Rachel+B

=Rachel's Reading Log (Discussion Director, Passage Master, Connector, Researcher, Vocab Enricher)=

__**May 16 (Introduction and Preface)**__

//Summary://

Both the preface, written by Russell Baker, and the introduction, written by C.M. Woodhouse, touch upon Orwell's reasoning for writing this novel, Animal Farm, plus some of the social implications it had when it was released. Both, especially the preface, talk about Orwell's desire to take away the romantic notions of the Russian Revolution and communism in Russia from people's opinions in Western European society. They talk about the book's success upon release after WWI, as well, and his standing in history as one who spoke out against the government even when his ideas were vastly unpopular.

//Discussion Questions://


 * Why did Western Europeans have such a romantic notion about Russian communism?**


 * There are a couple ideas that I am interested in, in terms of how they will be played out in the novel:**
 * 1) "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
 * 2) Warning the West against an "alien from of socialism."
 * 3) That individuals were not able to stand up to the mighty technology and strength of totalitarian governments.
 * 4) The contributions of humans to political terror.
 * I wonder how these ideas will be used?**


 * Also, George Orwell stood up to the government in a time where doing so may have had him pinned as belonging to a side he didn't actually belong to-the Nazis. Was it worth it? Did he ever have second thoughts?**

__**May 20 (Chapters I and II)**__

//Summary://

A lot has happened in just two chapters. The novel begins with a pig named Old Major, who decides to hold a meeting in which he tells a congregation of the animals who live on his farm about his idea of a society ruled completely by the animals, with no influence or ruling by Man. His reasoning for this is identical to the Russian proletariat's grievances about the bourgeoisie. He claims that the animals work their lives away and do not get to fully appreciate the benefits; rather, Man appreciates their harvests though he does not work. Furthermore, he suggests that they put this idea of his into action, by overthrowing the humans who rule the farm and taking what he says rightfully belongs to the animals. His cleverness (compared to that of the other species of animals) and the song that he sings to the congregation gain him the favor of almost every animal in the barn (with the exception of Mollie, who would rather not bother the men so that she can keep her nice things).

I the next chapter, Old Major dies. There seems to be no question at all as to who will step up and take power of the movement-the pigs are cleverest, therefore they appoint themselves as leaders. The three main personalities are Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer. Napoleon seems to be a rather more stable leader than the other two, but Snowball is more imaginative, and Squealer is extremely persuasive and charismatic. A few of the animals, such as Moses the raven and Mollie the mare seem to question their ideas, however the pigs are able to suppress this. They have no problem with the worker class (represented most clearly by the horses) who follow every word they say. Mr. Jones, the owner of the farm, has been weakened by some financial difficulties and therefore it is far more simple for the animals to stage an uprising, especially because they have never done so before and therefore throw Mr. Jones's authority off. With Mr. Jones gone, the pigs admit that they have been learning to read and write and therefore have new authority over the other classes. They create commandments for their society, and organize the harvest. However, at the end of the chapter it appears that the milk from the cows is missing- Napoleon brushes it off as unimportant, but I have a feeling it will become an issue in coming chapters.

//Passages//:

"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing..." (page 6)
 * This is Old Major's main grievance about the authority of the farm, and his reasoning for the eventual takeover led by the animals.

"Beasts of England"
 * This is the song that the animals are taught by Old Major. Even for the uneducated animals, learning the song is quick and simple and establishes an idea in their heads much more than merely a speech would.

"Major's speech had given to the more intelligent animals on the farm a completely new outlook on life. They did not know when the Rebellion predicted by Major would take place, they had no reason for thinking that it would be within their lifetime, but they saw clearly that it was their duty to prepare for it." (page 12)
 * This is remarking on how the more intelligent classes of animals have taken the responsibility (and therefore the power) in the society created by the animals.

"The animals hated Moses because he told tales and did no work, but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain, and the pigs had to argue very hard to persuade them that there was no such place." (page 14)
 * This is the first clear example of the pigs suppressing an idea that did not fit into their own opinions and ideals.

"The Seven Commandments"
 * These are, essentially, the laws of Animal Farm. They seem to encompass equality but the pigs wrote them and I'm not sure if many of the classes who follow them even know whatt hey are talking about when they recite them.

