Animal Farm

GEORGE ORWELL
Chapter 1
 All of Orwell’s writing focused on destroying
totalitarianism
 Published in 1945
 Animal Farm is a Fable:
 A story where the characters are less important for
individual characteristics and more important for the
characters/people which they represent
 Many of the characters in Animal Farm represent real
figures from the Russian Revolution
 Chapter 1: Characterization
A. Orwell begins the novel with the third person narrator, why does
he do this?
 Show Mr. Jones as a failed leader: corrupt, flawed, complacent
 Pg. 25, 34
 Jones is symbolic of a leader ripe for take-over
B. Indirectly, Orwell also uses personification to foreshadow their
downfalls: pgs 26-27
 Major: “wise, benevolent” He will not last (27)
 Clover: “Motherly” and “loyal” (26)
 Boxer: Focus on strength, not intelligence. Represents lower class attitude
(26)
 Benjamin: cynical, doesn’t talk. Represents those who won’t help or
oppose (26)
 Mollie: Looks are everything (27)
Chapter 1: Orwell’s Style
 Uses plain language and cumbersome
paragraphs to indirectly plant the seeds
of the revolution
 Old Major’s mottos and rules are bought
by most animals but they cannot all be
followed
C. Satire:
 writing that ridicules a person, a group or an
idea
D. Allegory:
 a narrative in which the characters and setting
stand for abstract ideas
E. Fable:
 a story that teaches a moral; usually short
 Chapter 1: Theme
F. The concept of a Revolution
 Old Major says it is necessary
 Old Major’s one sided facts (28-29)
 “Comrade” a direct link to R.R.
 Major’s rules solidify the revolt and they are the reason
that it fails!
G. The Rules:
 No animal shall live in a house
 No animal shall sleep in a bed
 No animal shall wear clothes
 No animal shall drink alcohol
 No animal shall smoke
 No animal shall engage in trade
 No animal shall tyrannize another animal
Chapter 2
A. Old Major’s Death:
 Very important because it allows the
younger figures to take control (Themes-
Death, Power and authority,
Characterisation.)
 He is an idealist and one would always
wonder how the revolution would have gone
with him there
B. The Hesitant Animals:
 These animals represent the peasants in
Russia (26)
 Don’t want to give up the security of their
current government for the unknown
 Chapter 2
C. The Importance of Persuasion-Squealer:
 Squealer could “turn black into white”
 Squealer is persuasive and cunning
 Through Squealer, Orwell shows that charisma and persuasive
speakers are very important
 He tells animals what they want to hear; Raven tells tales; Snowball
is very firm with Mollie
 How would Squealer have handled Mollie?
Chapter 2

D. Shakespearean Influence:
 Power of three (major dies three nights later,
three pigs in control)
 Buried in the orchard
 Rebellion begins on a midsummer’s eve (ala
Midsummer Night’s Dream)
E.
Chapter 2
The commandments:
1. 2 legs bad
2. Four legs-wings good
3. No clothes
4. No bed
5. No alcohol
6. No killing
7. All animals equal
– Mollie tries on ribbons on pg 31
– If the leaders single items out and say “NO” then the
peasants will want them more!
– The pigs turn into hypocrites later because of these
commandments
– In #2, “friend” is spelled “friend” and looks like “Fiend”
– Lies and corruption have already begun because the milk
is gone (34)
 Chapter 2
E. The commandments:
1. 2 legs bad
2. Four legs-wings good
3. No clothes
4. No bed
5. No alcohol
6. No killing
7. All animals equal
– These are written in parallel; begin and end with
commandments aimed at uniting the animals and
establishing basic beliefs
– 3-5 are big mistakes based on psychology, these
items make the citizens want to do these things
more
Chapter 3

A. Moving Away from Old Major’s Vision:

A. Classless society?
B. Squealer destroys this society when he says
that Jones would come back without the pigs
(42)
C. The pigs do no work (35)
D. A class system is beginning to emerge…
Chapter 3

A. The New Vision…

 Squealer always uses fear to solidify the pig’s
place and this fear is used to persuade others
into submission (41-43)
 The new system of manipulation is based on
fear and psychology
 Old Major would have opposed all of this
 Chapter 3
B. Snowball vs.. Napoleon
• A great divide is forming
• Snowball’s committees is a different way of leading (39)
 Wants to establish ownership of Animalism among all animals
 Keep all animals busy and they won’t rebel
 Whether any of the committees actually produce good/useable ideas does
not matter
• Napoleon wants to do everything himself and establish a tight
control over the other animals
 Takes the puppies and raises them himself (41)
 Chapter 3
C. Orwell’s Style:
• The book is narrated from the unquestioning point of view of the
animals
• This perspective is used to create irony
• Even though the narrator is not questioning, the reader should be…
Why?
• Napoleon takes the puppies
• The animals forget about them
• The milk disappears
• The apples preserved only for pigs
• The pigs do no work
• All of this should raise suspicion in the reader, even if it doesn’t in
the animals (35, 36, 43)
Chapter 3

