B. Animal Farm

Animal Farm

Highlights

scullery, — location: 90

ensconced — location: 95

foal. — location: 102

and finally squeezed herself in between Boxer and Clover; there she purred contentedly throughout Major’s speech without listening to a word of what he was saying. — location: 113

‘Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself. — location: 130

dissentients, — location: 158

vices. — location: 161

All the habits of Man are evil. And above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. No animal must ever kill any other animal. All animals are equal. — location: 162

Major’s speech had given to the more intelligent animals on the farm a completely new outlook on life. — location: 206

who were generally recognised as being the cleverest of the animals. — location: 209

talked of the duty of loyalty to Mr Jones, whom they referred to as ‘Master’, or made elementary remarks such as ‘Mr Jones feeds us. If he were gone we should starve to death.’ Others — location: 217

very first question she asked Snowball was: ‘Will there still be sugar after the Rebellion?’ ‘No,’ — location: 221

Some hams hanging in the kitchen were taken out for burial, — location: 277

and the cleverer ones at once began to learn the commandments by heart. — location: 298

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. — location: 312

Mollie, it was true, was not good at getting up in the mornings, and had a way of leaving work early on the ground that there was a stone in her hoof. And the behaviour of the cat was somewhat peculiar. It was soon noticed that when there was work to be done the cat could never be found. — location: 331

Old Benjamin, the donkey, seemed quite unchanged since the Rebellion. He did his work in the same slow obstinate way as he had — location: 335

done it in Jones’s time, never shirking and never volunteering for extra work either. About the Rebellion and its results he would express no opinion. When asked whether he was not happier now that Jones was gone, he would say only ‘Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey,’ and the others had to be content with this cryptic answer. — location: 336

Snowball and Napoleon were by far the most active in the debates. But it was noticed that these two were never in agreement: — location: 345

indefatigable — location: 351

Benjamin could read as well as any pig, but never exercised his faculty. — location: 361

On several occasions, indeed, he did learn E, F, G, H, but by — location: 364

the time he knew them it was always discovered that he had forgotten A, B, C and D. Finally he decided to be content with the first four letters, and used to write them out once or twice every day to refresh his memory. — location: 365

It was also found that the stupider animals such as the sheep, hens and ducks, were unable to learn the Seven Commandments by heart. — location: 368

After much thought Snowball declared that the Seven Commandments could in effect be reduced to a single maxim, namely: ‘Four legs good, two legs bad’. This, he said, contained the essential principle of Animalism. Whoever had thoroughly grasped it would be safe from human influences. The birds at first objected, since it seemed to them that they also had two legs, but Snowball proved to them that this was not so. — location: 369

As soon as they were weaned Napoleon took them away from their mothers, saying that he would make himself responsible for their education. He took them up into a loft which could only be reached by a ladder from the harness-room, and there kept them in such seclusion that the rest of the farm soon forgot their existence. — location: 380

We pigs are brainworkers. — location: 389

It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes and had their females in common. — location: 412

Snowball, who had studied an old book of Julius Caesar’s campaigns which — location: 426

‘No sentimentality, comrade!’ cried Snowball, from whose wounds the blood was still dripping. ‘War is war. The only good human being is a dead one.’ — location: 449

‘I have no wish to take life, not even human life,’ repeated Boxer, and his eyes were full of tears. — location: 451

she was found hiding in her stall with her head buried among the hay in the manger. — location: 453

and it was known that there was a supply of cartridges in the farmhouse. It was decided to set the gun — location: 463

Three days later Mollie disappeared. For some weeks nothing was known of her whereabouts, then the pigeons reported that they had seen her on the other side of Willingdon. — location: 478

She appeared to be enjoying herself, so the pigeons said. None of the animals ever mentioned Mollie again. — location: 481

These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible. — location: 486

Only Napoleon held aloof. He had declared himself against the windmill from the start. — location: 508

He walked heavily round the shed, looked closely at every detail of the plans and snuffed at them once or twice, then stood for a little while contemplating them out of the corner of his eye; then suddenly he lifted his leg, urinated over the plans and walked out without uttering a word. — location: 509

dynamos — location: 513

(How these were to be procured Snowball did not say.) — location: 513

‘Vote for Snowball and the three-day week’ and ‘Vote for Napoleon and the full manger.’ Benjamin was the only animal who did not side with either faction. — location: 517

indeed they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment. — location: 526

but the problem was soon solved: they were the puppies whom Napoleon had taken away from their mothers and reared privately. — location: 546

