"Animal Farm" by George Orwell: Can you be persuaded?

Essay by jmmgirl123High School, 11th gradeA+, February 2006

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There are many different techniques to use when writing propaganda. Some methods surpass others, but many of them are very swaying! People use glittering generalities, intimidation, and loaded words, to make people believe what they are trying to spread. Many different types of people use techniques like these everyday, including politics, authors, actors, and sales people. The book "The Animal Farm" also uses propaganda, and shows how convincing it can be.

Glittering Generalities are words that are pretty, but actually mean very little, they are used to make things seem very large and important, when in reality the words mean nothing special! In "The Animal Farm", Moses the tame raven talks about a Sugar Candy Mountain, he states "It was situated somewhere up in the sky, a little distance beyond the clouds, Moses said." This raven uses the method of glittering generalities, to persuade other animals to believe in a fabricated mountain.

Moses enlightens the other animals with stories of a wonderful place up in the sky, filled with sugar and candy. "This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations cut by half." This shows glittering generalities, because the animals believe that the work is voluntary, but in actuality its not. When the pigs use the word voluntary it makes the animals think that they have a choice in the matter, but if they do not "choose" to do the work they will starve. Hearing the word voluntary makes you think that you are doing something wonderful for others, which will usually make you want to word harder. Squalor tells the other animals about the crimes that snowball has committed, he says, "I will even say comrades, he would have succeeded if it had not been for our heroic leader, comrade...