Animal farm door George Orwell

Summary

1. Major, a pig, tells all the animals to fight against the men and for freedom and a good life. They learn a song: "Beasts of England" 2. All animals learn about the animalism. Farmer Jones is driven away and the pigs have made seven commends. The pigs take care that everything goes the way it should. The animals harvest the hayfield and milk the cows. 3. The pigs take the leadership and do only mental work. They want to be well taken care of, surely no one wants farmer Jones to come back! Napoleon raises some puppies. 4. People are trying to get the farm back but they don't succeed. Titles and anniversaries are made up. 5. Napoleon expels Snowball. The puppies are grown up and are Napoleons personal army. Napoleon decides to build a windmill. 6. The animals work like slaves. The pigs are moving into the house and work together with men. The windmill collapses and Snowball is accused of causing it. 7. Snowball is the scape-goat for everything that goes wrong. His 'helpers' are executed. The song "Beasts of England" is forbidden from now on. 8. The windmill is finished but people destroy it. The animals drive off the men and the pigs drink beer. 9. The pigs have a lot of privileges. Napoleon sends Boxer to the horse-slaughterer. 10. The pigs are walking on their hind legs and become just the same as men.

A more detailed analysis

This book is called 'Animal Farm', for it is about a farm ruled by animals after they have driven away the men. No longer are the animals unimportant and oppressed by men, now only things that are good for the animals will happen. At least, that is the idea when the animals start with their rebellion. Animal Farm a fable. There is a very clear message in this book. It is a persiflage on the communism and the Stalinism. The writer wants to show how wrong the communism is and how easily people are convinced, how naive many people are. One of the main characters in the book is Napoleon. He is the pig that makes all the rules and decides what to do. He does the 'mental work' and tells others to do as he says (he represents Stalin). Another character in 'Animal Farm' is Squealer. He is a great speaker and convinces every animal that Napoleon is always right and good. Other characters which are important for the story are the stupid sheep Molly, the strong horse boxer and the smart donkey Benjamin. These animals represent the people from Russia. The story takes place on and around the Animal Farm. It isn't told when it takes place, but I would say it is around 1920. The narrator isn't one of the characters in the book. There is no 'I' or 'me'.

Animal Farm

My personal response. I liked reading this book. The story is vivid and goes quick. A lot of things happen in a short time, or maybe it is better to say, in a few pages. But while the situation changes all the time it is always clear what is happening. Especially I liked the resemblance with the communism and the Stalinism, which are made completely ridiculous.

A passage that shows what the main characters Napoleon and Squealer are like is the one on the pages 22 and 23. It is a passage in the beginning of the story, the first sign of pigs feeling more important than other animals. We can see that Napoleon takes away the puppies which he wants to make his army and he has decided that the pigs have more rights on the milk and the apples than the others. Squealer has to convince the animals of this ('surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?'). This passage's also showing how easily the animals are convinced, especially the sheep who cannot understand everything and just shout 'Four legs good, two legs bad'.

A passage I think was one of the best of the book is the one on the pages 180 and 181. It starts with the animals being proud on what they've achieved, proud on their being independent. Squealer takes away the sheep but that has no meaning yet. On the next page it happens, the last step from pig to men is taken, the pigs are walking on their hind legs. They have their army and Napoleon even is carrying a whip which makes very clear the pigs are superior. At the moment the animals see through what is happening and finally have the will and courage to complain, the sheep burst out in a tremendous bleating of - 'Four legs good, two legs better!'.