The Spirit of Revolution in the Animals - Essay Example

? Art and Propaganda in Animal Farm Though art is independent of propaganda, propagation of any ideology cannot be done effectively if it is not artistically well devised. Therefore, all artistically formulated propaganda belongs to the realm of art too, particularly because it also seeks to capture the emotions of the people in order to get the ideologies wholeheartedly accepted by them. In other words, all propaganda use any or several of the literary devices depending on the nature of the propaganda. This is what George Orwell does in his Animal Farm to propagate that totalitarianism of any kind is harmful to man. Writing in the form of allegory, one of the most powerful literary devices, Orwell depicts most of the historical events of Russian Revolution without any direct reference to it or to any person. The process of achieving absolute power, the art of misinformation, and the way oppressed are perpetually oppressed in order to enjoy political power are allegorically portrayed in Animal Farm by the skilful use of irony and satire. A close scrutiny of the role of art and propaganda in Animal Farm is the focus of this paper. For a totalitarian government propaganda is essential in order to influence its audience. After selecting some important facts or information, they are presented in such a persuasive manner that they get injected into the minds of the people with little resistance. Propaganda is also needed to counter this kind of move. For example “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”, tells Old Major to his comrades (Ch. 1). The revolutionary spirit is thus put in the minds of the general public, by Old Major, in Manor Farm. Therefore, propaganda is an inevitable political tool in a society. The problem arises when the information is selected with a sinister motive, to achieve some selfish interest for a person or a party, or when it becomes harmful to the people, in this book for the animals: "War is war. The only good human being is a dead one" (Ch. 1V). The stress here is on the emotional response rather than on the rational response. This kind of propaganda is used to further some political agenda without taking the welfare of the people into consideration. Ultimately it also assumes the form of political warfare, leading to totalitarianism. Orwell has not written his novel to appease any particular party. John Rodden writes, “Orwell reportedly told his friend Stephen Spender, the well-known English poet, that he “had not written a book against Stalin in order to provide propaganda for capitalists” (Rodden, 135). Therefore, Animal Farm is to be seen as a work of art written to condemn all forms of totalitarianism. Animal Farm, therefore, is not a political work intended to propagate that totalitarianism is bad. On the contrary, it is a literary work which only takes the evil nature of totalitarianism as its content. It enables the students to study all aspects of satire, and also enlightens them on how effective allegory is in literature. Character development is superb in Animal Farm. “Squealer, with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice” reveals his true nature (Ch. 11). Orwell gives minute details of each and every animal, its natural instincts, without forgetting that they are the caricatures of great political personalities. Their role is to propagate to the readers the idiosyncrasies of their human originals in politics they represent, and they do it extremely well without forgetting their original tails or wings. Variety is the richness of Animal Farm, an assembly of complex and conflicting characters uniting for a purpose. They reenact the historical and political events superbly, which if presented as a book of history or politics would have generated repulsion and boredom. In the hands of Orwell art and propaganda converge to gift to the readers a fantastic piece of literary work. The working class is presented in the novel very realistically, revealing their helplessness in not understanding what harm propaganda actually does to them. This is how Boxer takes everything: “"Ah, that is different!" said Boxer.”If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right”” (V11). Boxer has the physical strength to overthrow Napoleon, but, unfortunately, he does not possess the essential wit to realize that it is dictatorship that destroys him and his comrades. Squealer is one of the most wonderful characters in the novel. He symbolizes both art and propaganda, his role is as a medium of propaganda. He reminds his comrades that "Bravery is not enough," but. "Loyalty and obedience are more important” (V). In fact, he stands for the Soviet press. He uses the literary device of persuasion to impose Napoleon’s totalitarianism on the proletarians. The birth of the revolutionary spirit was in the “Song of England”, but very conveniently he sets it aside when the power reaches the hands of the pigs: "It's no longer needed, comrade," said Squealer stiffly. "'Beasts of England' was the song of the Rebellion”, insisting that it is no more required (V11). The aristocratic class among the animals, the pigs, is able to enjoy the fruit of all the labors done by the working class only because of the clever manipulations made by Napoleon and Squealer and the propaganda carried out by Squealer. His masterly skill in transforming the evil designs of Napoleon into an acceptable formula makes the novel a work which demands constant attention of the readers. It is his continuous use of persuasion which