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How Does Orwell Use Propaganda In Animal Farm

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The 1945 dystopian novel Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, follows the pigs rise to power after the rebellion which got rid of their former tyrant, Mr Jones and their ever increasing similarity to this former oppressor. It is an allegorical equivalent of Stalin’s rise to power and the Russian Revolution and links to the context of when Stalin’s power increased following the 1917 revolution, his use of propaganda to convince the Russian people that only he could protect them and the several famines endured as the result of his economic policies between 1932 and 1934. Throughout this text, Orwell has used numerous techniques such as repetition, offended tone, irony and juxtaposition to convey ideas about the dystopian genre such as the use …show more content…

His purpose is to demonstrate that propaganda is a unique feature of the dystopian genre and is an effective means of persuasion in order to achieve complete control as well as a tool of indoctrination and exploitation. This is important because it demonstrates how easily propaganda can be used and how dangerous it can be if used correctly as it has the power to exploit the less intelligent by indoctrinating them and distorting their perception of reality. This links to the context of when Stalin’s power increased following the 1917 revolution so that he had complete control over the Soviet Union and his use of propaganda to convince the Russian people that only he could protect them such as his revision of history and creation of a ‘cult personality’ which depicted him as wise and powerful. Orwell’s exploration of this idea is highlighted in the milk and apples episode when Squealer is explaining to the other animals why the pigs took all of the milk and apples to indulge in their own pleasures instead of sharing them equally amongst the other animals consistent with the principles of Animalism which promoted equality. He effectively uses repetition of the emotive word ‘comrade’ in ‘Comrades!... This has been proved by science comrades… Surely comrades...,’ when Squealer is providing an explanation through an appeal to science as to why the pigs kept all of the milk and apples for themselves. This use of repetition adds emphasis on the word and has connotations of friendship, solidarity, unity and equality. The ironic subtext in Squealer’s speech suggests that the animals are in fact, not equal as if they were they would get an equal share in the commodities of their labour. It conveys the significant influence propaganda can have on a person’s

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