Animal Farm
Summaries/Multi-Media Connections
Chapter 1
Old Major is a pig that is 12 years old on Manor Farm. He gathers the whole barn together to tell them something. He tells them that man is their enemy. That man consumes product of their labor yet produces nothing in return to the world. He tells them that being an animal on a farm are basically slavery and that they will end up being killed in the end by man. He tells them that they need to rebel. And get rid of humans so they can be free. The animals took his speech into great consideration.
This chapter can be related to the book by E.B. White called "Charlotte's Web." In this book a pig (named Wilber) is bound to get killed by the farmer. Just like how Old Major and the other animals on animal farm are bound to get killed by Mr.Jones. The sheep in "Charlotte's Web" are kind of like Old Major in "Animal Farm" because the sheep tell Wilbur that he was going to be killed and cooked by the farmer for Christmas. Just how Old Major told the animals on "Animal Farm" that they were going to get killed and cooked by Mr.Jones.
Chapter 2
Old Major died peacefully. That's when Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer had secret meetings and created Animalism. Just in case if the "rebellion" that Old Major predicted ever did come (which it did.) One day when Mr.Jones (the farmer of Manor Farm) was drunk he came home and forgot to feed the animals to a point where the never got feed all day. The animals did not like this at all so they tried to get the food themselves while Mr.Jones was sleeping. The broke open the door to where their food was. When they did this Mr. Jones woke up. When he got up he got out his whip and tried to make them stop. The animals got so defensive they scared him out of his own farm. The animals renamed the farm "Animal Farm." And with the pigs being the smart animals created the 7 commandments of Animalism.
This chapter best connects to the song "We're Not Gonna Take it" by Twisted Sister. In this song the band is saying that they're not going to take having people taking away their rights. Just like the animals in "Animal Farm" weren't going to take Mr.Jones taking away their right to be free. They also say in the song that they'll fight for they're right. That's exactly what the animals did. They fought for their right for their food. And also their freedom from being overruled by humans.
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Chapter 3
On Sundays instead of work they had ceremonies where they had their own flag that they raised. The pigs set aside the harness room as their headquarters. When it was apple season the pigs wanted to keep all of the apples and milk for themselves. The other animals obviously did not like this idea. But the pigs won them over by saying that they need all the food and drink for it keeps them healthy. And if they weren't healthy then Mr.Jones would come back. None of the other animals wanted Mr.Jones to come back so they let the pigs keep it all for themselves.
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This chapter can relate to the movie called "Shark Tale." One day he was out in the middle of the sea with 2 jellyfish. The jellyfish start swimming away from Oscar because they think he is pathetic. Once they were out of sight at shark comes and chases Oscar. As Oscar swims away with the shark chasing him an anchor drops all of the sudden and hits the shark. As the jellyfish hear the anchor drop they come back to see what happened. All they see is Oscar standing next to a dead shark thinking that Oscar killed it. They tell the story around town making Oscar a hero. Oscar accepts being a hero instead of telling the truth resulting him to be selfish in taking the fame. When Oscar took the fame he said that having him there would keep the sharks away. Just like the pigs in "Animal Farm" how they were selfish in taking the milk and apples. They said that taking the milk and apples would keep Mr.Jones away.
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Chapter 4
It didn't take very long for the story of the rebellion to spread to the other animals on the various farms around the country. When the other animals in the other farms heard about their rebellion they started to get a little rebellious themselves. Then one day Mr. Jones along with the neighboring farms Foxwood and Pinchfield's men came back to "Animal Farm" to recapture it. With the leadership of Snowball the animals prevailed once again scaring all the men away. The animals called their battle "the Battle of the Cowshed since that's where the battle took place.
This chapter can be related to the movie "Shrek." Shrek is the main character in the movie. He is an ogar. In this movie the king captures fairy tale creatures and decides to keep them imprisoned in Shrek's home. Shrek goes out and tries to recapture it. But the only way he could recapture it was by saving a Princess that the king wanted to marry from a castle with a fire breathing dragon. Shrek tries his hardest to get back his home. This is like chapter 4 because Mr.Jones tried his hardest to recapture his farm. Also instead of having to save a princess Mr.Jones has to put up a fight.
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Chapter 5
Snowball and Napoleon are always disagreeing. They argued about almost everything but one of their biggest arguments was about the windmill. Snowball wanted to build a windmill and Napoleon didn't. When the pigs were giving their speeches Napoleon called for the dogs he had taken away to train and made them chase Snowball out of the farm forever. Napoleon stopped the meetings on Sundays and said that decisions would be made by a committee of pigs presided by himself. Squealer takes Napoleon's side and Napoleon changes his mind and says now that he wants the windmill to be built.
This chapter can relate to this quote from E.B. White. This quote relates because in this chapter Napoleon and Snowball disagree on everything. And when it came down to it, it wasn't really about the windmill it was about how they were going to keep the society they established where everyone's equal. Snowball wanted equality and Napoleon wanted tyranny. But their disagreement about who were in charge really started because they both agreed to have the windmill built. But Napoleon saw disagreeing at first a pathway to tyranny.
