Animal Farm
Chapter 1
Predictions: Mr. Jones is always drunk and forgetful. Old Major is the leader of all the animals. All of the animals play a certain role and have a certain status. The animals are going to rebel against the humans.
Images:
Here, Old Major is talking to all of the animals in the barn.
In the middle of the night, all of the animals got out of their stalls and pens and went to Old Major's meeting.
Mr. Jones awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of all the animals and he fired a shot into the darkness because he though that the animals were making all of the noise because there was a fox.
Clarify: All of the animals worship Old Major because he has been around the longest. He is the wisest and all the animals look to him for knowledge. Old Major has been through a lot and all of his experience make his so "king-like" to the animals.
Try: Who is Mr. Jones? Why do all of the animals worship Old Major? Do the animals have certain status on the farm? What does Old Major have to tell all the animals? Why is Old Major being so blunt with all of the animals? What does "comrades" mean?
Use: I understand how the animals feel about the humans taking away all that they work for and produce. Recently I organized a candy gram fundraiser all by myself, only to have the credit stolen from me. Being used is never fun.
Review: In Chapter 1, we are introduced to the main character, Old Major. After Mr. Jones, the farmer, went to sleep, Old Major called all of the animals together. Old Major told the animals about how he is going to die soon and that they need to all start a rebellion against the humans because all they do is take advantage of the animals and give them nothing in return. The animals all start singing the "Beasts of England" and got very excited for the rebellion. Mr. Jones then awoke to the sound of the animals and thought that there was a fox so he fired his gun into the darkness and with that all the animals went to sleep.
Chapter 2
Predictions: The new leader is going to be Napoleon. The animals are going to start up their rebellion soon. Snowball and Napoleon are going to lead the animals to a victorious rebellion victory. Farmer Jones is going to hurt the animals or do something bad to them.
Images:
The animals had a ceremony for Old Major and buried him.
Squealer served as the messenger for Snowball and Napoleon. He made sure that all of the animals were up to date with the current events.
Moses the Raven always talked about how the animals would one day have a good life because they would get to go and live at Sugarcandy Mountain, otherwise known as heaven.
Clarify: The three pigs, Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer, took over because they are pigs just like Old Major was. It is the pigs duty to be the leaders of all the animals, just like Old Major. The three pigs have to carry on Old Majors job and make him proud.
Try: Why did Old Major die so soon? Are the animals going to rebel? Why did the leadership fall upon all the pigs? Why don't any of the animals believe the pigs? What is wrong with Mr. Jones? What are all the animals in such awe when the humans leave? Where did all the humans go? Where did all the milk go?
Use: I remember being in Kindergarten and being let out to go to recess. As soon as we all got outside, we got a feeling of freedom. This is similar to how the animals felt when they reached the top of the hill.
Review: In Chapter 2, we find out who the new leaders are. Obviously, the new leaders are the pigs. The pigs try to get the animals to organize a rebellion but all the animals keep questioning the rebellion. One day, however, when all the animals are getting whipped by the farmers, they rebel. By rebelling, all the animals take over and the farmer and his family leave. The animals, right away, make rules and regulations. The animals don't really know what to do, but they handle the rebellion and freedom very well.
Chapter 3
Predictions: The animals won't survive for long. They won't be organized. The animals won't do very well in the winter. Napoleon and Snowball aren't going to get along for much longer and they will split up.
Images:
Boxer was a very inspiration horse that worked his hardest 24/7.
To celebrate the animal's victory, they hung a green flag up.
The pigs also wanted to try and teach the animals the alphabet.
Clarify: Snowball organized the Animal Committees because he wanted everything on the farm to be well organized and proper. Without organization, Snowball felt like the farm would be a failure. He didn't want that to happen to the farm because of all the work the animals had put in to rebelling.
Try: Why do the pigs get to run everything? What's going to happen when the winter comes? Why is Mollie not very helpful? How did all the committees fail? Why were the animals so successful in writing and reading? Where did the pigs get all this information? Why do the pigs walk all over the other animals?
Use: I know how the animals feel when Napoleon spoke with language the animals had never heard of before, let alone understand. Everyday at school, I come across kids who are a lot smarter than me; I always get so confused by their big words and profound language and speaking skills.
Review: In Chapter 3, the three pigs, Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer took over and stated organizing the farm and teaching all the animals how to read and understand the alphabet. They told all the animals that they needed to start working harder in order to keep the farm running. Most of the animals were lazy and therefore, the pigs had to start demanding more from the animals. However, some animals, like Boxer always worked hard. One o Boxer's motto was "I will work harder."
Chapter 4
Predictions: The other farmer, PiLkington and Frederick will be right about Animal Farm and it will fail. Farmer Jones is going to take back the farm. Snowball is going to die from his wound.
Images:
This is a book, similar to the one that Snowball read on Julius Caesar's battles. Reading this book helped Snowball prepare for the Battle of Cowshed.
This image shows how the animals were well prepared to fight back when the Farmers came to take back the farm.
During the battle, many animals died, especially sheep. So, there was a funeral ceremony held to honor all those that died during the Battle.
Clarify: All of the other animals across the country are rebelling too because of Animal Farm. The animals are tired of being used and taken advantage of, so they start to rebel just like the animals on Animal Farm.
Try: How did what Napoleon and Snowball did spread across the country so quickly? Why did Farmers Pilkington and Frederick spread rumours about Animal Farm? How did Snowball get so intelligent about Battles? How did Snowball not die? What does "Animal Hero, Second Class" mean?
Use: The animals celebrate their winning of the Battle at Cowshed every year on October 12th, the anniversary of the battle. Similarly, we celebrate our Independence on July 4th. On these days almost everyone feels a sense of pride in their country or in their farm.
Review: In Chapter 4, we are told how the news of the rebellion was spread across the country and how farms all over England were being taken over by the animals. All the Farmers were outraged, especially Farmer Jones. But, the animals were a lot smarter than Farmer Jones, and so they were prepared when he attempted to take back the farm. They were prepared because Snowball had taken the time to read all about Julius Caesar and his battles. Even though the battle was a bloody one, the majority of the animals made it out alive. A few sheep, however, did not. These sheep were honored and so was the battle. The battle was called the Battle of Cowshed and celebrated every year on October 12th.
Chapter 5
Predictions: Mollie is going to get kicked out of Animal Farm. Either Snowball or Napoleon is going to get killed or kicked off the farm so that the other can rule on their own. Napoleon is going to start treating the animals unequally.
Images:
Here, is a picture of some lump sugar and ribbon. Similar to what was found with some of Mollie's things.
This is what Napoleon envisioned when he came up with the plan to build a windmill.
Napoleon trained 9 dogs to be his guard and attack dogs. These dogs were used to chase Snowball off the farm.
Clarify: Snowball and Napoleon don't get along very well because they both want power. They both want to be in charge at all times and have things go their way. And with two leaders, it was very difficult for them to agree on topics.
Try: Why was Mollie making so many excuses as to why she couldn't work? Why is Mollie going to another farm? Why did Mollie just up and leave Animal Farm? How did Snowball come with the brilliant plan to make a windmill? Why did Napoleon send 9 dogs after Snowball? Had Napoleon been planning this all along? Why did Napoleon urinate all over Snowball's plans? Why did Snowball get expelled? Why didn't Napoleon want to have the Sunday-morning meetings anymore?
Use: Snowball became so intelligent by reading all the books that Farmer Jones had. He learned how to run the farm just by reading and without the help of anyone else. I, too, once made a paper airplane by reading the directions out of a book. Reading can teach you so many things and make your a more intelligent person.
Review: In Chapter 5, we hear about how Napoleon and Snowball argue constantly. They argue about everything, and it gets so out of hand that Napoleon has his 9 attack dogs chase Snowball off the farm. With that, Napoleon was left in charge and drastically changed the rules. The animals are no longer allowed to debate things to the pigs and they would only meet on Sunday morning to discuss the week's orders and sing " The Beasts of England." Boxer's new saying became "Napoleon is always right." Napoleon also decided to have the windmill built but told the animals that it could take up to 2 years and that it was going to take a lot of hard work.
Chapter 6
Predictions: The windmill is going to be very helpful to the animals and the farm. Boxer is going to die of old age. The farm is going to fail because that animals don't have the materials to keep the farm going. Something bad is going to happen to the rainbow.
Images:
Boxer worked very hard to make sure that the windmill got done as fast as it could.
As time went on, the pigs started to move into the Farmhouse because they felt like they deserved to live in a place that was nicer than the barn. Since they were the most important, they should receive the best treatment.
The animals were devastated when they saw that the windmill was in ruins after the storm.
