Title Animal Farm (1945) Author George Orwell My own story Mr. Jones has a farm (Manor Farm) with several animals, but he treated them like dirt and the animals are angry about that. Mr. Jones is always drunk and heartless. When an animal is too old Mr. Jones will kill the animal. Every day was a hard day for the animals. Mr. Jones went to bed (drunk) without giving the animals food and water. The next day he didn't that neither. Old Major (it is a pig) wanted all the animals at him, he had a speech. He began to say that man were stronger and that man were treat the animals bad. Old Major wanted power to the animals. He wants a rebellion. After this he (Old Major) told about a dream he had had. It was a song about Beasts of England. After weeks Old Major dies and the animals buried him. The rebellion began!!!! The animals chased Mr. Jones away and from that time the farm called "Animal Farm". There was one main rule: Two legs enemy, four legs friend. From that day they had to do everything for themselves. Like harvesting and making things. There were three pigs and they ruled the animals. Napoleon was the leader and held meetings after work. Squaler was the smooth talker and had for every problem his idea and told the animals the right thing. Snowball was a smart pig and very honest. So he was dangerous for Napoleon and Squaler. The pigs made rules: "The seven commandments". The animals were not so smart so they think everything is alright. So after several weeks the three pigs were the leaders of all the animals and the animals thought it was the right thing. But not every animal, they had a rebellion to get lost of the power of others, hadn't they? Mollie was such animal. She is a mare and want to do things for herself, but now she must do hard work and she does not want it. Everything went OK! There are some little problems, but Squaler told it so that the animals think it was the right thing. Some of the problems was that the cows gave milk and they does not know what to do with it. The pigs solve this problem, but didn't tell how. Whet the animals didn't know is that the pigs drank the milk. Meanwhile the animals learn reading and writing. There were hardly animals who can do that, but the pigs were smart and they can do that. Mr. Jones went to a pub and told his story about "Animal Farm". Two other farmers, Pilkington and Frederick, were afraid of the rebellion. So they work together and they would attack "Animal Farm". The animals knew that Mr. Jones would come back to get his farm, but now the animals have a lot to lose, like lives and harvest and also the ideal of the Rebellion. So they have to fight. Every animal has a post and when they heard that the men were coming, they went to it. (The posts were Snowball's plan) There were lines: The first one was filled with pigeons and geese. The second were the sheep and the thirth line there were the horses and the !?!?!pigs!?!?!. The men attack the farm. First the pigeons and the geese ran to them, but the men were too strong. But the sheep and the horses chased them away. They won. Victory!!! One sheep died in the battle. The pigs gave medals to animals who fight best. Boxer got one and Snowballs got one, because he made the plan. Mollie ran away, because she does not fit in the system. She always oversleeps and she has mysterious pains. She went away when the fight began. She was afraid to die and it was a good excuse. But before she left Clover had seen her talking with people. Snowball invented a windmill to make the work easier and the shed warmer. Napoleon did not agree with this and the argue. There were two leaders in this system and that was one too much. So one day Napoleon said at a meeting that Snowball is a traitor. The animals protest but Squaler asked the animals if they want Mr. Jones back. So nine dogs chased Snowball away from Animal Farm. Napoleon wants to build a windmill after all. He said that it was his idea and invention and that Snowball took it from him. The pigs went into Mr. Jones' house but in the seven commandments stood that the animals may not come in the house. The pigs said that they need a place to work and to think. The animals believed them. The pigs uses the beds to sleep in., but in the seven commandments stood they may not sleep in there. But the commandment suddenly changed so that the pigs may sleep in the bed, but without sheets. So several commandments were changed and no animal react. They all think it is OK. The pigs sell the eggs to get money for building the windmill. After a long time the windmill collapse and the pigs said it was the fault of Snowball. He was guilty. The next windmill was stronger and better. The pigs had to buy materials to make the windmill. So they handle with people. (Four legs good, two legs bad!?!?!) The pigs had to buy more food, but they need money to buy it. The hens had to lay more eggs. The hens make protest and smashes their eggs to pieces. The pigs became mad and gave the hens no more food. Nine hens died and the rest had to lay eggs and they did. Napoleon held a meeting and several animals were guilty. Guilty of what????? Innocent animals were killed by the pigs. Other animals sang the song "Beasts of England" but the song has now forbidden. But in the seven commandments stood: "No animal will kill an other animal". But now there stood: "No animal will kill an other animal without cause". Frederick and his men want to attack Animal Farm. The animals had spies so they knew about the plans. The animals asked help from other farms. The men came with guns and they won. The windmill was blown up. The animals became very mad and fight back. Finally the animals won, but everything was destroyed. Many animals were wounded and some of them died. Napoleon was also wounded. He said he can handle the pain if he gets alcohol. First: "No animal shall drink alcohol". Now: "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess". Meanwhile the animals still handle with Pilkington and Frederick. They sell wood to them, but the money they got was fake so they attack them. Boxer is a hard worker, but suddenly he had a split in his hoof so he had to do nothing until he healed. After a few days he can work and he worked harder and harder. Boxer fell down. He worked too hard! Squaler came to look at him. Boxer was brought to the slaughter, but he told the animals that Boxer was brought to the hospital. A few days later Squaler said that Boxer died in the hospital. The animals want to see boxer, but they can't. Later a man arrived and he brought Whisky. The pigs sold Boxer to a slaughter. (Willingdon) Years passed and the windmill was ready and they built another one. 31 pigs born and they went to school for pigs. In these years nothing has been changed since Mr. Jones left. Only one thing: They are free now. The Animal Farm becomes a republic and Napoleon becomes the president. One day the pigs took the sheep away and a few days later the little pigs came walking on their hind legs. The sheep follow them and they yell: "Four legs good, two legs better". On a night there was a party (only for the pigs and the human beings) in the house. The pigs were playing cards with the human beings. The animals looked threw the window and they did not see any different between the pigs and the men. Backgrounds You can read this book with several thoughts. Children like this story because it is like a tale for them. But it is a book with more than only a funny story. The whole story is based on the Russian Revolution. And in the story you will find several aspects of that. A simple example is the windmill. The animals tried to make it and after a while it collapsed. Napoleon said it was the fault of Snowball, but it was not true. The windmill was not strong enough. The windmill in the story is the same as the 5-years-plan. After a few years was it also not working just like the windmill. The windmill was Snowball's plan but Napoleon took it from him. So Snowball was a victim just like Trotsky in the Russian Revolution. He was also a victim. Napoleon is just like Stalin. Everything what goes wrong is good in the eyes of the people/animals because Stalin/Napoleon said it. So there are two levels in this book, but there is another one and that is 'Dictatorship'. First Mr. Jones ruled everything, but the animals want to be free so they fight, but after several years the pigs ruled just like the human beings so there was nothing changed in that time. You can easily find the theme with this. First the pigs were liberators and helped the animals to get rid of Mr. Jones, but after several years they become oppressors. In a short way: Liberators become oppressors! For a child is this a strange story and maybe a little bit difficult to understand, especially at the end of the story. But besides that it is a good book for everyone.
My opinion Animal Farm is not a difficult book. I read it like a tale and that made it a lot easier to read, but after a short time I knew there was more than only a funny story. So everything you read in the story has more. That made it a lot more work. I like the book as a tale, so I read it like a tale and after reading the whole book you can compare it with the Russian Revolution. It makes a lot easier to understand what was going on in the time of the Russian Revolution. So I learned some things about this story. I hoped for a happy end but there was not. After all it was a funny book, especially because there are things in the book what is impossible. (like pigs who can walk or animals who make a windmill)