Language is a powerful tool, and those who are skilled with it can easily manipulate people in believing or doing anything. In the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, after the animals on the farm have rebelled against the owner and driven out all of the humans, the pigs on the farm assumed positions of leadership. They were educated, and knew how to read and right, and because of this it was easy for them to assume not only a position of authority, but an air of authority as well. The other animals regarded them as smarter and more capable because they understood language and used it well. The pigs used language to control the other animals. One of the most effective ways was with their mantras. The pigs implemented a saying among the animals: "Four legs good, two legs bad", which controlled the animals' every action. The other animals were so terrified of humans coming back and retaking the farm that the pigs could use that fear as an excuse to justify anything they did. The animals also found community a sense of community through language. They all learned a song called "The Beasts of England", which they sang regularly as a moral booster. Similarly, in the movie The Wave, the students in Mr. Ross,s classroom found a sense of community through their mantra ("Strength Throigh Discipline"), but this was more corrupted idea of "for the good of the group". In
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AuthorHi, I'm Courtney! You can learn more about me in the About Me section. Archives
May 2017
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