Independent+Novel+Study


 * Animal Farm by George Orwell**


 * 03/12/10 pages 1-25**


 * Why did you select this novel?**

I chose the novel animal farm because when I was browsing through our list on shelfari, I was reading the synopsis' of books. Animal Farm caught my attention because it seemed like an entertaining book that I could get into. Also, my dad has read it and told him that he had enjoyed the book so I thought maybe I would too!


 * What information did you need to know before reading the novel?**

Before reading the novel I needed to know what the book was about to ensure that I would enjoy reading it. If I don't enjoy reading a book, then I won't have fun doing the work which means I won't be putting in my best effort. I also needed to know where to buy my book, which was at Chapters!


 * What's going on as the story begins?**

As the story begins I am being introduced to the farmer, Mr Jones, and his wife Mrs Jones and the animals of Manor farm in England. The animals were planning a meeting and had escaped from their pens because Mr Jones had a bit too much to drink. The animals don't appreciate how they are being treated and do not think it is fair to take away their lives for a humans existence.


 * Plot Summary**

Mr Jones the farmer of Manor farm, was locking up his animal pens for the night. Although, he seemed to forget to lock the pop-holes because he was quite drunk. After Mr Jones went into his house for the night, the animals had scurried to meet each other in the barn for a meeting. Major was in charge of the meeting and talked about the cruelty the animals of the farm had to go through. He thought it was unfair how they are only being used for humans when humans don't supply anything to the world. Major gave the animals the idea that anything that went on four legs or had wings was a friend, but anything that walked on two legs was evil. All of the animals planned on taking over the farm and eliminating Mr and Mrs Jones. All the animals agreed to the words of Major, and Major sang them the song, 'Beasts of England', to sing to motivate them:

//Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,// //Beasts of every land and clime,// //Hearken to my joyful tidings// //Of the golden future time.//

//Soon or late the day is coming,// //Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown,// //And the fruitful fields of England// //Shall be trod by beasts alone.//

//Rings shall vanish from our noses,// //And the harness from our back,// //Bit and spur shall rust forever,// //Cruel whips no more shall crack.//

//Riches more than mind can picture,// //Wheat and barely, oats and hay,// //Clover, beans and mangel wurzels// //Shall be ours upon that day.//

//Bright will shine the fields of England,// //Purer shall its waters be,// //Sweet yet shall blow its breezes// //On the day that sets us free.//

//For that day we all must labour,// //Though we die before it break;// //Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,// //All must toil for freedom's sake.//

//Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,// //Beasts of every land and clime,// //Hearken well and spread my tidings,// //Of the golden future time.//

Major thought this song expressed the feelings of all the animals throughout the farm. Three nights after the meeting, Major had passed away but the animals still chose to follow through with his plan to take over Manor Farm. His speech had given the animals a new outlook on life. June had soon come and Mr Jones had went out on midsummers night, the animals waited for him to come home, knowing he would be drunk. They hadn't been fed all day and when Mr Jones got home he just went inside of his house. The animals were outraged, they broke into the store-shed and went on a food frenzy. Mr Jones came outside to see what all the ruckus was about only to discover that his animals had turned on him and his men. Mrs Jones looked out her window, grabbed some of her belongings and fled. The animals ran Mr Jones and his men straight out of the gates and slammed the gates in their faces. Their plan had worked. Manor Farm was now Animal Farm. They came up with rules to live by in their farm and they knew that they could do a better job keeping up the farm than any human could. Word spread about Animal Farm, and other farmers got very nervous but highly doubted that animals could run a farm on their own. But they could.

10/10


 * Animal Farm by George Orwell**


 * 03/10/10 pages 26-39**

**Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events?**

It's easy to follow the events of this story because there are good explanations of what is going on in the book and George Orwell used transitions well.


 * Is the language in the novel difficult or easy? Give examples and explain.**

The language used in this book is pretty basic but there is the occasional sentence that has more difficult dialogue. "There was not an animal on the farm that did not take vengeance on them after his own fashion" is a quote were the language is more advanced.


 * To what group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence. **

The novel is aimed for teenagers or adults. It could be interpreted as a childrens book with more meaning to it.


