Animal Farm, Truth and The Power of Language : Teaching Literature, Logic and Epistemology Together

Language can create realities, and the totalitarian pigs in George Orwell’s Animal Farm tend to use language in order to control the oppressed animals’ minds and world view. Orwell’s dystopian fable Animal Farm repeatedly deals with manipulative language, and so an analysis of the animal characters’ language may help upper secondary students to understand themes such as the power of language and truth. Moreover, for students to understand the power of language and truth in Animal Farm more easily I, in this essay, argue that logic and epistemology might help. This logical and epistemological perspective can be seen as a philosophical perspective for English teachers and students when they discuss language and truth on the farm. Finally, this philosophical analysis of Animal Farm may also improve students’ logical reasoning skills and critical thinking.