CHAPTER 3

EMILY, HARRIET, KAYLEIGH, LARA

 CHAPTER THREE

• The animals successfully complete the harvest in less time that Jones and his men, despite the farm tools being
made for humans.
• Boxer distinguishes himself as a strong, tireless worker, admired by all the animals.
• The pigs direct the animal workers and on Sundays, the animals meet in the big barn to listen to Snowball and
Napoleon debate (they never agree on any topic).
• Snowball proves successful at bringing a degree of literacy to the animals, who learn to read according to their
varied intelligences. He reduces the Seven Commandments to a single slogan: “Four legs good, two legs bad.”
• Napoleon takes the pups of Jessie and Bluebell away from their mothers, presumably for educational purposes,
where they aren’t seen again.
• The animals learn that the cows' milk and windfallen apples are mixed every day into the pigs' mash. When the
animals object, Squealer explains that the pigs need the milk and apples to sustain themselves as they work for
the benefit of all the other animals.
 POWER

“The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge it
was natural that they should assume the leadership.” (p. 17)

Firstly, Orwell uses the device of alliteration to convey the theme of power in chapter three. When the all
the animals are working “the pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With
their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership.” (p. 17). The alliteration of
the sly ‘s’ sound in “supervised” and “superior” connotes a sense of sneakiness and distrust. This shows
that the pigs assumed power over the other animals because they had a ‘master plan’ that required their
superiority and power. Similarly, the words “knowledge” and “natural” both have a commanding ‘n’ sound
which displays the pigs power by the harshness of the words. Therefore, Orwell successfully conveys the
theme of power in chapter three by using the literary device of alliteration.
 LEADERSHIP

“The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge
it was natural that they should assume the leadership.” (page 17)

The literary device that is present within this quotation is foreshadowing. This is because it displays how
the pigs established their power and leadership from the very beginning and overtime, planted into the
animals minds that their knowledge is far more superior therefore, exempting them from any hard
labour to be tended to. The use of the word ‘natural’ with its connotations of ‘effortlessly’ and without
‘hesitation’ or ‘contradiction’ clearly reinforces and positions readers to see the pig’s intentions from
the beginning after Major’s death to take full control over the farm and establish the most dominant
position of Leadership and leading and ordering the animals on the farm- which includes being exempt
from anything the pigs thought would jeopardise their power or position of leadership. And how from
this, have sown into the other animal’s mind on the farm and have become used to the fact or accepted
that the pigs are the masters/ leaders and must obey their orders.
 MANIPULATION

Finally, Orwell cleverly positions readers through the use of irony and foreshadowing, to see that when leadership is abused for individual gains, it can corrupt.

“’Comrades!' he cried. '…Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain
substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and
night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink the milk and eat those apples.” (p. 23 )

Squealer refers to the animals as ‘comrades’, connoting ‘companion’, ‘friend’ and ‘equal’. Here, Orwell has skilfully used irony by juxtaposing this with Squealer’s
patronising speech where he states; ‘The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us’ and ‘...we are watching over your welfare’, indicating that
the pigs believed themselves of greater importance. This role the pigs had as ‘brainworkers’; connoting ‘intelligence’ and ‘all-knowing’, is significantly similar to the
role of a superior leader; foreshadowing the eventual destruction of a supposedly egalitarian society. Additionally, Squealer takes advantage of the animals’ lack of
education by using complex language such as ‘…proved by science’, ‘welfare’ and others such as ‘tactics’ (p.43) and ‘repose’ (p.50) to unable them from
questioning his decisions. This invites readers to see how the pigs abused their leadership by manipulating language to convince the farm that acquisition of the
milk and apples was to the benefit of the animals, for the selfish purpose of individual gains. Moreover, this division between the educated and uneducated
enables the pigs to separate themselves and gain more power and control. Through this growing disparity between the pigs and animals, and their immoral use of
propaganda, Orwell has effectively used foreshadowing to suggest eventual dictatorship and corruption.To conclude, Orwell, through the use of irony and
foreshadowing, positions readers to see that when leadership is abused by manipulating language over the uneducated for personal benefits, it can result in an
imbalance of society and eventual corruption.
THE END