Rhetorical Devices Used In Animal Farm

Writing Activity 1

Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegory in that the animals on the farm represent human activity. If it was not an allegory, the characters would be humans, not animals. This novella has two political overtones within this story. On one level there are animals that stand for types of people and ideas. On another level you have animals that relates to politics, and morals. In Orwell’s novella just about everything represents something else. The retelling of the story shows the development in Soviet communism using animals in Animal Farm to allegorize the rise of power of Stalin. For example, after serious disregard by their owner, the animals revolt and throw out Mr. Jones and his wife from the farm. Creatures are yearning for freedom but in the end become depraved by accepting the very power that had initially persecuted them. This shows in the text when “Old Major, the prize white boar “states, “Man is the only creature that consumes with producing.”

The pigs use “comrade’ to confront each other so the less astute animals believe they are equal. Another example of a rhetorical component deals with the Seven commandments. The repetition of the words “Whatever goes upon,” and “No animal shall,” emphasizes the necessity for all of the animals to obey the commandments. Another form of a Rhetorical component in Animal Farm comes in the form of allusion. This shows with the “Battle of the Cowshed” being portrayed as an allusion to the Russian Revolution. Parallelism’s are also used as rhetorical components in Animal Farm. For example, The Battle of Stalingrad which was the German invasion of Russia during WWII parallels with the Battle of Windmill in the story. Animalism parallels to communism. The animal revolt parallels with the Russian