The Role of Propaganda in Animal Farm

Propaganda is the act of perverting information in order to influence the thoughts or actions of others. Propaganda is used in order to accomplish goals which cannot be attained in more honorable or more principled ways. In the novel, Animal Farm, George Orwell’s characters use various examples of propaganda in order to achieve and promote their own selfish desires. Animal Farm is an allegory using a farm as a metaphor of communist Russia under Stalin. The pigs in the novel, or Stalin’s supporters, use propaganda to persuade the other animals to revolt against Farmer Jones, who represents the Czar. Throughout the duration of the Russian Revolution, propaganda served the purpose of keeping Russia under Stalin’s control. After the revolution on the farm, the pigs exploit propaganda to obtain the power of the farm. The following will present examples of how propaganda is used, and what techniques are most prominent.
Scapegoat is the foremost example of propaganda used in the book. Scapegoat is when all of the tribulations and disasters that transpire are attributed to an individual or group. Scapegoat is used frequently in alliance with quick fix – a fast and easy solution to all problems that are occurring in the present time. At the beginning of the novel, we find that when Old Major, the prize Middle White boar, attempts to illustrate his dream, he exclaims, “There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word – Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene … and overwork is abolished forever.” Thus, man serves as the scapegoat for all the animals’ woes. Instead of attempting to look within to find how to solve a problem, it is often easier to cast blame on another. Therefore, “Man” becomes the perfect scapegoat.
Again, we find in the middle of the book that when Napoleon, the pig who represents Stalin, wanted to expand his control, he evicts Snowball, another pig who is meant to parallel Trotzky.