__**May 21 (Chapter III)**__

//Summary://

In the very first part of this chapter, it is evident that the pigs do not actually do any work at all, but rather they supervise the others working. Nobody questions this, though, and the farm is extremely productive that summer, despite some things having to be done the old fashioned way. Boxer is the strongest worker and therefore looked up to- strength is an important trait in their society. Most are diligent in their work around the farm and things seem to go smoothly, though the cat often doesn't work and neither does Mollie the mare, it seems. A flag is hung with a hoof and horn on it, and the animals take classes in reading and writing. A new slogan is created, "Four legs good, two legs bad," because the animals cannot seem to grasp the meaning of the seven commandments. Napoleon and Snowball seem to disagree on many things, and Napoleon secretly raises the puppies of Jessie and Bluebell away from their mothers, but it isn't clear what he plans to do with them yet. The pigs not only took the milk that was missing for their mash, but they also have taken all of the windfalls which the animals thought were going to be shared among everyone. Squealer is the main reason for the lack of uproar about this- he is incredibly persuasive, and is able to get the other animals to be silenced and to recognize that the pigs are "the brainworkers" and therefore should be treated differently. He ends his speech at the end by linking the importance of keeping the pigs in power with keeping Jones away.

//Connections://

There were a couple of things that I thought of while reading this chapter:


 * The flag that is raised has a hoof and horn on it, a symbol of animalism just as the hammer and sickle were a symbol of communism.


 * The cat is disappearing at convenient times for himself and therefore is not doing any work. I have three cats, and they are rather lazy animals. I can see why Orwell made the cat one of the ones refusing to do work.


 * Napoleon has taken the puppies of two of the dogs and is raising them. This sounds incredibly like what societies in the past have done, like the Ottoman Empire with their janissaries, and I think its a rather clever tactic because younger members of a society are more apt to believe what you tell them.


 * Squealer just seems like he is spitting out shameless propaganda in favor of the pigs- some of what he says sounds ridiculous, but the animals are buying it. This has happened in just about every society, and I saw a lot of it when we learned about propaganda earlier this year.

__**May 22 (Chapter IV)**__

//Summary://

Chapter four begins with others on farms throughout the region where Animal Farm is located learning about the uprising of the animals and overthrow of Jones. This is due in part to Snowball and Napoleon, who spread the ideals of Animalism to animals on other farms via pigeons. Mr. Jones doesn't acquire much help at the beginning, mostly because other farmers would rather take advantage of the weak state of the farm than help him to gain it back. However, it doesn't seem like the two farms closest to Animal Farm will be banding together against the newly formed animal society anytime soon. Their owners cannot stand each other. Plus, they at first see Animal Farm as weak, though the spread of Animalism threatens their farms and therefore is kept a secret from their animals. They are proven wrong about the state of the new society, though, and they no longer keep it a secret but rather talk about it in extremely negative terms. Nevertheless, the word of Animalism still gets out and appeals to many animals, who stage uprisings that aren't as successful but frighten the human beings. Suddenly, Jones and some other farmers invade Animal Farm, attempting to get the farm back but failing because of Boxer's strength, Snowball's defensive strategies, and disorderly but sufficient tactics reminiscent of guerrilla warfare. At the end of the battle, the animals emerge victorious, some with physical injuries and some with regrets (like Boxer). Mollie chose not to take part in the battle at all, it seems. Two awards are created: "Animal Hero, First Class" and "Animal Hero, Second Class." The former is given to Snowball and Boxer and the latter is given to a sheep that died in the battle. It seems that some holidays have been decided upon, as well- the anniversary of both the Battle of the Cowshed and the Rebellion.

//Research://

Okay, so I did some research on a couple of things...

First, I looked up "Beasts of England," not to see if it was a real song or not (I figured it was fictional) but to see what it might correspond to and I found that there was a socialist song called "The Internationale" that has lyrics resembling "Beasts of England." Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beasts_of_England

I researched the book as a whole a little bit as well. It wasn't published right after Orwell finished it because a lot of British publishers refused to do so. They were worried about being offensive to anyone who might disagree with the book's parodies. It was used as propaganda for many anticommunists but this was not why Orwell wrote it-he meant it merely as a criticism. Source: http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/animal-farm-george-orwell

__**May 23 (Chapter V)**__

//Summary://

At the very beginning of this chapter, the reader learns that perhaps Mollie is not doing her shAre of the work like everyone else on Animal Farm, but she is certainly taking her share of the food. After that, Clover takes her aside and tells Mollie that she saw her with a man from Mr. Pilkington's farm-even though they are not supposed to associate with humans. Mollie, of course, denies this, but Clover finds sugar and ribbons in her stall in the barn. Finally, Mollie just disappears, and it is said that she has run away to another farm.

