essay for animal farm

A Summary and Analysis of George Orwell’s Animal Farm

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Animal Farm is, after Nineteen Eighty-Four , George Orwell’s most famous book. Published in 1945, the novella (at under 100 pages, it’s too short to be called a full-blown ‘novel’) tells the story of how a group of animals on a farm overthrow the farmer who puts them to work, and set up an equal society where all animals work and share the fruits of their labours.

However, as time goes on, it becomes clear that the society the animals have constructed is not equal at all. It’s well-known that the novella is an allegory for Communist Russia under Josef Stalin, who was leader of the Soviet Union when Orwell wrote the book. Before we dig deeper into the context and meaning of Animal Farm with some words of analysis, it might be worth refreshing our memories with a brief summary of the novella’s plot.

Animal Farm: plot summary

The novella opens with an old pig, named Major, addressing his fellow animals on Manor Farm. Major criticises Mr Jones, the farmer who owns Manor Farm, because he controls the animals, takes their produce (the hens’ eggs, the cows’ milk), but gives them little in return. Major tells the other animals that man, who walks on two feet unlike the animals who walk on four, is their enemy.

They sing a rousing song in favour of animals, ‘Beasts of England’. Old Major dies a few days later, but the other animals have been inspired by his message.

Two pigs in particular, Snowball and Napoleon, rouse the other animals to take action against Mr Jones and seize the farm for themselves. They draw up seven commandments which all animals should abide by: among other things, these commandments forbid an animal to kill another animal, and include the mantra ‘four legs good, two legs bad’, because animals (who walk on four legs) are their friends while their two-legged human overlords are evil. (We have analysed this famous slogan here .)

The animals lead a rebellion against Mr Jones, whom they drive from the farm. They rename Manor Farm ‘Animal Farm’, and set about running things themselves, along the lines laid out in their seven commandments, where every animal is equal. But before long, it becomes clear that the pigs – especially Napoleon and Snowball – consider themselves special, requiring special treatment, as the leaders of the animals.

Nevertheless, when Mr Jones and some of the other farmers lead a raid to try to reclaim the farm, the animals work together to defend the farm and see off the men. A young farmhand is knocked unconscious, and initially feared dead.

Things begin to fall apart: Napoleon’s windmill, which he has instructed the animals to build, is vandalised and he accuses Snowball of sabotaging it. Snowball is banished from the farm. During winter, many of the animals are on the brink of starvation.

Napoleon engineers it so that when Mr Whymper, a man from a neighbouring farm with whom the pigs have started to trade (so the animals can acquire the materials they need to build the windmill), visits the farm, he overhears the animals giving a positive account of life on Animal Farm.

Without consulting the hens first, Napoleon organises a deal with Mr Whymper which involves giving him many of the hens’ eggs. They rebel against him, but he starves them into submission, although not before nine hens have died. Napoleon then announces that Snowball has been visiting the farm at night and destroying things.

Napoleon also claims that Snowball has been in league with Mr Jones all the time, and that even at the Battle of the Cowshed (as the animals are now referring to the farmers’ unsuccessful raid on the farm) Snowball was trying to sabotage the fight so that Jones won.

The animals are sceptical about this, because they all saw Snowball bravely fighting alongside them. Napoleon declares he has discovered ‘secret documents’ which prove Snowball was in league with their enemy.

Life on Animal Farm becomes harder for the animals, and Boxer, while labouring hard to complete the windmill, falls and injures his lung. The pigs arrange for him to be taken away and treated, but when the van arrives and takes him away, they realise too late that the van belongs to a man who slaughters horses, and that Napoleon has arranged for Boxer to be taken away to the knacker’s yard and killed.

Squealer lies to the animals, though, and when he announces Boxer’s death two days later, he pretends that the van had been bought by a veterinary surgeon who hadn’t yet painted over the old sign on the side of the van. The pigs take to wearing green ribbons and order in another crate of whisky for them to drink; they don’t share this with the other animals.

A few years pass, and some of the animals die, Napoleon and Squealer get fatter, and none of the animals is allowed to retire, as previously promised. The farm gets bigger and richer, but the luxuries the animals had been promised never materialised: they are told that the real pleasure is derived from hard work and frugal living.

Then, one day, the animals see Squealer up on his hind legs, walking on two legs like a human instead of on four like an animal.

