Kingsley 1

Hunter Kingsley

Period 1

October 8, 2019

Animal Farm Essay

In his speech at the beginning of the novel, the wise old pig named Major used ethos,

pathos and logos to stir the animals into rebellion. This speech ended up being one of the main

reasons why the animal farm was doomed from the start. At the very beginning of Majors

speech, he opens with stating that, “I have had a long life, I have had much time for thought as I

lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that I understand the nature of life on this earth as

well as any animal now living,” (Orwell 28). This is an example of ethos, because he is

explaining to the other animals that because he has lived a long time, and had a long time to

think, he knows more than everyone else. Major stating this helped seal the animal’s fate because

it ensured that they would blindly listen to him and carry out his wish. Throughout his speech,

major states examples of many of the animal’s gruesome fates after they become useless to the

farmer, Mr. Jones. An example is when Major asks the hens, “how many eggs have you laid in

this last year, and how many of those eggs have ever hatched into chickens? The rest have all

gone to market to bring money in for Jones and his men,” (Orwell 29). Major also details that “as

for the dogs, when they grow old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns

them in the nearest pond,” (Orwell 30). These are both examples of pathos, because Major is

trying to get the animals to sympathize with each other. He also used it as a means of pointing

out that Jones is the main enemy because Jones is the one doing all the horrible actions. This

helped seal the animal’s fate because it focused all their efforts on Jones. If there was an enemy,
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the animals would have focus and a motivation, but without an enemy, the animals would have

nettle to no motivation. They would possible even realize the wrongdoings that Napoleon would

later commit. In the middle of his speech, Major uses an example of logos. He states the fact that,

“The soil of England is fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance to

an enormously greater number than the animals that inhabit it,” (Orwell 28). Major is using facts

to prove that the farm under animal rule would prosper rather then under Jones. In his speech,

Major uses ethos, pathos, and logos to convince the animals to rebel against Mr. Jones. The

animals sealed their own fate by blindly following Major and rebelling without any substantial

plans after the rebellion ends.