Squealer, Napoleon's propagandist-in-chief, loyally spouts the changing party line morning, noon, and night. Every time he opens his big piggy mouth, he lies through his teeth, creating a parallel universe where truth and facts no longer have any relevance. But Squealer's lies serve a vital purpose for the new regime—they manipulate the animals into getting them to do what Napoleon wants.
An example of this comes when Squealer tries to justify the pigs hogging all the apples and milk for themselves while the other animals are going hungry. Squealer says that the pigs don't really like apples and milk; they're only eating and drinking these items because, as brainworkers, they need the extra nutrition. Squealer's presenting the pigs' greed as a noble sacrifice: they're consuming food and drink they don't like so that they can be strong enough to be able to run the farm for the good of the other animals.
Another example of manipulation comes when Squealer accuses Snowball of being a traitor. By this time, the absent Snowball has become public enemy number one; he's used as a boogie-man figure by the regime, the scapegoat for everything that goes wrong on the farm. (And an awful lot does indeed go wrong). In his latest unhinged propaganda rant, Squealer claims that Snowball's been plotting with Mr. Jones to take over the farm and restore the hated human oppressor to power. But it need hardly be said that this is a complete lie. Snowball played a leading role in driving Mr. Jones from the farm during the epic Battle of the Cowshed, showing considerable bravery and intelligence in the process. Napoleon, however, deeply resents the prominent role that Snowball played during the battle, and so he uses Squealer to rewrite history, giving the other animals a completely distorted picture of what really happened that day.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
What are two examples of manipulative communication used by the pigs, that in reality mean something different than what is being said?
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