Animal Farm by George Orwell

1. Animal Farm by George Orwell Animal Farm: A Fairy Tale

2. The Author • George Orwell (Eric Hugh Blair) • Born in Motihari, Bengal, India, 1903 • Son of Customs and Excise Official of Scottish descent • Educated at Eton (prestigious boys school in England) from 1917-1927 • Went into the Indian Imperial Police organization • Spent time in this service between 1922-1927 • Returned home on leave, 1927, then quit the service • Went to Paris and did some writing • Lived in poverty in both Paris and London • Taught for awhile in England • Went to Spain, fought on the side of the Loyalists • Was badly wounded, became tubercular, • Became a successful author and journalist • Died January 23, 1950

3. The Book • Animal Farm is Orwell’s most successful book. It won for him very great comparison, critically, with Jonathon Swift’s satire, Gulliver’s Travels. It is, from one point of view, a satiric allegory of Stalinism, and from another, on totalitarianism in general. • Orwell expresses great distrust and hatred for any form of totalitarianism in human activity.

4. Literary and political terms(because this story deals allegorically with political ideas, it is necessary to define a few so we can discuss them) • Allegory- Description of a subject under the guise of some other subject of suggestive (very similar) resemblance. • Communism- • a. A theory which advocates a state of society in which there should be no private ownership, all property being vested in the community and labour organized for the common benefit of all members; the professed principle being that each should work according to his capacity, and receive according to his wants. • b.spec. A political doctrine or movement based on Marxism and later developed by Lenin, seeking the overthrow of capitalism through a proletarian revolution; = MARXISM-LENINISM. (Freq. with capital initial.) • Satire- • a. A composition in verse or prose intended to ridicule a particular person or class of persons • b. The employment, in speaking or writing, of sarcasm, irony, ridicule, etc. in exposing, denouncing, deriding, or ridiculing vice, folly, indecorum, abuses, or evils of any kind.

5. Terms continued… • Stalinism- • [f. Joseph Stalin (Russ. ósifStálin), the assumed name of IosifVissariónovichDzhugashvíli (1879-1953), leader of the Soviet Communist Party and head of state of the Soviet Union + -ISM.]  • a. The policies pursued by Stalin, based on but later deviating from Leninism, esp. the formation of a centralized, totalitarian, objectivist government. • Totalitarianism • Totalitarian theory and practice; the advocacy of totalitarian government. Also loosely, authoritarianism; transf. monolithic character. • (totalitarian) A.adj. Of or pertaining to a system of government which tolerates only one political party, to which all other institutions are subordinated, and which usu. demands the complete subservience of the individual to the State. Also transf. Cf. TOTALa. 3c.

6. Chapter I Reading Questions • What is the opening scene? • What is a “scullery”? • What caused the excitement among the farm animals at first? • In what esteem was Old Major held (esteem is how people see a person’s status, i.e., important or not important, high esteem or low esteem)?

7. Chapter 1 continued • Under what name was he exhibited? • Describe the scene where the assembly was gathered in three sentences or more • How are the two horses described? • Why is Boxer described in such detail? • What was the character of Benjamin, the donkey? • Give an example of his cynicism (syn. pessimism, looking at the negative side of a topic or situation)

8. Chapter 1 continued • Where did the duckling nestle? • What were the last animals to come to the meeting? • What animal was missing? • In brief, what ideas of Karl Marx does Major present? • What should remedy the situation for the animals? • What point did Major bring up because of the incident? • What was the vote, or the outcome of the vote? • Explain the word “trotters”

9. Chapter 1 continued • Whom are they to consider as enemies? • What element of deceit is seen? (what do some of the animals do that is dishonest?) • Of what song was Major reminded? • How did the song affect the assembly? • What was the interruption?

10. Chapter 2 reading questions • How much longer did Major live? • What effect did Major’s speech have upon the animals? • What activity went on the next three months? • Who became the leaders? • Who was Squealer? • What system did the three evolve? • How successful were they in winning the other animals over to Animalism? • What kind of questions did Mollie ask? • What was the answer to her first question? • What reply did she get about wearing ribbons? • Was Mollie satisfied?