Clarify: Even though selling their products and coming into contact with humans is illegal or against the rules on Animal farm, Napoleon made an exception because the animals need certain things in order for the farm to continue.
Try: How are the animals going to build the windmill? How long is it going to take the animals to build the windmill? Why is Boxer such a hard worker? How are the animals going to get the materials that the farm needs? Who is Mr. Whymper and why is he helping the animals? Is Squealer like the counselor of the farm? Why does Napoleon blame Snowball?
Use: I understand the animals confusion with all of the rules, considering Napoleon changes them every two seconds. My teachers change directions on homework assignments all the time and it confuses me and my peers, sometimes causing us to do the assignment incorrectly.
Review: In Chapter 6, the work on the windmill began. The animals had so much work to do, especially since they didn't have any humans to help them. Boxer put in a lot of extra work to help it get done faster. While the work on the windmill was getting done, Napoleon made a few changes. Napoleon made a deal with Mr. Whymper, a soldier, to get all the supplies the animals need and all the other pigs started sleeping in beds. One night, a crazy storm passed through. The storm did a lot of damage to the farm, especially to the windmill. However, Napoleon blamed the ruined windmill on Snowball and offered a reward to anyone who found him. Napoleon also ordered that work on rebuilding the windmill began right away. They had no time to waste and Napoleon wasn't going to stope for anyone or anything till the windmill was finished.
Chapter 7
Predictions: A lot of animals are going to die because of the winter and the farm's lack of supplies. Napoleon is hogging all the food to himself. All the hens are going to die. Napoleon is going to kill Snowball.
Images:
Napoleon had the hens producing so many eggs. The hens were just about egged out.
Napoleon's dogs were very viscous executors. If I were the animals, I would have been scared out of my mind.
After all of the executions, Clover and many of the other animals needed to time to think, so they went up to the top of the hill, looked down at the beautiful scenery on the farm, and reflected upon everything that had happened since the rebellion.
Clarify: Napoleon is really lying to all the animals about Snowball because Napoleon is afraid of the power that Snowball once held. Snowball is a threat to Napoleon, so Napoleon is doing everything in his power to turn all the other animals against Snowball.
Try: Why did Snowball knock the windmill over? Are the animals going to die due to the starvation? Why is Napoleon hiding out and away from all the other animals? Why doesn't Napoleon ever help? Why is Napoleon taking advantage of all the other animals? Was Snowball really Jones's agent the whole time? Why did they abolish the song "Beasts of England"?
Use: I know how the animals feel after watching all the other animals get executed in front of them. After 9/11, the United States and the rest of the world was scared and upset after what happened to all those innocent people. This is exactly how the animals felt after the execution.
Review: In Chapter 7, the animals start rebuilding the windmill. The animals were forced to work at rebuilding the windmill even when the days were cold and frigid. The animals good supply was starting to decrease day by day, so Napoleon ordered the hens to make more eggs to sell to Mr. Whymper. Although, some of the hens rebelled and were executed for not following orders. Many other animals were also executed for stealing food, disobeying Napoleon's orders, or communicating with Snowball. After the executions, the remainder of the animals went out to the pasture. Clover got to thinking about how the way things were now with Napoleon in charge was never how Old Major wanted the rebellion to go. So, they all started singing the "Beasts of England" only to be told that the song had been abolished. It seemed as if the animals had no more rights.
Chapter 8
Predictions: The other animals are going to rebel against Napoleon and Napoleon and the other leaders. The animals are going to keep working without receiving their fair share of food. Frederick is going to take over the farm. The animals are going to lose the battle. Boxer is going to die. The animals are going to rebel against Napoleon for lying.
Images:
Napoleon had a black cockerel come to the farm to be part of Napoleon's posse.
Napoleon had a portrait of himself painted and hung in the farmhouse.
After many years of hard work, the windmill was finally finished.
Clarify: As time on the farm has past, Napoleon's power has grown and grown. The animal's without realizing it, start to treat Napoleon like a King. Because of all the power Napoleon has. Napoleon walks all over the animals and gets what he wants. Napoleon becomes to much like a human and does whatever he wants to get whatever he wants.
Try: Why does Napoleon keep changing all the rules? Why does Napoleon gety to receive all the special attention? Why aren't any of the animals speaking up and challenging Napoleon? Why did Frederick do all those mean things to his animals? Why do all of the stories about Snowball and the rules in general keep changing? Why did Napoleon lie to the animals about the timber? How did Napoleon not realize that the money was fake?