 Evolution of Animalism:
 Ironic that the narrator calls the animals
“parasites” on page 36.
 What are the pigs, then?
 Aren’t they doing the same things that the humans
did?
Chapter 4

A. Napoleon:
• He is not mentioned in this chapter
• This is the only post-revolution chapter where
he is not mentioned
• This contrasts with Snowball’s bravery
• Napoleon did not fight, is he dedicated to the
revolution?
Chapter 4

B. Snowball:
• Leads the charge
• Planned defense and military strategies
• Snowball studied Julius Caesar (47)
 An allusion that shows his scholarship and
intellect
• Snowball earns a medal (49)
• Huge gap now between Napoleon and Snowball
C.
The Townspeople
This chapter shows the first reactions to the revolution:
 Apathy -> Disbelief -> Fear -> Self-interest
 This attitude represents the attitude of other countries towards
rebellion
 As the townspeople spread rumors of cannibalism, infidelity, and
torture, it shows their feelings of being threatened
 This is a parody:
• The propaganda the farmers use in their discussions is the same as
the propaganda other nations use as a weapon
 Chapter 5: Napoleon vs.. Snowball
A. Snowball is pure - his name is symbolic
 He is an intellectual and an idealist and his political ideas reflect this
 Napoleon is a tyrant and is named after Napoleon Bonaparte
(allusion)
 Napoleon is economically minded, authoritarian, and a dictator
 The dogs are very allegorical:
 He takes the dogs (the resources of the farm) and uses them against
the farm animals (like a totalitarian dictator would)
 The Windmill
A. Napoleon disagrees with Snowball over the
windmill
 Why does he disagree, then want to build it
anyway?
 Pages 56-57 show the difference in oratory
skills:
 Napoleon is very direct - rules through fear
 Snowball is very eloquent and wants everyone to
agree and work together and believe in the
windmill
 The New Rules
Snowball is eliminated
Napoleon ironically stands where Old
Major once stood to deliver his
speech
Very authoritarian: “I’ll decide and
tell you”
No debates, only private meetings
Napoleon seized control through power
and will rule through fear, confusing
ideas, etc…
 The Characterization of Squealer

 Characterization:
 Has some of Snowball’s traits
 Persuasive and eloquent speaker
 Unlike Snowball, however, Squealer is shallow and a
propaganda machine of the government
 Squealer would never express his own opinions,
even if he had them
 He is exactly what Napoleon needs, but he is very
detrimental to Animal Farm as a whole
 Squealer in Action
B1: Page 59:
 Everything Squealer says contradicts the truth
 No more meetings, but all animals are equal?
 Extra Labor - Napoleon makes all the decisions but does not work
B2: Page 60:
 Completely discounts Snowball’s role in the battle
 Even though the animals saw Snowball fight, they believe Squealer
B3: Pages 60 - 61:
 The pigs are guarded by the dogs
 Them vs.. Us mentality
 Mollie Vs. Boxer
C1: Mollie (51, 52):
 symbolic of the rich, pampered class during a revolution
 Just like Zaroff described in “Game” they leave because they are
interested only in luxury and their way of life
C2: Boxer (60):
 symbolic of the blind and trusting followers who follows the
leader no matter what
 Chapter 6
A. A Tyrant’s Trade
 Reintroduced by Napoleon and dissolves the remaining parts of Old
Major’s plan (66
 Mr. Whymper comes to Animal Farm and humans reemerge (66, 67)
 After trade begins, the pigs move into the farmhouse (69)
 Squealer reasons this out with the animals through repetition (67, 69,
70)
 Double standards concerning work continue to manifest but are
dismissed right away (63, 65, 70)
The Rewording of the 4th Commandment
B. Napoleon’s Leadership:
 Napoleon loves to take very general ideas and narrow them
 His changes are so slight that there appears to be no change at all
 He changes:
 The commandment (69)
 Ideas on work (63)
 The interpretation of Snowball’s work (72)
 The Windmill
C: Napoleon refuses to believe that the project is
difficult (63)
 Napoleon uses his intelligence after the
windmill is destroyed:
 Many psychologists say man needs something to
love and something to hate
 Educational psychology says that people who are
kept very busy are easily controlled
 Napoleon uses both of these ideas to rebuild
the windmill (71, 72)
 Snowball is blamed and this unites the
comrades against a common enemy (someone
to hate)
 Ironically, the animals unite against the true
 Chapter 7: Napoleon’s
A: Napoleon’s Leadership:
Decisions:
When he lies to save face he is hurting his own people (82)
 Orwell uses this to satirize the authoritarian governments and how
they never reach for outside help because it would show weakness in
govt! (83)
 Put citizen’s welfare at risk to save face (75, 76)
 Where are some examples of Napoleon doing this in chapter 7?
 Squealer’s Propaganda
B: Napoleon desires to sever all remaining ties
with the original revolution- but not before he
gets a medal (83)
 Snowball is the subject of most of the
propaganda- Most of this is ironic and really
refers to Napoleon:
 He was a traitor from Day 1 (77, 78)
 He was never concerned with the welfare of the
animals (75)
 Napoleon needs to discredit the early days of the
revolution (79)
 Napoleon wants to change their ideology so
that they will accept future changes
The Beasts of England

