‘Animal Farm’

by
George Orwell

Name:
‘Animal Farm’
Contents

Texts Studied Page 2

George Orwell Page 3

Farm Animals Page 5

‘Animal Farm’ Character List Page 6

The Seven Commandments Page 7

Napoleon takes control of Animal Farm Page 8

The pigs’ propaganda Page 9

Student’s response Page 10

How was the Battle of the Windmill different to the Battle of the Page 11
Cowshed?

Boxer’s Emotional Arc Page 12

‘Animal Farm’: Foundation resource booklet Page 1

 Written when
Book/text title Written by (years ago/period in Main characters Moral or message?
history)

‘Oliver Twist’

‘A Midsummer Night’s
Dream’

‘The Daydreamer’

‘The Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes’

‘The Tempest’

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George Orwell
This term, we will be reading ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell. George Orwell was the pen name of a man called
Eric Blair. A pen name is a name used by a writer instead of their own name. Even though his real name was Eric
Blair, he is known as his pen name, George Orwell.
Early Life
George Orwell was born in 1903. He was an intelligent child. He went to expensive boarding schools when he was
growing up. His family only had to pay for half of the fees for his education because he was so smart. At these
schools, Orwell spent a lot of time around rich people. But when he read the newspapers he saw that most people
around the world were not rich.
Orwell thought that the rich people should be helping the poorest people. But it seemed like the
rich people kept on getting richer, and did very little to help poor people in society. Orwell
wanted to find out more about the lives of the poorest people.
After he left school, he spent some years living as a homeless person on the streets of
London and Paris. In 1933, he wrote a book about what happened to him. The book is called
‘Down and Out in Paris and London’. He decided to publish the book using the pen name
George Orwell as he did not want to embarrass his family.
George Orwell

George Orwell would spend the rest of his life writing about how life was unfair for poor and ordinary
working people. He wanted to tell the world that the rich world leaders were taking advantage of the
workers for their own benefit.

Animal Farm
As Orwell became an adult, events around Europe were leading up to World
War II. George Orwell had a number of health issues that meant he was not
able to fight in the war. He still wanted to help out, though. Orwell wrote a
number of articles for soldiers that helped them in battle. He also wrote articles
for people living in Britain that helped to reassure them as London was being
bombed.
Orwell wasn’t able to fight in WW2, but
he helped in other ways

Orwell was very interested in politics. Across Europe, Orwell saw leaders gaining more and more power and wealth.
However, the ordinary people worked harder, got poorer and led worse lives. Orwell knew this wasn’t fair. He was on
the side of the poor, and wanted to fight this injustice.
George Orwell studied the cruel leaders in Europe very carefully. He saw how they were responsible for millions of
deaths during World War II. Orwell knew that these leaders weren’t to be trusted. He saw how the people living in a
country were forced into obeying their rulers, even though the rulers made their lives miserable and difficult.

Orwell drew upon this real-life knowledge to write ‘Animal Farm’. The novel shows how a powerful leader can
control and harm his people. He warned people not to trust their leaders. At the time, lots of governments thought that
this was a dangerous message to send out. They didn’t want the people to rebel against the leaders. Many countries
refused to sell the book. Even today, ‘Animal Farm’ is banned in North Korea, whose leader treats his people in a
cruel and unfair way.
George Orwell was a writer that fought for what he believed in, and was desperate to warn the world of the dangers of
evil leaders. He died in 1950 of tuberculosis, shortly after he wrote one of his most famous novels – ‘Nineteen Eighty-
Four’.

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 First editions of some of George Orwell’s books: ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’
(1933), ‘Animal Farm’ (1945), and ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (1949)

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Farm animals
Characteristics
Pigs are intelligent. They are also greedy.
Pigs
Male Female Child
Boar Sow Piglet
Types of meat
Pork, pork chops, bacon, sausages
Uses on the farm Character names
Used for meat and for breeding Old Major
Characteristics
Cows Cows are thought to be unintelligent. They are also slow. Male cows can be violent.
Male Female Child
Cow
Types of meat

Uses on the farm

Characteristics
Chickens

Male Female Child

Types of meat

Uses on the farm

Used for meat and for eggs
Characteristics
Dogs

Male Female Child

Uses on the farm Character names

Horses Characteristics

Male Female Child

Uses on the farm Character names

Donkeys Characteristics

Male Female Child

Uses on the farm Character names

Character List
‘Animal Farm’: Foundation resource booklet Page 5
Old Major, a boar

Napoleon, a pig

Snowball, a pig

Squealer, a pig

Mr Jones, a farmer

Boxer, a horse

Benjamin, a donkey

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 THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS Why is this commandment important?
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 animal shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal.