Use: To convince and sway the animals that what Napoleon said was always right, Squealer constantly reassured the animals that the information was true or not true. Squealer always had something to back his information up with. THis is similar to how I act with my brother and sister when I want something.
Review: In Chapter 8, Napoleon continues to change the rules and deceive the animals more and more everyday. Napoleon also had more guards start following him around and it was almost like he was the king. Meanwhile, Napoleon was making deals with Frederick, but he cheated Napoleon out by giving him fake money. Napoleon was furious. The next day, Frederick and his men attacked and fought a very bloody battle. However, the animals did not give up and won the battle. The animals called this the Battle of the Windmill and of course, Napoleon gave himself an award for his leadership. To celebrate, the animals drank alcohol, but Napoleon got very sick and the animals thought he was going to die. But, sadly he didn't. Then, later that night the animals found Squealer with a can of white paint changing some of the 7 Commandments.
Chapter 9
Predictions: Boxer is going to die or injure himself even more than he already is. Animals are going to die of starvation. Animals are going to steal barley without Napoleon's consent. Boxer died while carrying the stone. Napoleon is going to kill Boxer while he is on bedrest.
Images:
To help Boxer's hoof heal, Clover got some herbs and applied them to his hoof.
Every Sunday, all pigs wore a green bow or ribbon.
Moses, finally returned to the farm after going missing. He still continued to talk about Sugarcandy Mountain.
Clarify: Squealer "lies" to the animals about everything because that is his job. His job is to make sure that the animals respect and worship Napoleon and all of Napoleon's ideas. Squealer doesn't necessarily lie, but he does a great job of convincing the animals to believe in whatever he wants them to believe in.
Try: Why aren't the dogs and pigs rations of food shortened when everyone elses are? Why doesn't Boxer want to retire? Why does Squealer lie about everything to the animals? Why are all the pigs now considered "worthy"? Why do the pigs get to wear green ribbons on Sundays? What did the other pigs do to deserve special treatment? What is a Spontaneous Demonstration? Who is Moses? Why did he return? What happened to Boxer? Did Napoleon really call the hospital for Boxer? Why did Napoleon betray the animals?
Use: I understand how the animals feel after they see that Boxer was being taken to the Horse Slaughterer. They felt betrayed by their leader. I have also been betrayed by a coach once before and the feeling is awful. You feel taken advantage of and used.
Review: In Chapter 9, the rebuilding of he windmill started right away. Boxer was having a very hard time with his hoof and just the fact that he was getting older. The farm was also very short on food, except for all the pigs of course. The pigs receive special treatment 24/7. Although the farm was very successful, the animals did not have a lot of money to keep building things or buying extra things. The animals were also all still blind to how evil Napoleon was. Boxer had an awful incident, and was taken away to the Horse Slaughterer because of Napoleon. All of the animals were devastated and also so oblivious to everything that Napoleon was doing. Of course, Napoleon was elected President and convinced the animals that he was such a good leader and that they should worship him. And lastly, the pigs bought more for themselves, specifically whiskey, and wasted more money that the farm could have used for something else.
Chapter 10
Predictions: Napoleon is oging to have all of the animals on the farm disciplined by the time he dies. Napoleon will die of old age. The animals will never stand up to Napoleon. Mr. Pilkington is really planning an attack on Napoleon. Clover and the other animals get caught looking into the farmhouse.
Images:
When Benjamin goes to look at the 7 Commandments, he realizes that there are none left and that there is only one commandment there: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
It was very surprising to us all when the pigs came out walking on two legs.
The story ends with the pig and men at the dinner table, where it is very hard to tell the difference between a pig and a man.
Clarify: Napoleon and the rest of the pigs are acting more and more like humans everyday because they have been given power. Power does very weird things to people and can change them within an instant. Napoleon let it change him immensely. They act like humans because they start hanging out around other humans. They start to think that they're above all of the other animals.
Try: Will the animals ever stand up to Napoleon? How many years has it been since the rebellion? Were there ever any other farms that were able to rebel against their farm owners? What happened to Farmer Jones? Why do many of the animals go without food or only get little rations of food if the farm has gotten richer? Where did Squealer take the sheep? Why were the sheep gone for so long? Why did the pigs start walking on two legs? Why doesn't Benjamin say something if he knows what Napoleon is doing is wrong? Why are the pigs and the humans hanging out? What made Napoleon become this way?
