As a
propagandist, 's job is to convince the other animals that any decisions made byare correct and
that to disobey is to risk reverting to human control. When the pigs move into the farmhouse,
Squealer makes the first substantial change in the Commandments: he adds "with sheets"
to the injunction against sleeping in a bed.
"A bed
merely means a place to sleep in. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed, properly regarded. The
rule was against sheets, which are a human invention... You would not rob us of our repose,
would you, comrades? You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely none of you
wishes to see Jones back?"
(, , msxnet.org)
Squealer uses two techniques here: first, he outright lies and
pretends that the addition was always there. By making the alternative seem seditious, he
convinces the others that the Commandments were not changed, but that they just "don't
remember" the addition. Second, he argues semantics, acting as if the original Commandment
-- which is really about animals adopting human traits -- specified sheets instead of the entire
bed; by moving the goalposts, Squealer is able to bypass the issue of whether the original
Commandment still applies.
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