Animal Farm Study Guides (Chapters 1-6)

Where does this story take place?

On a farm.

How do the animals feel about Major?

The animals respect Major.

Major describes the current life of animals as

Miserable.

Who does Major say is responsible for the animals' condition?

Human beings.

What does Major mean when he says "no animal escapes the cruel knife"?

The farmer will kill all the animals.

Why did the animals wait for Mr. Jones to go to bed?

So that they could have a secret meeting.

Who or what did Mr. Jones shoot his gun at? Why?

A fox. He thought the animals were making noise because a fox was in the hen house. He fired his gun to scare away the fox.

Major uses the phrase "produce of our labour" several times. What are some examples of produce of the animals' labour?

milk, eggs, wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables.

When will the revolution which Major speaks about happen?

Some time in the future.

What solution does Major suggest to solve the animals' problems?

Animals must unite against man. They must "struggle" for freedom.

Look at the song "Beasts of England."A. What is the mood of the song?

Encouraging. Powerful. Meaningful

Look at the song "Beasts of England." B. What are some of the images in the song?

The animals taking over the farm. Animals becoming the rulers of the land.

Look at the song "Beasts of England." C. Why do you think the animals liked the song so much?

It is a very powerful song that depicts strength. The animals feel represented.

Look at the song "Beasts of England." D. Why are songs a good way to communicate ideas and encourage support?

They are universal. Songs are easy to remember and easy to sing together.

What are the rules Major gives the animals?

No animal is ever to live in a house. No animal is ever to sleep in a bed. No animal is ever to wear clothes. No animal is ever to drink alcohol. No animal is ever to smoke tobacco. No animal is ever to touch money. No animal is ever to engage in trade. No animal is ever to tyrannize his own kind. No animal must ever kill another animal. All animals are equal. Whatever walks on two legs is evil. Do not resemble humans. All animals are brothers.

Do you think all the animals will follow the rules? Who?

Many animals may be greedy but most animals will follow the rules and respect the ideals.

Alone among the animals on the farm, he never laughed.

Benjamin

"Our labor tills the soil, our dung fertilizes it, and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin."

Major

A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance.

Boxer

He was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance.

Major

What effect did Major's speech have on the more intelligent animals?

They looked at life in a very different way.

Which animals begin teaching the others?

The pigs.

Why did the cows break into the storeshed?

They were hungry.

What didn't Mr. Jones do?

Feed the animals.

What did the animals do to Mr. Jones and his men?

Kicked them off of the farm.

What do the animals destroy?

Things that remind them of Mr. Jones' power.

Why does Snowball tell Mollie she cannot wear ribbons?

Ribbons symbolize slavery.

What did Squealer do that was so convincing to the other animals?

Move his tail.

Which animal leaves the farm with the humans?

Moses the raven.

What impressed the animals about the Jones' house?

The luxury.

What ability do the pigs "reveal" that they have?

They can read and write.

What does Orwell mean when he says Squealer can "turn black into white"?

Squealer is good at speaking.

What did the animals decide to do with the farmhouse?

Turn it into a museum.

Why is it difficult for the pigs to convince the animals of the principles of Animalism?

Their system is very theoretical (lots of ideas). Most of the animals are concerned only with very practical matters.

What are some of the animals' objections to Animalism?

If Mr. Jones were gone, how would the animals eat? If the Rebellion is going to happen no matter what, why do the animals need to work for it? Why should the animals care about what happens after they die? Will there be sugar and ribbons after the Rebellion?

What did the animals remember the morning after the Rebellion? How did they react?

That they had rebelled yesterday and were now free. They were happy and excited.

Why don't the pigs like the pet raven Moses' stories about Sugarcandy Mountain?

Sugarcandy Mountain sounds like an animal paradise where all animals go when they die. If all animals will go to such a paradise when they die, there is nothing to worry about and no need to work for the Rebellion.

