Animal Farm – George Orwell – Zusammenfassung
Chapter 1
Manor Farm owner: Mr. Jones
Animals on Farm:
Old Major: – pig / boar
12 years old / still good looking
a wise animal: respected on the farm
his tushes had never been cut
very important for the story:
had a dream and wanted to tell
the other animals about it
Benjamin: – donkey
oldest animal on the farm
never laughed about anything
worst tempered (schlecht gelaunt)
speaks seldom (selten) – if he speaks then cynical remarks
Boxer: – horse / male
strongest animal / enormous beast
not intelligent / but respected of his steadiness (Beständigkeit), of character and his big power at work
Clover: – horse / motherly mare
– didn’t get his figure back, after her 4th foal
Mollie: – horse / white mare
– foolish and red ribbons in her mane
Bluebell – dogs
Jessie
Pincher
Moses – raven (Rabe)
– is Jones’ spy
Speech of Old Major
Animals’ conditions:
lives are miserable, laborious (mühsam) and short
they are given so much food that they are kept (halten) alive (lebendig)
they are forced to (gezwungen werden zu) work to the last atom of their strength
when they aren’t able to work → they are slaughtered
animals do not know happiness or leisure (Freizeit); no animal is free
the human beings are the cause for their miserable lives
the produce of labour (Arbeit) from animals is stolen by the human beings
└> man is the only enemy they have
man is the only creature that consumes (verbrauchen) without producing (herstellen)
man gives them only the minimum; the rest he keeps for himself
└> to make money
one day the situation will change
└> the animals rid themselves of man
└> Rebellion
animals shall unite “All men are enemies”, “All animals are comrades”
whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy
whatever goes upon four legs or has wings is a friend
they must not adopt the wises of man → all habits (Sitten) of men are evil (böse)
– all animals are brothers
– no animal must ever kill any other animal
– all animals are equal
Chapter 2
After Old Major’s death
work of teaching and organizing the farm to the pigs
└> most intelligent
important pigs:
Napoleon: large rather fierce (grimmig) looking boar
the only Berkshire on the farm
doesn’t talk much; goes his own way
Snowball: nearly white boar
very good in speaking; is inventive (schöpferisch) (open for new things)
doesn’t have a strong character
Squealer: porker (Mastschwein)
brilliant talker (when arguing he skips (springen) from one side to the other; whisks (schlagen) his tail)
he is able to convince (überzeugen) the others (turns black into white)
THEY WORK OUT A SYSTEM OF ANIMALISM
Animalism bases of Old Major’s dream
Mr Jones and the Manor Farm
is the owner of the farm; lives with his wife there; has some men (workers) helping Jones
in the past Jones was a hard master; but a capable (talentiert) farmer
had lost much money in a lawsuit
└> began to drink (→ sitting in his Windsor chair in the kitchen, reading newspapers, drinking, only feeding Moses with beer soaked (aufgesaugt)bread crusts)
his men are idle and dishonest
fields are full of weeds; buildings wanted roofing; hedges were neglected; animals are underfed (unterernährt)
The Rebellion
June and the hay was ready to cut
Jones went to Willington to got drunk at the Red Lion
Men doesn’t work (milked cows, but not feeding)
Jones came back the next day on afternoon and went to sleep
cows broke in the door of the store-shed
others came and helped
Jones and men came and wanted to stop the animals with whips (Peitsche)
animals began to obstruct and kick
Jones and men were surprised and frightened and ran away
Mrs Jones and Moses left the farm through a backdoor
got sure that human being had stayed at the farm
threw all the bits, nose rings …(p14/l3…) down the well
others are burned in the yard
destroyed everything that reminds to Jones
had a meal and sang “Beasts of England”
decided to make a museum out of the farmhouse
and no animal must ever live there
Problems after the Rebellion
the cows were not milked and the udders (Euter) were bursting
(the pigs tried to do this and succeed)
Napoleon said milk isn’t important → the hay is waiting
in the evening the milk was disappeared
Chapter 3
Problems on hay harvest
sometimes work was hard
tools are made for human hands, not for animals
it is difficult to stand on hind legs
Work of the animals
pigs: don’t work
directs and supervises the others
the rest of the animals make the work
horses: pull (ziehen) the cutter or the horse rake (Rechen)
hens and ducks: pick up small wisps (Büschel)
on Sunday there were ceremonies; hoisting a flag (green ground and white horn and hoof)
after the ceremony there was the “Meeting” in the barn
they planned the work for the next week
then singing “Beasts of England”
the rest of the day was free
Snowball and Napoleon were the most actives of the debates but didn’t come to an agreement
Snowball had formed special committees and groups
different reading classes: ~ pigs were perfect readers and writers
~ Benjamin was perfect too, but don’t exercises (trainieren)
~ dogs learnt well, but weren’t interested except the
7 Commandments
~ Clover can the whole alphabet; Boxer can just 4;
Mollie can just hers
~ the other animals can “A”
~ the sheep were so stupid; learnt short form:
“4 legs good, 2 legs bad!”
