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Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Milk and Apples:
When the animals protest that the pigs are taking all the milk and apples for themselves, Squealer uses hyperbole to argue with them. In so doing, be foreshadows the pigs' future exploitation of resources:
“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.”
In his speech, Squealer uses clever rhetorical manipulation to justify the pigs’ consumption of milk and apples. Although these are resources that would benefit all of the animals, Squealer uses hyperbole to exaggerate their importance to the pigs. If things were truly equal, the milk and apples would be shared equitably. However, Squealer squashes this possibility with pseudoscience, stating that these luxuries are necessary for the “brainwork” the pigs must do to run the farm. He even pretends that eating apples is actually a sacrifice for the pigs, and that they must do so even if they “dislike them.” Through these hyperbolic protestations, Squealer twists the truth to position a luxury for the pigs as a necessity for the greater good. This manipulation foreshadows the way the pigs will later distort facts to support their choices. By saying that "science" supports the pigs’ need for apples and by making the other animals feel guilty for protesting, Squealer suppresses any counter-arguments they might make. This is one of the first times this silencing happens, and it sets the stage for the broader exploitation of the animals who don’t do the farm’s “brainwork.”
Related Themes:
