Manipulation and Language in the English and Pashto versions of novel Animal Farm

Abstract

George Orwell‟s Animal Farm is an allegorical novella translated into Pashto by Rasul Amin during the Afghan War (1979-89). The novel‟s motifs and symbols correspond to the contemporary political situation and thus have artistic and political significance. While there is no explicit mention of Communism or the Russian Revolution (1917), the period in which the novel has been written, it echoes the background of the Bolshevik Revolution. Orwell argues that if a novel does not speak for itself or reflect the spirit of the time that is a sign of its failure. In its Pashto as well as English versions, the implications and abuse of language substantially inherent. This paper analyses the linguistic manipulation employed in the English as well as in the Pashto versions of the novel. The paper concludes that in the novel language has been used as a powerful tool for propaganda in order to obscure factual reality.