Think about the events that began the Revolution - Jones' mismanagement of the farm, hungry cows, violence by the human beings - as well as all the thinking, teaching, planning, and organizing that the pigs did. In your opinion would it have been possible for the Revolution to have happened without Animalism?

It was more the immediate feeling of the animals that caused them to act rather than the philosophy of the pigs.

The words Orwell uses to describe the morning after the revolution are very descriptive. What sort of words and images does he use?What does he want us to think about the farm?

He uses many descriptive words like "ecstasy" and "excitement." He wants us to think that the farm was a horrible place, made better without the humans. Orwell wants us to see how great and happy everyone is now that the animals are in charge.

The pigs begin to slowly take more control than the others. Can you find some examples of this in Chapter II?

Reading, writing, teaching, distributing food (milk and a double ration of corn), calling the animals to harvest.

The animals change the name of the farm from Manor Farm to Animal Farm. Why is this important? What does changing a name do for ideas, behavior, power, etc.?

Renaming a country (or cities within a country) may have an effect on the sense of identity of a country, may make people feel more connected to the country, or perhaps feel more nationalistic.

"Can you not understand that liberty is worth more than ribbons?"

Snowball

He was a spy and a tale-bearer, but he was also a clever talker.

Moses

He could turn black into white

Squealer

What was the problem with the farm tools?

They were made for human hands.

Why did Boxer ask the cockerels to call him a half-hour earlier in the morning?

He wanted to do more work.

Snowball's committees and programs were not very successful except for which one?

Reading and writing classes.

Why did the animals enjoy their food more?

The animals produced it for themselves.

Where do you find the pictures of a hoof and horn?

On the new flag.

Who enjoyed the slogan "Four legs good, two legs bad," the most?

The Sheep.

Who takes the puppies away for an education?

Napoleon.

What happened to the milk and apples?

The pigs took them to eat.

What does Squealer say to make the animals afraid?

If the pigs aren't healthy, Mr. Jones will come back.

What are Boxer's strong points?

He is hard working and physically strong.

Who did the most speaking in the Sunday meetings?

The pigs spoke the most. Snowball and Napoleon were very active.

Who could never agree in the Sunday meetings?

Napoleon and Snowball.

Why do you think the cat joined the ReEducation Committee?

The cat wanted to eat the birds.

Why did Snowball summarize the Seven Commandments into "Four legs good, two legs bad"?

Because most of the animals could not learn the Seven Commandments by heart.

Where did the new puppies go? For what reason?

Napoleon took them from their mothers to the loft for "education.

What further examples of the difference between the pigs and the other animals occur in this chapter?

Pigs eat the apples and drink the milk. The pigs oversee the work on the farm, they do not do any physical labour. The pigs control the Sunday meetings in the barn.

What shows that there are already problems in the leadership of the new government?

Snowball and Napoleon start fighting with each other.

"Day and night we are watching over your welfare."

Squealer

He was the admiration of everybody.

Boxer

They did not work, but directed and supervised the others.

Pigs

They continued to behave very much as before, and when treated with generosity simply took advantage of it.

The wild animals.

Which is closest in meaning to, "Snowball flung his fifteen stone against Jones' legs."

Ran into Jones with his heavy weight.

There is a description of animals on other farms: "Bulls which had always been tractable suddenly turned savage, sheep broke down hedges and devoured the clover, cows kicked the pails over, hunters refused their fences and shot their riders on to the other side. Above all, the tune and even the words of "Beasts of England" were known everywhere." What are these examples of?

Other animals' rebelliousness.

In the first paragraph, the pigeons were sent out to mingle with the animals on neighboring farms. To "mingle" probably means:

Mix with.

What "department" of the government of Animal Farm did the pigeons work for?

Propoganda

"'Beasts of England' was irrepressible." From the context, "irrepressible" means:

Difficult to stop.

How did human beings respond to the animals singing "Beasts of England"?

