In its satirical portrayal of the horrific yet brutally honest terrors of the Russian Revolution, Animal Farm depicts

a dictatorship where the animals are exploited under the control of their leader, Napoleon. However, through outrageous propaganda, blatant lies, diversions and distractions, Napoleon keeps the animals too occupied to investigate with any depth the frightening reality of their lives. This, on top of the nave idealism displayed by the animals themselves, makes seeing whats in front of ones nose a constant struggle. The main reason why the animals are unable to see that they are being exploited is because they are constantly distracted by Napoleons excessive but ultimately successful use of propaganda. This is evident through the willing acceptance of Moses by the pigs. Moses, after years of absence, is allowed and even encouraged to re-join the farm in order to tell stories as a diversion to the other animals. Similarly, Squealers deceitful reassurances and Napoleons blaming the misfortunes of his rgime on Snowball, bring any speculation within the animals to an absolute halt. Furthermore, Napoleon continues to increase the amount of propaganda to alleviate the morose atmosphere when life for the animals becomes harsher. This includes songs, speeches, poems, statistics and eventually the Spontaneous Demonstrations, and gives the animals a sense of pride and motivation to go on. This method of manipulation has been used widely throughout history, one of the most powerful examples being Chairman Mao during the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1966. Propaganda during this Revolution took on many forms, including Red Guard demonstrations in the Tiananmen Square, displays of Maos portraits in every location, and the distribution of numerous pamphlets and books containing Maos teachings, the most well known being the Little Red Book. Education in China at the time was also centered around Communism, and included lies regarding the appalling living conditions in non-Communist countries, as portrayed in the film Maos Last Dancer. Napoleons use of propaganda mirrors the technique used by Chairman Mao in Communist China, and effectively keeps the animals guilelessly oblivious to the fact that they are being exploited. Also, the unreasonable workload and terrible threat posed by Napoleon and his dogs create an atmosphere of fatigue and almost palpable fear, and thoroughly divert the minds of the animals from the awful truth that they are being exploited. For instance, the reasons Napoleon forces the animals to work on Sunday afternoons is more than just a desperate need for food- it is also to keep the animals preoccupied thus preventing them from noticing too much of what is happening. This is why Boxer, the most hardworking laborer in Animal Farm, is also the most committed to Napoleons rgime. Likewise, the obvious threat that Napoleons dogs present to the animals is enough to silence any speculation within the animals. A scene that highlights this is where several animals are forced to confess their crimes and are immediately killed by the dogs, before the shocked eyes of the other animals. In the same way, Adolf Hitler used his supreme power to threaten the citizens of Nazi Germany. Due to unjust prejudices against the Jewish people, he threatened the entire population by ordering the execution of anyone who was found helping a Jew. This strict ruling left most of the public silent, as no one was able to stand up against the decree of his dictator. The way Hitler uses threats to keep his people from blending with

the Jewish population is similar to Napoleons use of diversions that clouds the animals minds from the underlying truth that they are being exploited. As well as being manipulated into believing the obvious lie, the animals also demonstrate a strong sense of nave idealism that makes them unable to see what is in front of their nose. If liberty means anything at all, it means the ability to tell people what they do not want to hear. (George Orwell) The main reason for the animals idealism is that the truth is often harder to hear than the lie, as the truth is often painful and upsets ones conscience or peace of mind. As Orwells quote suggests, liberty is the ability to tell the truth, because the truth is what people do not want to hear. The animals in Animal Farm have no liberty, and the idealism they display shows that they honestly want to believe in Napoleons lies, rather than investigate too deeply and find out the horrific truth. For example, the animals are horror-struck when they realize that Boxer is being taken to the knackers, but this terror is immediately turned into relief when Squealer announces the lie that Boxer has actually died in the hospital. Despite the obviousness of the lie, the animals believe it to lessen their grief and pain caused by Boxers death. The animals idealism also allows them to believe that they are working for their own benefits, not the benefits of the pigs. This idea makes it difficult for them to complain about anything, as it gives them hope for a better future. Though the hope is blind and senseless and the idealism is foolish, they are enough to keep the animals content and unaware of the fact that they are being exploited.