Suilline Hypocrisy (Q2: 6)

Quote: "Boxer and Clover would harness themselves... and tramp steadily round and round the field with a pig walking behind and calling out 'Gee up, comrade!' or 'Woah back, comrade!' as the case may be. (35)

This is describing the work that the animals were doing at the beginning of Animal Farm. All of the animals were working together to achieve the first harvest of the season.

I chose this quote because it uses irony, where the pigs are goading the horses with "Gee up" and "Woah," when they have just finished delivering rhetoric about how Man is always taking credit and food when he produces none of it.

Analysis: The irony inherent in this quote is the point of the whole story. That when any animal, including people, could have an easier time of life, they will. The hypocrisy is especially striking here though since only days before the quote occurs the pigs decide that humans are worthless for their tendency to consume without production. The pigs say that the organization that they do is work aplenty, but that was the function served by people as well. When does coordination become a production r