‘He fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed,’ said somebody. ‘Bravery is not enough,’ said Squealer. ‘Loyalty and obedience are more important. — location: 564

And from then on he adopted the maxim, ‘Napoleon is always right,’ in addition to his private motto of ‘I will work harder.’ — location: 570

another pig named Minimus, who had a remarkable gift for composing songs and poems, — location: 575

All that year the animals worked like slaves. — location: 591

their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle thieving human beings. — location: 593

Nothing could have been achieved without Boxer, whose strength seemed equal to that of all the rest of the animals put together. — location: 608

Once again the animals were conscious of a vague uneasiness. — location: 629

All the animals remembered passing such resolutions: or at least they thought that they remembered it. — location: 631

A Mr Whymper, a solicitor living in Willingdon, had agreed to act as intermediary between Animal Farm and the outside world, and would visit the farm every Monday morning to receive his instructions. — location: 635

Afterwards Squealer made a round of the farm and set the animals’ minds at rest. — location: 638

A few animals still felt faintly doubtful, — location: 640

And yet, against their will, they had developed a certain respect for the efficiency with which the animals were managing their own affairs. One symptom of this was that they had begun to call Animal Farm by its proper name and ceased to pretend that it was called the Manor Farm. — location: 650

It was about this time that the pigs suddenly moved into the farmhouse and took up their residence there. Again the animals seemed to remember that a resolution against this had been passed in the early days, and again Squealer was able to convince them that this was not the case. It was absolutely necessary, he said, that the pigs, who were the brains of the farm, should have a quiet place to work in. It was also more suited to the dignity of the Leader (for of late he had taken to speaking of Napoleon under the title of ‘Leader’) to live in a house than in a mere sty. — location: 655

Clover, who thought she remembered a definite ruling against beds, went to the end of the barn and tried to puzzle out the Seven Commandments which were inscribed there. — location: 661

Only old Benjamin refused to grow enthusiastic about the windmill, though, as usual, he would utter nothing beyond the cryptic remark that donkeys live a long time. — location: 680

A full bushel to anyone who captures him alive!’ — location: 694

They were always cold, and usually hungry as well. Only Boxer and Clover never lost heart. — location: 710

In January food fell short. — location: 712

Starvation seemed to stare them in the face. — location: 715

For the first time since the expulsion of Jones there was something resembling a rebellion. — location: 731

Whenever anything went wrong it became usual to attribute it to Snowball. — location: 746

The cows declared unanimously that Snowball crept into their stalls and milked them in their sleep. — location: 749

But it was some minutes before they could fully take it in. They all remembered, or thought they remembered, how they had seen Snowball charging ahead of them at the Battle of the Cowshed, how he had rallied and encouraged them at every turn, and how he had not paused for an instant even when the pellets from Jones’s gun had wounded his back. — location: 765

Boxer saw them coming and put out his great hoof, caught a dog in mid-air and pinned him to the ground. The dog shrieked for mercy and the other two fled with their tails between their legs. — location: 794

When they had finished their confession the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess. — location: 801

The three hens who had been the ringleaders in the attempted rebellion over the eggs now came forward and stated that Snowball had appeared to them in a dream and incited them to disobey Napoleon’s orders. They too were slaughtered. — location: 803

And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones. — location: 807

So ‘Beasts of England’ was heard no more. In its place Minimus, the poet, had composed another song which began:   Animal Farm, Animal Farm, Never through me shalt thou come to harm! — location: 845

and this was sung every Sunday morning after the hoisting of the flag. — location: 848

Benjamin, as usual, said that he refused to meddle in such matters, — location: 853

There were times when it seemed to the animals that they worked longer hours and fed no better than they had done in Jones’s day. — location: 858

All the same, there were days when they felt that they would sooner have had less figures and more food. — location: 862

It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. You would often hear one hen remark to another, ‘Under the guidance of our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days’; — location: 872

In the middle of the summer the animals were alarmed to hear that three hens had come forward and confessed that, inspired by Snowball, they had entered into a plot to murder Napoleon. They were executed immediately, — location: 897