The other pigs follow; and Clover and Benjamin discover that the seven commandments written on the barn wall have been rubbed off, to be replace by one single commandment: ‘All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.’ The pigs start installing radio and a telephone in the farmhouse, and subscribe to newspapers.

Finally, the pigs invite humans into the farm to drink with them, and announce a new partnership between the pigs and humans. Napoleon announces to his human guests that the name of the farm is reverting from Animal Farm to the original name, Manor Farm.

The other animals from the farm, observing this through the window, can no longer tell which are the pigs and which are the men, because Napoleon and the other pigs are behaving so much like men now.

Things have gone full circle: the pigs are no different from Mr Jones (indeed, are worse).

Animal Farm: analysis

First, a very brief history lesson, by way of context for Animal Farm . In 1917, the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, was overthrown by Communist revolutionaries.

These revolutionaries replaced the aristocratic rule which had been a feature of Russian society for centuries with a new political system: Communism, whereby everyone was equal. Everyone works, but everyone benefits equally from the results of that work. Josef Stalin became leader of Communist Russia, or the Soviet Union, in the early 1920s.

However, it soon became apparent that Stalin’s Communist regime wasn’t working: huge swathes of the population were working hard, but didn’t have enough food to survive. They were starving to death.

But Stalin and his politicians, who themselves were well-off, did nothing to combat this problem, and indeed actively contributed to it. But they told the people that things were much better since the Russian Revolution and the overthrow of the Tsar, than things had been before, under Nicholas II. The parallels with Orwell’s Animal Farm are crystal-clear.

Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution and the formation of a Communist regime in Russia (as the Soviet Union). We offer a fuller definition of allegory in a separate post, but the key thing is that, although it was subtitled A Fairy Story , Orwell’s novella is far from being a straightforward tale for children. It’s also political allegory, and even satire.

The cleverness of Orwell’s approach is that he manages to infuse his story with this political meaning while also telling an engaging tale about greed, corruption, and ‘society’ in a more general sense.

One of the commonest techniques used in both Stalinist Russia and in Animal Farm is what’s known as ‘gaslighting’ (meaning to manipulate someone by psychological means so they begin to doubt their own sanity; the term is derived from the film adaptation of Gaslight , a play by Patrick Hamilton).

For instance, when Napoleon and the other pigs take to eating their meals and sleeping in the beds in the house at Animal Farm, Clover is convinced this goes against one of the seven commandments the animals drew up at the beginning of their revolution.

But one of the pigs has altered the commandment (‘No animal shall sleep in a bed’), adding the words ‘ with sheets ’ to the end of it. Napoleon and the other pigs have rewritten history, but they then convince Clover that she is the one who is mistaken, and that she’s misremembered what the wording of the commandment was.

Another example of this technique – which is a prominent feature of many totalitarian regimes, namely keep the masses ignorant as they’re easier to manipulate that way – is when Napoleon claims that Snowball has been in league with Mr Jones all along. When the animals question this, based on all of the evidence to the contrary, Napoleon and Squealer declare they have ‘secret documents’ which prove it.

But the other animals can’t read them, so they have to take his word for it. Squealer’s lie about the van that comes to take Boxer away (he claims it’s going to the vet, but it’s clear that Boxer is really being taken away to be slaughtered) is another such example.

Communist propaganda

Much as Stalin did in Communist Russia, Napoleon actively rewrites history , and manages to convince the animals that certain things never happened or that they are mistaken about something. This is a feature that has become more and more prominent in political society, even in non-totalitarian ones: witness our modern era of ‘fake news’ and media spin where it becomes difficult to ascertain what is true any more.

The pigs also convince the other animals that they deserve to eat the apples themselves because they work so hard to keep things running, and that they will have an extra hour in bed in the mornings. In other words, they begin to become the very thing they sought to overthrow: they become like man.

They also undo the mantra that ‘all animals are equal’, since the pigs clearly think they’re not like the other animals and deserve special treatment. Whenever the other animals question them, one question always succeeds in putting an end to further questioning: do they want to see Jones back running the farm? As the obvious answer is ‘no’, the pigs continue to get away with doing what they want.

Squealer is Napoleon’s propagandist, ensuring that the decisions Napoleon makes are ‘spun’ so that the other animals will accept them and carry on working hard.

