Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Compare and
contrast Napoleon and Snowball. What techniques do they use in their
struggle for power? Does Snowball represent a morally legitimate
political alternative to the corrupt leadership of Napoleon?
2. Why do you
think Orwell chose to use a fable in his condemnation of Soviet
communism and totalitarianism? Fiction would seem a rather indirect method
of political commentary; if Orwell had written an academic essay,
he could have named names, pointed to details, and proven his case
more systematically. What different opportunities of expression
does a fable offer its author?
3. From whose
perspective is Animal Farm told? Why would Orwell have chosen such
a perspective?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. How does Orwell explore the
problem of rhetoric in Animal Farm? Paying particular
attention to the character of Squealer, how is language used as
an instrument of social control? How do the pigs rewrite history?
2. Discuss Boxer. What role does
he play on the farm? Why does Napoleon seem to feel threatened by
him? In what ways might one view the betrayal of Boxer as an alternative
climax of the novel (if we consider Napoleon’s banishment of Snowball
and the pigs’ initial consolidation of power as the true climax)?
3. Do you think Animal
Farm’s message would come across effectively to someone
who knows nothing about Soviet history or the conflict between Stalin
and Trotsky? What might such a reader make of the story?
4. Of all of the characters in Animal
Farm, are there any who seem to represent the point of
view of the author? Which of the animals or people do you think
come(s) closest to achieving Orwell’s perspective on Animal
Farm?
