Animal Farm 1

            As this is an election year, I have been more aware of political speeches and campaigns. Last time this country had an election year I was a 4^th grader and had little understanding of the political system around us. Of course I was aware of the importance of Obama and Hillary and even Sarah Palin but since my knowledge and understanding of American history has grown so much since that time, I now see political speeches with a different set of eyes. Learning about how our government was formed and the great lengths gone through by our political grandfathers to ensure freedom and democracy for future generations, has made me understand why elections are so important. Speeches go a long way for candidates and they sway people’s opinions. To be a great speaker is a very powerful thing, it has the power to start a rebellion, to change a country or possibly even a farm.

            In Chapter one of Animal Farm by George Orwell, Major, the prize winning Middle White pig, from the Manor Farm in England, was a persuasive and passionate speaker. Under cover of night he delivers a speech of rebellion to the animals in the farm. He speaks of the evil Man who enslaves animals and gives only the bear essentials of life, only enough food to survive, only a life of work. He speaks of all the cruel deaths the animals will face when they are no longer useful. He appeals to everyone’s concern and everyone’s fears. He singles people out and predicts their doom. He sings a rally song that supposedly came to him in a dream and everyone joins in. They begin to feel like they are part of something, part of a change. Even the simplest animals in the farm were able to catch the tune, if no more, and hum along. They were all sold on the dream of Animalism.

            Major might have had the best intentions for the way life would be under a new rule but unfortunately, he did not see his dream become a reality. Three days after he delivered this speech, he died and his vision will soon become a warped image of itself. Speeches have the power to move you. Marti Luther King helped gain equality for all through his words. Adolph Hitler rallied an entire nation to a killing frenzy with his words. As I watch some of the newest political figures deliver speeches about how things should be done, I wonder, how much are people swayed by not what is being said, but by how it is being delivered?