Discussion Questions for Chapter 3

1. Describe the difficulties the animals had in gathering the harvest and explain how they overcame those difficulties.

Ans: Many of the machines/implements were designed for human use, not for animals. So whatever requried the animals to stand on its hind legs proved to be a challenge. "But the pigs were so clever that they could think of a way round every difficulty" (pg 33).


2. Describe the division of labour on Animal Farm after the Rebellion. What do you feel about this division? Is it fair or unfair?

Ans: The pigs did not actually work but they only supervised and gave orders to other animals. Boxer and Clover (horses) did the most physically demanding work. "Every animal down to the humblest worked at turning the hay and gathering it" (pg 33). Even the ducks and the hens carried hay in their beaks.

Some students may say that this division of labour is fair, because since the pigs are the cleverest and most intelligent, it is natural for them to do the "brain work" and dorect/supervise others instead of doing manual work. It is because the other animals such as the horses are unintelligent which is why they cannot lead and have to do hard physical labour instead.

Other students may feel that the division of labour is unfair because the pigs do not even try to help out with the physical labour. They eat more than the other animals who work harder than them (the pigs take the milk and apples), yet do no contribute as much. Both views are valid, provided students can explain and justify their stand.


3. What does the behaviour of the following animals tell us about their attitudes to the Rebellion?
(a) Mollie and the cat
(b) Benjamin

Ans: Mollie and the cat cannot be bothered about the Rebellion. They do not understand the true spirit and meaning of it. They are lazy, always evasive (trying to run away from work). Mollie always gives excuses to leave work early, while the cat is never around when there is work to do, but always comes back during mealtimes. This shows that they do not wish to contribute to the work, unlike the other animals.

Benjamin was "quite unchanged since the Rebellion" (pg 35). He worked in the same way as he did under Jones - always doing his work, and never taking on more, and he "would express no opinion" about the Rebellion. This shows that he is detached, aloof, and does not expect times to change much after the Rebellion. He is not very hopeful of a better future like the other animals, showing that he is cynical.


4. Why do you think Snowball’s various projects, except the reading and writing classes, were ‘failures’? (to infer this answer)

Ans: He could not convince the animals of the importance of these projects, and hence, probably did not get their support. "Napoleon took no interest in Snoball's committees" (pg 38) - since the pigs themselves appear not to be united, the animals probably were not convinced about these projects.

Discussion Questions for Chapter 2

Please print or copy these questions on foolscap and complete the answers

1. What does Chapter 2 tell us about the characters of Napoleon, Snowball, Squealer, Boxer, Clover, Mollie and Moses?

2. What is their role and who/what kind of people do they represent?

E.g. Napoleon is the leader - what kind of leader of he? (explain this)
He represent Stalin, and his role is to ......... (explain this)

3. Why do you think the pigs were not given much attention in Chapter 1?

4. Draw a comparison table comparing the commandments of old Major with those generated by the pigs. (refer to pages 18 & 29)
Are there any differences? Highlight or underline the changes

5. What do you think is the difference or similarity between blatant lies and the subtle manipulation/distortion of words? What are the implications of slightly modifying the words?

Capitalism, Socialism and Communism (simplified)

Karl Marx came up with the idea of Communism. He saw it as a better system than Capitalism. What are some of the features of each system?

Capitalism
Private ownership of property- encourages competition among citizens

The state is present

Upper class Vs Lower or Working class
-in Capitalistic societies, there are a few wealthy individuals who exploit the numerous poor
- very bad living conditions

Communism
Public ownership of all property
Ideally, the state disappears in this system
Produce according to your abilities, and consume according to your needs
- shared effort and shared resources
- everyone would have what they needed; no one person would have more than another
- is ideally a classless society

Karl Marx predicted that because the poor were exploited under capitalism, they would eventually come together and rebel through a revolution to overthrow capitalism. After this happens, a communist society would be established. However, communism is an ideal.

Animal Farm Discussion Qns for Chap 1

Please complete the answers for these questions. They are meant to be short answer questions but NOT one word answer questions. Most of them require some explanation so please take the time to write out your responses because they will help you understand the novel better.

1. Do you agree with what Old Major says about the "nature of this life of ours"? Why or why not?

Ans: Students can agree or disagree but have to be clear about their stand and justidy their answer. For exampls, if you agree with Old major, you have to explain that animals are unjustily treated by man because they are overworked, underfed, treated like slaves, and slaughtered once they are not useful.


2. Is Old Major right or wrong in saying that Man is the source of all the problems that animals face? Why?
--> when answering this question, please write whether this is a fair or unfair comment, looking both from Man's and the animals' perspectives. Please provide your answer in table format.

Ans: Students can say that Old Major is right or wrong, depending on their reasoning. In addition, they have to evaluate whether the statement is fair or not. For example, students can say that Old Major is right in saying that Man is the source of all the problems animals face, becuse it is man who overworks them without caring for their welfare, and who inflicts many injustices upon them. Or they could say that it is wrong to say that Man is the source of all the problems because much later in the novel, we realise that even after Man is removed and Napoleon takes charge, the animals still live a similar, if not worse, life. Therefore, it is greed for power that is the source of all problems rather than Man.

From Man's perspective, the comment would probably unfair. Man is the more intelligent one so he would naturally control animals. He depends on animals for their produce and in return, provides them with food and shelter. Thus, it is unfair to say that Man is the source of all the animals' problems. Since even when an animal rules over them (Napoleon) they are overworked, underfed and unhappy, it is not fair to blame Man totally.

From the animals' perspectives, the comment would be fair - Man is the one who takes away all their produce like their milk and their babies although he doesnt produce anything. He gives them only enough food to survive and mercilessly ends their lives when they are no longer useful.


3. What do you understand by the phrase "the tyranny of human beings"? (pg 17)

It refers to the unjust, unreasonble and cruel treatment of the animals by human beings.


4. Is rebellion your response to tyranny and oppression? Why or why not?

Ans: Students can choose to rebel or not but must provide reasons for their choice.For those who choose to rebel, they could say that they were so unhappy with the injustices carried out on them and that they had no freedom and hence, chose to rebel so as to be in control of their own lives.
For those who choose not to rebel, perhaps they can say that they would try to negotiate with Man first (assuming that animals and Man can communicate, since later on Napoleon does talk to the farmer he trades with). Or they could say that if they rebelled, they future would be uncertain and they would have no choice but to run the farm themselves,. finding food and shelter on their own even though they were not used to doing these things.

5. Why do you think the animals sing 'Beasts of England' so enthusiastically?

Ans: They are motivated by Old major's speech and the song gives them hope that they are going to have a better future, in which they are not exploited/ oppressed.

Welcome

Dear Sec 2 girls,

I will be using this blog to post some notes and discussion questions on the texts we are covering this year. Feel free to ask questions (pertaining to Lit) under the comments section.

Have fun with Lit!