Winter comes with a new policy- instead of animals on the farm bringing up questions and issues for the pigs to solve, the pigs decide everything. However, Napoleon and Snowball cannot seem to agree on anything. Snowball has charismatic speeches but Napoleon is able to gain followers between meetings. Snowball has many ideas for how to improve the farm but Napoleon is holding back ,and seems to be biding his time until he feels like really taking charge. Snowball wants to improve machinery (industrialization) on the farm and has many plans that the other animals do not understand but go along with anyway, because of Snowball's promises of how easy it will be. Napoleon is against all of the plans, and even sabotages them, but this doesn't stop Snowball. Another thing that they cannot agree upon is how to defend the farm- Napoleon thinks that they should train their animals to fight and Snowball thinks they should spread Animalism to other farms in order to ensure that they wouldn't need to defend themselves.

Then at the next meeting, when it seems that Snowball's plans will finally be put into action, he is chased from the farm by the puppies that Napoleon raised secretly. Napoleon is now in charge, and he makes several changes, such as no more Sunday Meetings, and even more authority for the pigs, if that is possible. Squealer is almost like Napoleon's personal media, his personal propaganda, and he is so persuasive that he is able to convince the animals of Napoleon's superiority and Snowball's treachery. At the meetings, they do not sit all together, but rather the pigs sit in front, followed by the dogs, followed by the rest of the animals. There is but one singing of Beasts of England, and the atmosphere is not as spirited as it once was. However, Napoleon has announced that the windmill Snowball had proposed to create on the farm was going to be built after all. He already has the plans (gee, is that a surprise?) and the animals question this in their minds, but Squealer (along with the threat of attack by the dogs) manages to persuade them otherwise, like always.

//Vocab://


 * ratified:** formally approved and invested with legal authority. (page 34). This is used while describing an increase in authority of the pigs.


 * gaiters:** a cloth covering that goes over the instep and ankles. (page 34). This is merely a piece of clothing that one of the men from the farm Mollie escaped to is wearing.


 * blithely:** happily; in a joyous manner. (page 33). This is how Mollie is described to walk, confident that nobody knows of her relations with the humans from Foxwood.

__**May 27 (Chapters VI and VII)**__

//Summary://

Chapter six marks the beginning of the animals realizing how much work is in store for them. The next few months will be hard: a. because it will be winter, and b. because Napoleon has changed some of the work requirements, making it necessary to work even more. The windmill building takes a while to get going, but finally gets underway. Another issue then pops up: a shortage of supplies. Napoleon decides to engage in trade with other farms. The animals are weary of this but soon get used to the idea because of the fact that there will be an intermediary (and Squealer helps with this persuasion as well). Soon the pigs move into the farmhouse and even sleep in the beds, and the animals question this, but the Seven Commandments state that “no animal can sleep in a bed with sheets” (obviously changed by the pigs) and they cannot remember it being otherwise. So, they forget about it. The building of the windmill is causing excitement in its success until one night a gust of wind knocks it over, but as Napoleon blames it on Snowball, he creates a new enemy for the rest of the animals.

In chapter seven, food is becoming core and more scarce but Napoleon wants to keep this a secret from the human beings on other farms. He is hardly ever seen now by the animals, and his messages are conveyed through Squealer. One of these messages is that more eggs need to be produced in the same amount of time, striking up a bit of a rebellion from the hens. Napoleon, however, reacts almost by instinct and reduces their rations, and the rebellion is over within the week. He has also taken to associating Snowball with his enemies whenever he decides to be against one of the nearby farms (and this preference alternates between two farms). He even states that Snowball must be coming to the farm and wreaking havoc at night, conducting an inspection of the entire farm to prove it. Soon, it is said that Snowball was a traitor from the very start, and in cohorts with the humans even during the Battle of the Cowshed. Boxer questions this but is persuaded otherwise by Squealer.

At the next meeting, Napoleon lets out a whimper and his dogs attack four of the pigs at the front of the room. They even try to attack Boxer (though he is too strong for them) most likely because of his questioning the idea that Snowball was a traitor all along. The pigs admit to being associated with Snowball, and plotting with him to destroy the windmill, and are therefore sentenced to death on the spot. Other animals come forth with similar confessions and are met with similar consequences. The other animals find it unnerving that members of their own society would actually be associating themselves with the enemy. We get a good look into Clover’s mind, and she is becoming weary of this new society, with its laws and seeming loss of equality. But she is not ready to speak out against anything.

