Manipulation, Hypocracy and Propaganda

             Throughout the novel "Animal Farm", it is shown that control of the farm is accomplished through the deceitful tactics of the pigs. Manipulation, hypocrisy and propaganda are their main devices against the animals in their bid for supreme authority. They use them as psychological weapons to control and suppress the animal's opinions of their rule. It is by these means that they overthrow Jones, and take his place as tyrants.
             Manipulation, as defined by Oxford English Dictionary, is "to manage(a person, situation, etc.)to one's own advantage, especially unfairly or unscrupulously. Napoleon and his lackeys prove this meaning many times. Even at the beginning, immediately after the Rebellion, Napoleon tells the animals that they must get to work, while "the milk will be attended to". It is not difficult to guess who was "attending" it, especially since the milk disappeared when the day was done. When the animals start to realize something is wrong, such as Snowball's swift exile, it is usually Squealer who saves the day for Napoleon. He turns their ideals and views so that they benefit him. He takes control of the situation by threat if needed with several dogs baring their teeth. Even the ignorant sheep were manipulated into the maxim "Four legs good, two legs bad!". They often silenced the other more troubled animals before any argument arose. It seemed that Napoleon ruled the farm from the beginning.
             Multiple times through the course of the novel, the pigs alter the Commandments to fit their own desires. When they wish to sleep in beds, they add "with sheets" to the commandment, so that they may still be considered living the laws of Animalism in full. They also use this method when they murder the other animals, start consuming alcohol, and make the contradictory and infamous statement: "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others". This is when the hypocrisy reaches its height.