Animal Farm Essay

     In society, language is a wide-spread form of communication. Different choices of words, tones, and topics can be used to influence the people it is directed towards. In George Orwell's Animal Farm, language is used as a form of persuasion by the pigs. Both Major and Squealer use reasoning to influence the "lower" animals, although their purposes are different.
     Major, a highly regarded pig on the farm, gave an influencing speech directed towards all of the animals concerning animals rebelling against the humans before his death. To persuade the animals into accepting his ideas about the rebellion, he uses the animal's fears and concerns. In his speech, Major addresses the life of the animals:

Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies...and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end, we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: this is the plain truth...Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever (Orwell 28-29).

Major is careful in his speech. He is selective so that he chooses words that are easy for the "lower" animals to grasp, yet conveys the message of the animal's reality. He addresses the animal's fears - of being overworked, hungry, and slaughter - and blames them on Man because Mr. Jones, their owner, is a human. He tries to convince them that as long as Man is gone, they will no longer be hungry and overworked because they will no longer be kept alive and fed so that they work and are killed as soon as they become useless. In short, Major's message implies rebellion - that as long as the animals keep Man from controlling their lives, they will be happy and free.
     On the other hand, Squealer, a pig known to be very persuasive, speaks to persuade the other animals that the pigs need to have "special priorities" and "special needs" so that they can maintain their capability to work:

"Comrades!" he cried "You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples...Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed at our duty? Jones would come back! ...Surely, comrades," cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, "surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?" (Orwell 52).

Squealer tries to convince the "lower" animals that the pigs are not consuming the milk and apples because they want to, but because it is necessary so that the pigs are able to maintain their duty of watching over the other animal's welfare. He questions the other animal's beliefs by asking if they assume that the pigs consume those foods due to selfishness and privilege. As a final attempt, he uses Mr. Jones to manipulate the "lower" animals into believing him. Squealer knows that none of the animals want Mr. Jones to regain control over them so he influences them by expressing that if pigs do not consume the milk and apples, Mr. Jones will come back to the farm.
     Between Major and Squealer, both pigs uses topics, including the animals fears, to convince them to take part of a certain action. However, the distinction is that Major tried to form a rebellion so that the "lower" animals can achieve happiness, leisure, and freedom, while Squealer tries to convince the other animals that the pigs should be prioritized.