11. Chapter 2 continued • How did Moses, the raven, interfere? • What was the attitude toward Moses? • What animals were the most faithful disciples? • How was the Rebellion accomplished? • How did the animals react? • What did Mrs. Jones do? • After the Rebellion was accomplished, what followed? • What did Snowball add to the fire? Why? • On hearing this, what did Boxer do? • How else did they celebrate their freedom? • How did they react to their possessions the following morning?

12. Chapter 2 continued • How were they affected by the interior of the house? • What was Mollie caught doing? • Did they leave all intact? • What resolution was passed? • What did the pigs reveal one morning? • To what use did they put their new knowledge? • What was the result of the pigs’ studies of the past three months? • Who painted the Commandments on the wall? • What were the Seven Commandments? Compare with the Communist Manifesto • Who attended to the milking? • What was done with the milk?

13. Chapter 3 Reading Questions • How successful were the farming operations? • How long did it take to harvest the hay? • Who was the most admired of the animals? • Were there any shirkers (people who don’t do their allotted duty) among the animals? • What animals seemed unchanged by the Rebellion? • How were Sundays spent? • What took place after the hoisting of the flag? • What was the relation between Napoleon and Snowball? • Give a description of Snowball’s organizing activities • How successful were the reading and writing classes?

14. Chapter 3 continued • How did Snowball include the birds among the four-legged animals? • To what did Snowball reduce the Seven Commandments for the benefit of the animals that were slow to learn? • What did Napoleon do about the education of the puppies of Jessie and Bluebell? • What was the first example of disillusionment of the animals? • What was the explanation?

15. Chapter 4 Reading Questions • What efforts were made to influence others in Animalism? • In the meantime, where was Mr. Jones? • What was the relation between the two neighbors? • What position did they take in regard to the Rebellion on Animal Farm? • What was the effect of the rumors about the farm? • In October, what excitement arose? • Was this unexpected by the all the animals? • Describe the first attack • Who were the winners in this attack? • What was Snowball’s intention in retreating?

16. Chapter 4 continued • What was the most fearful sight? • What was Boxer’s feeling about the stable-lad? • What had happened to Mollie? • How did the animals celebrate their victory? • What decoration was conferred upon Snowball and Boxer? • What name was given to the title? • What became of Mr. Jones’ gun?

17. Chapter V reading questions • What problem did Mollie create? • What accusation did Clover make? • What answer did Mollie make? • What did Clover find in Mollie’s stall? • Where was Mollie next seen after she disappeared? • What plans were made by the pigs during the winter? • Describe Snowball’s interest in farming • What opinion did the animals have of the windmill and machines? • Describe how Snowball worked out his plans.

18. Chapter V continued • How interested were the other animals in the devices? • What did the subject of the windmill give rise to? • How did Napoleon and Snowball differ in the problem of defense of the farm? • After Snowball’s plans were completed, what did the animals have to do at the meeting? • What frightening thing happened? • What changes appeared now with Napoleon as the leader? • What was the reaction of the animals to this announcement?

19. Chapter V continued • What freedom of speech now exists among the animals? • How did Squealer explain the new arrangement to the others? • How did Squealer meet the defense uttered for Snowball? • Did the animals feel any differently about the loss of Sunday? • What ceremony was followed on Sunday morning? • What was announced on the third Sunday after Snowball’s expulsion? • What explanation did Squealer give privately? • What was Squealer’s reply to the question why Napoleon had spoken so strongly against it?

20. Chapter VI continued • How did work on the farm progress in Napoleon’s regime? • What problems arose regarding the construction of the windmill? • What animal was indispensable in the work? • What other problems arose? • What new policy did Napoleon inaugurate? • What silenced all objections? • What opinion did the outside world acquire? • What rumors were spread about business agreements? • What other resolution was violated? • What did Muriel read from the Seven Commandments?

21. Chapter VI continued • How did Squealer clarify this? • What fate did the windmill suffer? • How did Napoleon account for the disaster? • What did Napoleon announce concerning the windmill? • Who controls the farm? • What details give this away? • What kinds of decisions does the leader(s) of the farm make? • How much autonomy do the animals by the end of Chapter VI?

