Animal Farm Study Guide

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Plot

Climax-Humans attack animal farm and blow up the windmill

Introduction-Old Major gives his speech about rebellion, but dies three days later. The animals decide to take action

Rising Action-The animals run Mr. Jones off, create the 7 commandments, Napoleon and Snowball start making themselves more powerful

Falling Action-Napolen becomes a tyrant and changes the commandments, he sends boxer to the slaughter house

Conclusion-the pigs invite humans over for a party and you can no longer tell the difference between the pigs and the animals

Summary

Old Major gives a speech encouraging the animals to rebel. He dies three days later.

The animals rebel.

The pigs are put into a leadership position because they are the only ones who can read and write.

The 7 commandments are written on the barn wall.

Jones tries to take back the farm, but he fails.

Napoleon chases Snowball off the farm and claims that the windmill was his (Napoleon's) idea the whole time.

They start to build the windmill.

The windmill is destroyed by "Snowball". (It was actually a storm)

Napoleon kills animals for allegedly helping Snowball, and the Beasts of England is forbidden.

The animals sell the timber to Fredrick, but the bank notes are forgeries.

Fredrick attacks the farm and destroys the windmill.

The animals start rebuilding the windmill.

Boxer is sold to the slaughter house in order for the pigs to get money to buy themselves whiskey.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

You can no longer tell the difference between pigs and humans.

Symbols

Mankind=capitalism and royalty

Mr. Jones=Nicolas Alexandrovich Romanov (the last Tsar of Russia)

Mr. Pilkington=Leaders of England

Mr. Frederick=Hitler

Pigs=Communists

Napoleon= Joseph Stalin

Squealer= Russian media

Snowball=Leon Trosky

Old Major= Karl Marx or Vladimir Lenin

Horses=working class

Boxer=working class

Mollie=Russias upper class

Dogs=Army, military, and police

Birds=Ministers and priests

Moses= Russian Orthodox church

Hens= Peasant farmers

Pigeons= Communist world revolution

Old Benjamin Donkey=Old Men

Muriel=Old Ladies

Sheep=The masses

The Cat= Shady members of the Russian society

Animal Farm=The Soviet Union

Manner Farm= Russia

Foxwood=England

Pinchfield= Germany

Town of Willington= Europe

Farmhouse= The Kremlin

The Red Lion=Royal Palace in England

Sugar Candy Moutain= Heaven

Animalism= Communism

Horn and Hoof= Hammer and Sickle

Animal committees=Soviet Committees

Beast of England=ideology of Communism

Windmill=Stalins five year plan

Drinking of alcohol=Intoxicating effect of power

Milk and apples=Commodities

The Animal Revolt=The Russian Revolution

Battle of the Cowshed=The Reds V.S the Whites in the civil war between the bolsherikens (red) and the Bolsherikes (whites)

The hens revolt=The bitter resistance to collective farming, Ukraine resistance

Destruction of the windmill=The failure of the five year plan

The slaughter of the animals=The purges of 1936-1938

Selling of the wood to Frederick=Nazi Soviet Pact

The Battle of the Windmill=Battle of Stalingrad

Persuasive techniques

Pathos: appeal to fear. The pigs used violence and terror so the animals would follow their lead

Commonplace Assertions: saying things are the BEST without reason, statistics and examples

Bandwagon: Say they are all doing it

Loaded Words: The animals don't understand so they just agree

Celebrity Endorsement: They use Napoleon to get animals to do things especially Boxer

Hasty Generalizations: Napoleon likes this idea we all like this idea

Name Calling: They use this to turn the animals against snowball

Circular Reasoning: Napoleon is the best because he is the best

Rhetorical Fallacies: Write things that aren't really true like "all animal are equal"

Snob appeal: They want to part of the pigs elite group

Glittering Generalities: Freedom. Better than it used to be