And we can draw a pretty clear line between many of the major characters in Animal Farm and key figures of the Russian Revolution and Stalinist Russia. Napoleon, the leader of the animals, is Joseph Stalin; Old Major , whose speech rouses the animals to revolution, partly represents Vladimir Lenin, who spearheaded the Russian Revolution of 1917 (although he is also a representative of Karl Marx , whose ideas inspired the Revolution); Snowball, who falls out with Napoleon and is banished from the farm, represents Leon Trotsky, who was involved in the Revolution but later went to live in exile in Mexico.

Squealer, meanwhile, is based on Molotov (after whom the Molotov cocktail was named); Molotov was Stalin’s protégé, much as Squealer is encouraged by Napoleon to serve as Napoleon’s right-hand (or right-hoof?) man (pig).

Publication

Animal Farm very nearly didn’t make it into print at all. First, not long after Orwell completed the first draft in February 1944, his flat on Mortimer Crescent in London was bombed in June, and he feared the typescript had been destroyed. Orwell later found it in the rubble.

Then, Orwell had difficulty finding a publisher. T. S. Eliot, at Faber and Faber, rejected it because he feared that it was the wrong sort of political message for the time.

The novella was eventually published the following year, in 1945, and its relevance – as political satire, as animal fable, and as one of Orwell’s two great works of fiction – shows no signs of abating.

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70 Animal Farm Essay Topics & Examples

🔎 unique animal farm essay questions, 🏆 best animal farm essay topics & examples, 👍 simple & easy animal farm essay titles, 🎓 most interesting animal farm essay topics.

• Who Had the Absolute Power by the End of “Animal Farm”?
• What Was the Main Symbol of “Animal Farm”?
• Does the Story Condone Capitalism?
• Who Is the Protagonist of “Animal Farm”?
• What Are the Historical References in the Story?
• Who Can You Compare Napoleon to?
• Does “Animal Farm” Reflect the Russian Revolution?
• How Do You Define Socialist Ideas of “Animal Farm”?
• What Is the Snowball’s Role in the Story?
• Were There Innocent Characters in “Animal Farm”?
• George Orwell and Animal Farm: A Critical Analysis Other farm owners try to attack the Animal Farm but Snowball lead a successful defense in the battle of the Cowshed and gains much worship amongst the animals.
• Animal Farm by George Orwell: Literary Analysis Providing the title for the work, Orwell seems to ask the questions about the differences in the regime of the Soviet Union and irrational rule of animals at the farm.
• Propaganda in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell His greatest objective is to carry out the spreading of the revolution and to bring in the improvement of the general welfare of all the animals on the farm.
• George Orwell and Two of His Works “1984” and “Animal Farm” Orwell draws on his own personal experiences in the context of political terrorism to describe a life, lived in fear and guilt.
• Russian Revolution in Orwell’s “Animal Farm” Both the long-term and the short-term causes of the revolution contributed to the public outrage and diminished the people’s belief in the monarchy.
• “Animal Farm” by George Orwell After the revolution in the Animal Farm, the animals establish the philosophy of Animalism in order to be different from human beings.
• The Animal Farm by George Orwell There are animals which represent the poor people while the pigs and dogs represent the administrators of the leader. The pigs and dogs are given power to rule the animals by Jones who is the […]
• “I Have a Dream” and “Animal Farm” The Old Major’s speech as portrayed in the narrative Animal Farm has myriad of similarities and differences to the speech given by Martin Luther King Jr.in his attempt to liberate the black race from discrimination.
• Social Conflicts in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell This is the only way for the animals to establish equality and create a flourishing, happy and wealthy society.”Animal Farm” by Orwell is a description of the metamorphoses that happen within a freedom movement turning […]
• Dystopias in “Animal Farm” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” In this regard, the aim of literary dystopias is to caution and warn society against the blind following of ideologies that lead to the breakdown of social order.
• Domination in the Book “Animal Farm” The animals believed in the concept of equality and democracy. This discussion highlights some of the factors that influenced the social life of the animals within the farm.
• “Animal Farm” by George Orwell One of the most obvious elements that the author of the Animal Farm uses in order to highlight the satire is irony.
• The Comparison of Snowball to Napoleon in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Presentation of Napoleon in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Inability of the Animals to Read and Its Effect on Their Lives in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Use of Distortion as a Literary Device in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• The Importance of Freedom in Society as Portrayed in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Distortion of Socialism in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Path to Tyranny in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Prototypical Character of Benjamin in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Political Message Against Totalitarianism in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• An Analysis of the Differences Between the Novella “Animal Farm” by George Orwell and It’s Cartoon Adaptation
• The Theme of the Deterioration of Moral Rules in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• A Metaphor for the Life in the USSR in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• A Character Analysis: Boxer and Capitalism in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• Use of Humor to Describe Historical Events Illustrated in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• A Look at the Political Events That Led to the Writing of “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• Totalitarianism Indictment in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Manipulation of Authority in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Theme of Absurditiy of the Russian Revolution in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Use of Language to Create a Propaganda in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Impact of Confrontation With Ideology of Communism and Theocracy on the Individual in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Personification of Animals in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely: An Analysis of Power and Strength in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• Timeline of Events Showing Napoleon’s Rise to Power in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• An Analysis of the Destructionof the Truth in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Effects of Power and Control in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• A Comparison of Stalin and Napoleon and the Development of Allegory in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Negative Effects of Absolute Power in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Depiction of the Many Twists and Turns of Today’s Society in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• The Mocking of Communism in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• The Attributes of Boxer’s Entrepreneurship as Described in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• An Analysis of Leader and Follower in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• A Look at Social Justice Issues Brought Out in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• An Analysis of the Conflict Between the Strong and the Weak in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• An Analysis of the Hidden Meaning in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• A Depiction of Communism Through a Fictional World of Animals in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• Taking Advantage in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Troubles of Russia Depicted in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Political Cycle Depicted in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• The Transformation of an Individual Caused by the Misuse of Power in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• “Animal Farm” in the Context of What Makes Human Beings Human
• Old Major’s Speech to the Animals in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• A Comparative Analysis of Social Commentary in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell and “Animals” by Pink Floyd
• The Portrayal of the Utopian Society in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• Analysis of Symbolism in “The Sound of a Voice” by David Henry Hwang and “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• Utopia and Dystopia in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• Comparison of “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift and “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• The Corruptness of Power Depicted in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
• An Analysis of the Communism and Socialism in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
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Animal Farm Essay | Essay on Animal Farm for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Animal Farm Essay:  George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” published in 1945 brought him worldwide fame as a writer of political allegory. Through the novel, George Orwell tells us about the problems of the Russian revolution (1917) and the rise to power of Joseph Stalin and its oppressive communist state.

