Chapter 1
Who owns the farm and what problem does he have?
Mr. Jones, of the manor farm, had locked the hen houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes.
Who are the three main pigs?
The three main pigs are Old Major, Napoleon, and Snowball, and they all are said to represent one of the three major figures of the Soviet Union.
What is unique about the animals' first harvest?
Orwell writes that they "toiled and sweated to get the hay in." This resulted in the rewarding of their first harvest. It was the quickest and "an even bigger success than they had hoped." The animals were excited about the farm after the revolution. They saw it as their own.
Who was taking the milk?
The pigs
Commandment 1
Whatever goes on two legs _is an enemy.
According to Old Major, what is the key cause to all of the animals' problems?
Man is the cause to the animals' problems. ... The animals feel used by the humans. The animals get angry at the humans, and they show patriotism as animals while singing "Beasts of England."
What is Animalism?
Animalism is the system of thought that Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer make using the ideas that Old Major outlined in his speech in Chapter 1. You can read about Animalism in Chapter 2. Animalism is the version of communism/socialism espoused by Old Major.
What is different about the working conditions after the rebellion?
The animals work all the time and they are happy to do it. The pigs supervise but don't help to the actual work. ... The animals work well together because the all feel equal.
Describe Mr. Pilkington and his farm, Foxwood
Mr. Pilkington is the owner of Foxwood, a farm near Animal Farm. He is introduced as “an easy-going gentleman farmer who spent most of his time in fishing or hunting according to the season”
Commandment 2
Whatever goes on four legs, or has wings, ______is a friend____________________.
Notice how the animals arrange themselves to hear Old Major speak. What might this arrangement say about future meetings or events?
Pigs are most important and the dogs are the barrier between them and the other animals.
Why don't the pigs like the pet raven Moses' stories about Sugarcandy Mountain?
Because they know that he doesn't tell the truth and if he makes dying sound pleasant, then the other animals won't mind dying or leaving the rebellion to the next generation.
What kind of worker is Boxer? What becomes his motto?
The powerful and hard-working Boxer does most of the heavy labor, adopting “I will work harder!” as a personal motto. The entire animal community reveres his dedication and strength.
Describe Mr. Frederick and his farm, Pinchfield
Frederick is the owner and operator of Pinchfield Farm. He is known as ''a tough, shrewd man, perpetually involved in lawsuits and with a name for driving hard bargains.
Commandment 3
No animal shall _wear clothes___________________.
Summarize the commandments that Old Major gives to the animals--what is the essence of what the animals must never do?
He says to never treat another animal badly and that all animals must be equal.
What causes the animals to finally rebel against Mr. Jones and his farmhands and take control of the farm?
Jones gets drunk and neither he nor his men feed the animals on Saturday or Sunday (Midsummer's Day), the animals break into the feed storage shed. They attack the men when they come with whips to drive the animals away from the food.
Describe how the education on the farm goes.
Through a lack of education, the animals became unable to see the power Napoleon was gaining over them. The pigs “have taught themselves to read and write”, so everyone agrees and believe everything they say because they are the educated ones.
How do Mr. Pilkington and Mr. Frederick get along?
It is because Pilkington symbolizes both Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Britain, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the President of the U.S., in other words, capitalist governments.
Commandment 4
No animal shall ______sleep in a bed______________.
Old Major's final commandment is that "All animals are
Equal
What will the animals do with the farmhouse?
They all file through the house looking at all the luxuries. Some hams are taken out and buried, and a barrel of beer is destroyed. The animals agree that the farmhouse is to be preserved as a museum and that no animal may ever live there.
When many of the animals can't memorize the 7 Commandments, to what statement does Snowball simplify them?
When it becomes apparent that many of the animals are unable to memorize the Seven Commandments, Snowball reduces the principles to one essential maxim, which he says contains the heart of Animalism: “Four legs good, two legs bad.” The birds take offense until Snowball hastily explains that wings count as legs.
What was the effect of the rumors about Animal Farm?
Rumors spread among the humans that the animals on Animal Farm are starving and practicing cannibalism and torture. Snowball has been studying the battle tactics of Julius Caesar to prepare to fight off Jones. Snowball is injured when a shot grazes his back as he charges Mr. Jones.
Commandment 5
No animal shall ____drink alcohol ________________.