Old Major Rhetorical Essay

Words: 650
Pages: 3

In his grandiose speech, Old Major argues that the animals of Animal Farm need to rebel because their wellbeings are being neglected by the humans that live and work on the farm. Old Major’s speech is an acclamation to the mistreatment of the animals that is occurring on the farm, and is his solution to fix it. In his speech, Old Major accomplishes this task by using a variety of rhetoric.
Based off the SOAPS method, the rhetorical situation of the speech can be described as a revolution. By using the occasion of neglect, the elderly pig endorsed an uprising to remove Man, “There comrades,” he said to them, “is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word-Man. Man is the only real enemy we have,” (6). Old Major’s audience was clearly defined as his fellow animals at the farm, but eventually, the word of the rebellion would be broadcasted to thousands of animals around the world, inciting panic in the humans. The pig’s reputation with the animals was distinguished and illustrious. They all believed his word just as they would if he claimed the grass was green. He was a leader of troubled people, and troubled people tend to follow those who give them hope.
The appeals of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos in Old
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Similarly, his utilization of trigger words such as, “weak”, “lord”, “starving”, tyranny”, and “horror”, to create visions in the minds of the animals to show them his beliefs of the actions of humans. Old Major’s sentence structure consists of short, choppy verses and rhetorical questions, exclamatory, interrogative, and declarative sentences. The words arrangement provides his audience with literal imagery and a clear display of Old Major’s tone. The word ‘comrade(s)’ is repeated many times throughout the speech; it is almost as if he wants to make sure that the animals of Animal farm knew that they were a group and knew that he considered them to be his