quotes and evidence from animal farm

"It was a bitter winter. The stormy weather was followed by sleet and snow, and then by a hard frost which did not break till well into February,"

At the beginning of Chapter Seven, Orwell uses pathetic fallacy to reflect the depressed, desolate and lost feelings of the animals, as well as to foreshadow the events of the coming chapter, which could be described as a turning point. It is in this chapter that Napoleon threatens and starves the chickens, and that he murders an entire group of animals, breaking one of the most important commandments.

"he was not of first-rate intelligence , but he was universally respected,"

Boxer - He is trusted and respected by the other animals on the farm, meaning that Squealer manipulates him to get to the other animals.

"Do you know what would happen if we pigs fail in our duty? Jones would come back! Jones would come back!"

Corruption of Morality - Squealer holds the threat of a return to life before Animalism as a means of control over the other animals. The repetition of the exclamatory phrase is effective in frightening the animals into accepting things.

"until today, no animal had killed another animal,"

Corruption of Morality - The breaking of the commandment by Napoleon and the pigs is symbolic of the hypocrisy of their leadership. It shows how Napoleon has become a tyrant, bending and breaking rules to suit his own needs.

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig... it was impossible to say which was which,"

Corruption of Morality - This quote shows how by being poisoned by greed and desire for power, the pigs have become identical to the humans that they previously despised.

"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others,"

Corruption of Morality - This shows how the early ideals of Animalism have been reversed under the rule of Napoleon.

"Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly,"

Desire for Power - The choice of adverb shows the nature of Napoleon's rule.

"do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure!"

Desire for Power - This exclamatory remark shows the irony of the fact that the pigs actually do enjoy leadership and power.

"All questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over by himself,"

Desire for Power - This is symbolic of the way that Napoleon is simultaneously centralising power and taking away power from the animals.

"The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others,"

Desire for Power - This shows and acts as a reminder of the pigs' superior knowledge and power, and does this through an ironic tone.

"Napoleon was now never spoken simply as 'Napoleon'. He was always referred to in formal style as 'Our Leader Comrade Napoleon.'"

Desire for Power - This title depicts Napoleon;s self-driven change of status, using the antithetical language of "Our Leader" next to "Comrade" to highlight the manipulative way he achieved power and the deterioration of the communist/animalist ideals.

"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,"

Desire for Power or Corruption of Morality - Orwell uses this powerful, vivid olfactory imagery to depict this symbolic scene of Napoleon standing over the dead bodies of the animals he has killed. This emphasises the horrific slaughter and the brutality that Napoleon's regime has brought to the farm. It shows the lengths that Napoleon will go to to gain power.

"Jones' shot only grazed him. I could show you in his own writing if only you were able to read,"

Lies Truth and Manipulation - Squealer uses 'evidence' that cannot be verified by the other animals because they are illiterate, exploiting them and getting away easily with his lie.

"in his speeches, Squealer would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon's wisdom,"

Lies, Truth and Manipulation - This ironic use of pathos shows the extent of which Squealer manipulates the animals.

"now when Squealer described the scene so graphically, it seemed to the animals that they did remember it,"

Lies, Truth and Manipulation - This quote exhibits how Squealer takes advantage of the animals' naivety to manipulate the truth. The use of the verb 'seemed' emphasises the contrast in what is presented as truth for the animals, alerting the audience to how easily manipulated the other animals are.

"Squealer always spoke of it as a readjustment, never as a reduction,"

Lies, Truth and Manipulation - This shows the manipulative way that Squealer carefully selects his words to hide the truth.

""Comrades!" he cried. "You do not imagine, I hope, that the pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? ... It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples!""

Lies, Truth and Manipulation - When the animals question the unequal distrubution of food, seeing the pigs have more, Squealer says this. His use of rhetorical question and the italicisation of 'your' show how Squealer is able to make the corrupt actions of the pigs seem selfless rather than selfish by implicating the other animals.

"And remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him,"

Old Major's speech foreshadows the corruption that power brings, as he warns the animals not to become like humans. The irony of the statement "we must not come to resemble him", contrasted to the last lines of the book in which the pigs come to look exactly like humans, is an important satirical warning about the corrupting influence of power.

"the education of the young is more important than anything that could be done for those who are already grown up,"

Role of Education - Orwell employs irony here to show how the puppies are victims of propaganda and indoctrination - they become the viscous defenders of Napoleon, never questioning him and taking violent measures against those that do.

"better at canvassing support for himself... he was especially successful with the sheep,"

Role of Education - The lexical choice and subtle sibilance of the latter sentence emphasises how easily Napoleon wins over the sheep, foreshadowing the important role the sheep later play in Napoleon's regime, when he uses the sheep to chant and drown out the four pigs who protest when he announces that he'll eliminate public meetings. This satirical depiction of the poorly educated groups in society ultimately shows how ignorance can allow ideals to dissolve into tyranny.

"I will work harder," and "Napoleon is always right,"

Role of Education - These are Boxer's two maxims. The way he uses and repeats these phrases throughout the book is a testament to his limited capacity for understanding, and his inability to think for himself. His lack of education and the easy way he is therefore manipulated and taken advantage of shows the importance of education, awareness and understanding.

"with their superior knowledge it was natural... to assume leadership,"

Role of Education - This shows how the level of education impacts the power/leadership.