Reference no: EM133382540

Part 1

Question 1. What is the difference between a symbol and an allegory?

Question 2. What is an anthem?

Question 3. Literary scholars agree that Major's anthem, "Beasts of England," satirically represents the State anthem instituted in 1918 after the success of the Bolsheviks to overthrow Russia's "Provisional Government." Known as The Internationale, it, like the original on which it was based, remains true to socialist ideals.

A. Knowing what you do about how swiftly the line between socialism and communism is blurred in Russia 1917-1922 what do you think was the purpose of instituting The Internationale at first? Why do you think that it continued to be the anthem for the USSR if not officially, but on a defacto basis after 1922?

B. What do you think that Major's intentions are with "Beasts of England"?

Question 4. What is anthropomorphism? (I am looking for a surface-based literal definition---not the psychological assessment)

Question 5.Characterization: Orwell initiates his characterization as we are introduced to the farm's animals and their specific behaviors as the meeting begins, takes place, and is adjourned. They are anthropomorphically presented to the reader, and so all take on the obviously human traits of talking, reasoning, and strategizing. Orwell, however, cleverly constructs his characters to be true to their innately driven animal tendencies. He does so with distinct specificity so that the reader suspends disbelief, and fully engages in the anthropomorphic endeavor.

Make a list of the characters/animals and then beside each, list the associated thought- to- be-inherent traits specific to each animal/character that you observe Orwell to be affording them. Note how this conveyance effects your interpretation of the events of Part 1.

Part 2

Question 1. What might Sugarcandy mountain represent? Why do you think that the pigs felt the need to "counteract the lies" put out by Moses, the tame raven?

Question 2. What is it about the two box-cart horses, Boxer and Clover that make them the pigs' "most faithful disciples?"

Question 3. What do you think is the significance to the biblical imagery and language added to the above paragraphs?

The following are the beginnings of the promising potential of rebellion... or are they? Do you note any potential problems for Manor Farm within this initial rendering?

In a very little while the animals had destroyed everything that reminded them of Mr. Jones. Napoleon then led them back to the store-shed and served out a double ration of corn to everybody, with two biscuits for each dog. Then they sang 'Beasts of England' from end to end seven times running, and after that they settled down for the night and slept as they had never slept before.

But they woke at dawn as usual, and suddenly remembering the glorious thing that had happened, they all raced out into the pasture together. A little way down the pasture there was a knoll that commanded a view of most of the farm. The animals rushed to the top of it and gazed round them in the clear morning light. Yes, it was theirs-everything that they could see was theirs! In the ecstasy of that thought they gambolled round and round, they hurled themselves into the air in great leaps of excitement. They rolled in the dew, they cropped mouthfuls of the sweet summer grass, they kicked up clods of the black earth and snuffed its rich scent. Then they made a tour of inspection of the whole farm and surveyed with speechless admiration the ploughland, the hayfield, the orchard, the pool, the spinney. It was as though they had never seen these things before, and even now they could hardly believe that it was all their own (Orwell 27).

Question 4. What do you think about the principles of Animalism?

Question 5. What about the fact that the pigs have been learning to read; read the commandments aloud, and Snowball climbs a ladder to paint them on the wall? Keeping in mind that the animals have in the previous paragraph/s denounced wearing "clothes"(Mollie's ribbon and Boxer's hat) because they are the "mark of a human being," do you see anything insidious about the nature of the pigs' behavior/s at this point? Anything witting or unwittingly hypocritical?

Part 3
This is the way that Part 2 ends:

"Never mind the milk, comrades!" cried Napoleon, placing himself in front of the buckets. "That will be attended to. The harvest is more important. Comrade Snowball will lead the way. I shall follow in a few minutes. Forward, comrades! The hay is waiting."

So the animals trooped down to the hayfield to begin the harvest, and when they came back in the evening it was noticed that the milk had disappeared (36).

Question 1.Orwell uses dramatic irony to let the reader in on what the animals are seemingly unaware. What is really going on by the close of Part 2? What happened to the milk?

If you weren't 100% sure yet, this is how Part 3 opens:
"How they toiled and sweated to get the hay in!"(37) Remember that this is a satirical allegory. That is, Orwell is denouncing the events of the so-called Russian Revolution 1917. It is clear that not all of the animals are equal, regardless of the tenets expressed by Animalism. Not all of the animals sweat or toiled to reap the harvest, for example, "The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership (37).
Question 2. According to history as Orwell is delineating it, what real world ism is being swiftly exploited and thereby morphed into yet another ism? What are the two isms?

Part 4

In early October, (get it? If not find out what you should be "getting"), the Battle of Cowshed is fought and Snowball emerges an "Animal Hero, First Class." Mr. Jones and the boys are finally defeated (the enemy). Yet, Part 5 is filled with change upon change, including the expulsion of Snowball. There are several indications through-out the Part that would explain the otherwise inexplicable shift in loyalties by Snowball and Napolean respectively.

First, make a list of all of the evidence to support Snowball's innocence, and then explain FROM THE TEXT, how Snowball could have behaved more wisely in an effort to perhaps avert Napolean's plan to banish him from AF. (Be sure to include textual evidence by directly quoting and/or paraphrasing)

Question 3. If we read the story as an allegory of the events of 1917 in Russia, who or what do the following "characters" or allegorical figures represent? (Reading the Britannica pages may be helpful here.):

Napoleon? Snowball? Mollie? Clover? Boxer? Squealer? Mr. Jones and the other farmers/humans (These may be a person or even a group of people/ideas)

Question 4. Considering what or who Boxer may represent, explain his behavior in the following excerpts:

The narrator explains in Part 3 that,

Boxer was the admiration of everybody. He had been a hard worker even in Jones's time, but now he seemed more like three horses than one; there were days when the entire work of the farm seemed to rest on his mighty shoulders. From morning to night he was pushing and pulling, always at the spot where the work was hardest(Orwell 27).