ultimately raises the pigs to a comfortable place in the animal world. His oratory powers and the skill with which he invents words to match the rising doubts are the lone factors which enables Napoleon to survive as the unquestionable dictator. In short, he symbolizes the harm which can be done to man and society with the clever use of propaganda. It is very interesting to see how the seven commandments undergo changes when the Manor Farm is totally transformed into Animal Farm. The seven commandments are: 1Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal (11). It is through persistent propaganda that each commandment is changed when power intoxicates the leaders. The first commandment ends up in irony: “It was a pig walking on his hind legs” (X), the animals realize this as they watch the final outcome of the revolution, knowing that Animal Farm is now renamed as Manor Farm. In the same way, all the commandments are broken and violated by the leaders, and through clever propaganda they keep the ignorant in the dark. The pigs sleep in beds, and Napoleon even drinks whiskey, though “No animal shall drink alcohol” is the original commandment; but Squealer justifies it and rewrites the commandment on the wall as “'No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets" (V1) and “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess” (V111). Humor and irony touch the highest watermark in Animal Farm. The idea of Animalism originates from Old Major, the prize boar in Jones’ Manor Farm: “Remove Man from the scene and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever “(1). He symbolizes both Karl Marx and Lenin, the fathers of communism. It is he who injects the spirit of revolution in the animals: "Man is the only creature that consumes without producing…, Work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race” (1). His rational speech is both thought provoking and rhetorical. The manner and persuasion of the revolutionary propaganda springs from his well-worded emotional speech: “I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend” (1). It sets the ground for the future antithesis and thesis, the Manor Farm turning into the Animal Farm, and then back to Manor Farm again. His privileged life during the days of Jones gave him enough time to think about the sufferings of his fellow animals and thus he formulated the idea of revolution. What he conceives in his imagination and what follows as reality draws a great contrast. If artistically explained the events are seen filled with irony and paradox. The paradox springs from Napoleon’s persistent propaganda to take absolute control. To understand completely what Orwell is trying to assert in the novel is imperative, if the work is to be fully appreciated both for its artistic merit and for understanding the propaganda contained in it. Totalitarianism is a form of government in which every aspect of an individual’s life is controlled, be it politics, economic, or even his beliefs. Jones with his Manor Farm thinks that man’s superiority over the animals is just natural. It is in the same vein that Napoleon and the pigs run the Animal Farm. The difference is that the animals think man is evil. The seven commandments are framed from this strong conviction. In both cases the outlook is totalitarian. Therefore, Orwell’s assertion is that basically all kinds of totalitarianism are same. Twentieth century is full of such unhealthy situations and events. Artistic representation of these events gives a chance for man to view and understand the perils of all indoctrinated propagandas. This is how Old Major induces hope among the fellow animals: “Soon or late the day is coming, Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown, And the fruitful fields of England Shall be trod by beasts alone (Ch. 1). Whether it is capitalist, fascist, or communist, man is always oppressed one way or other. It is through propaganda the end is achieved and this message is what emerges from Orwell’s artistic piece, Animal Farm. At this point, the character of Squealer deserves attention. “The best known among them was a small fat pig named Squealer, with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice”, says the narrator (Ch. 11). This short and fat pig is a gifted speaker who uses all rhetorical devices to propagate Napoleon’s ideas. One of the main tenets of Animalism is that all animals are born equal and it is enshrined in their Seven Commandments: “All animals are equal” (11). However, he gradually establishes the superiority of the pigs over other animals as mind workers and the commandment is rewritten as “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL /BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS” (X). The artistic presentation of Squealer’s skill in Animal Farm is remarkable. The way the class difference, even for the pig children, is slowly established is surprising, and it is in spite of the written commandment. Squealer’s role in it is marvelous. The novel ultimately reveals the truth that the “mindworking” class will always remain as uppermost. Another fact emerging from the novel is that the oppressed working people, like Boxer, will continue to labor, unmindful of their rest and comforts in life. Napoleon through Squealer repeatedly propagates that work is worship. For Boxer the answer to every upcoming problem is “I will work harder”. When this honest worker meets his fate finally, irony in the novel touches its watermark: "'Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied.' Do you not understand what