animal farm
orwell
Chapter 1
P- I predict that the animals will make too much noise and the farmer will hear them.
P- I predict that there will be a power struggle amongst the animals after the humans are gone.
P- I predict that the animals will not be able to sustain the farm when the humans are not around to tend to it.
I- I picture the farmer's lantern swinging from side to side because he is so drunk.
I- I picture the animals all gathered together, eagerly awaiting Major to talk about his dream.
I- I picture farmer Jones firing his shotgun into the darkness to scare away what he thought was a fox.
C- The various animals all have varying views, each coinciding with the views of various people involved in the Russian revolution.
C- The animals all begin to realize that they agree with Major in that the humans need to be taken out so that the animals can be free.
C- The animals scatter and end their meeting when Mr. Jones fires his shotgun outside.
T- Why don't the animals just try to escape from the farm, instead of staying and suffering?
T- Why do the animals get behind Major and his ideas about taking the humans down so easily?
T- Why does Mr. Jones treat the animals so badly?
U- I can sympathize with the animals and the way that they feel oppressed by the humans.
U- I think that the animals have such a deep seated hatred of the humans because they have endured generations of pain at their hands.
U- There are elements of the story already evident that are reminiscent of the Russian revolution, like how Old major seems like Lenin and he is getting the oppressed people worked up and angry at their government.
R- The animals of the Manor farm gather in the barn after the drunken farmer goes off to bed to talk about the old and respected boar Old Major's dream that he had. He talks about how the humans have oppressed the animals and how the animals should rise up against the humans and take back what is theirs. Then Old major teaches the animals the song "The Beasts of England".
P- I predict that the animals will make too much noise and the farmer will hear them.
P- I predict that there will be a power struggle amongst the animals after the humans are gone.
P- I predict that the animals will not be able to sustain the farm when the humans are not around to tend to it.
I- I picture the farmer's lantern swinging from side to side because he is so drunk.
I- I picture the animals all gathered together, eagerly awaiting Major to talk about his dream.
I- I picture farmer Jones firing his shotgun into the darkness to scare away what he thought was a fox.
C- The various animals all have varying views, each coinciding with the views of various people involved in the Russian revolution.
C- The animals all begin to realize that they agree with Major in that the humans need to be taken out so that the animals can be free.
C- The animals scatter and end their meeting when Mr. Jones fires his shotgun outside.
T- Why don't the animals just try to escape from the farm, instead of staying and suffering?
T- Why do the animals get behind Major and his ideas about taking the humans down so easily?
T- Why does Mr. Jones treat the animals so badly?
U- I can sympathize with the animals and the way that they feel oppressed by the humans.
U- I think that the animals have such a deep seated hatred of the humans because they have endured generations of pain at their hands.
U- There are elements of the story already evident that are reminiscent of the Russian revolution, like how Old major seems like Lenin and he is getting the oppressed people worked up and angry at their government.
R- The animals of the Manor farm gather in the barn after the drunken farmer goes off to bed to talk about the old and respected boar Old Major's dream that he had. He talks about how the humans have oppressed the animals and how the animals should rise up against the humans and take back what is theirs. Then Old major teaches the animals the song "The Beasts of England".
Chapter 2
P- I predict that the boars Napoleon and Snowball will be the ones who will compete for power once the humans are gone.
P- I predict that the revolution will happen soon.
P- I predict that Farmer Jones will come back to take the farm back from the animals.
I- I picture Napoleon, the large Berkshire boar.
I- I picture Snowball as a smaller, less powerful looking boar.
I- I picture the animals chasing Mr. Jones from the farm.
C- Old Major died in his sleep, presumably from old age.
C- The animals are able to chase Mr. Jones and his family out of the farm.
C- After chasing them from the farm, the animals run into the tool shed and start getting rid of the tools that the farmer had used to oppress them.
T- Why did Mr. Jones not use his shotgun?
T- How did the animals get Mr. Jones to not come back?
T- Why did Mrs. Jones go out the other door instead of trying to help keep the animals in check?
U- I think that Napoleon and Snowball represent Trotsky and Stalin.
U- The theme of animalism is spreading around the farms like communism spread around Russia.
U- I can sympathize with the animals in that they were fed up and finally just lashed out against farmer Jones.
R- Old Major dies in his sleep, but the message of animalism that he started continues to spread. One day Mr. Jones goes out and gets drunk and when he comes back he neglects to feed the animals. The animals get fed up at this and lash out. They chase Mr. Jones and his farm hand out of the farm, and Mrs. Jones sneaks out a different way. The animals get rid of the tools that Mr. Jones used to oppress them and they write the commandments of animalism on the barn wall.
