ANIMAL FARM
A dream There is a meeting at Manor Fam. All the animals are in the barn . Old Mayor is going to speak. The story begins at this moment and I am the only one that can tell you the story of Animal Farm I am Benjamin, the Donkey, the only survivor.
Chapter 1
All together Everybody says I never speak to anyone. And when I speaks I am very cynical. Only Boxer is my friend.
Here we are…who is present? the dogs, the pigs, the hens, the pigeons are in front; there are the sheep and the cows behind them. Clover and Boxer, the horses, are together. She is a female, a mare, and he is an enormous male horse, very strong, but not very intelligent. There is Muriel, the goat and I am here with a group of ducklings
Molly, the white mare is always late. And the cat …oh I am sure she does not listen to a word of the speech. There is not Moses, the raven…
The memorable speech Old Major, the white pig, clears his voice and starts speaking:
“Comrades, before dying I want to tell you about may dream: a rebellion against Man”
You know that men grow and feed us just because we are useful at work. When we become old or useless they kill us. We are not free, we are not happy. The English soil is fertile and the climate is good, and man takes the products of our work. He consumes without producing. He steals. He is the only enemy we have. The message is "rebellion", rebellion against man. We are all equal and we do not nave the man's vices, we are not like him. Let’s sing together my old mother’s song : Beasts of England.”
Mr Jones comes While we are singing Mr. Jones interrupts our happy meeting
He thinks there is a fox and shots six bullets with his gun. We all run away at a great speed and the farm is silent once again.
Chapter 2 Old Major dies after 3 nights, but his speech is still in our minds. We do not know when the rebellion can start but we want to be ready for it. The pigs are the animals that can organize everything because they are very clever.
The most important pigs are Napoleon and Snowball. Napoleon has a good reputation. Snowball is very vivacious and inventive. A third pig helps them. He is Squealer, a brilliant talker.
They elaborate the principles of ANIMALISM and one night they explain them to us. It is a difficult task: some of us say that Mr. Jones gives us food, others that the rebellion is not possible at the moment.
Mollie is worried about her sugar and ribbons. Moses, Mr. Jones's spy, is always speaking about a place in the sky: sugarCandy Mountain. It is for the animals after death. He never works, but he is good at talking.
Animalism The most obedient disciples are Clover and Boxer : they never discuss the ideas of the pigs and always sing Beasts of England at the end of our meetings.
The rebellion Mr. Jones is very drunk. His men do not work hard and do not feed the animals. One Sunday, While Mr. Jones is sleeping and we are hungry, a cow breaks into the store-shed to have its food and some of us follow it. Mr. Jones wakes up and starts beating them together with his men, but we revolt and men have to run away. Mrs. Jones picks up few objects and follows her husband together with Moses.
We, the animals, are the winners: the farm has no human master now. After going around seeing if other human beings are still there, the animals start destroying everything belonging to man: tools, knives, whips, and chains, the objects man uses to beat the animals, and a great fire is made in the yard.
The cow
The ribbons are considered symbols of slavery: We must not wear man’s clothes. Napoleon gives everyone a double portion of corn and biscuits for the dogs. After singing Beasts of England seven times, we all go to bed. The day after we wake up at dawn as usual. All together we visit every part of our farm, every field around it and at last we break into Mr Jones’house…
Man’s museum
We walk quietly into the rooms because we are still afraid of him. 0nly Mollie is at easy in Mrs. Jones's bedroom because there are some ribbons and she can look at herself in the mirror. We decide to consider it a museum and to meet together for a discussion. The pigs reveal they can read and write and Snowball writes on the top bar of the gate the new name of the farm: Animal Farm.
The 7 Commandments
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Then he writes The Seven Commandments that are a short summary of the ideas of Animalism: Who walks on two legs is an enemy Who has four legs and wings is a friend Animals must not have clothes Animals must not sleep in beds Animals must not drink alcohol Animals must not kill other animals Animals are all l equal
Snowball reads them and some of us try to learn them. Then we milk the cows and go to pick the hay. ' But when we come back the milk is no more there.
The harvest of the hay is difficult because the tools are for men and men stand on two legs. The pigs do not work; they give us orders. We all help one another so the harvest is abundant. We work hard all summer, but we are happy because we work for ourselves.
Chapter 3 My friend Boxer, in particular, is a hard worker. He gets up very early in the morning and his motto is “I will work harder�. Only Mollie is unhappy: she does not get up early and leaves the fields before the others with an excuse. The cat is never in the farm when there is work to do. She comes back for meals or at night with excuses and pouring affectionately.
