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The Power and Effects of Manipulative Words As Seen in Animal Farm

Recap of Animal Farm

By James LoMonte

Benjamin

Other Animals

Boxer

Benjamin was a wise, old donkey that lived on Animal Farm throughout the entire duration of the story (26, 133). He noticed the evils of Napoleon and his reign of terror and in his wisdom was not moved or tricked by it, being one of few animals to do so. He realized the effect of the pigs' speech and how it affected and controlled the other animals. He was wise enough to realize that the changes going on in Animal Farm were not right and therefore did not conform to Napoleon's tricks.

Boxer was a devoted workhorse who lived on Animal Farm (26). Napoleon was able to make him to work to the point of outright using him by using his manipulative words. He persuaded Boxer through Squealer to work harder and harder to the point of exhaustion by giving him false motivation. Tragically, Boxer became so motivated into his work, of which he was deceived into doing, that it eventually cost him his life (124).

Animal Farm

The other animals in this story, including Clover and those not named, were duped by Napoleon's actions and speech in a distinct way. At first, they were submissive although skeptical to him when he took control of the farm (72). Even though they had second thoughts about many of his ideas, they gradually and cleverly became tricked without knowing. Due to the pigs' deception, they did not realize that they were being swindled. Towards the end of the story, they realize what the effects of them not stopping this illusive reign were. They had lost all that they had gained (138-139).

The Sheep

Squealer

Napoleon

Squealer was a manipulative, devious henchman of Napoleon. Just like Napoleon, he was crafty with his word play and tricked the animals into believing that what he said was true and proper for the farm (72). He often persuaded the animals into believing that what he said was correct and that the judgements he conveyed were beneficial and sincere. He also served as Napoleon's mouthpiece in giving false moral to the hard-working animals, such as Boxer (70).

The sheep were imperceptive and fairly stupid followers of Napoleon. They were familiar supporters of him that came to be as a result of his misleading propaganda. Their support for his changes to the commandments were brought about through dishonesty and their support was a driving factor of his prominence at the farm meetings (69).

The theme of the power and effects of deceptive words is seen throughout this book through the actions and characteristics of the characters. The treacherous, untrustworthy propaganda spread by the villains in this piece of literature and the blatant effects they had on both the other characters of this story and the plot and story itself were very prominent and noticeable. This theme taught by the author teaches that the power and effects of cunning, counterfeit words of people upon others is very important. One must be careful with what he allows himself to listen to and accept, because at some points people will try to deceive him with their words.

Napoleon, from the beginning to the end of the story, was a master of using deceptive words to trick other animals into doing his will. Through instructions he gave to his henchman, Squealer, he was able to convince Animal Farm to side with him in his opposition towards Snowball after he had ousted him, using deceptive wording (69-71). He tricked the animals with crafty usage of word into making them accept his alteration of the rules of the farm. He was narcissistic and totalitarian in the way that he led the farm, transforming it from a free republic to a dictatorship soon partnered with its original enemy (137). This action of his was facilitated by the fact that most animals did not realize that he was tricking them or were too scared to act.

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