Use: I understand how the other animals feel when they realize that they can't tell whether pig is man or man is pig. They do not recognize the other pigs because they let power turn them into humans. At school, I constantly see girls changing personalities to impress someone, or even just to fit in. People like this are fake and do not know who they really are. They are struggling to find their place in society, so they do whatever it takes just to fit in.
Review: In Chapter 10, the book comes to an end. After many years of the rebellion, Animal Farm is doing well and prospering. The only thing that is holding the farm back is the pigs. They, especially Napoleon, became very greedy and thought that they were above everyone else. The animals are thankful that they are free of humans and that everything they do is dependent upon themselves. Napoleon and many of the other pigs give the rest of the animals a surprise when they come out walking on their two hind legs. And to make matters worse, they have a dinner party that night with Farmer Pilkington. A few of the animals spy on Napoleon and his guests and realize that its very hard for them to tell a pig from a man. This was very upsetting to the animals, but like any other time, they did nothing.
Plot Line
Exposition: The story starts at Manor Farm in England. It is owned by Farmer Jones. Farmer Jones had some very special animals. Old Major, the leader of the animals, called all of the animals together one night to tell them about his very dream. Old Major had dreamed of a rebellion against the humans because he was tired of being treated like he was nothing. After Old Major dies, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer take over and become the leaders of a rebellion that would change their lives forever.
Rising Action: The animals are very confused and at first do not want to go on with a rebellion, but one day the farmers push the animals a little too far and are chased off the farm for good. To begin, the animals make a list of rules, called the 7 Commandments. They come up with a system that will make sure that everyone on the farm is doing their fair share and that the farm continues to prosper. Sooner than later, Farmer Jones and his men come back to try and take back the farm, but the animals are ready for him and they fight a very hard battle where they lose a few animals. They call this the Battle of Cowshed. Time on the farm goes by and problems come up all the time, yet Napoleon and Snowball can never seem to agree. So, Napoleon takes 9 dogs that he trains and has them chase Snowball off the farm one day. Napoleon then became leader. When Snowball was still on the farm, he came up with some really great ideas, one including a windmill. Napoleon takes this idea, claims it as his own, and instructs the animals to begin construction right away. As the months go by, the animals approach winter and the food rations shorten. Except for Napoleon and all his pigs and dogs, of course. The pigs start changing the original rules and doing things as they please. During a horrible storm, the windmill is blown over, so the animals have to begin the whole thing over again. Animal Farm is also attacked once again by Farmer Frederick and all his men. They called this battle, the Battle of the Windmill. Many animals are killed in this battle, but it is won by animal farm. The windmill is blown up and ruined again, so they animals have to begin again by building another. Boxer was injured in the battle and then falls over while rebuilding the windmill. Boxer is taken away to a Horse Slaughterer because of Napoleon. Life doesn't get any better after that either, except for the pigs of course. The pigs of course continue to break the rules and then to make matters worse, Napoleon is elected President and officially given a title for being leader.
Climax: The pigs start to act more and more like humans. Because of the power that they were given, Napoleon and all the other pigs start to think that they are above all of the other animals, so they treat the animals worse than the humans treated the animals. The animals start to realize this as time goes on but it is too late.
Falling Action: The animals don't do anything to stand up to the pigs. They act almost like slaves. They pigs pick up drinking.
Resolution: The pigs get together with Farmer Frederick and his men. They laugh and have a great time drinking. Almost, like they don't have a problem in the world, when animals on both of their farms are starving to death. Many of the animals are curious as to what they pigs are doing with the humans, so they go and investigate. While they are spying, the animals realize how much the pigs have become just like humans. Telling the difference between pig and man was hard for the animals.
