1. Animal Farm
ENG2D
Exam Review

2. Historical Context
Karl Marx develops The Communist Manifesto and calls the working class to unite
1917, Russian Revolution ousts monarch
Tsar Nicholas II and sets the scene for Soviet Communism
Vladimir Lenin becomes chief commissar
Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin become likely heirs to Lenin’s powerful position
1924, Stalin organizes an alliance against Trotsky after Lenin’s death
Stalin becomes dictator of the Soviet Union
Trotsky is expelled and made a common national enemy
Stalin rules the Soviet Union with brutal intensity and purges (murders) approximately twenty million citizens

3. Plot Overview
Old Major holds a meeting for all the animals on Manor Farm and tells them about his dream in which all animals live together without human beings controlling and oppressing them
When Old Major dies shortly after the meeting, three pigs – Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer – create a philosophy called Animalism based off of Old Major’s principles
One night, the animals battle Mr. Jones, Manor Farm’s farmer, in a rebellion and run him off the property
They rename the farm Animal Farm and dedicate themselves to Animalism
The principles of Animalism, the Seven Commandments, are painted on the barn for all animals to see
At first the farm is prosperous and Snowball tries to teach the animals to read

4. Plot Overview
Mr. Jones returns to try and reclaim the farm but Snowball leads the animals to defeat him again, in what they call the Battle of the Cowshed, keeping Jones’s gun as a token of their victory
Soon Napoleon and Snowball begin a power struggle over their conflicting plans for the future of the farm
Snowball develops a plan for a windmill that will benefit the animals on the farm but Napoleon opposes it
As the animals are about to vote on the issue, Napoleon unleashes large, fierce dogs he trained and has Snowball chased off the farm
From that point on, Napoleon declares himself and the pigs in charge of the farm
Napoleon changes his mind about the windmill and orders to have it built and the animals, especially Boxer the horse, devote themselves to completing
The windmill is destroyed after a storm and Napoleon claims that they have been sabotaged by Snowball

5. Plot Overview
Napoleon uses his dogs to instil fear in the other animals and stages a purge where any animal allegedly allied with Snowball or opposed to Napoleon’s leadership is instantly executed
History is rewritten to make Snowball a villain
Napoleon and the pigs begin to act more like human beings by sleeping in beds, drinking alcohol, and trading with neighbouring farms despite the original principles of Animalism which forbade such actions
Squealer justifies all activities and convinces the animals that Napoleon is a great leader and making their lives better even though the animals (except the pigs and dogs) are cold, hungry, and overworked

6. Plot Overview
A neighbouring farmer, Mr. Fredrick of Pinchfield Farm, cheats Napoleon in the purchase of some timber and then attacks the farm and destroys the windmill
Boxer receives major injuries in battle and is weakened, resulting in a fall during the 2nd rebuilding of the windmill
Napoleon tells the animals he will send Boxer to a veterinarian but instead sells Boxer to a glue maker for money to purchase whisky
After years pass, the pigs become more and more like human beings by walking on their hind legs, carrying whips, and wearing clothing.
The original Seven Commandments are altered and finally reduced to the single principle, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
Napoleon allies himself with another neighbouring farmer, Mr. Pilkington of Foxwood Farm and Animal Farm is reverted back to Manor Farm
The animals are no longer able to distinguish the pigs from the humans

7. Characters Napoleon Snowball
Represents Joseph Stalin
Emerges as the leader of Animal Farm
Intimidates the other animals to gain power
Proves to be a violent, brutal, and treacherous dictator
Snowball
Represents Leon Trotsky
Challenges Napoleon for control of Animal Farm
Intelligent, passionate, eloquent, and less devious than Napoleon
Wins the loyalty of the animals rather than forcing it
Boxer (and Clover being the female counterpart)
Represents the working class
Has incredible strength, dedication, and loyalty to Animal Farm
Quick to help but slow-witted, has the motto “I will work harder”
Naively trusts the pigs to make decisions for him, has the motto “Napoleon is always right”

8. Characters Squealer Old Major Moses Mollie Represents propaganda
Justifies the pigs’ actions and spreads false statistics
Uses language to twist the truth and maintain control
Old Major
Represents both Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin
Inspires the animals to rebel with his utopian dream
Moses
Represents religion
Spreads stories about a paradise called Sugarcandy Mountain where animals go when they die
Mollie
Represents the middle class that fled Russia soon after the revolution
Vain and attention-craving, misses wearing ribbons and eating sugar so she leaves

9. Characters Mr. Jones Mr. Frederick and Pinchfield Farm
Represents Tsar Nicholas II
Farmer that runs Manor Farm before the Rebellion
Indulges himself while his animals lack food
Mr. Frederick and Pinchfield Farm
Represents Adolf Hitler and Germany
Tough, shrewd, and untrustworthy
Mr. Pilkington and Foxwood Farm
Represents the capitalist governments of England and the U.S.
Easygoing and gentlemanly
Enemies with Mr. Frederick

10. Seven Commandments
Over the course of the novel, changes are made to the original Seven Commandments
The original commandments are in white and changes (including chapter in which the change was made) are indicated in red italics:
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy (replaced with “Four legs good Two legs bad” in Chapter 3 but “bad” is changed to “better” in Chapter 10)
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend (replaced with “Four legs good Two legs bad” in Chapter 3 but “bad” is changed to “better” in Chapter 10)
No animal shall wear clothes
No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets (Chapter 6)
No animal shall drink alcohol to excess (Chapter 8)
No animal shall kill any other animal without cause (Chapter 8)
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others (Chapter 10)
In the end, only the altered 7th commandment remains

11. Themes Corruption Society’s Tendency Towards Social Class
Theme statement example: “Absolute power leads to absolute corruption and perversion of justice, liberation, and equality.”
Napoleon reigned tyrannically over Animal Farm because he had unquestioned power and as a result he brought about incredible violence.
Society’s Tendency Towards Social Class
Theme statement example: “It is human tendency to establish and maintain class structure even in societies that are allegedly equal.”
Animal Farm originally set out for all animals to be equal but in the end some were “more equal” than others.
The Danger of Naïveté
Theme statement example: “If the naïve choose to take others at face value and allow others to make decisions for them it could potentially lead to great harm for the individual.”
Boxer and the other farm animals believed whatever Napoleon and Squealer would tell them and assumed that whatever they did was right which brought them into great oppression.
Abuse of Language to Abuse Power
Theme statement example: “Propaganda twists words and manipulates language in order to attain control and power.”
Squealer artfully uses language to justify the actions of the pigs and convince the other animals to follow Napoleon blindly

12. Symbols The Rebellion Animal Farm Hoof & Horn flag
Symbolizes the Russian Revolution
Animal Farm
Also known as Manor Farm at the beginning and end of the novel
Symbolizes Russia and the Soviet Union under the Communist Party (or Animalism in the novel)
More generally, can also stand for any human society because it possesses the structure of a nation
Government (the pigs)
Police force or military (the dogs)
Working class (other animals)
Hoof & Horn flag
Represents the Hammer and Sickle of the Soviet flag
Battle of the Cowshed
Represents Red October
Civil war where the Tsarists tried to reclaim the nation from the Communists
Windmill
Symbolizes Stalin’s ‘Five-Year plan’
Both the plan and the windmill came with a promise to make life easier and both utterly failed
Purges
Referring to the Stalin’s purges of where millions of Soviets where violently killed
Selling of the timber to Frederick
Symbolizes the WWII Nazi-Soviet pact
Battle of the Windmill
Represents Battle of Stalingrad
German invasion of Russia during WWII

13. Good Luck on your exam!