that means? They are taking Boxer to the knacker's!" “(X). The animals would have revolted when Boxer is taken to a butcher, but Squealer’s mind works here again cleverly to say “The van had previously been the property of the knacker” (X). Therefore, what Orwell propagates through his artistic work, Animal Farm, is that the working class, through fear and ignorance, permits itself to be dominated by the class of “mindworkers”. The novel also shows that for an effective propaganda the minority in power uses the power of language. That is how it achieves its ideologies successfully. It is through misinformation that Napoleon controls the thoughts and beliefs of the working class. As already observed, initially the spirit of Animalism is injected among the low animals through the manipulation of language. Then the general rules are framed by selecting the words which look real and true. Audio and visual methods are used to achieve maximum impact. Then it is through the power of language, or propaganda, that the complete history of Animal Farm is rewritten. In fact, Snowball is a more intelligent and active pig than Napoleon. But he is turned into a traitor by the very cunning speeches of Napoleon and Squealer. Snowball is more original, but Napoleon is shrewd. The entire Animal Farm finally accepts that Snowball is a traitor. Only propaganda can do this and only art can reveal this evil design effectively. Orwell, thus, shows that every totalitarian regime plays the trick of misinformation in order to turn falsehood into truth. This distorted reality can be stripped only through successful art, and that is what Animal Farm does. Repetition is an effective device both in art and propaganda, or it is an artistic devise liberally used in propaganda. It is very freely used in Animal Farm, and it is one of the strong tools in Napoleon’s store room. The “sheep broke out into a tremendous bleating of "Four legs good, two legs bad!" which went on for nearly a quarter of an hour and put an end to any chance of discussion” (V). The working class is kept silent and suppressed by using the slogans repeatedly. Every animal was a witness to the way Snowball fought in the battle of the Cowshed. However, through repeated propaganda Napoleon was able to convince that Snowball is a traitor: “you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!" (V). History is rewritten to show that Snowball fought against the Animal Farm in that battle. “"But he was wounded," said Boxer.”We all saw him running with blood." "That was part of the arrangement!" cried Squealer”” (V11). In the same way, the animals are forced to believe through repeated persuasion that Animal Farm is better than all other farms in the case of the storage of food, though the reality is that everyone is nearly starving, the condition even worse than the days of Jones. “Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer-except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs”, says the narrator (X). Therefore, it can be seen that by using their minds and by framing very sophisticated language, the pigs maintain a powerful monopoly over the others. The role of Minimus is equally important, because it is his literary skill which enabled napoleon to use songs as a part of his propaganda strategy. He writes propaganda poems and songs praising his leader and the Animal Farm. He also symbolizes the fact that the totalitarian states take over art by propaganda and the freedom of artistic expressions are controlled. It can flourish only at the mercy of the dictator. “Napoleon approved of this poem and caused it to be inscribed on the wall of the big barn, at the opposite end from the Seven Commandments”, says the narrator when Minimus composes a poem praising his leader. In this modern world propaganda infiltrates into all of the artistic media. In short, the artists conceptualizes the political issues. Art facilitates the blind acceptance of most of the controversial topic. Squealer’s ladder and brush are always busy in Animal Farm to advertise what Napoleon wants. Art, or literature, is used to misinform, for propaganda by the totalitarians, and as observed in this paper, Orwell uses art to expose the evils of such propaganda in his Animal Farm. It is not a mere work of propaganda. William J. Long says, “All art is the expression of life…, it is the expression of some truth and beauty…, but which remain unnoticed until brought to notice by some sensitive human soul” (Long, 2). Orwell depicts the beautiful nature of some animals and men and through them the truths about Russian Revolution. There are several lessons to be learned from this novel, like literary, political, and social. Squealer, as the minister of propaganda, has done an excellent job in the novel. The result was that when the novel was published in 1940, just before the cold war, it made spontaneous reactions in the United States, during the days of anti-communist propaganda. Orwell’s novel warns that differences in education and occupation gradually lead to the development of class, which ill end up in class war. Reference Long, William J. English Literature: Its History and Its Significance, Delhi: Surjeet Publications, Orwell, George. Animal Farm. http://www.george-orwell.org/Animal_Farm/0.html Rodden, John. “Contemporary Reception: The American Response to Animal Farm”, Understanding Animal Farm. http://books.google.com/books?id=TG-YpkczTjEC&pg=PA135&dq=Animal+Farm+criticism+journals&hl=en&ei=BTSITb_gDIfqrQf43rDTDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false . Read More