Rising Action: The animals are very confused and at first do not want to go on with a rebellion, but one day the farmers push the animals a little too far and are chased off the farm for good. To begin, the animals make a list of rules, called the 7 Commandments. They come up with a system that will make sure that everyone on the farm is doing their fair share and that the farm continues to prosper. Sooner than later, Farmer Jones and his men come back to try and take back the farm, but the animals are ready for him and they fight a very hard battle where they lose a few animals. They call this the Battle of Cowshed. Time on the farm goes by and problems come up all the time, yet Napoleon and Snowball can never seem to agree. So, Napoleon takes 9 dogs that he trains and has them chase Snowball off the farm one day. Napoleon then became leader. When Snowball was still on the farm, he came up with some really great ideas, one including a windmill. Napoleon takes this idea, claims it as his own, and instructs the animals to begin construction right away. As the months go by, the animals approach winter and the food rations shorten. Except for Napoleon and all his pigs and dogs, of course. The pigs start changing the original rules and doing things as they please. During a horrible storm, the windmill is blown over, so the animals have to begin the whole thing over again. Animal Farm is also attacked once again by Farmer Frederick and all his men. They called this battle, the Battle of the Windmill. Many animals are killed in this battle, but it is won by animal farm. The windmill is blown up and ruined again, so they animals have to begin again by building another. Boxer was injured in the battle and then falls over while rebuilding the windmill. Boxer is taken away to a Horse Slaughterer because of Napoleon. Life doesn't get any better after that either, except for the pigs of course. The pigs of course continue to break the rules and then to make matters worse, Napoleon is elected President and officially given a title for being leader.
Climax: The pigs start to act more and more like humans. Because of the power that they were given, Napoleon and all the other pigs start to think that they are above all of the other animals, so they treat the animals worse than the humans treated the animals. The animals start to realize this as time goes on but it is too late.
Falling Action: The animals don't do anything to stand up to the pigs. They act almost like slaves. They pigs pick up drinking.
Resolution: The pigs get together with Farmer Frederick and his men. They laugh and have a great time drinking. Almost, like they don't have a problem in the world, when animals on both of their farms are starving to death. Many of the animals are curious as to what they pigs are doing with the humans, so they go and investigate. While they are spying, the animals realize how much the pigs have become just like humans. Telling the difference between pig and man was hard for the animals.
Characterization
Snowball: I think that Snowball is a flat and static character. He is static because, even though he is given some type of power, he does not change and treat the animals differently. Snowball never thought he was better than any of the other animals. Snowball is also flat because he has one great personality trait, kindness. Snowball knows how to treat a person right and doesn't treat anyone differently based on their "status". Snowball was one of my favorite characters throughout the whole entire story.
Napoleon: I would describe Napoleon as a round, dynamic character. Napoleon is also the antagonist of the story. Napoleon is a round character because a lot of the story is based off of the actions of Napoleon. Napoleon is the leader of the Animal Farm, so naturally whatever he does everyone else does. Squealer also does a very good job making sure that Napoleon is the topic of conversation at least 95% of the time. Napoleon is also a dynamic character because he lets the power he receives after becoming the leader change him. At the beginning of the story, Napoleon was just a normal pig, but once the rebellion started and he kicked Snowball out, Napoleon changed for the worst and became a bad pig. Napoleon is the antagonist of the story because he is the majority of the problem at the farm: greed and selfishness.
Boxer: I believe that Boxer should be described as the round, flat character. Boxer is a round character because when the animals can't look up to Napoleon for advice they can look to Boxer for his great leadership skills and enthusiasm. Boxer is such a great role model for all the other animals, and he should have been put in charge instead of Napoleon. Boxer is also a flat character because he stays true to himself and his character. Boxer never changes because something or someone else makes him.
Themes
Deception and Lies: I felt like deception was a very big part of Animal Farm. I feel this way because Squealer was always going around and deceiving the animals of the truth just so that they wouldn't hate Napoleon or try to start a rebellion against him. Squealer would continuously lie to the animals because it was his job to make Napoleon look good. These lies just kept building up and up. They even went as far as to what changed what happened in the past to make it look like Napoleon was such a great leader and such a great pig, overall.
Violence: I also felt like violence played a big part in the book because of how the animals were treated all throughout the book. At the beginning, Old Major wished that the only violence that would occur, would be towards the humans. But, as the book progresses, the animals start to get treated even worse than they were with the humans. The humans whipped the animals and misfed them. However, the pigs executed animals and worked them to death. The pigs let the idea of being in charge get to them and they let it dictate how they treated all of the other animals.
Power: And lastly, I think that the most important theme is power. I believe that the majority of the book was written on power. At first, the humans held the power, but that all changed after the rebellion. Then, Snowball and Napoleon shared the thrown. However, this was not enough for Napoleon. Napoleon wanted all the power to himself. He wanted to be the one in charge and the one who made all the decisions. Power definitely changed Napoleon and made him a very bad person. Napoleon became a completely different, and unrecognizable person after he came to power.