The flag The flag is Snowball's creation: there are a hoof and a horn on a green tablecloth I am the only one that goes out to work as before the revolution. “Donkeys live long. None of you never sees a dead donkey" I warn them without enthusiasm. On Sundays we do not work: we put their flag on the flagstaff and sing Beats of England. After they meet together for a general assembly, the meeting, where they decide the work for the week. Snowball and Napoleon never agree: they always discuss about everything. They also quarrel about the age of the animals that can stop working. For them there is the little field behind the farm where to rest.
A HOOF
A HORN
Snowball against Napoleon
The pigs live in the harnessroom where they study the necessary arts to the farm. Snowball tried to organize the other animals in Committees: a committee for hens, one for cows, another to tame rats and rabbits. The cat, too, tries to persuade the birds to stay with her, but they did not accept... We learn to read and write at different levels. The pigs and the goat are already good at reading. I can read, but I do not want.
Clover learns the alphabet; instead Boxer cannot go beyond A B C D. Mollie learns to write her name. Ducks, hens and sheep cannot read more than A. For them Snowball reduced the seven commandments to one: 'Four legs good, two legs bad'. The birds get angry, but Snowball explaines that 'A bird's wing is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulation. So we can consider it a leg as the mark of Man is the hand'. Everybody learns this new motto by heart and Snowball writes it over the Seven Commandments. The sheep like it and often bleat "Four legs good, two legs bad"
Milk and apples For Napoleon the most important thing to do is the education of young people. In fact he educates nine little dogs far from the other animals that soon forget them. We are upset when we know that milks and good apples are for the pigs only, but Squealer explains: 'We pigs are working hard for you, so we must eat to preserve our health. Apples and milk help us to organize this farm. And if we fail Mr. Jones will come back. Do you want him again?" My mates are sure they do not want Mr. Jones again and agree that the pigs have to eat milk and apples.
All the other farms in summer know about the re-volt of Animal Farm because the pigeons tell everybody the story. Mr. Jones is always drinking in the inn of the Red Lion. He tells the other farmers about the revolt, but nobody helps him at first. There are two farms next to Animal Farm: Foxwood of MR. Pilkington, a bad farmer, and Pinchfield of Mr. Frederick, a small farm well organized. They never agree with each other, they do not believe in Animal Farm and in the ability of the animals. Anyway, time passing, they recognize that the farm is well organized and become afraid. So they start speaking of act of cannibalism and torture in the farm among the animals.
Chapter 4 Nevertheless all the animals of the other farms start being savage and singing Beasts of England. Finally in October a group of pigeons arrive at Animal Farm. They say that Mr. Jones is coming with some men to fight against us .
But we are ready and when the men arrive, pigeons and gees create disorders, while Snowball, Benjamin, Muriel and the sheep try to kick the men from every side. However the men are strong and enter the yard. Snowball, even if injured, throws stones and Boxer starts kicking until he kills a man. The other men, frightened, run away.
Victory! We are all happy, only Boxer says ‘I have no intention of killing a man’. Everyone has a part in the battle, except Mollie. They meet and sing excited after the burial of the dead sheep. Snowball and Boxer have a decoration and the animals decide to celebrate the battle with the name of Cowshed. At the end Snowball puts Mr. Jones’s gun near the flagstaff.
Chapter 5 One day Clover asks Molly: 'Mollie I see you are often speaking with a man from Foxwood. Why?” Mollie's answer is “It is not true, I Never speak with men.” As a matter of fact Clover finds in Mollie's stall sugar and ribbons. Three days later Mollie is no more in the farm. The pigeons see her at a dogcart and we do not speak about Mollie any more.
In winter the work is hard and we have to meet a lot of times to organize what to do. Snowball and Napoleon are always quarrelling. Snowball has the approval of many animals, Napoleon only that of the sheep. These always sing ‘Four legs good, two legs bad' when Snowball is speak-ing. Snowball is organizing new facilities for the animals, for example he wants to build a wind-mill to supply electrical power to the farm.
The windmill In this way we can nave light and can be warm. Besides tools and machines can work using electricity. Snowball organizes everything for the windmill with the help of three books. Only napoleon does not agree about this plan: he wants to increase the production of food to defend the farm because the construction of the windmill is hard and difficult. So we do not know in which theory to believe. As usual, I do not say my idea. At last Snowball proposes the animals to vote. He speaks passionately on the importance of the windmill.
Napoleon, instead, stands up and, with a strange voice, says something: nine dogs break into the barn and run towards Snowball. The poor pig has to run away. He will never return. These dogs are the ones Napoleon is educating and they come back to him. They move their tail as usually dogs do with Man.
Napoleon gets the power Napoleon goes to speak on the same place of Old Major’s speech about the rebellion. “Our Sunday’s meeting must finish now – he says – they aren’t necessary. A group of pigs establishes the work for the week without discussion. We can meet only to sing Beasts of England in front of the flag. Then we can work.” After the speech the dogs grin at us. We try to protest ,but the sheep start bleating ‘four legs good two legs bad.’
