Themes — Propaganda, Education & Class

This lesson covers three more themes that run through Animal Farm: propaganda and language, education and ignorance, and class and inequality. These themes are closely interconnected — propaganda works because of ignorance, and class divisions are maintained by both.

---

Propaganda and Language

Orwell believed that language is the most powerful political tool. In Animal Farm, the pigs' control of language is their most effective weapon — more powerful even than the dogs.

How propaganda works in the novel

Technique	How Squealer uses it	Effect on the animals
Repetition of slogans	"Four legs good, two legs bad" / "Napoleon is always right"	Replaces independent thought with mindless chanting
Appeal to fear	"Surely you do not want Jones back?"	Silences criticism through terror
False statistics	Claims food production has risen by 200-300%	Contradicts reality, but the animals cannot verify
Rewriting history	Claims Snowball was always a traitor	Destroys trust in alternative leaders
Altering the Commandments	Adds qualifying phrases to justify rule-breaking	Makes oppression appear legal
Euphemism	Boxer is sent to a "hospital" (actually a slaughterhouse)	Conceals horror behind reassuring language
Complexity as weapon	Squealer uses long words the animals do not understand	Confuses and intimidates

The role of slogans

Orwell shows how slogans simplify complex ideas and shut down debate:

Slogan	What it does
"Four legs good, two legs bad"	Reduces Animalism to a binary — no nuance, no debate
"Napoleon is always right"	Transforms a political leader into an infallible authority
"I will work harder"	Channels dissatisfaction into labour, not resistance
"Four legs good, two legs better!"	Reverses the original slogan — the animals accept the contradiction

Examiner's tip: Orwell shows that propaganda works not by creating new ideas but by preventing thinking. When the sheep chant "Four legs good, two legs bad" over and over, they drown out any attempt at rational discussion. The slogan replaces thought with noise. This mirrors how totalitarian regimes use state media to fill public space with propaganda, leaving no room for dissent.

The Commandments as propaganda

The Seven Commandments function as the farm's constitution — but unlike a real constitution, they can be altered at will by those in power:

Original:  "No animal shall sleep in a bed."
Altered:   "No animal shall sleep in a bed WITH SHEETS."

Original:  "No animal shall kill any other animal."
Altered:   "No animal shall kill any other animal WITHOUT CAUSE."

Original:  "All animals are equal."
Altered:   "All animals are equal BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS."

Each alteration maintains the form of the original while completely destroying its meaning. The animals sense something is wrong but cannot prove it because they cannot read. Orwell demonstrates that legal language, if controlled by those in power, becomes a tool of oppression rather than protection.

---

Education and Ignorance

The relationship between education and power is one of the novel's most important themes. The pigs' ability to read and write is the foundation of their control.

Literacy on the farm

Character(s)	Literacy level	Consequence
The pigs	Fully literate	Can manipulate the Commandments and control information
Benjamin	Fully literate but refuses to read	Chooses apathy; could help but does not
Clover	Can recognise letters but cannot read words	Senses the Commandments have changed but cannot prove it
Boxer	Cannot get past the letter D	Completely dependent on the pigs for information
The sheep	Cannot learn anything beyond a slogan	Weaponised by the pigs as a noise machine

What Orwell is saying about education

1. Literacy is power — those who can read control the rules.
2. Ignorance enables oppression — the animals cannot check the Commandments because they cannot read.
3. Education without action is useless — Benjamin can read but refuses to act; his knowledge is wasted.
4. The powerful have an interest in keeping the masses ignorant — the pigs do not prioritise education for the other animals.