A gander who had been privy to the plot had confessed his guilt to Squealer and immediately committed suicide by swallowing deadly nightshade berries. — location: 915

he personally congratulated the animals on their achievement, and announced that the mill would be named Napoleon Mill. — location: 928

But Benjamin was watching the movements of the men intently. — location: 964

Even Napoleon, who was directing operations from the rear, — location: 974

As they approached the farm Squealer, who had unaccountably been absent during the fighting, came skipping towards them, whisking his tail and beaming with satisfaction. — location: 984

‘Then we have won back what we had before,’ said Boxer. ‘That is our victory,’ said Squealer. — location: 992

But for the first time it occurred to him that he was eleven years old and that perhaps his great muscles were not quite what they had once been. — location: 995

and that Napoleon had created a new decoration, the Order of the Green Banner, — location: 1001

Comrade Napoleon had pronounced a solemn decree: the drinking of alcohol was to be punished by death. — location: 1012

except old Benjamin, who nodded his muzzle with a knowing air, and seemed to understand, but would say nothing. — location: 1022

and both she and Benjamin urged Boxer to work less hard. — location: 1029

better quality, that they lived longer, — location: 1043

But doubtless it had been worse in the old days. They were glad to believe so. Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out. — location: 1046

For the time being the young pigs were given their instruction by Napoleon himself in the farmhouse kitchen. — location: 1051

But if there were hardships to be borne, they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before. — location: 1066

So that what with the songs, the processions, Squealer’s lists of figures, the thunder of the gun, the crowing of the cockerel and the fluttering of the flag, they were able to forget that their bellies were empty, at least part of the time. — location: 1076

In April Animal Farm was proclaimed a Republic, and it became necessary to elect a President. There was only one candidate, Napoleon, who was elected unanimously. — location: 1078

documents — location: 1079

Many of the animals believed him. Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious; was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere else? — location: 1089

Indeed all the animals worked like slaves that year. — location: 1092

The others said, ‘Boxer will pick up when the spring grass comes on’; — location: 1096

At such times his lips were seen to form the — location: 1098

words ‘I will work harder’; he had no voice left. Once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take care of his health, but Boxer paid no attention. — location: 1098

A few minutes later two pigeons came racing in with the news: ‘Boxer has fallen! He is lying on his side and can’t get up!’ — location: 1102

The animals felt a little uneasy at this. — location: 1113

In the evenings she lay in his stall and talked to him, while Benjamin kept the flies off him. — location: 1119

He intended, he said, to devote the rest of his life to learning the remaining twenty-two letters of the alphabet. — location: 1121

Benjamin come galloping from the direction of the farm buildings, braying at the top of his voice. It was the first time that they had ever seen Benjamin excited—indeed, it was the first time that anyone had ever seen him gallop. ‘Quick, quick!’ he shouted. ‘Come at once! They’re taking Boxer away!’ — location: 1124

Three days later it was announced that he had died in the hospital at Willingdon, in spite of receiving every attention a — location: 1146

horse could have. — location: 1147

A time came when there was no one who remembered the old days before the Rebellion, except Clover, Benjamin, Moses the raven, and a number of the pigs. — location: 1170

inebriates’ — location: 1172

in another part of the county. Snowball was forgotten. Boxer was — location: 1172

rheumy — location: 1173

Only old Benjamin was much the same as ever, except for being a little greyer about the muzzle, and, since Boxer’s death, more morose and taciturn than ever. — location: 1175

filial — location: 1181

Whymper had bought himself a dogcart. — location: 1184

But the luxuries of which Snowball had once taught the animals to dream, the stalls with electric light and hot and cold water, and the three-day week, were no longer talked about. — location: 1186

Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer—except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs. — location: 1189

As for the others, their life, so far as they knew, was as it had always been. — location: 1196

There was nothing with which they could compare their present lives: they had nothing to go upon except Squealer’s lists of figures, — location: 1199

Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be, much better or much worse—hunger, hardship and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life. — location: 1201

None of the old dreams had been abandoned. — location: 1208

He believed that he was right in saying that the lower animals on Animal Farm did more work and received less food than any animals in the county. — location: 1266

bon mot — location: 1273