Then Squealer explains “Comrade Napoleon is making a great sacrifice: he will work more for us. You can make some mistakes, you can follow Snowball for example. But…You don’t want Mr. Jones to be back again, won’t you?” These words stop the animals to speak. Boxer starts saying a new motto: ‘Napoleon is always right!’ Three weeks pass after Snowball’s escape and Napoleon orders “We must build the windmill”
The windmill The animals are surprised. Together with Napoleon now there are always Minimus – the pig poet – and Squealer. This last explains that Napoleon is the real creator of the windmill. It is not Snowball. “This is tactics, comrades, tactics.” My companions do not understand the word ‘tactic’, but they remain silent: they do not want Mr. Jones to return!
It is a bitter winter. We work hard, also on Sundays. Nevertheless the harvest is not very good. The windmill is a difficult work. We have the tools and the material, sand and cement, but they cannot break the stone. At last they think to use the gravity force. But also the transport of the stone is difficult for them. Only Boxer can pull the stones up the hill. He gets up earlier and earlier, working more and more. Clover is worried “Stop working so hard!” she tells Boxer, but his answer is always:
“I’ll work more!”
Chapter 6 We work hard, but we have less food than before. We need things we cannot produce: oil, strings, biscuits for the dogs, and iron for the shoes of the horses. Napoleon declares the Animal Farm has to start trading with the other farms. The trade of wheat and eggs. We all remember the decision not to trade with human beings any more. We are disappointed. Some of us try to speak, but the dogs bark Napoleon says “I’ll make a sacrifice. I’ll speak to men. A solicitor will act as intermediary between Animal Farm and the Human farms.” When Napoleon finishes speaking, he starts singing Beats of England. Then Squealer adds “We never stop trading with men. This is another Snowball’s lie”
Trade with Humans Every Monday the solicitor comes to visit the farm and my mates are afraid, but also proud. ‘Napoleon gives him orders’ they think. The other men, anyway, hope in a failure of Animal Farm, but they are respecting the animals now. Just in this period that Napoleon and the pigs go to live in the farmhouse. Squealer says ‘There is nothing wrong about this. “ But we do not like the idea of the pigs sleeping in beds…like men. Clover asks Muriel to read the Fourth Commandment once again. She reads ‘Animals must not sleep in beds…with sheets.’
Clover does not remember this sentence, but Squealer says “A bed is only a place where to sleep…it is like a pile of straw. And we need rest. We work so much….and you don’t want Mr Jones to come back again, do you?” In autumn the animals are tired, but happy. Napoleon sells a part of hay and corn. The windmill is going to be finished, thanks to Boxer. He works also at night. I am the only one that is not excited looking at the windmill….
The footprint Unfortunately I am right. In November a strong wind comes. It ruins trees, the flagstaff, some roofs and the windmill. My mates go to look at it in silence. There they find Napoleon : “Snowball is responsible of this. I condemn him to death. I’ll give a prize to anyone who is able to take him.” he says. We are all surprised, but Napoleon is able to discover some footprints of a pig and adds: “We must work to build the windmill again. Snowball must not win“
The winter is long and stormy, with snow and frost. Nevertheless we work to build the windmill: we want men to be jealous of our farm. On the contrary, the men think ‘The windmill is not resistant because the walls are too thin.’ We do not agree with this opinion, but we decide to build thicker walls. Now we feel less optimist: we are cold and hungry. In January the ration of corn becomes smaller and the potatoes get frozen in the field. But my mates do not want men to know, so they put sand into the barn and cover it with grain. Mr. Whimper, the solicitor, sees them and tells the men that Animal Farm has plenty of food.
Chapter 7 However, towards the end of January, we need more grain. One Sunday morning Napoleon appears with great ceremony and announces: “The hens must give me their eggs. I must sell them. I need one hundred a week. With the money I can buy grain.” The hens start crying and protesting. There is a sort of rebellion and the hens break their eggs on the floor. Napoleon orders “You will not have your ration of food until you give up!” Nine hens die, but the pigs say their diagnosis: “It is coccidiosis!”
Snowball again! After Snowball’ escape, nobody remember him in the farm, but he is again accused of everything wrong in the farm. And Napoleon is always smiling around with his dogs. One evening Sqealer calls all the animals together and starts speaking: “Comrades. Snowball is now with Frederick of Pinchfield Farm and he is planning to attack us. I want to tell you the truth: we know that he is Jones’s secret agent!”
Secret agent
The trials
We are surprised: we remember Snowball as our leader in the Battle of Cowshed! Even Boxer cannot believe. “Do you remember his escape during the battle and Napoleon courage against Mr Jones? These documents reveal everything, but, unfortunately, you can’t read….” Few days later Napoleon appears in front of us: he has two medals on his breast. His dogs attack two pigs and Boxer who tries to defend himself. Napoleon orders the pigs. “Confess your crimes! You don’t want to work on Sundays. You are Snowball’s agents!” and the pigs confess.
