Chapters 1-2

Chapter 1: Manor Farm and Old Major’s Speech

The novel opens with Mr Jones drunkenly forgetting to shut up the hen-houses and going to bed. Here are a few key features of Chapter 1:

Old Major's speech

Old Major, a “majestic” and “wise” looking pig, calls a meeting and makes an important speech, calling the animals to “Rebellion!” against “the only real enemy”, which is man.
He says that under man, the life of an animal is “misery and slavery”.
Old Major calls for “perfect unity” among all animals and warns them never to behave like man. The cruelty of Jones makes the reader feel sympathy for the animals.

Characterisation - dogs and pigs

The dogs and the pigs sit at the front while listening to Old Major’s speech and they learn the words to his song “Beasts of England” before the other animals.
This immediately shows that they are “the clever ones” and their position at the front shows that they already feel superior to the other animals.

Characterisation - Boxer and Clover

Boxer and Clover are also introduced in this chapter as being kind. They are careful not to tread on the smaller animals and Clover protects the ducklings with her foreleg.
Boxer also contrasts with the pigs and dogs because, although he is “as strong as any two ordinary horses put together”, he has a “stupid appearance” and is “not of first-rate intelligence”.
Boxer’s strength and blind loyalty is contrasted with the pigs’ laziness and intelligent cunning throughout the novel.

Chapter 2: The Revolution and Animalism (Part 1)

Here are a few key features of the first part of Chapter 2:

Old Major's death

Old Major dies and the pigs, “recognised as being the cleverest animals”, organise the rebellion.

Three pigs

We are introduced to the three main pigs: Napoleon, “a fierce-looking Berkshire boar” who has “a reputation for getting his own way”; Snowball, who is “quicker in speech and more inventive”; and Squealer, who could “turn black into white”.
These three descriptions are incredibly important as we are told from the start that Napoleon is threatening and violent, Snowball is intelligent and persuasive and Squealer is manipulative, able to make corruption look pure.

Animalism

The pigs turn the underlying principles of Old Major’s speech into Animalism. Boxer and Clover become “faithful disciples”, but they are also described as having “great difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves”.
The educated animals take the lead and the animals’ lack of understanding and education already threatens the principles of Animalism. Already, we can see how more educated and manipulative characters may take advantage of this.

The rebellion

The animals work together and the Rebellion is successfully carried out; Mr Jones is “expelled” and “Manor Farm was theirs”.
The animals destroy anything linked to Mr Jones which symbolised their oppression.

Chapter 2: The Seven Commandments (Part 2)

Here are a few key features of the second part of Chapter 2:

Illustrative background for Manor Farm &rightarrow; Animal Farm

Illustrative background for Manor Farm &rightarrow; Animal Farm ?? "content

Manor Farm → Animal Farm

The pigs reveal that they have educated themselves in reading and writing and turned Animalism into seven commandments.
Snowball paints out the words “Manor Farm” on the gate and changes them to “Animal Farm". Snowball also writes the Seven Commandments on the wall.

The Seven Commandments

Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.

Mollie and Moses

The pigs have taken charge; inequality already exists.
Mollie, the horse, does not understand the principles of Animalism either; she does not want to lose sugar and she is caught wearing Mrs Jones’ ribbons and looking at herself in the mirror.
Snowball explains that the farm does not make sugar and that “ribbons are a badge of slavery”.
Moses causes trouble with his stories of “Sugarcandy Mountain”, where he tells the animals it is “Sunday 7 days a week”. The pigs have to persuade the animals that this place does not exist.

The pigs and milk

At the end of the chapter, the cows have been milked and the animals are sent to the harvest by the pigs. Napoleon shouts: “Never mind the milk, Comrades! [...] I shall follow in a few minutes.”
The animals naively trust the pigs and the pigs are able to take advantage of their “stupidity”. The reader realises that the pigs have taken the milk for themselves.

1Important Plot Features

1.1Plot Summaries

1.1.1Chapters 1-2

1.1.2Chapters 3-4

1.1.3Chapters 5-6

1.1.4Chapters 7-8

1.1.5Chapters 9-10

1.1.6Keywords

1.1.7End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-5

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Chapters 6-10

2Characters & Their Links to History

2.1Key Characters

2.1.1Old Major

2.1.2Snowball

2.1.3Napoleon

2.1.4Squealer

2.1.5Boxer

2.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Characters

2.1.7AO2/3 - Key Characters

2.1.8Exam-Style Questions - Boxer

2.2Other Characters

2.2.1Mr Jones

2.2.2Clover

2.2.3Hens

2.2.4Sheep

2.2.5Mollie

2.2.6Benjamin

2.2.7Moses & Mr Frederick

2.2.8Pilkington & Mr Whymper

2.2.9End of Topic Test - Other Characters

2.2.10End of Topic Test - Other Characters 2

3Key Themes & Orwell's Purpose

3.1Key Themes

3.1.1Education

3.1.2Power & Control

3.1.3Power & Language

3.1.4Equality

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Themes

4Language, Form & Structure

4.1Language, Form & Structure

4.1.1Form & Structure

4.1.2Language

4.1.3Symbols

4.1.4Narrator & Allegory

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