When he 'demands' to know of more confessions we can imagine the other animals cowering in fear. He is capable of having his 'comrades' put to death to protect his position. The dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess. Napoleon abuses his power to the point where he even kills some animals. Napoleon uses the word 'voluntary', yet the fact that it will result in reduced rations means that there is no choice for the animals - he is contradicting himself. This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal that absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half. Napoleon announced that there would be work on Sunday afternoons as well. He is presumed to be named after the French emperor Napoleon.
Napoleon often contradicts himself or 'Animalism' in the messages he puts out through Squealer. Napoleon was based on Joseph Stalin, who ruled the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953.
The sense of threat in the way Napoleon speaks 'very quietly', is sinister and menacing, there is a hint that he is planning something and he does not need to raise his voice. The 'Beasts of England' lyrics are: 'Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tidings. He said very quietly that the windmill was nonsense and that he advised nobody to vote for it, and promptly sat down again. The way Napoleon makes his point during meetings carries threat.