They pretended it was stupid because they were afraid. They flogged and whipped the animals to try and keep control of them.

Why would Frederick and Pilkington be threatened by Animal Farm?

They feared a rebellion by the animals on their own farms.

What was Snowball's strategy to win the battle?

Skirmishing to disorient the human beings, then luring them into the barn where they could ambush the invaders.

How did Snowball know what to do?

He read a book about military tactics and a book by Roman general and emperor Julius Caesar.

What do the animals do to celebrate their victory?

They sing "Beasts of England," tell stories about their adventures in battle, and give medals to Boxer, Snowball, and the sheep that died.

After reading about the Battle of the Cowshed, what can we say of Snowball's character?

He is clever, intelligent, a good strategist, brave, cruel, dedicated, fearless.

The other farmers were really good friends with Mr. Jones and wanted to help him.

False

The animals were surprised by the humans' attack.

False

Snowball commanded the animals in battle.

True

The stable lad was killed by Boxer.

False

At the end of Chapter IV, the animals decide to fire Mr. Jones' gun twice a year to celebrate the anniversaries of the Battle of the Cowshed and the Rebellion. In your culture, are there any celebrations that are similar to these anniversaries?

Independence Day and Aung San's birthday. They may be important to teach people about history, to keep society unified, to increase support for the government

Who would you say is/are the hero/heroes of the battle? Why?

Snowball leading them into battle and knowing what to do; All the animals that participated in the fight; The sheep that died; Boxer for his might.

Read the following quotations from after the Battle of the Cowshed and compare Snowball's and Boxer's reactions. What does this say about their characters? "'I have no wish to take life, not even human life,' repeated Boxer, and his eyes were full of tears." "'No sentimentality, comrade!' cried Snowball, from whose wounds the blood was still dripping. 'War is war. The only good human being is a dead one.'"

Boxer is a calm, harmless animal who does not wish to take any human's life. Snowball is a vicious animal who wishes to kill humans and create fear through death.

These two disliked each other so much that it was difficult for them to come to any agreement, even in defence of their own interests.

Frederick and Pilkington

Most of this time [he] had spent sitting in the taproom of the Red Lion at Willingdon...

Mr. Jones

Describe how the Rebellion takes place.

It was not planned. Mr. Jones was very drunk and forgot to feed the animals. The animals rebelled. Mr. Jones comes back and tries to drive them away.

How do the pigs gain the rights to the cows' milk? Why do the other animals allow this to occur? What does this event suggest about the power hierarchy on the farm?

The pigs are just taking the milk because they feel entitled to it and the animals blindly let it happen. This suggests that the pigs are at the top of the power hierarchy because they are the clever ones.

What technique does Orwell use to cast doubt on the likelihood of a successful revolution?

Orwell uses foreshadowing in old Major's speech in Chapter I to cast doubt on the Revolution. In his speech, old Major alludes to Animalism being a goal for many years but never actually being attained.

Characterize Snowball as a leader. Do you think his reaction to the stable-boy's death is the appropriate reaction to have during a revolution?

His reaction to the stable boy's death is very harsh and unsympathetic.

In the future, all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs presided over by himself.

Napoleon is going to make all the decisions.

"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"

The pigs will remain in control. The other animals should not be trusted.

What happened to Mollie?

She betrayed Animal Farm and went to work for humans.

"In January there came bitterly hard weather." This sentence means:

The weather made it difficult to live.

The animals would "assemble" in the barn every Sunday. This most likely means

They would all meet together in the barn.

What would be the benefit of a windmill, according to Snowball?

Electricity would make life easier.

What did Napoleon say at first about the windmill?

Food production is more important.

In Chapter V, besides the windmill, on what issue do Napoleon and Snowball disagree?

Defence of the farm.

What does Squealer accuse Snowball of?

Being no better than a criminal.

What stopped the other pigs' protests?

The dogs' growling.

What did Napoleon cancel?

Sunday meetings.