Chapter 3
P- I predict that the pigs having stolen the milk will cause trouble once the other animals figure it out.
P- I predict that the humans will come back to take over the farm once again.
P- I predict that the animals will send messages to other farms to rebel against their human masters.
I- I picture Boxer and Clover hooked up to their harnesses, pulling the cutter or the horse-rake.
I- I picture the montra "Four legs good, two legs bad" painted on the side of the barn.
I- I picture Napoleon training the newborn puppies.
C- The animals have begun tending to the farm, making the best of the tools that the humans had left behind.
C- The pigs have declared themselves the leaders of the farm because of their superior intellect.
T- How are the animals able to use the human tools? Most of them have hooves or paws, so it seems like it would be difficult to grasp
T- Why is Benjamin so sad?
T- How do the animals not see that the pigs are using them to get food for themselves?
U- I think that the animals are actually too dense at this point to see that the pigs are using them for their own personal gain.
U- I think that Benjamin is representative of the fraction of the population during the revolution that simply did not want anything to do with it, fearing that participation may cost them their lives.
R- The animals have begun to work in the fields and tending to the farm by using the tools that Mr. Jones had left behind. The pigs have named themselves leaders because of their superior intelligence, but they are also using the other animals to get the best food and the milk from the cows. Napoleon takes nine pups and begins to train them, and soon the rest of the farm begins to forget that they exist. The pigs convince the animals that they need the milk and the apples in order to continue to lead them and control the farm.
Chapter 4
P- I predict that because the animals in other farms have begun to get word of Manor farm and have begun singing The Beasts of England, other farms will begin to be overtaken.
P- I predict that the animals will be able to overcome the farmers and get them to leave once again.
P- I predict that some of the animals will die in the fight.
I- I picture Mr. Jones and a few other farmers marching down the trail leading up to the farm.
I- I picture the geese attacking the farmers.
I- I picture the farmhand's lifeless body lying in the mud.
C- Farmer Jones has been at the bar, complaining to fellow farmers that he has suffered a great injustice at the hands of the animals.
C- The farmers are coming to the farm to attack the animals and take back the farm.
C- The farmhand was not actually dead, he was merely sent into shock from the strike that he received.
T- Why would the other farmers not take their guns as well?
T- Why was the sheep given the medal after it had died?
T- How did the farmhand not end p dying?
U- The song The Beasts of England is much like the idea of communism, and as it is spreading, the humans are trying to stop it by punishing those who sing it, much like the Russian government.
U- I think that the battle of Cowshed is supposed to be representative of the Russian Civil War?
R- Farmer Jones and a few others come to take back the farm from the animals. They fight outside of the cowshed and a lamb is killed. Some of the farmers are hurt, but none of them are actually killed.
Chapter 5
P- I predict that the animals will end up harming Mollie because she will not abide by the rules of animalism.
P- I predict that the fight between Snowball and Napoleon will get out of hand.
P- I predict that Napoleon will win the power struggle because he is representative of Stalin and Stalin beat out Trotsky (Snowball).
I- i picture Mollie pulling the cart for another farmer.
I- I picture Snowball being chased by the dogs.
I- I picture the animals filing past the skull of Old Major.
C- Mollie betrayed the animals by allowing a human to stroke her nose.
C- Mollie had sugar and ribbons hidden under some straw in her stall.
C- Mollie fled to another farm, seeking better treatment from humans.
T- Why does Mollie not want to do any work?
T- Why did Mollie leave without telling anyone?
T- Why does Napoleon counter everything that Snowball says, and vice versa?
U- I think that Mollie left the farm because she did not really believe in the values of animalism and did not want to work.
U- Mollie symbolizes the Russian royalty after the revolution, and how they fled to other countries.
U- I think that of the two leaders, Snowball is the one who is truly doing things for the farm, while Napoleon is only out for his own betterment.
R- Mollie is caught interacting with a human from a different farm, and is noticed to have been shirking her responsibilities on the farm. After being discovered, she runs away. Snowball has an idea for a windmill that would be able to power the farm and provide electricity. Napoleon does not support the idea, and at the final debate before the election, Napoleon has his dogs chase Snowball out and away from the farm. After this, Napoleon takes charge and begins to exercise martial law on the animals.
Chapter 6
P- I predict that the animals will rise up against Napoleon and his dogs.
P- I predict that the windmill will end up not working.
P- I predict that Mr. Whymper will betray the animals in some way, perhaps giving information to Jones.
I- I picture Boxer pulling the boulder up the hill with all of his strength.