In the last part of the chapter, we learn that Napoleon has changed the national song from Beasts of England to a smaller song speaking of just Animal Farm. It, however, is not met with the same success that the former was.

//Discussion Questions://


 * Napoleon has instated new work requirements, the pigs are living in the farmhouses, taking the same rations as the other animals though they do not work nearly as much. If he keeps going in this direction with his policies, what might Napoleon do next?

Napoleon is incredibly worried about neighboring farms and what they will think of Animal Farm's food shortages, especially for someone who is supposed to be against human beings altogether. Why do you think this is?

Also, he doesn't seem to react at all when the hens rebel, almost as if he was expecting it. Why do you think that is?**

__**May 28 (Chapter VIII)**__

//Summary://

Chapter 8 begins with the animals questioning the death sentences that happened in the previous chapter. They seem to remember a commandment that said "No animal shall kill any other animal," but they can't be too sure. It turns out that someone added the words, "without cause" to the end of it, but the animals' memories are so bad that they just accept among themselves that the law has always been that way.

The work is getting hard but Squealer keeps assuring them (with numbers, which can easily be fabricated) that production is growing rapidly, and this silences any worries they have. As far as Napoleon goes, he is hardly ever seen in public, is now called "our Leader, Comrade Napoleon," and has made his birthday a holiday for all of Animal Farm. Minimus has written a poem about him, and Napoleon has it inscribed on the barn wall. There is trade between Animal Farm and Foxwood, and Frederick is an enemy to all of the animals. More rumors are spread about Snowball's lies. The windmill is finished. Two days later, Napoleon has shifted his preference to Frederick, and all of the other animals do the same. Napoleon has sold timber to Frederick, but it turns out later that the money Frederick gave in exchange for the timber was counterfeit.

The next day, there is an attack on the farm by Frederick and other men. During the attack, the windmill is destroyed. Many animals have died, and the others are saddened, but the pigs proclaim the battle as a victory, and soon the others are persuaded into doing the same. At the end of the chapter, the pigs have a bit of alcohol and Napoleon almost dies. He forbids the drinking of alcohol for all animals. However, that night, the animals happen upon Squealer, with a paintbrush, at the Commandment wall. Another law has been changed, but the animals still have not connected the dots.

//Passages://

"In his speeches, Squealer would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon's wisdom, the goodness of his heart, and the deep love he bore to all animals everywhere, even and especially the unhappy animals who still lived in ignorance and slavery on other farms." (page 64)
 * This is showing Squealer's persuasive nature, as his speeches seem to be in great exaggeration. The other animals share the same beliefs because these speeches are so charismatic and influential.

"Comrade Napoleon." (page 65)
 * This poem, written by Minimus, shows the growing power of Napoleon, as well as his own vanity and arrogance (as he has it inscribed on a wall for all of Animal Farm to see).

"The pigeons who were still sent out to spread tidings of the Rebellion were forbidden to set foot anywhere on Foxwood, and were also ordered to drop their former slogan of 'Death to Humanity' in favour of 'Death to Frederick.'" (page 67)
 * This is showing how the animals are being forced to follow the customs of Napoleon now rather than those of Animalism.

__**May 29 (Chapter IX)**__

//Summary://

Boxer has been wounded in the chapter eight battle-his hoof has been split. However, he does not wish to miss any work time because of this, though Clover and Benjamin are worried about his overly stressful work ethic. Boxer says that he would like to see improvement on the windmill before he is to retire. The other animals are having a hard time, mainly because rations have been reduced (except for the pigs and dogs). Squealer says that having everyone with an equal amount of rations would be too rigid and against Animalism (though Animalism always put equality first and foremost). He is able to silence their worries once more, especially with facts and figures that make it seem like life on Animal Farm is much more prosperous now that Jones is gone.

Thirty-one new pigs have been born, and Napoleon is the father of all of them (though they have come from four different sows). Napoleon has set up a school in which he is teaching them. Also, a new rule has been made that pigs always have the right of way on paths before any other animals. Money is short but needs to be saved to fund the windmill. Rations keep decreasing and the pigs not only get a pint of beer each everyday (Napoleon getting a gallon, of course) but they are also keeping all barley for themselves.

