Characters
Who is Boxer?
A hardworking cart-horse known for saying “I will work harder.”
What is the Battle of the Cowshed?
The animals’ successful defense of the farm against Mr. Jones and his men.
What does the farmhouse symbolize?
Power, privilege, and the return to the human-like corruption the animals sought to escape.
“All animals are equal…”
Part of the original commandments promoting equality.
What is propaganda?
Biased or misleading information used to promote a political cause or point of view.
Who is Snowball?
A pig who is intelligent and idealistic; chased out by Napoleon.
What commandment do the pigs break first?
“No animal shall sleep in a bed.” They add “with sheets” to excuse themselves.
What does the windmill represent?
False hope and manipulation; a distraction used to control the animals.
“Four legs good, two legs bad.”
A simplified slogan used to promote Animalism and suppress dissent.
Name one type of propaganda used.
Fear, bandwagon, repetition, scapegoating, etc.
Who is Napoleon based on?
Joseph Stalin.
What happens to the windmill?
It is destroyed multiple times, including by storms and humans.
What does Animalism represent?
Communism or socialist ideals.
“I will work harder.”
Boxer’s motto showing his loyalty and blind dedication.
How is language used to manipulate?
The pigs twist words, change commandments, and use slogans to control truth.
Why does Squealer represent propaganda?
He constantly manipulates language to justify the pigs' actions.
What happens to the animals who confess to crimes?
They are executed by Napoleon's dogs, showing the regime's cruelty.
What do the dogs symbolize?
The secret police (like Stalin’s KGB) used to enforce control and fear.
“Napoleon is always right.”
Boxer’s second motto, showing his acceptance of authority without question.
How is power corrupted in Animal Farm?
Those in charge (the pigs) become indistinguishable from the tyrants they replaced.
What happens to Mollie and what does it symbolize?
She leaves the farm for a life of comfort, symbolizing those who flee revolutionary change for personal luxury.
How do the pigs use fear to control the animals?
They threaten Mr. Jones’s return and use the dogs to instill terror.
What is the overall allegory of Animal Farm?
It is an allegory of the Russian Revolution and the rise of totalitarianism.
Rewrite: “All animals are equal, but…”
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
How does Orwell warn readers about totalitarianism?
He shows how ideals can be manipulated into oppressive regimes through fear, propaganda, and betrayal.