Animal farm

Chapter one.

Old Major says that those fields were fertile, it climate was good, it could afford food in abundance and also, that there were enough land for thousands of animals to live in.

• Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy

• Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend

• No animal must ever live in a house or sleep in a bed

• No animal must ever wear clothes

• No animal must ever drink alcohol or smoke tobacco

• No animal must ever touch money

• No animal must ever engaged in trade

• No animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind

• No animal must ever kill any other animal

• All animals are equal

• Reread the words of the “Beast of England” song. Which things do the animals want to vanish? Which things do they see as an important part of the utopia to come?

The animals want to vanish:

• Rings from their noses

• The harness from their back

• Bits

• Spurs

• Whips

They see as important part of the utopia to come:

• Just the beasts shall trod the fruitful fields of England

• Been well off

• Having their own wheat, barley, oats, hay, clover, mangel-wurzels and beans

• Having purer water

• Toil from freedom's sake

Chapter two.

• The pigs formulate the teachings of Old Major into a system of thought. What is it called? To what does it correspond?

It is called Animalism and corresponds to the totalitarianism.

• What problems are encountered as the animals begin to discuss the coming rebellion?

When the animals began to discuss the coming rebellion, some problems, as the loyalty to Mr Jones, were encounter. Someone brought to mind that he fed them. Another said that if it was going to happen after their death, it did not matter to him. They said too, that if the rebellion was going to happen anyway, it was incongruous to work for it.

• Why is the rebellion so easily accomplished?

The rebellion is so easily accomplished because Jones, the farmer, was not in his better days. He lost a huge sum of money in a lawsuit; he also got drunk very often and his men were dishonest, the fields were plentiful of weeds, the buildings required roofing, the hedges were neglected and the animals were underfed.

• What is done with the farmhouse?

The animals determined that the farmhouse should be preserved as a museum, and that no one of them must ever lived there.

• What two leaders emerge after the rebellion?

The two leaders that emerged after the rebellion were Napoleon and Snowball.

• What have the pigs been doing for the past three months?

The pigs have been learning reading and writing from a book, which belonged to Mr Jones' children.

• Who formulated the Seven Commandments?

The seven commandments were formulated by Snowball and Napoleon.

• What was ironic about the working conditions after the rebellion?

The ironic was that, after the rebellion they worked harder than ever, just to show their capacity to make the same things as Jones, but in less time.

• What evidence is there of foreshadowing?

The evidence is that they worked more and it was one of the causes for the rebellion, so it would probably end worst than when they started.

Chapter three.

• What is significant about the quarrels between Napoleon and Snowball?

Is significant that all the time any of them suggest something, the other one disappointed it.

• What episode causes Squealer to use trickery?

Squealer uses trickery to demonstrate the animals that pigs hate milk and apples, but needed them to be healthy, when they really love them, and wanted all for them.

• Who among the workers is the most admired? How is he valuable to the pigs?

The most admired among the workers is Boxer, who is very valuable to the pigs because he works extraordinarily hard, and his maxim and answer always something is wrong is: “I will work harder!”

• What will happen to the apples? Why is it important?

The apples will be destined to the pigs to preserve their healthy. It is important because they are abusing of the rest of the animals, and it goes against the supposed equality.

• What do the sheep chanting “Four legs good, two legs bad” symbolize?

It symbolize that what goes on two legs (the human beings) are enemies, and those who go on four (the animals) are friends. It is a resume of the Seven Commandments.

Chapter four.

• How did Napoleon and Snowball spread their news of the rebellion to the animals on the neighbouring farms?

They use the pigeons to that purpose, those flights over the farms with the news.

• Squealer functions as the pigs' official propaganda agent. He cleverly convinces other animals that everything the pigs do is the best interest of the farm. As you continue to read Animal Farm, you will find more and more obvious uses of propaganda. Use the log below to record them. Add at least six more. You are given an example.

What is said or done	What is really happening
Milk and apples are absolutely necessary to the well being of pigs!	We want it all for ourselves.
I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself.	Napoleon has become a dictator and everyone must do what he wanted.
No animal believes more firmly that Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal.	Napoleon is the leader, and the rest are only subjects.
And very comfortable beds they are too! But not more comfortable than we need, I can tell you, comrades, with all the brain work we have to do now days.	We are lazy and like the rest to do the work for us, while we are living like well off pigs.
Our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, has stated categorically that Snowball was Jones's agent from the very beginning.	He forced him to go away because he wanted to be the leader alone.
This is our victory.	Our victory (from the pigs), you loose.
It was almost unbelievable that any animal could be so stupid.	You were so stupid, and surely more.

Chapter five.

• At the meeting about the windmill, what happens? To what historical event does this correlate?

At the meeting about the windmill, Napoleon's dogs chased Snowball until he went out of the farm, and he took over it. It is related with the fact of Stalin becoming a dictator.

• Look back at the Seven Commandments. Which one is no longer in effect on the farm?

The seven one is no longer in effect, because not all the animals are equals. Now, although Napoleon did not say it, the pigs are more important than any other one.

• How did Squealer convince the animals that Napoleon was actually helping them?

Squealer told the animals that Napoleon was helping them doing the hard work of thinking and taking decisions, which they, as not very intelligent animals, could not afford. And if there were not someone who does this work, Jones would come back.

Chapter six.

• What other habit have the pigs adopted that bothers the animals, Clover in particular?

This habit is that now the pigs sleep in beds, and as she believed, it was against the fourth commandment.

• Which commandment is changed and how?

Has been changed the fourth commandment. The original said: “No animal shall sleep in a bed”, but now the pigs added: “with sheets”

• What was the explanation for trading with other farms? What was the reaction of some of the animals? What was the pigs' answer?

The explanation was that they needed to obtain certain materials for the windmill. Some animals were in opposition to trading with other farms, because it meant that the pigs were going to use money, and there was a resolution against it. But their answer was that they should dream it, they deny the existence of such resolution.

• What did Napoleon tell the hens about giving up their eggs?

He told them that it was a sacrifice they had to do for the farm, because it would give them money, which they needed to finish the windmill.

Chapter seven.

• Why did finally become necessary for the hens to surrender all their eggs?

They must do it because the eggs were going to be sold in return of money, which they needed to afford the necessary food for the rest of the winter, and the spring.

• How is the general idea of the new song completely different from “Beast of England”?

Almost everyone thought that, neither the words nor the tune ever seemed to come up to “Beast of England”

Chapter eight.

• How had the sixth commandment been changed?

The real one said: “No animal shall kill any other animal”, but now: “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause”

• What made the animals fear and hate Frederick?

The animals fear and hated Frederick because there were rumours, which said he was going to attack the farm.

• What vice have the pigs? This is against what commandment?

His vice is drinking alcohol, and it is against the fifth commandment.

Chapter nine.

• How did the pigs use Boxers' death to further promote their aims?

They took him into the knacker's so as to earn some extra money.

• What euphemism was used to convince the animals that they were not really receiving less food than they had under Jones?

The euphemism is that Squealer talk of readjustment, and not of what is really happening, which is a reduction of the food.

Chapter ten.

• What dream do the animals still have at the beginning of the chapter? What happens to destroy this hope?

The animals still have the dream of the green fields of England untrodden by human beings, dream that was destroyed when a number of men enter in the farm and deal in with the pigs.

• Describe the final irony at the end of the novel.

The final irony at the end of the story is that they are at the beginning; the only distinction is that before the rebellion the farmer Jones was the master, and now the leader was the pig Napoleon.

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