Squealer and the Propaganda of Animal Farm

Full transcript

This is Animal Farm by George Orwell, and this is about Squealer and the propaganda he spreads across the farm to keep every animal under control. Something has gone wrong on the farm, and Squealer is standing in front of the animals, pointing toward Snowball's picture, blaming him for every problem. Squealer tells the animals that if they disobey Napoleon, Mr. Jones could return, and the animals look frightened while Squealer stands confidently in front of them. The animals stop questioning; they gather around Squealer, listening silently while he speaks, and though some look confused, nobody argues with him anymore. The animals look at the Seven Commandments painted on the barn wall while Squealer stands nearby, and one of the commandments has been subtly altered. Squealer stands proudly beside the commandments while the other animals stare at them uncertainly, and the pigs in the background clearly benefit from the changed rules. This is how propaganda works on Animal Farm: fear, silence, and lies slowly rewrite the truth until the animals no longer remember what was ever real.