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Chapter 6
The animals begin trading for resources they can't produce. The pigs move into the farmhouse where they also sleep in the human beds. The animals went along with this because Napoleon set his dogs outside the farmhouse to make sure there was no disagreement. The pigs also added to the 4th rule in their set of commandments saying that "no animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets" instead of "no animal shall sleep in a bed." A storm came and knocked down the wind-mill that the animals had half finished. Napoleon accused Snowball for the destruction of the wind-mill. Napoleon called him a traitor to Animal Farm and he gave Snowball the death sentence.
This chapter can be related to the song "Blame" by Calvin Harris ft. John Newman. The verses are not very similar to the chapter but the chorus definitly is. In this song the chorus goes "blame it on the night, don't blame it on me." Well when in Animal Farm Napoleon accusesses Snowball for destroying the windmill in the middle of the night. When in realality Snowball didn't do it; it was a storm. Snowball should, when Napoleon accusses him, say "blame it on the night, don't blame it on me."
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Chapter 7
Napoleon makes the hens give up their eggs so the pigs can sell them for money for the farm. The animals confess things that they have done to Napoleon and if the thing they had done had related to Snowball in any way they got murdered. Napoleon says the song "Beasts of England was not needed anymore so he forbade everyone to sing it. Squealer says that Snowball had been on Jones's side all along and he convinces the other animals.
This poem title "Dictatorship" by unanimous can be related to this chapter. In this chapter Napoleon murders people. He doesn't even do it in private so no one would find out. He definitely was controlling the animal's thoughts just like the first line in the poem. Napoleon also controlled the animal's thoughts when made the hens give up their eggs and made it forbidden for the "Beasts of England" song to be sung.
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Chapter 8
The 6th commandment was changed to "no
animal shall kill another animal 'without cause.'" This commandment was
changed by Squealer so Napoleon wouldn’t be turned on by the other animals. He murdered
many animals because they had been in companionship with Snowball. A poem was
written for Napoleon for being such a great leader. And Napoleon also had a
taste tester to make sure he didn't get poisoned. 15 men including Mr. Fredrick
came to get revenge on Animal Farm. They blew up the animals windmill that they
had just finished building. The animals called the battle "the battle of
the windmill." The pigs got ahold of alcohol and started to drink to a
point where they got drunk.
This chapter can be related to the article titled Fact or Fiction? Animals like to get drunk. Because in this chapter Napoleon gets drunk I wondered if animals actually have the desire to drink beer. In this article it told me that not very many animals actually like the taste of alcohol. But there are a couple animals in the rainforest that like to drink. They get their alcohol from a plant called the bertan palm flower. This plant is made up of 3.8% alcohol. The animals don't just like the taste but they are addicted to it. In just one night the animals on average drink about 9 servings of alcohol. (Click on the button to the left to read the article.)
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Chapter 9
The animals started to rebuild the windmill once again. Additional to the windmill they also wanted to build a school house for the younger, baby pigs. The pigs reduced the other animal's rations and raised their own. The pigs drank alcohol every day. Boxer got sick from being very old and Napoleon, instead of calling a vet he called a horse slaughterer. The animals got mad but Squealer said they just didn't change their label yet. As a result, Boxer died.
This chapter can be related to this quote from the Italian Proverb. Since Napoleon raised his rations and reduced the others Napoleon showed so much greed. This quote suggests that if you desire so many things and be greedy then you are going to suffer in some way. For Napoleon, he suffered by becoming fat and more and more like his own enemy (a human.)
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Chapter 10
Many years passed, Muriel, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher died. Mr.Jones was dead as well. Snowball was forgotten. The windmill was finished but instead of using it for electricity, they used it for milling corn. They wanted to build another windmill for the first one had brought in a large profit. The pigs started walking on their hind legs. The pigs wore Mr.Jones's clothes. All the commandments had been erased and the only thing that was written was "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." The pigs invited humans over for an inspection of the farm they also invited them to stay for dinner. The pigs were acting so much like humans that it was hard to tell the two apart.
This chapter can be related to this quote by Thomas Jefferson. In my opinion this quote means that if you have pride then you're going to suffer from it more than being hungry thirsty or being cold. Just like Napoleon had pride and he suffered a lot because in the end he became so much like a human that you could barely tell the two apart. Becoming a human would be a huge suffer for the animals because "Animal Farm's" first intention was to be as far apart as a human as possible and be against and enemies with the humans. So Napoleon becoming just like a human would be so hypocritical of him because he would basically be his own enemy.
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Socratic Seminars/Discussion Review
Socratic Seminar 1 - Notes
Snowball and Napoleon had different ideas of Utopia, everyone did. Snowball had a Utopia where all the animals were equal and Napoleon had an idea where he would be in charge. But even with Snowball's idea of Utopia in play where everyone was equal some animals such as the pigs were smarter than others so the pigs made the decisions. The author used Utopian ideas by creating a place called "Sugarland" the place where the animals went when they died. Napoleon took charge by eliminating competition and then he got everyone to his side and then used the dogs he trained to eliminate further competition. If an animal as dumb as Mollie would leave the farm then who's to say some as high up in their society such as Napoleon won't abandon the farm? People or animals in this case like to rebel its nature. One thing we don't like and it changes the mind set of everything.