 * Plot Summary**

Mr Jones and his men came back to try and get their farm back from the animals. They brought weapons and Mr Jones also had a gun. The animals had expected that they come back and try to gain possession of their farm once again, so they already had a plan. The pigeons flew over top of their heads as the men approached the farm, and pooped on their heads. Obviously this wasn't going to stop the men from entering the farm, it was just a minor setback. The geese then flew towards the men and pecked at their legs as a distraction. The men fought back using their sticks to get the geese off of them. Then, the sheep ran straight towards the men and butted the men from every side. Although, the men were stronger and could easily fight them off with their sticks once again. The animals ran the men into the barn where the three horses, three cows, and the rest of the pigs were waiting to ambush them. Snowball ran at full speed towards Mr Jones and knocked him over which caused him to fire a bullet from his gun which struck a sheep instantly killing the poor sheep. Boxer struck Mr Jones with his hooves as hard as he possibly could. He did not intend to kill Mr Jones, but that was the outcome. Terrified, the other men bolted as fast as they could away from Animal Farm. The animals held a funeral for the sheep who had been shot and killed, and declared that any animal should be ready to die for Animal Farm. They also decided that they would use Mr Jones' gun and fire it twice on October the twelfth, the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed, and once on Midsummer's Day, the anniversary of the rebellion against 'Manor Farm'. Later on, the animals debated on if they should make a windmill on the farm. It was decided that Snowball would be in charge of making designs for the windmill, which he kept busy with. Snowball and Napoleon were constantly arguing about their different opinions, Napoleon did not want a windmill but Snowball insisted that they did need one. Suddenly out of nowhere, there was nine dogs outside the farm. The animals kindly welcomed them into their home. It had been decided that Snowball was expelled from Animal Farm and was not allowed back. The animals were trying to spread the word more about animal farm and asked that the birds flew around to tell more animals about it. 8/10 MORE DETAIL ON THE QUESTIONS


 * Animal Farm by George Orwell**


 * January 3rd, 2011 pages 40-60**


 * What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why?**

The setting of the novel is on manor farm, which is later called animal farm in England. The setting of the novel is important because it has to take place on a farm because the story is about a farm and the animals. Although the farm does not have to be located in England, it could be a farm anywhere because farms are all over the world.


 * Why would you (or wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend?**

I would recommend this novel to a friend because it isn't a very long book and it is pretty straight forward and easy to follow. My guess is that most people would enjoy reading this book because it can be read by various age groups and who doesn't love animals!


 * What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character?**

The initial problem faced by the main character is that Mr Jones' animals start to rebel against him and kick him out of the barn and start running the barn by themselves, leaving Mr Jones with no where to go.


 * Summary **

The Animals continued to build the windmill and the animals had a meeting in the barn and decided that they would start trading objects with other farms because they were starting to have shortages of things that they could not get without help from humans, such as paraffin oil, and iron for the horses shoes. Time was passing by and soon enough it was November, one morning the sound of a gun shot woke the animals up only for them to discover something terrible had happened, the windmill that they had put so much work into building was destroyed. All the animals made the assumption that it was Snowball who had come in the night and destroyed the windmill for payback. Napoleon declared that anyone who was to bring Snowball alive to him would be awarded with a bushel because he had given Snowball a death sentence for what Snowball had done. The animals found Snowball's tracks and scurried to think of ways to find Snowball. The reconstruction of the windmill begin during the harsh winter. It was decided that the walls of the windmill would be built much thicker for more durability. Starvation started to become a problem on Animal Farm, there was a major food shortage and lots of the animals were left hungry. The animals were so desperate for food that Squealer told the hens that they must give up their eggs because someone was paying good money for the eggs that would be enough to buy grain and other necessities for the farm until the weather conditions became better. Although the hens refused to give up their eggs, they claimed it was murder. Napoleon declared that anyone that would give as much as a grain to a hen would be punished by death. Nine hens died because they had refused to give up their eggs and they had starved to death. Snowball was sneaking into the farm at night and causing all sorts of mischief. The animals were so paranoid that sometimes they could not sleep! The animals held a meeting and Napoleon discussed that he had found out that Snowball had sold himself to Frederick of Pinchfield farm and that they were going to take over Animal Farm. The animals were astonished that Snowball would do such a thing to them! Napoleon was suspicious and asked the animals if they had known what Snowball was up to, the pigs all knew and a couple of animals that knew too were all slaughtered. The animals were horrified, the rule that no animal would kill an animal had been broken numerous times. Later the song Beast's of England was no longer allowed to be sung. Instead, every Sunday morning after hoisting the flag the animals would sing //"Animal Farm, Animal Farm, Never through me shalt thou come to harm!"//


 * Animal Farm by George Orwell **


 * January 7th, 2011 pages 61-73 **


 * Is this novel believable? **

No, this novel is not believable because it is impossible for animals to run a farm on their own without any help from humans. Also, animals cannot talk.


 * What is the climax of the novel? **

The climax of the story starts when Snowball starts betraying Animal Farm and when the windmill got destroyed and the animals started plotting ways of revenge and ways to rebuild the windmill.


 * How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest?**

The author holds my interest by thickening the plot and putting exciting occurrences in the story. For example, when the windmill was destroyed it kept me reading so that I could find out what was going to happen next.