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Napoleon takes control of Animal Farm
Napoleon is now the leader of Animal Farm.
He has been planning for this moment for some time.
Here are some of the things that Napoleon has done to help make himself leader of Animal Farm.
For each of these events, you need to explain how this has helped Napoleon to become the leader of Animal
Farm.
What Napoleon did How this helped him to become the leader of Animal Farm

1. Napoleon educated himself. He

learnt how to read and write.
(Page 16)

2. Napoleon took away the

puppies after they were born.
He trained them to protect him
and to attack his enemies. (Page
25)

3. Napoleon has convinced the

other animals that the pigs
deserve special treatment. The
pigs get the apples and milk.
(Page 25)

4. Napoleon trained the sheep to

interrupt anyone who disagrees
with him. They chanted ‘Four
legs good, two legs bad!’ every
time someone wanted to say
something against Napoleon.
(Page 35)

The pigs’ propaganda

The pigs lie to the other animals and to the humans. They make the other animals hate Snowball. The pigs
are using propaganda. Propaganda is information which is meant to make people think in a certain way.
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1. Here is an example of the propaganda the pigs spread to humans:

In January food fell short. It was vitally necessary to conceal this fact from the outside world.
Napoleon was well aware of the bad results that might follow if the real facts of the food situation
were known, and he decided to make use of Mr. Whymper to spread a contrary impression. A few
selected animals, mostly sheep, were instructed to remark casually in Whymper’s hearing that
rations had been increased. In addition, Napoleon ordered the almost empty bins in the store-shed
to be filled nearly to the brim with sand, which was then covered up with what remained of the
grain and meal. Whymper was deceived, and continued to report to the outside world that there
was no food shortage on Animal Farm.
What are the pigs lying about?

What do the pigs want the humans to think?

Why do the pigs want the humans to think this?

2. Here is an example of the propaganda the pigs spread to the other animals:
Squealer says, “Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start! He was Jones's secret
agent all the time. It has all been proved by documents which he left behind him and which we have
only just discovered. Did we not see for ourselves how he attempted--fortunately without success--
to get us defeated and destroyed at the Battle of the Cowshed?”
What are the pigs lying about?

What do the pigs want the animals to think?

Why do the pigs want the animals to think this?

Student’s response

Why don’t the animals on the farm get angry about the executions?

This student has begun to answer the question.

But there are lots of different ways this student could improve their answer.
‘Animal Farm’: Foundation resource booklet Page 9
Find at least three things this student could do to improve their answer.

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How was the Battle of the Windmill different to the Battle of the Cowshed?
Write down how the Battle of the Windmill was different to the Battle of the Cowshed.

The Battle of the Windmill (Chapter The Battle of the Windmill (Chapter
4) 8)

1. What was the

reason for the
battle?

2. How did the

animals fight?

3. Which animals
were injured and
killed?

4. What other
damage was
done?

5. How did the

animals feel at
the end of the
battle?

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Boxer’s Emotional Arc
Throughout ‘Animal Farm’, Orwell wants the reader to feel a number of different emotions towards Boxer:
hope admiration frustration pride
irritation inspiration disappointment annoyance

Here are a series of events from ‘Animal Farm’. How does Orwell want a reader to feel towards Boxer at
each moment? Complete the table and give reasons for your selections.

Quotation Emotion(s) Reason

admiration Orwell makes the reader feel admiration
‘… he was universally respected for his steadiness for Boxer because he is so widely liked by
of character’ the other animals for his personality, as
well as his strength
respect
‘there were days when the entire work of the farm
seemed to rest on his mighty shoulders.’

‘The animals decided unanimously to create a Orwell makes the reader feel proud of
military decoration, “Animal Hero, First Class,” Boxer when the animals invent a new
which was conferred there and then on Snowball medal to award his courage in the Battle of
and Boxer.’ the Cowshed.
‘His two slogans, “I will work harder” and
“Napoleon is always right,” seemed to him a
sufficient answer to all problems.’
‘Napoleon appeared to change countenance, and
sharply ordered Boxer to let the dog go, whereat
Boxer lifted his hoof, and the dog slunk away,
bruised and howling.’
‘… he looked forward to the peaceful days that he
would spend in the corner of the big pasture. It
would be the first time that he had had leisure to
study and improve his mind.’

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