Socratic Seminar 2 - Notes
The animals descended to humanity by starting out with a little influence of humanity. The animals never intended to build new technology. They just wanted to build a windmill and they used human tools to do it. So they were influenced by humans to get through their daily lives. The commandments define an animal wholly because their intentions were to be as far away from humans as possible. As time went on the commandments got changed but no one was going by the new commandments except for the pigs because they were the ones who had access to the resources to go against the original commandments. The "end result" of Animal Farm is basically the current humanity. When the pigs noticed what they could have for themselves they become greedy and became dictators. The "end result" shows us that for humans their Utopia is where people get everything to themselves and don't have to share. The animals, specifically the pigs are falling into a broken society because they used propaganda, changed their own commandments to fit their needs and fell into their own pride. The animals had somewhat of their "Utopia" but slowly fell into greed. The pigs were making their own utopia where they are in charge and better than any of the other animals.
Writing Piece
How do universal truths influence Utopian ideas?
Falling Prey to Pride
By: Sarah DeMuth
Napoleon started out as an average pig. When the rebellion rolled around and Animal Farm was formed, he had the best intentions to make the farm successful and thrive. However, Napoleon found that he could be more than just an average pig. He fell prey to his own pride and hypocrisy and became a tyrant. He did this by doing whatever he pleased to other animals, by training dogs to do exactly what he said, and lastly by having a “sidekick” to put down any act of rebellion towards him.
Napoleon started out thinking Animal Farm would be a nice place where every animal was equal. Napoleon thought that he could make that happen. But he had so much pride in himself; that he felt he could prove to the other animals that he was better than them. He did this by becoming a dictator and chasing Snowball, another pig, out of the farm. This proves that most of the time if a group decides to do something together more than likely there is going to be that one person that ruins the whole thing for everyone. (In Animal Farm’s case, that person would be Napoleon.)
Another way Napoleon took charge was by training dogs to make them do whatever he said. Because Napoleon had his dogs as his defense, he felt he could do anything he wanted such as: drink alcohol, wear clothes, walk on his hind legs, sleep in a bed, and even murder other animals. Because of this the dogs he used for defense made everyone else scared even though he should be the one scared that the other animals might figure out that was becoming a tyrant, turn on him and make him suffer the way he made them suffer.
Finally Napoleon gained a lot of pride when Squealer stepped up as his “sidekick” to back up anything he said that the other animals might not get along with. Squealer made sure that Napoleon stayed charge and the other animals didn’t turn on him. Most of the things that Squealer backed Napoleon up on were when he changed the commandments. With the backup of Squealer the other pigs, along with the dogs Napoleon felt he could do whatever he wanted to the other animals and there system of living.
In conclusion, Napoleon started out with good intentions for Animal Farm. But he figured out that he was capable of so much more. He fell prey to his own pride and hypocrisy which made and end result of going back to the same state from when the humans were in charge of the farm. Napoleon started out as a pig but soon his actions couldn’t be told apart from a human. People who start out with the best intentions often fall prey to their own pride and hypocrisy.
By: Sarah DeMuth
Napoleon started out as an average pig. When the rebellion rolled around and Animal Farm was formed, he had the best intentions to make the farm successful and thrive. However, Napoleon found that he could be more than just an average pig. He fell prey to his own pride and hypocrisy and became a tyrant. He did this by doing whatever he pleased to other animals, by training dogs to do exactly what he said, and lastly by having a “sidekick” to put down any act of rebellion towards him.
Napoleon started out thinking Animal Farm would be a nice place where every animal was equal. Napoleon thought that he could make that happen. But he had so much pride in himself; that he felt he could prove to the other animals that he was better than them. He did this by becoming a dictator and chasing Snowball, another pig, out of the farm. This proves that most of the time if a group decides to do something together more than likely there is going to be that one person that ruins the whole thing for everyone. (In Animal Farm’s case, that person would be Napoleon.)
Another way Napoleon took charge was by training dogs to make them do whatever he said. Because Napoleon had his dogs as his defense, he felt he could do anything he wanted such as: drink alcohol, wear clothes, walk on his hind legs, sleep in a bed, and even murder other animals. Because of this the dogs he used for defense made everyone else scared even though he should be the one scared that the other animals might figure out that was becoming a tyrant, turn on him and make him suffer the way he made them suffer.
Finally Napoleon gained a lot of pride when Squealer stepped up as his “sidekick” to back up anything he said that the other animals might not get along with. Squealer made sure that Napoleon stayed charge and the other animals didn’t turn on him. Most of the things that Squealer backed Napoleon up on were when he changed the commandments. With the backup of Squealer the other pigs, along with the dogs Napoleon felt he could do whatever he wanted to the other animals and there system of living.
In conclusion, Napoleon started out with good intentions for Animal Farm. But he figured out that he was capable of so much more. He fell prey to his own pride and hypocrisy which made and end result of going back to the same state from when the humans were in charge of the farm. Napoleon started out as a pig but soon his actions couldn’t be told apart from a human. People who start out with the best intentions often fall prey to their own pride and hypocrisy.