I- I picture Napoleon sleeping in a bed without the covers.
I- I picture the windmill lying in ruins on the ground after the storm.
C- The animals are spending lots of time and energy trying to build the windmill, even though they have hardly enough food to survive.
C- Napoleon has overridden the original rules of animalism and has engaged in trade with a human.
T- How is Boxer so strong?
T- Why does Boxer work so hard, despite the circumstances?
T- Why does Napoleon keep going against the very rules that he helped establish?
U- I think that its ridiculous how much times and effort the animals are putting into making the windmill even though it likely will not work.
U- The work being done on the windmill is representative of the endless projects that Stalin kept the working class busy with so that they would not think about how terrible he was.
R- The animals worked very long and very hard for the entire year on tending to the fields and building the windmill. Napoleon changes more of the commandments to allow the pigs to sleep in beds, wake up early, and get more food than the other animals. One night, a terrible storm hits and knocks down the windmill. Napoleon declares that it was the work of Snowball and issues a reward for anyone who manages to bring him to justice.
Chapter 7
P- I predict that all of the labor and energy that the animals are putting into the windmill will be their downfall.
P- I predict that the animals will reach a breaking point and rebel against Napoleon.
P- I predict that many animals will be killed because they will act out similarly to the hens.
I- I picture Napoleon walking with his escort of vicious guard dogs.
I- I picture the hens in the rafters, dropping their eggs to the ground.
I- I picture the pile of bodies that was left after the string of executions.
C- During the winter, the animals are cold and hungry, and are therefore losing their will to work on the windmill.
C- The animals are beginning to get upset at the way Napoleon is running the farm, and now what they are doing is resembling a rebellion.
C- Napoleon is spreading rumors about Snowball coming into the farm at night to wreak havoc.
T- How are the animals able to deceive Mr. Whymper so easily?
T- Why does Napoleon react so harshly to the Hens' act of defiance?
T- Why are the hens reluctant to give up their eggs to Napoleon, but they are willing to drop them to the same fate.
U- I think that the Hens are trying to get the other animals to get behind them and start to act out against Napoleon's harsh reign.
U- I think that the animals are on the cusp of realizing that Napoleon is taking advantage of them, badly.
R- The windmill is knocked down and the animals try hard to rebuild it. In an effort to protect their image, Napoleon has the animals fill baskets with sand and cover the top to create the illusion that the animals have food. At a meeting, many, many animals are killed for confessing to having collaborated with Snowball to destroy the windmill. The animals realize that this is not what they had in mind when they had started the rebellion. The Beasts of England is put out of use in favor of a new jingle that Minimus wrote.
Chapter 8
P- I predict that all of the rules that have been changed and violated by Napoleon will come back to haunt him.
P- I predict that the animals from animal farm will attack Frederick's farm and kill off the humans there.
P- I predict that Napoleon will die and Snowball will come back to take power.
I- I picture all of the commandments that have been changed since Napoleon has come into power.
I- I picture the escort that Napoleon has acquired for himself, including a cockerel.
I- I picture the dead animals lying on the ground.
C- Napoleon continues to change the commandments to fit his actions, now changing the 6th commandment to "no animal shall kill another animal without cause".
C- Squealer is giving out false data to make it seem as though the farm is doing much better than it actually is.
T- How do the animals keep falling for the same trick of Napoleon changing the commandments?
T- Why do the animals follow Napoleon so blindly that they cannot see that he is hurting them more than he is helping them?
T- Why do animals continue to confess to having plotted with Snowball, knowing that they will be executed?
U- I think that the book is doing an excellent job at following the Russian saga. The animals blindly follow whatever Napoleon says, and they worship him like a god. Instead of returning the love and respect, he is ruling over the animals with an iron fist.
U- I think that the animals continue to sacrifice themselves by admitting to having worked with Snowball because they know that death is better than anything that Napoleon has to offer.
R- It is noticed that the animals have "remembered" one of the commandments wrong, and that is the commandment that says that no animal shall kill any other animal. Napoleon sells the pile of lumber, but it is discovered that the bank notes are not real. Frederick's men come to invade the farm, and there is a big battle. Both sides suffer heavy losses, and the windmill is destroyed in the process. After much celebration, another commandment is changed so that no animal shall drink alcohol to excess. Napoleon begins gathering supplies to brew alcohol.
Chapter 9
P- I predict that Boxer will unable to continue to work as hard as he has been.
P- I predict that the other animals will catch on and begin to get angry at the way that Napoleon is treating the animals.
P- I predict that Boxer will die from his illness.
