Book Characters
What motivational words does Boxer say to himself?
"I will work harder," and "Napoleon is always right.'
This was the name of the first rebellion of the animals against Farmer Jones and his men.
Napoleon is the leader of the pigs and the leader of the Animal Farm. He took power when his dogs chased away Snowball before the election. He was later voted "president" but he was the only candidate. Squealer is another pig, his representative, who explains Napoleon's ideas and farm changes to the other animals.
What is the flag of animal farm? What do its parts represent?
It is a green flag with horns and a hoof on a green background. The green represents the green fields from the song Beasts of England, which imagines a world without humans.
What happend to Old Major after he died?
Old Major's skull was put on a spike, and the other animals would walk around it in a circle to honor their ancestor. His skull became symbol of the pigs power. However, the pigs eventually took it down when they needed to get closer to the humans.
What was Old Major's main contribution to the other animals?
He gave them a vision of the Animal Farm controlled by animals. In his speech, he provided them with the 7 commandments or values of the animal society.
What was the Battle of the Windmill? Was it a clear victory?
This was the second invasion of the human attackers, at which they dynamited the windmill. It was not a clear victory for the animals, because many animals died and the windmill was destroyed.
What is the role of the sheep on the farm?
They exist to sing loudly, first Beasts of England, and then "Two legs bad, four legs good." They repeat exactly what they are told by the pigs.
Mollie the mare likes sugar and ribbons. Why did she feel concerned that these would not exist after the rebellion?
These were comforting treats that she enjoyed, but that also reminded the other animals of her dependency on the humans.
The 7 Commandments are the rules of Animalism. Yet by Chapter 10, the 7 have been reduced to a single commandment. What is it?
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Moses the Raven only appears 3-4 times in the book, and he tells a story about Sugar Candy Mountain. What is that place and why does he tell this story?
Snowball introduced the idea of a windmill. What was his original plan or purpose for it? How many times has it been destroyed and re-built?
Explain the fate of the puppies, who disappear in chapter 2. How is the traditional "loyalty" of dogs demonstrated in them?
The puppies are kidnapped by Napoleon, raised by him, and educate by him. They become his body guards and are unquestionably loyal to him.
Snowball is a pig, but he also becomes a symbol on the farm. Describe Snowball.
Snowball was another pig who co-led the farm with Napoleon immediately after the rebellion. He planned activities to improve animal welfare. However, he was chased off by Napoleon's dogs. He becomes a scapegoat for Napoleon, a reason why everything bad happens on the farm and a villain for the other animals to avoid or face punishment.
In secret, Squealer teaches the sheep to say, "Four legs good, two legs better," and to accept the sight of pigs on two legs. What is the effect of this change in the animals' slogan?
Through their loud and repetitive shouting in chorus, the sheep send the message that they are told to send. By speaking for the pigs, they communicate that it is perfectly acceptable to see pigs walk on two legs.
Who is Clover and what is her relationship to reading and memory?
Clover is an "old, stout mare" and original friend of Boxer. She cannot read because the horses have trouble learning the alphabet, but she has a good memory. She asks the other animals to read the 7 Commandments to her whenever she senses that the pigs are violating the commandments.
In Chapter 7, there is a event that we could call the Uprising of the Hens. What happens then, and what are the consequences of that moment?
The hens stage a mini-rebellion when Napoleon and Squealer tell them that they must increase their egg production to sell to the humans. They destroy their own eggs. The pigs and dogs respond by killing many animals who "confess" rebellious thoughts or plans in coordination with Snowball.
Boxer and the rooster make a plan. When Boxer says, "I will work harder," who is he working for? Who benefits from his labor?
The pigs enjoy drink whiskey in several scenes of the book. Why does the author focus on their enjoyment of this alcohol?
The pigs enjoy a drink as much as the original farmer, Mr. Jones. They spend a lot of money that belongs to all of the animals on the farm for whiskey, even though the other animals are forbidden from drinking. Their taste in whiskey is extremely human, and they are not able to function or do their work, like when Napoleon is "dying."
Benjamin calls them "fools" because they have constantly been tricked by the deceptions of the pigs. Many of them believe, like Boxer, that Napoleon is always right, that the stories that Squealer tells are true, and that Snowball is to blame. Benjamin has never trusted the pigs, but he also hasn't risked losing anything until now, with Boxer's kidnapping.
Benjamin is a donkey who once said that no one has ever seen a dead donkey. What does he mean with his cryptic comments? In what scene do we see the most emotional expression from Benjamin?
Benjamin means that in the long life of a donkey, or any animal that lived before the rebellion, not much has changed despite the many promises of the pigs. His reaction to the horse slaughterer van shows that he is very aware of the dangers facing the animals under the pigs' leadership.
At the end of chapter 7, after the many confessions of the animals for guilt in collaboration with Snowball, Clover leads the animals to the hill where they sit silently. Why is this a powerful moment in the history of the farm?
Clover has realized that the Animal Farm has not lived up to the ideals of Old Major and the 7 commandments. She feels sadness for a world that is lost to violence and physical suffering, much as before the rebellion.
Describe the changing relationship between the pigs and humans. How does is start? Who is involved?
The pigs become close to humans in many ways, from interacting with them, to talking and acting like them, to living like them. Jones, Whymper, Fredrik, Pilkington. Answer may vary.
What is the meaning of the song "Beasts of England" that the animals first sing to celebrate their victory in the original rebellion? Why do Napoleon and Squealer eliminate that song?
Beasts of England is a song that celebrates a perfect future for animals in lovely farm settings where there is never work, brutality, cold weather, or starvation, and all animals live as brothers and sisters. The pigs eliminate this song because they want a world based in inequality between animals.
At the very end of Chapter 10, the farm animals curiously watch the pigs and the humans play cards. They feel that "something strange was happening" to the faces of the pigs. Describe what happens and its significance.
The animals see that the pigs resemble the humans so closely that they cannot be told apart. The pigs wear human clothes, stand on two legs, drink whiskey, play cards, speak English, and their faces are now humanlike. They have transformed into the oppressors who violently abuse and exploit the animals.