Saturday, May 26, 2018

What does Squealer say will happen when some of the animals complain that the pigs get all the milk and apples?

I assume that you're referring to Animal Farm by George Orwell. Squealer is effectively the pigs' chief propagandist, devising ever more elaborate (and unconvincing) justifications for their tyrannical behavior. When some of the animals complain about the pigs getting all the milk and apples, he says,

"Comrades!" he cried. "You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. 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 organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples."

Squealer's little speech is meant to be persuasive, but no one is really convinced. The use of science to justify the pigs being "more equal than others" is a cynical attempt by the pigs to cloak their greed in the language of selflessness. "Well," Squealer says, "we'd really rather not drink this milk and eat these apples, but you know, science tells us that we must. In any case, it's not just good for us, it's good for you too. We are the brain-workers. If we're not healthy, then the whole farm will go to wrack and ruin. Then where would you be? You need us, and you need us to be healthy. That is why we keep the milk and apples for ourselves."
Orwell is making a satirical point. Communist regimes claim to be built on the principle of equality, yet those in charge enjoy a much better standard of living than everyone else. If anyone should challenge them (if anyone dared to, that is) they would use the kind of phony arguments used by Squealer to justify their cynical, self-serving actions.

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