Noel Southward

Ms. Doar
Honors Bit. Literature
10 February 2016

Animal Farm

Research Paper
Primary Source Graphic Organizer

Instructions: Use this form as a collection place for potential primary

source quotes that you may use in your research paper. Allow the boxes
to expand as you enter your information.

Speaker:
narrator or
characters
name

Copy the quote here

1. Old
Major

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. Our labour tills the soil, our dung
fertilises it, and yet there is not one of us that owns
more than his bare skin.

2. Narrator

The pigs now revealed that during the past three

months they had taught
themselves to read and write from an old spelling
book which had belonged to
Mr. Joness children and which had been thrown on
the rubbish heap
They explained that by their studies of the past
three months the pigs had succeeded in reducing the
principles of Animalism to Seven Commandments.
These Seven Commandments would now be
inscribed on the wall; they would form an
unalterable law by which all the animals on Animal
Farm must live for ever after.

3. narrator

4. Narrator

The pigs had set aside the harness-room as a

headquarters for themselves.
Here, in the evenings, they studied blacksmithing,

Theme: Tyranny/Stalinism

Describe what your primary source quote does

to support your theme.
What does it explain to the reader about your
analysis?
Why is it important for the reader to understand
your character and this quote?

This quote is from the first chapter of the book.

Even before the pigs took ultimate control of the
rebellion, Major points out that they are already
living in an oppressed and controlled environment.
They save humans have controlled them this whole
time while doing the bare minimum to keep
animals alive and well. It is important for the
reader to understand that even before the rebellion,
the animals of Manor farm lived in cruel
totalitarianism.
This quote reveals to the reader the beginning of
the pigs tyranny. They educated only themselves
and destroyed the book so they can now be
classified as the educated elite.

Although many people wouldnt exactly relate this

to tyranny, if you analyze deeply you realize that in
this quote pigs start taking control by writing the
commandments. They elect themselves as the elite
and believe they know whats best for the farm.
The readers need to understand that the pigs here
are basically taking it upon themselves to create the
rules for the land, without any suggestions or help.
Here is a true example of tyranny displayed in the
novel. The pigs began to rule and started to
specialize in certain trades without teaching the

Noel Southward
Ms. Doar
Honors Bit. Literature
10 February 2016

5. Narrator

6. Narrator

7. Narrator/
Napoleo
n

8. Squealer

9. Boxer

carpentering, and other necessary arts from books

which they had brought out of the farmhouse.
FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD, was
inscribed on the end
wall of the barn, above the Seven Commandments
and in bigger letters When
they had once got it by heart, the sheep developed a
great liking for this maxim,
and often as they lay in the field they would all start
bleating Four legs good, two legs bad! Four legs
good, two legs bad! and keep it up for hours on
end, never growing tired of it.
The animals had assumed as a matter
of course that these would be shared out equally;
one day, however, the order
went forth that all the windfalls were to be collected
and brought to the harnesss room
for the use of the pigs
At this there was a terrible baying sound outside,
and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded
collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed
straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his
place just in time to escape their snapping jaws..
Napoleon, with the dogs following him, now
mounted on to the raised portion of the floor where
Major had previously stood to deliver his speech.
He announced that from now on the Sundaymorning Meetings would come to an end. They
were unnecessary, he said, and wasted time. In
future all questions relating to the working of the
farm would be settled by a special committee
of pigs, presided over by himself
No one believes more firmly than Comrade
Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be
only too happy to let you make your decisions for
yourselves. But sometimes you might make the
wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should
we be? Suppose you had decided to follow
Snowball, with his moonshine of windmills
Snowball, who, as we now know, was no better
than a criminal?
Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue
Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and BoneMeal. Kennels Supplied. Do you not understand
what that means? They are taking Boxer to the

Theme: Tyranny/Stalinism

other animals. They want to keep the animals less

educated so they can manipulate them easily.
Four legs good, two legs bad was used in the
story often by the sheep. This was sort of
propaganda to make sure the maxim was known by
all animals. This quote is more towards the
Stalinism theme because during that time period,
he used much propaganda to keep his image alive.
The readers should understand that the sheep are
used a plethora of times throughout the book only
for the sole purpose to make a cruel tyrant look like
he is helping the farm.
Here, the pigs began to steer away from the all
animals are equal maxim. The taking of the milk
and windfalls was to their selfish advantage. This
shows tyranny because by further treating
themselves as the rulers and governing power, they
make sure the animals know that they are going to
use what they create for their own selfish reasons.
This excerpt is a main example of tyranny. The use
of the dogs by Napoleon made the animals
forcefully side with him and turn against Snowball
further in the reading. This is a prime example of
oppression and a cruel environment. The readers
need to understand that this act of violence was
used just because Napoleon opposed an idea. The
dogs in the story are used to oppress the animals
and manipulate them into siding with the tyrant.

Squealer is used throughout the whole text as

propaganda for Napoleon. He continuously backs
up the sadistic and cruel things that Napoleon does
and explains to the animals how he does them for
the advancement of the farm and wellbeing of the
animals. Here in this quote, Squealer is basically
under Napoleons control and is being used as
propaganda to keep his image up.
In this section of the text, injured Boxer is basically
being taken off to the slaughter house by Napoleon.
The pig continuously shows that he is a tyrant by
doing this publicly in front of the other animals. He

Noel Southward
Ms. Doar
Honors Bit. Literature
10 February 2016
knackers!
10. Narrator

All animals are equal, but some animals are more

equal than others.

Theme: Tyranny/Stalinism

is cruel and only lusts for power and demands

respect.
This quote is from the final chapter of the story. It
replaces all seven commandments and all the other
animals witness as the pigs wear clothes, carry
whips and walk on two legs. The reader should
understand that the replacement of the seven
commandments is the epitome of tyranny. The
animals go through so much hard work and
oppression over these rules, and now they are
finally classified as the less equal species. The
tyrant Napoleon completely transforms into the evil
being they were all against: Mr. Jones.