 * Summary**

Rumors were flying about Snowball and that he was trying to kill Napoleon. Without telling the animals, Napoleon made an agreement to sell a pile of timber to Mr Pilkington. The other animals did not trust Mr Pilkington but they had to do as Napoleon said and trust him. As the new windmill neared completions, the animals were scared that someone would try and destroy it again. Napoleon decided that instead of selling the timber to Mr Pilkington, he would sell it to Frederick to get enough money for the machinery pieces needed to finish the windmill. After Frederick came and picked up the timber, he left bank notes with the money. Turns out, the bank notes were forgeries and he had just took the timber and had not paid any money for it. The animals plotted to kill Frederick and Frederick had plans to attack Animal Farm and destroy the windmill. Before they knew it, the attack came. Frederick and his men used explosives and destroyed the windmill. Furious, the animals chased the men off the property of Animal Farm and had won the fight, besides the fact that the windmill that they worked so hard on was once again ruined. Soon after that catastrophe, Napoleon got very sick. There were rumors that Snowball had poisoned Napoleons' food. Napoleon rested to try and get better, and by the evening he felt shockingly better and was already back to working!


 * Animal Farm by George Orwell**


 * January 11th, 2011 pages 74-94**


 * Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations?**

The novel did not meet my expectations because half-way through the book I started to get bored with the plot and it just seemed like the novel was repeating itself.


 * What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses?**

As the novel progresses, animals start to turn against the farm and the windmill gets destroyed several times, meaning that the animals have to start all their hard work all over again.


 * Is there a message or main theme emerging in the book? How is it shown?**

I think the theme of this book is to believe in yourself because that's what the animals have to do in order to succeed. The animals never give up no matter how tough the situation is. For example, even when Boxer has a hurt hoof he struggles and fights to help as much as he can around the farm.


 * Summary**

The animals are working hard to get the windmill finished, and Boxer's split hoof was quickly healing. The number of animals on the farm was quickly sky rocketing and there was many mouths to be fed and not enough food to feed them all. This year was quite successful for the farm, but they were still pretty short on money. Napoleon had an idea that once a week there would be something called a Spontaneous Demonstration. The point of doing this was to celebrate the rough times that Animal Farm had been through. At the time of the Spontaneous Demonstration, the animals would drop all work and they would march around the form in military format with the pigs leading, then the horses, then the cows, then the sheep, and then the poultry. In April Animal Farm was now considered a Republic, meaning they had to have a president who would be none other than Napoleon. On a late summer night a rumour had spread around Animal Farm that Boxer had gone all by himself to drag a load of heavy stones to the windmill. The rumour claimed to be true and the birds went to investigate only to find out that he had taken a nasty fall. Many animals rushed out to where Boxer was to help him. Boxer stayed in bed for awhile to heal while the other animals simply continued their work. One day while the animals were working, a van came onto the property of animal farm and put Boxer into the back of the van. The animals ran towards the van saying their good byes to Boxer, totally oblivious to the thought of why are they taking away Boxer? One of the animals pointed out that there was writing on the van, the writing read 'Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied.' Clover cried for Boxer to try and break free from the van, but Boxer's strength was not enough to break open the van, there he drove to his death. According to Napoleon it was actually a surgeon in the van trying to heal Boxer, the surgeon had just bought the van from the knacker and hadn't had time to paint over the writing yet. Napoleon claims he had paid for the best medical care but it wasn't enough to keep Boxer alive. Plenty of years passes, there was almost nobody left on Animal Farm who remembered the Rebellion except for Clover, Benjamin, Moses the raven, and a number of the pigs. Many of the animals had passed away and so had Jones. There was much more animals on the farm now and an increase this great had not been expected years ago. The animals were acting a lot more human then animal, it was almost impossible to find out which was which when they were being inspected by Mr Pilkington.

 Focus Assignment: Plot

 The title of the book, Animal Farm, gives plenty of information about what the plot is going to be about. The title relates to the book because the book is mainly about Animals running a farm, therefore an Animal Farm. The story is being told in third person and omniscient. The main conflict in this story is the animals of Manor Farm do not like the way they are being treated by farmer Jones and they want to be in charge of the farm so that they can be free. The animals took over Manor Farm declaring it Animal Farm and they had themselves convinced that they could easily run a farm without help from humans. The animals had various struggles while trying to run the farm. There would be awful weather conditions, the farm would be short on money, and the animals were trying to build a windmill and it was repeatedly being destroyed. The climax of the story starts when Snowball started to rebel against animal farm and the animals started plotting revenge and thinking of new ways to reassemble the windmill. The animals resolved their problems by believing in themselves and they never gave up! I enjoyed reading this book, although I thought that some events were a bit dragged on. The windmill was talked about a lot in the book and there was plenty of times in the book where it just talked about the animals working and it was basically the same thing every time. Other than that, I enjoyed reading Animal Farm because it was an easy to follow book that had a good message, to believe in yourself.  media type="custom" key="8078228" align="center" media type="file" key="beastsofengland.mp3"