Animal Farm
George Orwell
Contributed by Sharon Fleming
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Chapter 6
Summary

The following year, all the animals dedicate their energy and time to the building g of the windmill. The process is quite tedious and demands all the animals to give the best of their effort and concentration. Boxer emerges as one of the most dedicated and strong animals in the building. Napoleon announces that the Animal Farm is to start trading with the other farms. To facilitate this process, Napoleon hires Mr. Whymper to be his agent. When the humans meet in the pubs, they discuss that the windmill will eventually collapse and the Farm will go broke. By this time, Jones has given up on his attempt to regain control of the farm, and he relocates to another part of the country. The pigs get into the farmhouse and start sleeping on the beds. When questions arise, Squealer justifies the action by saying that the pigs need good rest after a long day's work. During November the same year, a storm blew away the windmill just as the humans had indicated. Napoleon indicates that the disaster has been caused by Snowball. He offers anybody sums of money to any person who will kill Snowball or bring him back to Napoleon alive.

Analysis

As years roll, animals begin to accept Napoleon's propaganda. However, Benjamin has refused to be drawn to the propaganda. He does not see sense where all the other animals see sense and thus refuses to rubberstamp the propaganda of Napoleon. While the animals appear to be working as slaves, they are convinced that "everything they did was for the benefit of themselves" and "not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings." In this way, Napoleon has convinced the animals that everything that they are doing is fine as long as it is not the human beings who will be reaping the benefits. Napoleon makes an order that all the other animals will work on Sunday, but he is quick to say that the program is voluntary. However, those who do not obey this command will have their rations reduced. In this regard, Napoleon can compel unity among the animals by the threat of hunger. While Napoleon is saying that the program is voluntary, it has all the attributes of forced labor, and it is a mark of the beginning of dictatorship.

The evidence of the effectiveness of Napoleon's propaganda is seen in Boxer. Boxer has demonstrated an unwavering g support for the windmill. He refuses to slow down even after being advised by Clover to stop exerting himself. Boxer has only two responses; "I will work harder" and that "Napoleon is always right." The fact that Boxer is limited to slogans is an indication that he is incapable of thinking independently. Leaders such as Napoleon reap the benefits of slogans when the employees end up being devoted and loyal to the leadership.

The politics of ‘sacrifice' is one of the slogans that ate adversely utilized by Napoleon to increase his control over the people. Whenever he blatantly disregards the Seven Commandments, Napoleon will take cover under the umbrella of sacrifice. At the time when Napoleon is disclosing to the public that the Animal Farm will start trading with the humans, he says that all the hens will start selling his eggs. He justifies this course of action with the statement that the hens "should welcome this sacrifice as their special contribution towards the building of the windmill."  Additionally, when Napoleon faces opposition from the animals over the trading and making contacts with the humans, Napoleon tries to convince them that "He intended to take the whole burden upon his shoulders." It is evident that Napoleon uses the idea of sacrifice as a way of either misusing the animals or misusing the products of the labor of the animals.

Squealer continues to bombard the animals with propaganda after another. When the animals object to the trading plans of Napoleon totrade with the humans, the Squealer is quick to generate statements to suggest that the animals never created laws that would prohibit the use of money or trading. He accuses the animals of dreaming about that law. On the reason for sleeping on the beds against the Fourth Commandment, Squealer says that the law was to read that "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets" rather than that, "No animal shall sleep in a bed." In this regard, Napoleon is determined to twist the language as much as possible to confuse and convince the masses as he continues to break the law. Squealer continues to convince the other animals by saying that, "Surely, none of you wishes to see Jones back!"

When the windmill collapses, it is a figurative indication of the collapse of Snowball's aspirations for the future. The moment also provides an opportunity for Napoleon to sieve the moment and make political fodder by accusing Snowball of being responsible for the collapse of the Mill. Napoleon describes Snowball as "the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill.\" From this time, Snowball would be blamed for most misfortunes that Animal Farm would experience. Napoleon makes an immediate order for the start of the rebuilding of the windmill. He then declares that "Long live Animal Farm," when the reader understands it as, \"Long live Napoleon!\"

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