C: Napoleon’s final act of chapter 7 is

simple, yet difficult for the animals
(86-87)
 The animals can accept laws, killings,
food rations, and lies but have
trouble with the song being abolished
 It is a low-level need, deeply rooted
in their psyche: It is a cultural
tradition
 Why would Napoleon do this?
Chapter 8: The Poem

A. Full of ironic statements

 “Friend of fatherless,” “faithful”, etc…
 Napoleon lives in almost complete seclusion,
lies to the animals and kills them
 He is neither a friend nor a help
 Complete Success
B: Napoleon’s persona has been built up too much, a common
mistake in authoritarian govt.
 He can never be wrong, which is why:
 The gun is fired after the attack by Fredrick
 A new war decoration is created to hide the forged notes Napoleon
accepted from Fredrick
 Plinkington refuses to help and Napoleon chose the wrong farmer to
give the wood to
 Every time the pigs break a commandment, Squealer goes out at night
and alters it
 “Traitors” are murdered
 The Effectiveness of Propaganda
 Shows effectiveness of propaganda
 A theme of “Reliability of Memory” is emerging
 Later, Orwell would continue to explore this in
1984
 Muriel, through Orwell’s description of his
mannerisms, seems to know something that the
others do not
 “Remembering wrong” is what the animals call
their incorrect interpretations
 Orwell uses propaganda, humor, and comedy to
satirize how a nation’s collective memory can
be called into question
 Chapter 9
A. The Republic?
 Social commentary
 Many totalitarian governments implement dummy democracies
 Animal Farm does this and the citizens are so brainwashed that they
cannot see that one choice is no choice!
 This is meant to be a chilling parallel to Old Major and the days when
everything was decided by majority vote
 Chapter 9
B. Squealer’s use of language:
Very important because it plays a huge
part in his ability to successfully
brainwash the citizens
Repetition in many of his speeches is
significant
Ifone hears things over and over again, it
will be believed
“A better life now” is contrasted with the
narrator saying and Orwell showing the
opposite
The sheep and Boxer are the best
examples of blind followers
 Chapter 9
C. Boxer’s Final Days:
Veryironic
Several things become apparent:
There has been foreshadowing of this:
Dogs attack him, Clover warns him, injury
Squealer and the narrator are in
constant competition and this comes
out in
chapter 9
Muriel finally reads
 Chapter 9
D. Ignorance:
 Boxer’s death brings the ignorance of the animals to the forefront
 Boxer was the hardest worker and was killed when his usefulness ran
out
 This should make it clear that no one will retire and that Animalism is a
farce
 This deductive reasoning hits Muriel, but no one else
 Squealer’s lies about being at Boxer’s bedside and Boxer’s last words
accentuate this concept
 Chapter 10
A. Theme: Reliability of memory
Few animals remain who remember Old
Major, Jones, or Snowball
Orwell is commenting on the effect of
time and brainwashing on memory
Ifsomething is not remembered, does it
matter if it really happened?
The elimination of the characters, flag, and
meetings makes it seem like none of this
ever happened
Chapter 10

B. Bureaucracy:
 Squealer invents important work for the growing
number of pigs to do
 The “files…” convince the animals, but the
audience knows that these ate lies!
 Totalitarian governments of ten do this because
they favor one class of citizens over another
 Chapter 10
The Ending:
The pigs have slowly been assimilating
into human culture:
Hind legs, houses, beer, visits with humans
Now it is too late:
They realize that the revolution is a joke
but it is too late to do anything about it
Basically, they have traded on
totalitarian government for another