One of the main ideas of the novel is about the abuse of power. The phrase ‘power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Power often leads to corruption. There cannot be equality under totalitarian rule.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Animal Farm for Students and Kids in English

We provide the students with essay samples on animal farm essay of 500 words and a short piece of 150 words on the same reference.

Long Essay on Animal Farm 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Animal Farm is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

The novel starts by introducing us to a setting where one night all the animals at Mr Jones Manor Farm gather together to hear old Major an old – well-respected boar pig’s dream.

He described that all animals should be free from the tyranny of their human masters. They should all start an uprising against Mr Jones and other human beings. After that meeting, old Major died.

The philosophy of animalism inspired all the animals of the farm: the plot starts with the main two characters of the novel two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball are successful in doing so, and a revolution occurs, and Mr Jones and his men from the farm. Initially, the rebellion is a huge success, and the animal farm prospers.

Pigs, because of their intelligence, became the supervisors of the farm. Napoleon emerges as a greedy, selfish influential leader. Napoleon would steal the cow’s milk and apples to feed himself and other pigs, and he had even entrusted Squealer, a pig with the ability to pursue other animals that pigs are always morally correct. They had to justify the action and decision of Napoleon. There was a fight between Napoleon and Snowball fought to gain power and influence over the farm. Napoleon then emerges as the leader of the farm, and his lust for power increases to a point where he became a dictator.

Napoleon himself led a luxurious life in Mr Jone’s house, and the other animals of the farm led a harsh life, and they received less and less food, while the pigs grew fatter. Years passed, and the animal farm expanded its boundaries more and more after Napoleon purchased fields from neighbouring farm.

Napoleon and the pigs rewrite the written and oral histories of the farm in addition to the slogans, songs, commandments and poems to serve their needs and maintain their authority. The pigs’ catchphrases brainwashed the other animals to such an extent that even if the dogs kill dozens of animals to supposedly having conspired with Snowball, no one questions Napoleon’s leadership.

