The Propaganda Techniques Behind Animal Farm Essay Example

Propaganda is the most effective way to distribute beliefs to influence public sentiment. George Orwell’s Animal Farm examines the use of propaganda in which the farm animals have used to overthrow human control on the farm. In the novel, the pigs, the leaders of the farm, have used multiple methods of propaganda to take power over the farm society. Among the group of pigs were two rivaling leaders: Napoleon, a powerful Berkshire boar, and Snowball, a white pig that is slightly smaller than Napoleon in size. Napoleon uses the method of card stacking while Snowball uses the method of plain folks to gain control over the animals, they both use inflammatory slogans as propaganda techniques in their struggle for power.  

Napoleon used and relied on the technique of card stacking as a tool to gain the farm animal’s trust and support. Card stacking is a form of propaganda where persuasion is used to influence public opinions through suppressing information, manipulating statistics, and overemphasizing purposely chosen facts. It is a strategy that focuses on one perspective while suppressing the other, only the positive parts are highlighted while the negative and weaknesses are left out with little to no attention. Napoleon had told Squealer, his second-in-command and spokesperson to “read out to [the animals] lists of figures proving that the production of every class of foodstuff had increased by two hundred per cent, three hundred per cent, or five hundred per cent, as the case might be” (Orwell 92). Napoleon is highlighting growth in crop production when the increasing amount of food is not used to benefit the animals as “they felt that they would sooner have less figures and more food” (Orwell 92). In this case, Napoleon is using his chosen statistics of crop production to suppress the fact that despite the growing numbers in crops, the animals are still not fed enough. He is taking advantage of the animal’s trust and feeding them uplifting lies based on manipulated figures about how excellent life is under his rule. Nevertheless of Napoleon’s concealed information to the public, Snowball was honest to the animals regarding challenges they faced to live a satisfactory life under their self-rule. He admitted to the animals that his plan of building a windmill took numerous efforts, “not [denying] that to build it would be a difficult business” (Orwell 50). Instead of clouding the hazard of what the animals will face in self-governing the farm, Snowball made the effort to expose both negative and positive aspects of the current situation to them. He made it clear that all animals had to work together and pay the price for the greater outcome of the benefit the windmill brings. Accordingly, he displays a higher moral standard in using propaganda as he uses clear language to support his ideas and not use crooked tactics to achieve his goal. Snowball did not use the method of card stacking as Napoleon did to gain trust and support from the farm animals as he holds higher ethical values than the deceits Napoleon utilizes in his rule. 

Snowball’s technique to gain the support and trust of the farm animals was plain folks. Plain folks is a style of propaganda where a logical fallacy is placed by the speaker as they present themselves as a person no different from an average man to convenience the audience that their idea comes from, and are part of the people. Snowball was among the animals in the Battle of Cowshed where they fought off human invaders. He received the military honor of “Animal Hero, First Class” along with the respected laborer horse Boxer for their remarkable effort in the battle (Orwell 44). He made himself a figure that holds the same value as a recognized folk, pulling the animals closer in sympathy with him. Thus, increasing the amount of persuasion and faith the animals hold for him. Napoleon, by contrast to the effort that Snowball made to shorten the distance between him and the animals, never attempted to display sympathy that the animals can relate to. He was exceeding explicit in publicizing his leading status among the animals, always “attended not only by his retinue of dogs but by a black cockerel who marched in front of him and acted as a kind of trumpeter, letting out a loud ‘cock-a-doodle-doo’ before [he] spoke” (Orwell 92-93). Napoleon signals to all animals his boundless status above all the other animals. He on no account shy away from exhibiting how special he is but rather takes splendid pride in his power. Hence, constructing a difference in likings between the warmness of Snowball and the coldness of Napoleon. 

While displaying opposite favor in styles of propaganda, Napoleon and Snowball share the common liking of using inflammatory slogans as propaganda techniques in their pursuit of power. Inflammatory slogan is a method of propaganda where the speaker uses speech and writing to arouse people’s anger and aim it at a desired target seditiously. Napoleon had commanded the animals to spread the slogan of “Death to Frederick” and “Death to Pilkington” after coming to a disagreement with them in the negotiation of trade for money (Orwell 99). He utilizes these phrases to create an extreme sense of rage that coincides with violence for the animals to follow. Considering his knowingness of the animal’s hatred of humans, Napoleon is increasing the amount of provocative in his voice to push the animals into targeting their temper at Mr. Freerick and Mr. Pilkington. Notwithstanding Napoleon’s slogan of violence, Snowball’s slogan was slightly more lenient as it doesn’t summon direct violence but in comparison, also points the animal’s emotions toward humans. He suggested the animals remember the motto “Four legs good, two legs bad”, granting that “whoever had thoroughly grasped it would be safe from human influence” (Orwell 34). With this slogan, Snowball was effectively turning the animal’s temper fully onto humans as it is the only creature with “two legs”. By extension, it excludes all negative of the animals as humans are instinctively dreadful and are set to blame for all wrong since they are born spurious. Napoleon and Snowball had both chosen to construct their words with inflammatory slogans as it accurately helps them to set the animal’s energy of rage to the common target of humans.  

Napoleon and Snowball had shown a sizable difference in styles of propaganda; Napoleon always penchant for violence with direct manipulation and Snowball’s fondness for rhetoric with emotional appeal. Napoleon had used the method of card staking while Snowball had used the tactic of plain folks. Paradoxically, they both commensurate the medium of inflammatory slogans as it adequately supports their message to the desirable outcome. They exploited the use of propaganda, each taking different and comparable techniques to assist themselves in the seek for power.