I- I picture the animals marching around in their spontaneous demonstrations.
I- I picture Boxers face in the window of the van.
I- I picture Squealer giving his excuses to the animals after Boxer was killed.
C- Napoleon is selling much of the rations that were supposed to be reserved for the other animals.
C- Napoleon has made a change to the flag that makes it say long live comrade Napoleon.
C- Boxer is too old to be doing the kind of work that he is doing, and is now suffering the consequences through his poor health.
T- Why does Boxer insist on working so hard for Napoleon, even when he is hurt?
T- Why are the pigs allowed to have such privileges?
T- How was Boxer unable to open the van's doors?
U- The rules that Napoleon is coming up with for the young pigs are becoming increasingly outrageous.
U- Napoleon held an election in which he was the only one running, and he of course won the election. This reminds me of the mock elections that are held in some countries around the world that have similar circumstances, such as there only being a yes option on the ballot.
R- Boxer's hoof heals, and the animals get on with their work on the windmill and keeping to the farm. One day, Boxer collapses and is unable to get up. A few days later, he is taken by some men in a van that says Horse Slaughterer on it, and the animals are unable to chase the van down. Boxer is pronounced dead and Squealer gives the animals excuses for why he was unable to be saved despite their best efforts. The pigs are able to acquire another case of whiskey.
Chapter 10
P- I predict that once Napoleon finally dies off, the animals will be able to live more happily.
P- I predict that the animals will revolt because of their unfair treatment.
P- I predict that the humans will betray the animals after they get what they wanted.
I- I picture
I-
I-
C- The animals finally completed the windmill.
C- The animals have lost their ambition because of all of the work they are doing for the pigs.
C- Napoleon has gained land for the farm by buying it from Pilkington.
T- Why are all of the horses portrayed as being unfortunately ignorant?
T- Why do all of the animals forget about the days of the rebellion?
T- Why do the animals not revolt against Napoleon to achieve the freedom they wanted in the first place?
U- I think that the animals have been so traumatized by what Napoleons have done that they are trying to push the memories away.
U- I think that when there are traditions that come from older generations, they should continue to be passed on.
U- I think that the animals have ceased to work as hard because they cannot see the fruit of their labor anymore.
R- Many years pass and the farm grows to be quite prosperous. However, despite the prosperity overall of the farm, the pigs are the only ones who are truly gaining from any of the benefits. Clover and Benjamin see that instead of the commandments, it is written "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others". After this, Clover and Benjamin see Napoleon and various other pigs cavorting with the humans, and he declares many wild things that are completely against the ideas of animalism. At the very end, Clover notices that she cannot tell the pigs apart from the humans.
characterization
Napoleon: Napoleon ends up being the leader of Animal Farm, after having his entourage of attack dogs chase his competitor Snowball out of the farm. Napoleon is deceitful and only does things to better himself, rather than help better the lives of the animals under his rule. He becomes more and more corrupt, kills animals, changes the original commandments of animalism, and is generally a bad leader. At the end of the book Clover has a hard time telling Napoleon and the other pigs apart from the human beings. Napoleon is based on Josef Stalin. Napoleon is a dynamic and round character, having a personality that changes from being pro-animalism and anti-humanity to being allied with the humans and generally disregarding the will of the animals. Napoleon develops his character from being quiet and reserved to being ruthless and cunning.
Snowball: Snowball is the competitor to Napoleon, and he is the one that the animals seem to have the most respect for. He is a master linguist and he is able to win over the trust and admiration of the animals. He was the true hero of the battle of Cowshed, but after he was chased away by Napoleon's guard dogs, he was made out to be and awful character who was out to get all of the animals. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky. Snowball is a static round character because he is not in the story for terribly long. We are able to see his character develop, showing that he is interested in his own personal gains, but he is also devoted to the furthering of animalism.
Boxer: Boxer is the sturdy, powerful, and loyal workhorse of Animal Farm. He is not terribly intelligent, but he is loyal to fullest extent of the word. Boxer's motto is "I will work harder!". Boxer is a symbol of inspiration to the other animals, and he never ceases to prove his devotion whenever he can. Boxer represents the strong, loyal, working class of the Russian people. Boxer is a static round character, because his attitude toward animalism and the work that he does for never falters, and he is always trying his hardest to get as much work done as possible.
Snowball: Snowball is the competitor to Napoleon, and he is the one that the animals seem to have the most respect for. He is a master linguist and he is able to win over the trust and admiration of the animals. He was the true hero of the battle of Cowshed, but after he was chased away by Napoleon's guard dogs, he was made out to be and awful character who was out to get all of the animals. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky. Snowball is a static round character because he is not in the story for terribly long. We are able to see his character develop, showing that he is interested in his own personal gains, but he is also devoted to the furthering of animalism.
