Pre-reading

1. The key term of this chapter is “striking.” What do you think a strike is?

ANSWER:

a. A Strike - A refusal to work organized by a body of employees as a form of protest,

typically in an attempt to gain concessions from their employer.

2. Can anyone recall any strikes that happened here in Dominica or another country?

ANSWER:

***Alright, I’ll give you a brief history lesson. A few decades ago, practically every

Dominican held a strike against Patrick John, the prime minister at the time, for nearly a

month. Just to give you an idea of the kind of person Patrick John was, he made it legal to

kill people with dreadlocks. And when he was finally voted out, he made a deal with neo-

Nazis to take over Dominica. The whole thing was a mess. ***

3. Now, can you think of reasons why employees would strike?

ANSWERS:

a. They want higher wages

b. They want a safer working environment

c. They want better working conditions (longer breaks, for example)

d. The employer cut benefits

i. What are some ways an employer can exploit a worker?

ANSWERS:

a. The worker is paid less than they should be paid according to the law and

collective agreement.

b. The worker doesn’t get days off.

 c. The worker has to work long hours without proper compensation.

4. How do you think an employer might react to striking employees?

ANSWERS:

a. Fire them or hire new employees

b. Give in to their demands or find a compromise

***Another way an employer might respond is by using violence. We’re going to

watch a video showing exactly that. ***

Recap & Analysis
In this chapter, Napoleon’s grip on the farm tightens even more, and the animals are struggling

more than they ever did under Jones.

1. However, despite this, the animals conceal the food shortage. Why do you think they did

this?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS:

a. To save face.

b. To prevent humans from attacking them while they were weak.

2. To solve the food shortage, Napoleon orders the hens to hand over their eggs so he can

sell them. What’s the significance of this action?

ANSWER:

a. In the first chapter, Old Major pointed out that Jones did exactly this.

b. In the first chapter, Old Major made it clear that taking an animal’s young was

especially cruel.

***Yes, much like Napoleon’s taking of the pups, his taking of the eggs is a gross

violation of Major’s dream. ***

3. How do the hens respond to Napoleon’s order?

ANSWER:

a. They stage a strike by dropping their eggs to the ground.

i. What message do you think they were sending to Napoleon?

ANSWER:
 a. They would rather destroy the eggs than let Napoleon sell them.

ii. How does Napoleon respond to this minor rebellion?

ANSWER:

 He orders the hens’ food rations cut off. If any other animals give any

food to the chickens, they are to be killed. The dogs enforce his orders.

Nine hens die of starvation before then hens give up their five-day

protest.

***This callousness isn’t pure fiction by the way. Historically, many

people have been killed for striking. If you ever get the chance, learn

about United Fruit, an American company that practically ruled

Guatemala during the 20th century. ***

iii. Why do you think no animals helped the hens during the protest?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS:

 They were afraid

 It wasn’t their business

4. Why do the animals confess to being traitors?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS:

a. They did not expect to be killed for it.

b. They expected forgiveness rather than death.

c. Some animals thought that their confession and blaming of Snowball may result in

being spared.
d. They WANTED to die. ***Death might have been seen as a release for these poor

animals at this point. ***

e. They preferred a quick death to the possibility of torture or starvation if their

supposed crimes are allegedly uncovered by other means.

f. Some of the animals may be so thoroughly manipulated by the propaganda and the

confessions of others that they genuinely believe they have done wrong or have been

influenced by Snowball.

***To be perfectly honest with you, there’s no correct answer to this question. You

could all be right! ***

i. Why do you think Napoleon sics the dogs on Boxer, his best and most faithful

worker?

ANSWER:

 He sees Boxer as a rival because the other animals look up to him.

***Out of sheer paranoia, Napoleon is willing to kill someone as

hardworking as Boxer. ***

ii. What real life event does this part of the story remind you of?

ANSWER:

 Stalin’s purges

***Yes, this whole episode is similar to the purges Stalin enacted against

the so-called Trotskyites. Brief history lesson: ironically, in America,

purges were enacted against suspected communists. That particular era is

called the McCarthy era, and it’s the reason why so many Americans are

anti-communist to a fault. ***

5. How do the animals react to the grisly murders?

ANSWER:

a. They go to the little knoll where the windmill was being built and begin singing

Beasts of England.

i. What’s significant about this?

ANSWER:

 It’s the same knoll they went to after ousting Jones.

***So, you could say that the rise and fall of Animal Farm took place

on this knoll. ***

6. Why does Napoleon order the animals to stop singing “Beasts of England?”

ANSWER:

a. The Rebellion is over, and the pigs are in control of the farm. Even though the rest of

the animals seem too dull-witted to realize that the pigs are just as bad as Mr. Jones,

one might finally realize that one Rebellion was not enough and lead another

rebellion, this time against the pigs.

i. What is the purpose of the new song?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS:

 Instill in the animals a sense of patriotic duty.

***Pretty much. He wants the animals to see themselves not as

individuals, but as extensions of the state. Some people actually

believe that that’s why children are told to say the pledge of allegiance

is. ***