Oral commentary

Extract

Animal Farm VIII 27 and 28

 Napoleon was now never spoken of merely as ″Napoleon. ″ He was always referred to in formal style as ″our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, ″ and the pigs liked to invent for him such titles as Father of All Animals, Terror of Mankind, Protector of the Sheep−fold, Ducklings′ Friend, and the like. In his speeches, Squealer would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon′s wisdom the goodness of his heart, and the deep love he bore to all animals everywhere, even and especially the unhappy animals who still lived in ignorance and slavery on other farms. It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. You would often hear one hen remark to another, ″Under the guidance of our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days″; or two cows, enjoying a drink at the pool, would exclaim, ″Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes!″ The general feeling on the farm was well expressed in a poem entitled Comrade Napoleon, which was composed by Minimus and which ran as follows:

 

Friend of fatherless! Fountain of happiness! Lord of the swill−bucket! Oh, how my soul is on Fire when I gaze at thy Calm and commanding eye, Like the sun in the sky, Comrade Napoleon! Thou are the giver of All that thy creatures love, Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon; Every beast great or small Sleeps at peace in his stall, Thou watchest over all, Comrade Napoleon! Had I a sucking−pig, Ere he had grown as big Even as a pint bottle or as a rolling−pin, He should have learned to be Faithful and true to thee, Yes, his first squeak should be ″Comrade Napoleon!″ 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. It was surmounted by a portrait of Napoleon, in profile, executed by Squealer in white.

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

Orwell draws parallels between Napoleon and Joseph Stalin from the Russian revolution. Both of these figures rose to leadership during their respective revolutions. Napoleon and Joseph were born into low-income families and were later raised under dictatorial regimes. As they grew up, Napoleon and Joseph did not have a support system that would cater to their daily needs. When they rose to fame and leadership, they later became far much worse than their predecessors.

Simply put, both figures rise to upper echelons of power and forcefully reign on the rest of the animals. Napoleon is portrayed as a larger than life character who always gets his way. Physically, he is large and fierce-looking. He was the only person of his stature on the farm. Other pigs liked to coin terms such as ‘father of all animals’ for him in particular. His public office gave him an advantage over the rest of the animals. In terms of the text's contextual history, Napoleon lust for power and does everything he can to keep himself and his kin in government. The terms used to describe Napoleon point to an ungrateful man who is thoughtless towards other animals' future on the farm. Napoleon imposes a dictatorial leadership on other animals and rules with an iron fist. The reader can note the praises heaped on Napoleon and the combination of propaganda and horror to make Napoleon appear larger than life. Embodying a society full of evil, Napoleon instigates the public toward rebellion and corruption. In 'Animal Farm,' the author employs personification, symbolism, and diction to illustrate vast inequality within the animal farm.

In the passage, personification provides animals, particularly Squealer, with human attributes. Orwell’s wording portrays pigs as intelligent and receptive animals. Their power comes from intelligently manipulating other animals. All the animals on the farm use simple and straightforward language to speak out their mind hence bringing out the inequality between them and the rest of the animals. As observed in the passage, personification is used to make Napoleon appear larger than life, ‘Squealer would talk with tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon’s wisdom, the goodness of his hear and the deep love he bore for all animals’ (8.27.9). Squealer’s personification highlights the propaganda he spreads to influence animal society and uplifts Napoleon’s power. Therefore, the author’s application of personification elevates the rich and keeps Napoleon in power due to the newly found respect from the rest of the animals (8.27.15).

In this particular passage, the application of symbolism amplifies Napoleon's reign and enforces his authority over the people., Squealer's poem symbolizes an unequal society. The poor believe Squealer’s propaganda ‘under the guidance of our leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days’ (8.27.13). In the end, the poor let Napoleon rule over them.

Utilizing diction to bring out Napoleon’s prominence is a unique way of comparing other animals to Napoleon’s glorious leadership. The use of formal language to describe Napoleon sets him apart from the rest of the animals, ‘our leader Comrade Napoleon,' ‘father of animals,' (8.27.2). ‘Terror of Mankind,' ‘Protector of the Sheep−fold,' ‘Ducklings′ Friend,' brings out the image other animals have of him. This causes the audience to realize Napoleon’s prominence in the animal society immediately. In addition, the role of diction in this particular passage sets the mood for Napoleon’s grandeur and glory. The author uses praising words for shaping Napoleon's image and bringing to light his unique leadership qualities. As a result, Napoleon is seen as a demigod born to rule over the animals, which consolidates his power, thus the emergence of an unequal society.

Conclusion

            The personification of pigs helps the author to portray greed, corruption, and unfair society. Personification enables the reader to relate the pig to human actions while exposing Napoleon's corruption and intimidation of his other people from time to time. While people would think that Napoleon did not promptly ascend to power, he failed to meet the people's needs. Furthermore, diction terms such as ‘Our leader’ (8.27.1) builds up Napoleon's image as an authoritarian leader. In terms of diction, the pigs are the only animals with persuasive language to rule other animals. Symbolism reinforces Napoleon’s power giving him more authority over the rest of the animal farm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Orwell, George. Animal farm.