Boxer: Boxer is the sturdy, powerful, and loyal workhorse of Animal Farm. He is not terribly intelligent, but he is loyal to fullest extent of the word. Boxer's motto is "I will work harder!". Boxer is a symbol of inspiration to the other animals, and he never ceases to prove his devotion whenever he can. Boxer represents the strong, loyal, working class of the Russian people. Boxer is a static round character, because his attitude toward animalism and the work that he does for never falters, and he is always trying his hardest to get as much work done as possible.
Themes
Class Separation: Animal farm offers many insights into the world of social organization. The book does an excellent job of illustrating in a bold way the way that the classes of people tend to separate themselves. In the book, the pigs designated themselves as the higher class, explaining to less-intelligent animals that they were smarter ad therefore more fit to lead the other animals and the farm.
The Gullibility of the Working Class: The book often hashes out the idea that the working class is generally quite gullible. In the book, the animals fell for every trick that Napoleon threw at them, including the changing of the original commandments. This is reflective of even today, where the working class often believes anything that the media will tell them, regardless of where the information came from.
Corruption of Power: Perhaps the most important theme in the book is the idea that anyone who has too much power will inevitably become corrupt. This is shown quite clearly by the way that Napoleon changes throughout his reign as "president" of Animal Farm.
The Gullibility of the Working Class: The book often hashes out the idea that the working class is generally quite gullible. In the book, the animals fell for every trick that Napoleon threw at them, including the changing of the original commandments. This is reflective of even today, where the working class often believes anything that the media will tell them, regardless of where the information came from.
Corruption of Power: Perhaps the most important theme in the book is the idea that anyone who has too much power will inevitably become corrupt. This is shown quite clearly by the way that Napoleon changes throughout his reign as "president" of Animal Farm.
Motifs
Songs: The main motif in the book is songs. The book is chock-full of songs, poems, and sayings that all perpetuate the ideas that the book is trying to convey. At the beginning, the Beasts of England was sung by the animals, but as time went on Napoleon decided that the song was no longer need because the rebellion was over. After that he has Minimus create a new song that praised Napoleon, but it did not catch on as Beasts of England did.
symbols
The Windmill: The windmill is an important symbol in the story because it represents the mindless projects that Stalin sent the Russian people on during his reign to keep them occupied. In the same fashion, Napoleon has sent the animals on the project of the windmill, which suspiciously seems to never actually get finished. It is because of this distraction that the animals are unable to focus on the true acts of betrayal that Napoleon is committing.
The Flag: The flag is a less-important symbol, but it represents the communist flag. The hoof and horn represent the hammer and sickle of the communist flag of Russia. Both of the flags were heavily symbolic of the "freedom" of the two nations.
The Flag: The flag is a less-important symbol, but it represents the communist flag. The hoof and horn represent the hammer and sickle of the communist flag of Russia. Both of the flags were heavily symbolic of the "freedom" of the two nations.
Plot line
Setting: Somewhere in England, pre-1950's.
Exposition: The animals on Manor Farm want to rebel against humanity so that they can live in peace.
Rising Action: The animals chase farmer Jones and his farmhands away from the farm and set up a new country they aptly name "Animal farm". The pigs declare themselves the leaders, as they reason that they are the most intelligent and therefore most fit to lead the other animals. Napoleon and Snowball debate heavily and try to win over the opinion of the animals.
Climax: Napoleon's specially trained dogs chase Snowball from the farm and he is never seen again.
Falling Action: Squealer begins to use his superior speaking skills to cover up the atrocities that Napoleon has committed.
Resolution: Napoleon goes into a treaty with the human farms around the Animal farm and announces that he will now call it Manor farm once again.
Exposition: The animals on Manor Farm want to rebel against humanity so that they can live in peace.
Rising Action: The animals chase farmer Jones and his farmhands away from the farm and set up a new country they aptly name "Animal farm". The pigs declare themselves the leaders, as they reason that they are the most intelligent and therefore most fit to lead the other animals. Napoleon and Snowball debate heavily and try to win over the opinion of the animals.
Climax: Napoleon's specially trained dogs chase Snowball from the farm and he is never seen again.
Falling Action: Squealer begins to use his superior speaking skills to cover up the atrocities that Napoleon has committed.
Resolution: Napoleon goes into a treaty with the human farms around the Animal farm and announces that he will now call it Manor farm once again.