Tiffany Nguyen

Mrs. Nieto
English I K
13 May 2013
Mind Over Matter
Persuasion can be led to something good or something bad. Used wrong, it can lead to
dangerous actions. In Animal Farm, Snowball an innocent pig, is chased off the farm by vicious
guard dogs trained by none other than the evil leader, Napoleon. Thirsty for power, he gets the
pigs on his side and turns the farm into something even more inferior than it was before the
rebellion. In Animal Farm, the author, George Orwell, uses scare tactics and innuendo, or
rumors, to get the best of the animals.
The negative aspects of Squealer's persuasive tactics are revealed through his actions to
the farm animals. He announces that "Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start!"
(Orwell 79). Squealer is spreading a rumor that Snowball is a traitor to Animal Farm and that he
is Jones's secret agent even before the rebellion. This shows that Squealer has no further
evidence except that everything is proved through documents left behind by Jones which he
would show the animals "if they could read" (Orwell 81). Having prior knowledge that the
animals could not read, he fakes his evidence saying that they were written in the left-behind
documents. Therefore, the animals have no choice but to believe it. Finally, his innuendo, or
rumor technique is revealed to control the animals under Napoleon's influence.
At this point, the farm is now completely ruled by Napoleon and his followers. Their
minds have been wiped away and everything Squealer says, they immediately believe. Scare
tactics are used to panic the animals and make them do as the pigs say not voluntarily, but out of
fear. This is shown when "three hens had come forward and confessed that, inspired by
Snowball, they had entered into a plot to murder Napoleon. They were executed immediately"
(Orwell 95). The animals were petrified when they heard this. It reminded them not to plot
anything curious and suspicious because in reality, they have nothing to fear, if they have
nothing to hide. In addition, scare tactics are also shown when Squealer warns "every animal on
this farm to keep his eyes very wide open. For we have reason to think that some of Snowball's
secret agents are lurking among us at this moment" (Orwell 82). This keeps the animals alert and
anxious so they watch out for Snowball because he can get his revenge at any moment.
Therefore, this frightens the animals because they do not want to be part of his unpredictable
comeback to the farm.
The use of persuasion as seen by Squealer, tricks the animals into believing everything
they say and doing as they are told. It brainwashed them to think that Napoleon was the
protagonist and Snowball, the antagonist when really, it is the opposite. The power of persuasion
was used for destruction as shown in Animal Farm by George Orwell. Overall, Squealer was
successful in using his cunning techniques to have power over the other animals.