Many readers believe that Orwell tried to show Animal Farm as an influence of the Russian revolution due to the naming of the pigs, the story’s plot and the condition of the farm. The pig experiences different types of struggles in the story. One of the conflicts is separating the pigs from the rest of the animals, which represents a large-scale man vs culture conflict on the farm, and these explain how oppression arises from manipulation. The conflicts are solved by Napoleon’s deception, cruelty and deviousness.

Short Essay on Animal Farm 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Animal Farm is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Through the novel, the writer George Orwell conveys the message of how selfish, political leaders work only for their vested interests and consolidate power, and take away the civil and political rights of the people.

Ignorance and uneducated masses can be easily manipulated, oppressed and controlled under an authoritarian rule. The characters of the novel reflect the political figure of the time and the unjust and oppressive regime of Stalin.

Most of the events in the story have some significance with the Russian revolution (1917). Through ‘Animal Farm’ George Orwell tells us that in communism, most of the political leader misused their excessive power and that corruption may turn into violence as it was in the animal farm.

In the same way in the novel, Napoleon misused his power, cheated the animals and deprived them of their freedom and welfare and invaded the laws just as it happened in the then Soviet Union under the leadership of Stalin.

10 Lines on Animal Farm in English

• The novel tells about the dangers of totalitarian rule.
• He argues that after a revolution should power should not be concentrated in the hands of a single individual.
• Absolute power will corrupt the leaders and turn them dictatorial and self-interested tyrants.
• George Orwell supports this idea through the character Napoleon who become very greedy and self-centred and turned into a dictator.
• Moreover, they corrupted the ideas of animalism.
• When the other members of the farm realised this, it became too late, and they were
• The novel reflects the idea of abuse of power.
• George Orwell uses animal characters to demonstrate humans and their abuse of power.
• George Orwell, in the novel, highlights the importance of education.
• The writer feels that education is the right mean to fights against injustice and abuse of power to live in a healthy society.

FAQ’s on Animal Farm Essay

Question 1. What is the moral lesson of the Animal Farm Essay?

Answer: The main moral lesson of animal farm is that “Power corrupts and absolute power absolutely”. Throughout the novel, we see how Napolean gradually became all power and ultimately misused power.

Question 2. What was the purpose of the novel Animal Farm written by George Orwell?

Answer:  The purpose of the novel ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell was to satirise the then communist government of Joseph Stalin.

Question 3. Why is Animal Farm important?

Answer:  The novel ‘Animal Farm’ is important because it throws lights on the potential dangers of totalitarian rule.

Question 4. Why is Animal Farm a fable?

Answer: The novel ‘Animal Farm’ is a fable because, in, the novel, the writer uses animal characters to reflect the political realities of his time.

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Animal Farm

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Who is the real hero of Animal Farm ? Is there one? Why or why not?

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Animal Farm

By george orwell.

• Animal Farm Summary

Animal Farm is a satirical fable set on Manor Farm, a typical English farm. Orwell employs a third-person narrator, who reports events without commenting on them directly. The narrator describes things as the animals perceive them.

Old Major calls a meeting of all the animals in the big barn. He announces that he may die soon and relates to them the insights he has gathered in his life. Old Major tells the animals that human beings are the sole reason that “No animal in England is free” and that “The life of an animal is misery and slavery.” Therefore the animals must take charge of their destiny by overthrowing Man in a great Rebellion. He relates his dream of rebellion.

Old Major dies soon after the meeting and the other animals prepare for the Rebellion under Snowball , Napoleon , and Squealer ’s leadership. One night, Mr. Jones passes out drunk, creating the perfect opportunity for the animals to rebel. They are so hungry that they break into the store-shed. When Jones and his men try to whip them into submission, the animals run them off the farm. The animals burn all reminders of their former bondage but agree to preserve the farmhouse “as a museum.” Snowball changes the name of the farm to “Animal Farm” and comes up with Seven Commandments, which are to form the basis of Animalism. They are:

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animals shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal.

The pigs milk the cows, and then the animals go out to begin the harvest. When they return, the milk has disappeared mysteriously. The first harvest is a great success. The animals adhere to the tenets of Animalism happily, and with good result. Each animal works according to his ability and gets a fair share of food.

