are no better than beasts when it comes to exploiting one another with the power of words, “As we stared through the window it was no question now. The animals outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which"