The power to lead a civilization can be very tempting not to abuse. Though there are a very few who obtain power and keep it intact, most will abuse it and lead themselves to corruption. In the book, Animal Farm by George Orwell, there are two major characters that stand out: Major and Squealer. How these two characters use their words, tone, and topics to influence the lower animals on Animal Farm to lead them to power are uniquely different.
In the first chapter of Animal Farm, the animals are living their typical lives working for Mr. Jones on Manor Farm when the eldest of the pigs, a boar named Major is introduced. The rest of the animals of the farm (so-called “lower” animals) respect Major and are willing to contribute anything to his ideas. Because he is the eldest of the animals, he has experienced many hardships throughout his life as a boar and due to this fact, his tone of confidence has become to be very reliable by the animals. His topics have also come to be reliable because of his longevity on Manor Farm. In his speech to animals, he states:
“Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labor is stolen from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It I summed up in a single word---Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever” (28).
Major is the only one at this point in time to be able to put forth these words of wisdom and actually convince the lower animals. His experience and knowledge of Manor Farm has put him forth as a leader they can look up to. With such confidence he says these unheard ideas and topics that the lower animals cease to think it cannot work. When Major speaks, it’s as seems nothing can go wrong.
Squealer on the other hand uses a different approach to influence the lower animals. Squealer represents a military-like character by always referring to the lower animals as “comrades”. Squeler's ideas sound very communist-like and his ideas makes him and the pigs sound like dictators. He does this by speaking in a confident tone but his topics and words make his confidence unlike Major's. Instead, his words and ideas are meant to bring fear upon the lower animals and encourage them to work more into following the pigs’ ideas.
“Bravery is not enough. Loyalty and obedience are more important. And as to the Battle of Cowshed, I believe the time will come when we shall find that Snowball's part in it was much exaggerated. Discipline, comrades, iron discipline! That is the watchword for today. One false step, and our enemies would be upon us. Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back?” (79).
Based on this dialogue he gives to the lower animals, Squealer uses a loud and angry tone to bring fear upon the animals and make them do as he pleases based on fearfulness than based on their will, like when Major spoke. This brings communist feeling into Animal Farm, especially how he always brings up the topics of Mr. Jones and his men coming back to take over the farm. He also brings upon them fear when he tells the lower animals that “one false step” and the enemies will be back upon them, bringing him a feeling of more superiority.
While Major depended on the voice of what was right for the animals to influence them (democracy), Squealer used fear to influence them into fighting for his more power to the pigs (communism).
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