Every Sunday, Snowball and Napoleon lead a meeting of all the animals in the big barn. The pigs are the most intelligent animals, so they think up resolutions for the other animals to debate. Soon after, the pigs set up a study-center for themselves in the harness-room. Snowball embarks on various campaigns for social and economic improvement. Napoleon opposes whatever Snowball does. Because most of the animals lack the intelligence to memorize the Seven Commandments, Snowball reduces them to the single maxim, “Four legs good, two legs bad.” The sheep take to chanting this at meetings.

As time goes by, the pigs increase their control over the animals and award themselves increasing privileges. They quell the animals’ questions and protests by threatening Mr. Jones’s return. During this time, Napoleon also confiscates nine newborn puppies and secludes them in a loft in order to “educate” them.

By late summer, Snowball’s and Napoleon’s pigeon-messengers have spread news of the Rebellion across half of England. Animals on other farms have begun lashing out against their human masters and singing the revolutionary song “Beasts of England.” Jones and other farmers try to recapture Animal Farm but fail. The animals celebrate their victory in what they call “The Battle of the Cowshed.”

The animals agree to let the pigs make all the resolutions. Snowball and Napoleon continue to be at odds and eventually clash over the windmill. Snowball wants to build a windmill in order to shorten the work week and provide the farm electricity, but Napoleon opposes it. Napoleon summons nine fierce dogs (the puppies he trained) to run Snowball off the farm. Napoleon announces that Sunday meetings will cease and that the pigs will make all the decisions in the animals’ best interest. At this point, Boxer takes on his own personal maxims, “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right.” In the spring, Napoleon announces plans to build the windmill, claiming that it was his idea all along—rewriting history.

Building the windmill forces the animals to work harder and on Sundays. Shortages begin to occur, so Napoleon opens up trade with the human world. Through Squealer, he lies that no resolutions against interaction with humans or the use of money had ever been passed. Napoleon enlists Whymper to be his intermediary, and the pigs move into the farmhouse. Squealer assures the animals that there is no resolution against this, but Clover and Muriel discovers that one of the resolutions has been changed to: “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets .” Squealer convinces her that there was never a resolution against beds at all.

One night, strong winds shake the farm and the animals awake to discover the windmill destroyed. Napoleon blames Snowball and sentences the expelled pig to death.

In the winter, as conditions become worse on Animal Farm, Napoleon deceives the human world into thinking Animal Farm is prospering. He signs a contract for a quota of four hundred eggs per week, inciting a hen rebellion that results in several deaths. Around the same time, Napoleon begins negotiating with Frederick and Pilkington to sell Animal Farm’s store of timber. He also spreads propaganda against Snowball, claiming that Snowball was always a spy and a collaborator while Napoleon was the true hero of the Battle of the Cowshed, and Squealer warns against Snowball’s secret agents.

Four days later, Napoleon holds an assembly in which he makes several animals confess to treachery and then has the dogs execute them. The dogs try to get Boxer to confess but leave him alone when they cannot overpower him. Afterwards, Clover and some other animals huddle together on a hill overlooking the farm. They reminisce about Animalism’s ideals and consider how much they differ from the violence and terror of Napoleon’s reign. They sing “Beasts of England,” but Squealer informs them that the song is useless now that the Rebellion is completed and that it is now forbidden. The new anthem begins with the lyrics: “Animal Farm, Animal Farm, / Never through me shalt thou come to harm!”

Another commandment is changed to read: “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause .” Clover and Muriel convince themselves that the commandment has always been this way. Squealer begins reading the animals statistics regularly to convince them that production is increasing. Napoleon seldom appears in public. The animals now call him “our Leader, Comrade Napoleon.” They attribute all misfortunes to Snowball and all success and luck to Napoleon.

Napoleon continues to negotiate with the farmers and eventually decides to sell the timber to Mr. Pilkington. At last, the windmill is finished and named “Napoleon Mill.” Soon after, Napoleon announces that he will sell the timber to Frederick, quickly changing his allegiance and disavowing his earlier vilification of Frederick. Napoleon says that Pilkington and Snowball have been collaborating. Frederick pays for the timber in fake cash, and the next morning, Frederick and his men invade the farm and blow up the windmill. The animals manage to chase the humans off, though many die or are injured in what they call “The Battle of the Windmill.”

