Propaganda and Self Deception in Animal Farm

It only takes a bit of doubt to make someone consider even the most horrible acts. Eric Hoffer once said, “Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves.” In other words, it is a misconception that propaganda convinces people to follow a certain ideology; propaganda only gets them thinking and leads them to make up their own conclusions. This is true because people are subject to many forms of propaganda in their lives, however most people are able to decide what they choose to do with it. In the allegorical and dystopian novella, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the animals are faced with many situations where they are presented with propaganda; as seen through the development of the characters and the author’s

treatment of the main themes of the novella. The concepts of fear, trust, and intelligence lead to the animals to deceive themselves with the propaganda that they are presented with.
Fear is effectively used throughout the novella to create intimidation in the animals which leads them to believe the propaganda that the pigs present to them. Squealer often acts as the manipulator and twists around the facts to suit the pigs on animal farm. The other animals believe them because they fear what could happen to them, especially if Squealer abuses his power and supremacy.

The first reference of fear is seen when Napoleon and Squealer use their supremacy to create an edict that no one can go against their wishes. In Chapter 5, Napoleon “uttered a high pitched whimper…and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bouncing into the barn” (Orwell 35). The viciousness of the dogs creates fear in all the animals, rendering them too scared to speak; which makes it very easy for Napoleon to get his way and become the sole leader of Animal Farm. Following this incident, the dogs become a symbol of fear and death to the animals. Another stark and disturbing example of the fear tactics use is in chapter 7, when Napoleon’s dogs kill four pigs that question Napoleon’s authority. Even more animals are forced to confess and as a result, three hens, a goose, and three sheep are slaughtered. Napoleon continues killing animals until “there was a pile of corpses lying at his feet and air was heavy with the smell of blood” (Orwell 57). Fear is instilled in all of the animals and they are now even more terrified than ever because their own race is being killed. Their feelings of fear are

heightened because they now know that anything they do or say that go against Napoleon will result in severe punishment. In addition, Squealer intensifies the sense of fear in the animals by threatening the return of Jones. When the seven commandments are created, there is a ban on pigs sleeping in beds. Later on, when the pigs move into the farmhouse and begin sleeping in the beds which lead the animals to voice their disappointment and concern. However, Squealer reassurew them by saying “I can tell you, comrades with all the brainwork we do nowadays. You would not rob us of our repose, would you comrades? You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones come back?” (Orwell 80) This statement further reinforces a sense of fear upon the animals that they disregard their own beliefs of the original seven commandments because they prefer the current circumstances than Jones coming back. In other words, the pigs use fear to force the animals do things and have security that they will not do anything to corrupt this. Overall, the pigs use the fear to pressure the animals to deviate from their own beliefs and into believing what the pigs want them to believe.
The idea of trust is also used in this novella to allow Napoleon to take charge of them and force them into believing false information. One of the first ways trust is presented as a means to manipulate the animals is the way Napoleon and Squealer present themselves to the animals. Napoleon and Squealer present themselves in a way that makes them seem like they’re so good and always looking out for the welfare of the animals. They portray themselves to be the caring and good and who always did the right thing, which convinces the animals that whatever they say or do is always the best thing. Even when the animals are in situations of doubt about what is happening, their trust and loyalty with Napoleon and Squealer overcome everything and ultimately lead them to deceive themselves. For example, in chapter 6, Boxer says “I will work harder and Napoleon is always right.” (Orwell 41) The second and most important way trust is used to manipulate the animals is through their faith in animalism. Many misuses of animalism are documented throughout the story, specifically in chapter 6, when the pigs change one of the seven commandments to fit their needs. The pigs changed the commandment that read “No pigs shall ever sleep in a bed” (Orwell 15) to “No pigs shall ever sleep in a bed with sheets” (Orwell 45). Squealer uses his manipulative abilities to confuse the animals and state that they are not remembering the commandment correctly. The animal’s faith and trust in animalism and its commandments lead them to be deceived and more importantly, deceive themselves repeatedly. The animals trust in the commandments of animalism allow Napoleon to deceive them throughout the entire novella. Overall, the pigs use the trust they know the animals have to make them deceive themselves by turning truth into a vice.
One of the final ways Animal Farm is able to represent this quote is through the intelligence of the other animals and the drawbacks that come along with it. The animals consistently allow themselves to be deceived because they see themselves as unintelligent creatures, and view the pigs as highly intelligent creatures. The fact that they view the pigs as intelligent creatures makes them think that the pigs know better than them, and because of this, they go along with all their decisions. They think that because the pigs say that they are more intelligent, that all the decisions they make are better than the ones they could make, so they do not even bother to argue or rebel. For example, in chapter 6, when Napoleon says that Sunday meetings will be cancelled and that all decisions will be decided by a council of pigs, the animals response is “Several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments” (Orwell 36) The second way intelligence is used in the favour of the pigs is the pigs make themselves seem so experienced, and animals view themselves as unexperienced. Since they see themselves as inexperienced in running a farm, they do not know better to not believe everything the pigs say. Ultimately, the pigs use the inexperience and insecutity of the animals to their advantage in making them deceive themselves. For example, in chapter 6, the animals’ lack of experience is shown when they build the walls of the windmill too thin and they collapse. The animals are in disbelief when it happens, “A terrible sight had met their eyes. The windmill was in ruins.” (Orwell 47) In short, the pigs use the inexperience and lack of intelligence in the animals to make them deceive themselves.
Eric Hoffer once said, “Propaganda does not deceive people, it merely helps them to deceive themselves.” This is true in politics and many historical events, especially in the dystopian novella, Animal Farm. In this text, the animals struggle with whether or not to believe the facts with which they are presented with, but ultimately they believe them. They struggle primarily with deceiving themselves because of the fear of the consequences they will face if they do not abide. In addition to that, their trust in animalism coupled with their intelligence and lack of experience leads them to unknowingly go along with the false information they are told. All of these aspects combined together create situations where the animal’s survival is dependent on them deceiving themselves. This famous work of literature can show that although a person can be presented with so much manipulation and false information, ultimately the person’s own beliefs will determine whether it will be accepted.