The same happens with four hens, a duck and some sheep. All of them are killed. We are now silent, only Boxer finally says: I don’t understand. There is something wrong. But I’ll work harder!” Clover’s eyes are full of tears. She remembers different ideas and words at the beginning of the revolution and starts singing Beasts of England! The other animals follow her. But their tone is sad and slow Then Squealer arrives and says: “We need no more to sing. This is the song of the rebellion, but now we are free, the enemies are defeated. The society of our dreams now exists!” Instead, Minimums, the pig poet, starts singing another song “Animal farm, Animal Farm, never through me shall come to harm” It is completely different.
Some animals seem to remember that a commandment is “No animal must kill another animal”, but Muriel reads “No animal must kill another animal without a cause.” “And those animals were traitors.” Squealer says. That year the animals work still harder, and Squealer tells them about the production every Sunday.
Chapter 8 Napoleon appears only once; a ‘cockerel’ announces him. He does not stay any longer with the others: we now call him Our Leader, Father of all the Animals or Terror of Mankind. Minimus composes a poem about it. Napoleon is negotiating with Frederick and Pilkington because of the timber. He seems at first to prefer Mr. Pinkington be-cause Frederick is against Animal Farm and is cruel to the animals. Pigeons give new messages like ‘Death to Frederick’.
Another battle In the Autumn the Windmill is finished and Napo-leon decides to call it ‘Napoleon Mill’. Two days passes, and, during a meeting, Napoleon announces he wants to sell the timber to Mr. Frederick. We are surprised. Squealer explains “Snowball is living at Foxwood. Frederick pays Napoleon with money, not in checks. Look at the banknotes!” and Squealer shows them the money. But the following day Whimper comes and tells a shocking news: the money is false.
Napoleon pronounces a death sentence on Frederick and puts sentinels to avoid an attack. And Frederick arrives with his men. They are fifteen. It is a hard battle. Many of my mates are wounded and retire looking at the men’s movements. They see two men going to the windmill. But it is very thick, they cannot it. I am the only one that understands: men want to burn the mill. This provokes a new attack an the animals’ side. We win, but many die and the windmill is destroyed.
ALCOHOLICS Squealer arrives announcing the victory “What victory?” Boxer asks “ We will build another windmill, other six wind-mill if we want”, Squealer replies. And for the first time Boxer fells his age thinking of rebuilding the windmill. But after Napoleon’s speech about the celebration of the victory, the animals feel happy again. They bury the dead animals with solemn ceremo-nies and a new meal is given to Napoleon, the Order of the Great Banner. Few days later the animals hear noises and songs from the farmhouse: the pig are around a case of whisky.
The day after Squealer appears and says that Comrade Napoleon is dying. The animals cry: “What can we do without a leader?” At eleven o’clock Squealer announces another commandment: ‘the drinking of alco-hol must be punished by death.’ The following day Squealer tells them that Napoleon is better. A week later he gives another order: “Throw the seeds of barley in the field for the animals who are too old to work.” One night something strange happens: the animals hear a loud noise and see Squealer at the end of a ladder with a pot of white paint near him. Only few days later they understand when Muriel reads: ’No animal must drink alcohol …..to excess’ on the fifth commandment.
We start building the windmill again. The day after the celebration of the battle, Boxer does not rest even if he had trouble with his hoof. The animals are discussing about where to create a field for ‘old retired animals’ now. Boxer has still a year to work before retiring at the age of twelve. Life is hard, the food is short and the temperatu-re is cold. Squealer is always speaking about a readjustment of the ration of the food and of their improvement in the production. We work a lot –
Chapter 9 “But you work for yourselves,” Squealer says “and you are free!” Now there are thirty-one pigs more in the farm and Napoleon is their teacher. He is planning to build a school. The new pigs can play on the garden, but not with the other animals. In the same period new laws appears as a rule: the animals must stand a part when a pig is passing and the pigs can wear a green ribbon on Sundays. The year is quite successful, but Animal Farm needs money for the oil, the candles, the machi-nery of the windmill, the bricks, the sand and other usual tools Rations are reduced again and again. Only the pigs are getting fatter and fatter.
One afternoon in late February the animals smell something new in the air coming from the kitchen, a smell of cooking barley. But the beer is for the pigs, only. In the same period Napoleon establishes 'spontaneous demonstrations': once a week the animals must stop working. They meet and march in military formation. Squealer gives particulars about the production in a long speech and the animals feel happy and free. In April Animal Farm is proclaimed a Republic and Napoleon is its President In Summer Moses, the raven, reappears on the farm after a long period of time and starts talking
The Republic of Animal Farm
Barley