After the battle, the pigs discover a case of whisky in the farmhouse. They drink to excess and soon, Squealer reports that Napoleon is dying and, as his last action, has made the consumption of alcohol punishable by death. But Napoleon recovers quickly and then sends Whymper to procure manuals on brewing alcohol. Squealer changes another commandment to “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess .”

Napoleon plans to build a schoolhouse for the thirty-one young pigs he has parented. Towards the end of the winter, Napoleon begins increasing propaganda to distract the animals from inequality and hardship. He creates special “Spontaneous Demonstrations” in which the animals march around and celebrate their triumphs.

In April, Napoleon declares the farm a Republic and is elected unanimously as President. The animals continue to work feverishly, most of all Boxer. One day, Boxer collapses while overexerting himself. Napoleon promises to send him to the veterinarian in Willingdon. A few days later, a horse-slaughterer takes Boxer away in his van. The animals are none the wiser until Benjamin reads the lettering on the side of the van. A few days later, Squealer reports that Boxer died in the hospital despite receiving the best possible care. He claims that Boxer’s last words glorified Animal Farm and Napoleon. He also claims that the van belongs to the veterinarian, who recently bought it from the horse slaughterer and had not yet managed to paint over the lettering. Napoleon promises to honor Boxer with a special banquet. But the pigs use the money from his slaughter to buy a case of whisky, which they drink on the day appointed for the banquet.

Years go by, and though Animal Farm’s population has increased, only a few animals that remember the Rebellion remain. Conditions are still harsh despite technological improvements. The pigs and dogs continue to do no manual labor, instead devoting themselves to organizational work. One day, Squealer takes the sheep out to a deserted pasture where, he says, he is teaching them a song. On the day the sheep return, the pigs walk around the yard on their hind legs as the sheep chant, “Four legs good, two legs better .” The other animals are horrified. Clover consults the barn wall again. This time Benjamin reads to her. The Seven Commandments have been replaced with a single maxim: “All animals are equal / But some animals are more equal than others.”

The pigs continue the longstanding pattern of awarding themselves more and more privileges. They buy a telephone and subscribe to magazines. They even wear Jones’s clothing. One night, Napoleon holds a conciliatory banquet for the farmers. Pilkington makes a speech in which he says he wants to emulate Animal Farm’s long work hours and low rations. Napoleon announces that the farm will be called “Manor Farm” again, the animals will call each other “Comrade” no longer, and they no longer will march ceremoniously past Old Major’s skull (a practice he denies understanding). He also declares that the farm’s flag will be plain green, devoid of the symbols of the Rebellion. As the animals peer through the windows to watch the humans and pigs play poker, they cannot distinguish between them.

Animal Farm Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Animal Farm is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Animal Farm contains mainly extremely effective scenes. Some are humorous or witty, others bitterly ironic or pessimistic . Which scene did you find most effective and memorable? why?

A seen that sticks with me is a terrifying one: I suppose that is why it has stayed with me for so long. The scene is when Boxer the horse. One afternoon, a van comes to take Boxer away. It has “lettering on its side and a sly-looking man in...

What is the relationship between Snowball and Napoleon?

Both Snowball and Napoleon are leaders. They see leadership in each other. Napoleon sees Snowball's loyalty to the animals as a threat to his dictatorship. While Snowball works for the good of the farm, Napoleon works only for his own interests.

Essay question is : Power cannot be used for good.it can only be used for keeping power. Agree or disagree in relation to animal farm

Unfortunately we cannot write essays for you on this furum. Check out The Inevitability of Totalitarianism at the GradeSaver link below:

Study Guide for Animal Farm

Animal Farm study guide contains a biography of George Orwell, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Animal Farm
• Animal Farm Video
• Character List

Essays for Animal Farm

Animal Farm essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Animal Farm by George Orwell.

• Bit and Spur Shall Rust Forever: Hollow Symbols in George Orwell's Animal Farm
• Consent to Destruction: the Phases of Fraternity and Separation in Animal Farm
• Character Textual Response - Benjamin
• Non vi, sed verbo (Not by force, but by the word)
• Comparison of Values: Animal Farm and V for Vendetta

Lesson Plan for Animal Farm

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Animal Farm
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Animal Farm Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Animal Farm

• Introduction
• Plot summary
• Genre and style