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Unit 4: Animal Farm by George Orwell

4.2 Animal Farm Notes

The story takes place on a farm in England and is told by an all-knowing narrator in the third
person. The novel begins when prize-winning boar, Old Major collects all animals of the Manor
Farm for a meeting which was organised in the big barn. He narrates his dream and says that in
his dream all animals stay together without being controlled or oppressed by any human
beings. The Old Major then communicates to the animals that they should work towards making
such a paradise and makes them learn a song called “Beasts of England,” in which Old Major’s
dream is lyrically stated. The animals receive Old Major’s dream with immense interest and
enthusiasm. Three days later Old Major dies, but the speech gives a few intelligent animals a
new outlook on life. After his death, three young pigs – Squealer, Napoleon and Snowball
convert his core principles into a philosophy which they call Animalism. The rebellion begins
when Mr. Jones returns home drunk one night and forgets to give food to the animals. All
animals then break out of the barns and enter the house, where all the food is kept. On seeing
this Mr. Jones takes out his shotgun, but it is too late as all the animals fall over him and push
him out of the farm. These animals then destroy all crops, reins, nose rings and all other
instruments that were used to suppress them. That same day all these animals celebrate their
victory with an extra ration of food. The animals after defeating the farmer Mr. Jones in a battle,
take his land. They rename the land and call it Animal Farm. .The pigs make up the seven
commandments, and they write them above the door of the big barn.

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 drink alcohol.
4. No animal shall wear clothes.
5. No animal shall kill another animal.
6. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
7. All animals are equal.

The animals also decide that no animal shall ever enter the farmhouse, and that no animal shall
have contact with humans. These commandments can be summarised in the simple phrase:
“Four legs good, two legs bad”. The animals then start working towards fulfilling Old Major’s
dream. The cart-horse Boxer dedicates himself to the cause of fulfilling Major’s dream with
specific zeal and vigour, committing his strength to the prosperity and success of the Animal
Farm. He adopts as a personal saying the confirmation “I will work harder.”
Did You Know: Animal Farm is filled with songs, poems, and slogans, including Major’s stirring
“Beasts of England,” Minimus’s ode to Napoleon, the sheep’s chants, and Minimus’s revised
anthem, “Animal Farm, Animal Farm.” All of these songs serve as propaganda, one of the major
conduits of social control. By making the working-class animals speak the same words at the
same time, the pigs evoke an atmosphere of grandeur and nobility associated with the recited
text’s subject matter. The songs also erode the animals’ sense of individuality and keep them
focused on the tasks by which they will purportedly achieve freedom.
In the beginning, the Animal Farm flourishes. Snowball starts teaching the animals to read,
while Napoleon takes charge of young puppies and educates them about the principles of
Animalism. When Mr. Jones comes back to take his farm back, he again gets defeated by the
animals, in this battle called the Battle of the Cowshed. The animals take the farmer’s abandoned
gun as a token of their triumph. As time goes by, Snowball and Napoleon start arguing and

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