Motifs
Songs/Poetry: All throughout the book, we are introduced to new songs. A very important one to the animals is the "Beasts of England". This song represented the revolution and the rebellion. The animals sang this in remembrance of Old Major and the rebellion. It had a very special place in the hearts of all the animals. The sheep also are always chanting, 'Four legs good, two legs bad." The sheep chant this because Napoleon told them too and they will do anything Napoleon says because they are followers.
Social Class and Status: The book is repetitive with rankings and what social class the animals belonged to. It either really helped you, or really hurt you. The lower class consisted of all the animals except the pigs and the dogs. The lower class was very hardworking and never left job unfinished. They were also very malnourished and starved the majority of the time. The upper class consisted of the pigs and the dogs. The pigs and the dogs never had to worry about where their next meal was coming from. They always had everything they needed because they could easily manipulate the other animals into doing whatever the wanted.
Commandment Changes: Napoleon was always making changes to the Commandments. Whenever he needed something to be changed, Squealer would run along and go change the commandment for him. For example, when Napoleon and all the other pigs drank, Napoleon had the commandment changed to "No animal shall drink in excess." The biggest commandment change was at the end of the book when Napoleon had all of the commandments taken away and replaced them all with just one: "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." Napoleon easily manipulated all the animals and the system to where the majority of the animals didn't even notice when a commandment was changed, they all just went along with whatever Napoleon said.
Symbols
The Windmill: The windmill is a symbol of the pigs' manipulation towards all the other animals. The pigs so easily manipulated all the animals into doing whatever they wanted. The animals were so easily convinced that the windmill would bring more food and better life to the farm, when in actuality the windmill was only bringing money and power to the pigs. The animals did everything and anything to make sure that they windmill was built correctly, to only be disappointed in the end when they did not receive anything for the completion of the windmill and all the hard work that they had put into it.
Animal Farm: The animals and the farm itself symbolizes the Russian Revolution. Napoleon takes on the personal of Stalin and the animals take on the personal of the human people living in Russia during the Revolution. Napoleon is similar to Stalin because he took over the farm just like Stalin took over the government. The animals represent the people because during the revolution the people did whatever Stalin told them to do. They work as slaves, just as the animals in the book did. The neighboring farms represent the neighboring countries because everyone knew what Napoleon and Stalin was doing was wrong, not one person nor animal stood up and said anything.
Tone
Sadness: The author very much portrayed sadness because all throughout the book the animals worked hard and received nothing for it. This made me feel sad just watching how hard the animals were working and how they were receiving no recognition or pay for any of it. Orwell made it seem like the animals were worth nothing because they never were treated properly.
Realistic: I felt like the author had a very realistic tone all throughout the book. First of all, he wrote the book based off of real people in a real situation. George Orwell wanted to write about the revolution without receiving any penalization for ridiculing the revolution and the leaders to the revolution. His point that came across was that nasty things can happen when humans are given power. Power most definitely changes a person because it happens all the time out here in the real world.
Objective: The author is straight to the point all throughout the book. He was not afraid to make anyone feel uncomfortable while reading this book. The events in Animal farm actually happened in the real world, therefore the author is very straightforward with what happened. However, Orwell did a nice job of making sure that he did not get in trouble for writing the book by covering the stories up with animal characters.
Mood
Comical: The book was very funny to me because George Orwell made fun of the Russian Revolution in a way that not many humans were able to figure out. He did a great job f portraying all of Stalin's traits into Napoleon's traits. They basically mimicked one another in such a discreet way. The government was never able to penalize Orwell for his actions because they were never able to prove what the book was about. I laughed quite a few times while reading this book and Orwell did a very nice job making it comical and serious at the same time.
Confusion: While reading the book, I also, at times, became very confused as to what was going on. Even though Orwell did such a great job discreetly writing about the Russian Revolution, at times I was very confused as to what real word event was happening. As for the little things, I was very confused on how the animals were able to build some of the things that they did. How are a bunch of animals without disposable thumbs supposed to build a windmill?
Anger: The book was written in a very aggressive and angry mood, so as I was reading the book I also became very angry and upset. George Orwell was upset when he wrote this book, so the mood I was put in was not a very good one. I was angry with Napoleon all of the time and as I continued reading I came to hate him more and more each time.