A Critical Analysis of "Animal Farm"

Rhetoric and the Technique of Repetition The satire in Animal Farm begins with the rhetoric of Major's first speech to the animals in Chapter 1. The primary technique of this rhetoric is an argument from passively accepted grounds which allows the speaker to establish a familiarity with his audience from false premises. Although Major appears to offer free choices to his audience, he is, in fact, in complete control. He pretends to be detached and objective by telling his listeners that he would soon die, but by this method he hides the control which he is acquiring upon them through the repetitions of his rhetoric. The technique of repetition is found in the several questions which he puts to his audience, and then providing the answers himself. Thus he asks: "What is the nature of this life of ours?", "Why then do we continue in this miserable conditions?", "What then must we do?" The acceptance of these questions is further controlled by his tight, complete answers which do not encourage discussion and varied response. There is also the repetition of phrases and of key words which establish a personal vocabulary. Another technique employed is that, from the beginning, the animals are addressed as "comrades", while man is set up as the enemy. The animals are presented through personalized references which create sympathy, but man is referred to as one unit representing a type of evil and cruel enemy. Manipulation of Votes on an Initial Problem Having controlled the process of his background speech, Major then also controls the events which follow. A vote is needed on whether wild animals like rats should be included in the community of animals. Major skilfully manipulates the votes, by bracketing the rats with rabbits and thus weakening the negative connotations of the rats, and also by asking: "Are rats comrades?" instead of asking: "Are rats enemies?" The weight of the word "comrades" helps to turn the argument in the favour of the rats, and they are accepted as comrades. This incident is also important from the strategic point of view because it involves all the animals in the act of collective voting and strengthens the idea that they all form a compact unit. Major's Dream, a Utopian Vision of the Past and the Future When Major comes to the summarizing of his directions, he says "I merely repeat" as if he is referring back to a previously discussed and agreed principle. The phrasing of the directions is entirely in terms of "duty", of "never faltering", of allowing no argument to lead astray. The account of his dream which follows, and the rendition of the song ("Beasts of England") confirm the stance. His dream is a Utopian vision of the past to be transferred to the future. It is carried by images of plenty, and the "golden future time" of the song. The song itself is not there for education or illumination, but as a unifying device, depending upon the ability of the members to pick up the tune quickly without thinking about the words. Although Major says that "no animal must ever tyrannize over his own kind," his speech already has in it the seeds of tyranny in it because the manner of his speaking discourages participation and discussion, because the set of directions announced by him show a narrow view, and because he uses the device of the song which serves as an unthinking populist stimulation. The Emergence of Three Pigs as Leaders

Major's speech also lays the foundations for the political developments which follow. The three pigs who take up and apply his ideas are defined by their ability to handle language. Napoleon is not much of a talker" in contrast to Snowball w ho is "quicker in speech and more inventive". The only porker of significance is Squealer who is a brilliant talker and who is reported as having the capacity to turn black into white by his arguments. Snowball is depicted as the one who makes the rules and exercises control through talking and writing. Napoleon is depicted as the one who exercises control by manipulating the physical aspects of the farm, the produce, and its consumption. After the death of Major, the three leading pigs develop the negative strategies which are already present, and they turn Major's directions into a complete system of thought legitimized by the word "Animalism". By doing so, they acquire a power which is seen in the way they run the meetings of the animals. Organization is left to them because "naturally it should be and because they are "generally recognized" as the cleverest. They exploit their position by failing to answer the questions of other animals, and dismissing the questions on the ground that they are "contrary to the spirit of Animalism". The key-reaction to their techniques is that of the horses, Boxer and Clover, who "had great difficulty thinking anything out for themselves, but having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they absorbed everything they were told, and passed it on to the other animals in simple arguments." Most important is the fact that the pigs can read and write. This is the key to their intelligence. After the Rebellion, we get a clue to the significance which they attach to their ability, because the first thing they do is to change the name of Manor Farm to "Animal Farm", thus making use of the magic which names often have. The second thing they do is to reduce the directions of the late Major to "Seven Commandments of unalterable law". Realizing that the directions can never be absolute unless treated as laws, they write them down. In the process they reduce the directions, leaving out certain points such as the injunction that animals are not to tyrannize over each other. Linguistic Ability, a