Pre-reading

1. The key term of this chapter is ‘scapegoating’. What do you think a scapegoat is?

ANSWER:

a. A person or group that is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others.

2. Can you think of anyone that was scapegoated?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS:

a. Leon Trotsky

b. Jews

c. Chinese people

d. Muslims

3. What can scapegoating cause?

a. Someone could lose their job.

b. Someone could get hurt or killed.

c. Someone’s reputation could be tarnished.

4. Throughout history, many people and groups have been... designated scapegoats. Even

the government scapegoated them. Why do you think governments engage in this

practice?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS:

a. To avoid accountability

*** That’s the primary reason. For example, Stalin used Trotsky as a scapegoat

whenever his plans caused problems for the country. ***

b. To avoid having to do anything to solve the problem

 *** That’s another reason. For example, many governments used gay people as

scapegoats to avoid having to deal with the AIDS epidemic. Everybody thought it

was a “gay disease” so they figured they had nothing to worry about. They were very

wrong. ***

c. To justify its unethical actions.

*** That’s another big reason. For example, Hitler was able to justify purging

Germany of Jewish people and other minorities by turning them into scapegoats.

Meanwhile, in America, the government got away with locking up Japanese people

because everyone thought they would betray America for Japan. And on that note,

we’re going to watch a video about the internment of Japanese Americans. ***
Recap & Analysis

1. In this chapter, we see what life is like under Napoleon’s regime. It involves a lot of

back-breaking, seemingly never-ending work, not unlike life under a certain farmer.

Despite this, however, the animals are still happy. Why is that?

ANSWER:

a. The animals work hard every day because they think everything they do is for the

benefit of themselves, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings.

i. What makes this thought process ironic?

ANSWER:

 This consolation distracts them from the fact that they are supporting

many more than five pigs that have now moved into the farmhouse to

live like humans.

***Yes, the animals are so dedicated to the “four legs good, two legs

bad” ideology that they’re blind to the fact that the pigs are no

different from Jones. The worst part is that this sort of fanaticism isn’t

unrealistic. **

2. The next paragraph also contains some irony. What makes it so?

ANSWER:

a. The so-called voluntary Sunday workday is actually mandatory. Animals who do not

participate in the Sunday work time have their rations cut in half. This reduction is so

substantial that the apparent choice is not a real choice at all.

 i. Right. Now, I want you guys to focus on the language used. Why do you think

Napoleon said that the work was “voluntary”? Why didn’t he say ‘optional’

instead?

ANSWER:

 Napoleon wants to foster a sense of unity/patriotism/self-sacrifice in

the animals.

***Exactly. Napoleon used “volunteer” so that the animals would be

happy to perform what is effectively forced labour. ****

3. Out of all the animals, who is the most dedicated “volunteer”?

ANSWER:

a. Boxer

i. How does Boxer motivate himself?

ANSWER:

 He says “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right.”

ii. Yes, he uses these two slogans to tackle any conflict, external or internal.

What does the fact that Boxer only thinks in slogans say about him?

ANSWER:

 It reflects his inability to engage in any real thought at all.

 It highlights his lack of education.

***Right. And the sad thing is this isn’t unique to dumb people. There

are many smart people who are guilty of this. They went to college and

everything, but despite that- or perhaps, because of that- they can only
 think in buzzwords and talking points. If you ever want to see people

like that, just check Twitter. ***

4. Now, throughout this chapter, multiple commandments were broken, moreso than in

previous chapters. Which ones were broken?

ANSWER:

a. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

b. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

5. How are the animals convinced to accept these flagrant violations?

ANSWERS:

a. The pigs use the “for the greater good” excuse.

*** Yes. The word ‘sacrifice’ is constantly used in this chapter, and Napoleon repeatedly

insists that he doesn’t WANT to do the things he does. ***

b. The pigs reinterpret the commandments.

c. The pigs rewrite the commandments.

***All of you agree that Squealer is lying, and you’re not wrong, but if we had to be

more specific, he’s actually doing something much worse. He is GASLIGHTING the

animals. Gaslighting is an especially insidious form of manipulation. A lot of people

think it’s the same as lying, but there’s a key difference. When you lie, it’s usually for a

basic reason. The purpose of gaslighting is to get the other person to doubt themselves.

For example, let’s say a man hits his wife. If he said “I won’t do it again,” that would be

a lie. But if he said “Why did you make me hit you?” that would be gaslighting. That’s

what Squealer is doing. Instead of finding a way to ‘justify’ the rule change, Squealer is
 telling the animals, “No, you’re wrong. This rule didn’t exist.” He’s basically getting

them ready for the next time the pigs change a rule. ***

6. Now, later in the chapter, the windmill ends up destroyed. Napoleon claims Snowball

blew it up, but that’s a lie, right? What ACTUALLY destroyed the windmill?

ANSWER:

a. The storm destroyed it.

i. Yes, instead of admitting that the windmill’s walls were not thick enough to

support it against a strong wind, Napoleon blames Snowball for blowing it up.

Why? Why doesn’t he just tell the truth?

ANSWERS:

 The animals may be demoralized and reluctant to rebuild if they

believe they are working against forces of nature.

 Napoleon does not want to take responsibility for the inadequate

layout.

 He wants to continue to receive the animals’ support and respect.

 With an identifiable enemy trying to stop the windmill, Napoleon

knows the animals are more likely to buy into rebuilding it. They can

believe they are defying a threat, not engaging in a futile task.

***Yes! Spite is a great motivator. If someone called you stupid or

said you wouldn’t amount to anything, you wouldn’t take it lying

down, right? No. It’s safe to assume that the animals have the exact

same mentality. ***

ii. Now, why does Snowball make for a good scapegoat?

 Answer:

 He isn’t around to defend himself. *** Precisely. And on the off-

chance Snowball returns, Napoleon has ensured that his rival will

never be able to challenge his leadership. ***

iii. Why doesn’t Napoleon blame the humans from the neighbouring farms?

Wouldn’t they make good scapegoats too?

ANSWER:

 If Napoleon blames the humans for sabotaging the windmill, he kills

the opportunity to trade with them. ***Right. The other animals are

dumb, but they’re not THAT dumb. ***

7. Speaking of the humans, how has their view of Animal Farm changed?

ANSWER:

a. The humans hate the farm even more now that it appears to be prospering, because

they are even more fearful that their own animals will be inspired to rebel.

b. They begrudgingly respect it now. They had begun to call Animal Farm by its proper

name.

i. On that note, what do you think Orwell is suggesting about real life

capitalists?

ANSWER:

 He is suggesting that capitalists are motivated purely by self-interest.

Business and the opportunity to profit still trump any personal

reservations they may have about a prospective business partner or

course of action.
ii. Can anyone think of examples of capitalists doing extremely unethical things

in the pursuit of profit?

ANSWER:

***A lot of regulations, especially food regulations, exist because a company

tried to cut corners and killed a bunch of people. On that note, we’re gonna

read about the meat industry. ***