22. Chapter vii • What added to the troubles of winter cold? • How did Napoleon meet the situation? • What action did Napoleon take to get grain? • Why did the hens object? • How did Napoleon quash their efforts? • Was his method effective? • Define “coccidiosis” • What brings Snowball back into the limelight? • What mischief was attributed to Snowball? • What tale did Squealer tell? • Was Boxer convinced by the tale?

23. Chapter vii continued • What changed Boxer’s mind? • What insinuation did Squealer make? • What happened a few days later? • What was the fate of the four pigs? • Who came forward? • What was their fate? • Were there any other guilty ones? • What communist practice is thus illustrated? • How were the remaining animals affected? • What was Boxer’s reaction? • What were Clover’s thoughts?

24. Chapter vii continued • Did she (Clover) rebel? • What resulted from their singing Beasts of England? • How did Squealer explain the decree? • What was substituted for it?

25. Chapter viii • After the terror caused by the executions had died down, what discovery was made? • What were conditions on the farm regarding labor and food? • What increase in the status of Napoleon was there? • What titles were invented for him? • With what was Napoleon credited? • Note the poem entitled Comrade Napoleon? • How much did Napoleon approve of the poem? • What new “plots” came to light?

26. Chapter viii continued • What tactics was Napoleon making use of concerning the sale of timber? • What was the windmill named? • What astounding announcement was made one day? • How clever was Napoleon in the transaction? • How had Frederick turned the tables on Napoleon? • What revenge was to be meted out to Frederick? • What measures were taken for protection? • Did the attack materialize?

27. Chapter viii continued • What measures were taken for protection?Did the attack materialize? • Compare the battle with that of the Battle of the Cowshed? • What last resort for help did Napoleon make? • Who understood what Frederick’s men were about to do? • Was he correct? • When they got up again, what did they learn? • What effect did it have on the animals? • What were the losses for the animals?

28. Chapter viii continued • What casualties did the enemy suffer? • What did the enemy suffer? • What saved the day for the animals? • How did Squealer celebrate the victory? • What cheered the animals? • Not the funeral and the celebration over the victory? • What name was given the battle? • What decoration did Napoleon create? • What was forgotten in the great rejoicings? • What came to light a few days later?

29. Chapter viii continued • What became of the whisky? • What did Squealer announce? • What second announcement was made? • What was Napoleon’s condition the following morning? • What was learned after Napoleon’s recovery?

30. Chapter IX • What was one of the effects of the battle Boxer suffered from? • What was to be the retiring age, according to the original laws of Animal Farm? • What pension was to be given to horses? • When would Boxer be twelve years old? • What deceit was used on the animals regarding rations? • What else did he “prove” to them? • What increase was there in the population? • What provision was made for their education? • What social distinction were they taught?

31. Chapter xi continued • What rule was laid down about this time? • Note the reasons for reductions of rations in December and February? • Did the pigs share in restrictions? • What hopes were raised when the cooking barley was smelt? • What announcement was made about barley? • What partly offset the hardship of the animals? • Describe the Spontaneous Demonstration? • What proclamation was made concerning Animal Farm?

32. Chapter IX continued • What further details were “discovered” about Snowball’s complicity with Jones? • What did Moses talk about when he returned? • What opinion did the pigs express about his stories of Sugarcandy Mountain? • What kept Boxer working? • What misfortune came to him? • What was planned for him? • When the van came to take Boxer away, what was revealed? • After the death of Boxer, what explanation did Squealer give concerning the sign on the van?

33. Chapter ix continued • Since Boxer’s remains could not be brought to the farm for burial, what recognition was given him? • What did the pigs plan? • What was brought to the farm on the appointed day for the banquet?

34. Chapter x • Describe conditions at Animal Farm after several years had passed? • What increases had taken place? • What became of the promises Snowball had once made the animals? • Did hope for better things ever cease? • What terrifying thing startled the animals? • What prevented the animals from protesting? • What had become of the Seven Commandments? • How was the third commandment ignored? • What took place when a deputation of human visitors came to the farm?

35. Chapter X continued • What speech did Mr. Pilkington make? • Do you derive any opinion as to the author’s feelings as to the effects of communism in the equality expressed in the association of the pigs and the human beings? • What response did Napoleon give? • To what changes did he call attention? • What change in the faces of the pigs did the onlookers see? • What uproar drew the animals back to the window? • What conclusion is drawn as to the results of Communism?