However, as rations decrease, nationalism still continues to increase through songs and processions, like the Spontaneous Demonstration each week. The farm is turned into a Republic with a president, and Napoleon, obviously, is chosen to fill this role. The lies about Snowball continue to escalate, until it turns out that Snowball even fought in the Battle of the Cowshed on the humans' side. Moses the raven has returned with his tales of Sugarcandy Mountain, which the animals believe though the pigs try their hardest to convince them that it is not real. They do, however, allow him to stay and even to have beer everyday (which seems to be rather important as a reward now).

Boxer is growing weaker and weaker physically. He really wants to make sure that once he retires, his absence won't make the building of the windmill stunted in any way. However, one night, he falls while he is working and cannot get back up. Squealer says that Napoleon is sending him to an animal hospital in order to get better, but the animals discover upon reading the truck that he is put into for the journey that he is actually being sent to a slaughterhouse. They figure this out too late, however, and Boxer is already gone. Squealer tries to cover this up by saying that the doctor must have bought a van from a slaughterer, but this excuse seems rather feeble. The animals believe him, though, as always. Napoleon makes a speech about Boxer and there are plans for a banquet of some sort to be held in his honor, but the pigs end up spending a lot of money on alcohol instead.

//Connections://


 * Once again, I think that the schoolhouse for the young pigs is being used as a way to bring them up under Napoleon, so there is no chance of rebellion. This has been used a lot in other societies, especially because younger citizens are easily persuaded.


 * Napoleon creating a common enemy of Snowball immediately made me think of how doing so brings people together (i.e. Otto Von Bismarck, in Germany). Perhaps this is why Napoleon is doing this? Nationalism definitely seems to be growing.

__**May 30 (Chapter X)**__

//Summary://

In the beginning of chapter ten, it is evident that a lot of time has passed. Soon, only Clover, Benjamin, Moses, and some of the pigs are the only original members of Animal Farm left. Clover is extremely old, but apparently, no animals actually retire. Benjamin seems to be the only one who hasn't changed. The new members obviously have no memories of the Rebellion but only the stories passed to them by those who had been there, and they have given up education and accept Animalism, although they hardly understand it. The farm is organized more throughly and has expanded. It turns out that the plans for the windmill (using it for electricity) were not put into effect and instead it is used for milling corn for profit. The farm is prospering magnificently, but the animals themselves are not (except, of course, for the pigs and dogs).

The older animals (except for Benjamin) cannot remember whether or not their life has gotten better than it was right after Jones was expelled, so they now only have numbers from Squealer to go on. Nationalism, however, still continues to grow. Even //Beasts of England//is heard being hummed time and again. Squealer does sneak the sheep off to "learn a new song," but this isn't though of as odd.

Then, one night, Clover spots Squealer walking on his hind legs. Following him are all of the pigs, doing the same. Napoleon is at the end of the procession, carrying a whip. And then the sheep start saying "Four legs good, two legs //better//," instead of their usual mantra (this is obviously what Squealer had been teaching them). A new Commandment is written, reading "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." The pigs then begin to wear clothing, and one night they have a meeting with the farmers from neighboring areas. Some of the animals spy on the meeting, which is being held in the farmhouse, from a window. They listen to Mr. Pilkington congratulating Napoleon on his success in leading Animal Farm, and even his oppression, as well as Napoleon justifying this and telling lies to the farmers. He says that he had no part in stirring up rebellion on other farms, that some customs he had started (like the processions, and calling each other "comrades") were foolish and started by the animals. He also has changed the name of the farm back to "The Manor Farm."

The chapter (and novel) ends with the spying animals noting that the pigs are looking more and more like the humans...so much that after a while of looking, they cannot even tell the difference between the two species.

//Research://

Orwell is first said to have explored the ideas of inequality we saw in //Animal Farm// when he was a boy in school, in which class systems had great influence. He served in the Burmese Indian Imperial Force, and fought in the Spanish Civil War as a part of the antifascist militia.

His political works: //Down and Out in Paris and London// (1933) //Animal Farm// (1945) //1984// (1948)

All of the books above were meant to be cautionary to society. Now, however, they are merely read as introductions to the ideas that society was forming long ago.

Part of the satirical voice of Orwell's Animal Farm was that it almost impersonated a children's novel, or was a parody of one, though it had a much deeper message. Its full name is //Animal Farm, A Fairy Story//.


 * Source: Ann Patchett's Foreword in the front of the novel.**