Animal Farm 3 Essay, Research Paper

Question: Write the importance in the book ^?Animal Farm^? of Squealer.

Sly, greedy, crafty, these are just a few characteristics that describe

Squealer. Squealer is also a messenger, an actor, a persuasive

speaker, a follower, and a liar. He^s nimble, he^s clever, he^s

manipulative and most of all he^s sneaky. Squealer uses his

intelligence to persuade the other animals into doing what Napoleon

wants, when they don^t really want to do it. He uses his craftiness

and cunning to deceive the animals into thinking that he is on their

side and that he^s doing all he can to help them. His acting ability

can mislead the animals into thinking that he^s one of their closest

friends and that he can be trusted with all their secrets. Squealers

slick style makes him an important character in the book ^Animal

Farm^. Squealer is first introduced in chapter 2, and he commits his

first deed in chapter 3. This deed is an example of Squealers

persuasive speaking. Snowball and all the other pigs decided that

Squealer should tell all the other animals that all the windfall apples

would be collected and given to the pigs. The pigs also wanted extra

milk to be mixed in with their mash. Squealer explains to the other

animals that the pigs are taking the apples and milk merly for their

health. He uses this excuse to persuade the animals into thinking that

they should give them the extra food and drink. He says to them

^Comrades! You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in

selfishness and privilege?^ He then goes on to say ^Milk and apples

(this has been proved by science, comrades) contain substances

absolutely necessary to the wellbeing of a pig. We pigs are brain

workers, the organisation of the farm totally depends on us^. Squealer

says that the pigs are taking the apple! s and milk in the good of the

other animals because, he says that Jones will come back if they

don^t. This immediately makes the animals want to give the extras to

the pigs. Squealer uses this fear of Jones coming back as one of his

main arguments. Another example of Squealers persuasive talent is in

chapter 5. This is where Napoleon drives Snowball off the farm using

his dogs. Napoleon asks Squealer to go round the farm and explain to

the others the new arrangements. Squealers main objectives in this

speech is to give good reasons why Napoleon drove Snowball out, to put

down Snowball as much as possible and to also make them want to be

commanded and cared for by Napoleon. One of the ways that Squealer

puts up Napoleons status is by saying that he has taken on more

responsibility. He says ^Comrades, I trust that every animal here

appreciates the sacrifice that comrade Napoleon has made in taking this

extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine, comrade, that leadership !

is pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility.

No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon does, that all

animals are equal^. He then puts down Snowball by saying ^Suppose you

had decided to follow Snowball, with his moonshine of

windmills-Snowball, who, as we know now, was no better than a

criminal?^ One of the animals then shouts out ^He fought bravely at the

battle of the cowshed^. Squealer then goes on to say ^Bravery is not

enough, loyalty and obedience are more important. We now have found

out that Snowball^s part in the battle of the cowshed was much

exaggerated. Discipline, comrades, iron discipline! That is the

watchword for today. One false step and our enemies would be all over

us. Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back?^ Once again

Squealer uses the argument of Jones coming back and once again this

argument is unanswerable. Squealer then goes on to say that Napoleon

is always right and Boxer adopts this as one of his max! ims.

Squealers speaking ability is his primary talent. Another good example

of this skill is in chapter 7 when some animals (including some of the

pigs) start to rebel. In this example Squealer says to the other

animals that Snowball teamed up with Jones to try and recapture the

farm. In this particular example one of the animals says in Snowballs

defence that he fought well in the battle of the cowshed, and that

everyone saw him running with blood seeping out of him. Squealer

replies by saying, ^That was part of the arrangement! Jones^ shot only

grazed him. I could show you this in his own writing, if you were able

to read it. The plot was for Snowball, at the critical moment, to give

the signal for flight and leave the field for the enemy. And he very

nearly succeeded-if it had not been for our heroic leader comrade

Napoleon^. Squealer recalls the battle of the cowshed with much detail

of Napoleon saving the farm that although the animals don^t actually

recall it t! hey think that because Squealer has remembered it in much

detail that it must have happened. This is also an excellent example

of Squealer manipulating the other animals. He also takes their lack

of intelligence to advantage. Personally, I think that Squealer is

more important under the reign of Napoleon. I think that when Snowball

was in charge Squealer was living in his shadow. Squealer wasn^t being

used to his full potential under Snowball, but when Snowball had gone

Napoleon took advantage of all his talents, especially his speaking

ability. It^s like he^s second in command when under the reign of

Napoleon. This also is an example of him always being a follower and

never a leader. Although Squealer is a good persuasive speaker, he^s

also a back stabbing liar. A good example of this is also in chapter

7. In this example Squealer announces that the hens must surrender

their eggs for trade with a neighbouring farmer. This shows that

Squealer is a liar because he gets the hens friendship by talking to

them and he says that he^s doing the best for them, then he back stabs

them and asks for their eggs. Squealer knows that the hens aren^t

going to protest against the pigs because he knows that they^re not

intelligent enough to understand what is actually happening. This also

shows Squealers acting skills, as he pretends to be everyone^s friend.

There is a speech in chapter 9 where Squealer is explaining the death

of Boxer to the others. In this speech he combines his persuasive

speaking talent, his acting ability, his greed and also his cunning.

Squealer announces the death of Boxer, and he says that he died in a

veterinary hospital. Every animal on the farm knew that Squealer was

lying and that he had been taken to the slaughterhouse. Squealer says

that he was at Boxers deathbed at that his last words were ^Long live

Animal Farm, long live comrade Napoleon, Napoleon was always right^.

At this point Squealers demeanour suddenly changes. Squealer obviously

knew that they weren^t buying his story, this might be because some of

them could read ^Horse Slaughterer^ on the side of the van. Squealer

uses his cunning to wiggle his way out of this by saying that the

knackers had previously owned the van, and that the veterinary surgeon

that had brought it had not had the time to paint over it. Squealer

had now won ov! er the less bright animals and he left the bright

animals to think what they want. This was wise of him because he knew

that if they brought the subject up in front of Napoleon then he would

simply set his dogs on them and they would be executed. Squealer is a

manipulative, clever pig who could persuade black to turn into white.

He^s a follower who obeys whoever is in charge. His importance

increases I think under the reign of Napoleon. Squealer^s sly style

unconditionally makes him an important character in the book ^Animal

Farm^.