Napoleon takes the little dogs to educate them to himself → the others forgot the whelps
(the education of younger animals is more important than teaching everyone)
the spring time same (unverändert) (first apples) and the reason for the vanished (verschwunden) milk was found
→ apples and milk was necessary for the pigs (brain work)
or Jones will come back → so the others agreed
Chapter 4
Neighbouring Farms:
Foxwood Pinchfield
owner: Mr Pilkington owner: Mr Frederick
easy going is an intelligent person
spends his time with fishing is often involved in lawsuits
and hunting (jagen) hard bargains (Geschäft machen)
farm: large, neglected (vernachläßigen) farm: smaller, but better kept
old-fashioned
The first attack against Animal Farm
in early October
└> by Jones and some other men of the neighbouring farms
→ Snowball had worked out special tactics
all animals defend (verteidigen) their farm
in the fight: → Snowball was hurt through Jones’ gun
Boxer killed a stable lad (Stallburschen) from another farm
→ the animals won the fight
└> gave the died sheep a solemn (feierlich) funeral (Begräbnis), plant a tree on the grave
Snowball gave a speech; sang “Beasts…”; created military decorations
(“Animal Hero, First Class”) for Boxer and Snowball
(the gun was prepared for a decorate shot on day of Rebellion and the first attack)
Chapter 5
In January the animals took place on meetings to plan the work for the next year:
Snowball √ Napoleon
didn’t come to an agreement
winner ← at the end of the meetings → got the support of
(animals agree) the sheep(4 legs../2 legs)
└> brilliant speaker └>interrupted the speeches
of Snowball
*planed new did nothing of his own
inventions only criticized Snowball
(field drains
windmill)
*worked out different
things, which can
be used with the power
of the windmill
*plans were made on
the floor → all animals
had a look at them → except Napoleon
examined the plans later,
studied them carefully;
urinates over the planes
“Vote for Snowball √ “Vote for Napoleon
and the three-day week” and a full manger”
send pigeons for more ← defeating the farm → train to defend
Rebellions
Animal Farm animals could also
not decide to one opinion
was going to win uttered a high-pitched
during the meeting whimper to order dogs
(little dogs he took away
from Jessie and Bluebell)
└> the dogs chase (jagen) Snowball out of the Animal Farm
Snowball is able to escape (fliehen)
after that the dogs behaved towards Napoleon like in former times to Jones
now Napoleon is the "leader"
1st orders/decisions:
· no more Sunday morning meetings
· pigs work out plans for the next week and animals get order about work
*some animals protested against the decision (Boxer, 4 young porkers)
· gives Squealer the task to convince the animals that Snowball isn‘ t better than a
criminal (- "or do you want Jones back?")
· gives the animals his decision about building the windmill
Chapter 6
– animals are willed to work very hard
└> doings are for their own benefit (not for not producing humans)
– Napoleon announced (ankündigen) that animals had to work on Sundays
└> free → but reducing rations if not working
– difficulties to build up the windmill (cutting the stones)
└> tools are not made for animals
└> using gravity (Schwerkraft)
– developed methods to hold the farm (better then human)
– things/materials are needed which can’t be produced on farm
└> announced (“new policy”) to trade with human through Mr Whimper
└> if they need more money → selling eggs
– the animals get more respect from people because of managing their own affaires
(calling the farm Animal Farm)
– pigs move into the farmhouse and sleep in beds (need a quiet place to work)
– sleeping in beds against Commandments
└> change in the Commandments "with sheets"
– after harvest in autumn the work on windmill went on
– Boxer worked even at night
– because of the storm the windmill was ruined
– Napoleon gives Snowball the guilt
Chapter 7
– it was a bitter winter
– for this time the mill should be build with thicker walls
– Animals are very hungry and ever cold → got hope by Boxer and Clover (working hard)
– food was rare (rar) → hind this fact from outside the world
└> use a trick: fill the brim (Fass) with sand and cover with food
– more food was needed → selling eggs (400 a week) to buy food
– selling timber to Foxwood or Pinchfield
(no agreement → Snowball was seen here and there) → Hitler-Stalin-Pact (└> Vorbereitung auf Kampf)
– Snowball came at night, was responsible for every mischief (Unheil)
– documents were found which evidenced (beweisen) Snowball’s work for Jones (Battle of the Cowshed)
└> animals didn’t believe, even Boxer rumoured
– Squealer convinced them, they should have their eyes open (→ to look for traitors)
– four days later there were executions (four pigs (against N.), hens, geese …
– others were shocked (Boxer saw it as a fault of themselves) → solution: “I will work
harder!”
– it was forbidden to sing “Beasts of England”
└> song of Rebellion → Rebellion was over, song was over
Chapter 8
– changes in the Commandments → killing without cause
– when the animals produced 200, 300, 500 per cent they got a food class higher
– announced to speak to N. in a formal style (titles: Leader…)
└> every good thing on farm N. was responsible for
– three hens confessed (beichten): they should kill N. → executed
– there were hate of Frederick
– windmill was finished → N. Mill → had to buy machinery
└> timber sold to Frederick / hate of Pilkington
– timber was paid with false banknotes
– preparing of an attack → send some messages of good relations to Pilkington
└> help was wanted
– the attack: 15 men, 6 guns / Pilkington: “Serves you right”
– destruction of the windmill → animals got more courage → defended the farm
– celebrations of victory
– pigs found whiskey → changes in Commandments: do not drink alcohol to excess
Chapter 9
– windmill had to rebuild again
– Boxer worked very hard, was wounded, but wanted to see the windmill finished
Ages of retirements:
pigs and horses → 12 years (Boxer: late summer of following year)
cows → 14 years
dogs → 9 years
sheep → 7 years
hens and geese → 5 years
└> the field beyond the orchard (Obstgarten) should be for superannuated (pensionierte) animals
└> but now barley (Gerstenkorn)grows there (for beer!)
– the winter was very hard again → rations were reduced for all animals except those of the pigs and dogs
└> Squealer: shorter food rations → yes, but in comparison to Jones’ times enormous
(Jones and all he stood for was forgotten)
└> so the animals believed
– farmer times they were slaves, but now they were free, that’s the difference
└> they have to feed more mouths
– a schoolhouse for the young pigs had to build up to educate them
└> they didn’t must play with other animals
└> pigs had the privilege of wearing a green ribbon
└> other animals had to stand aside if the paths were crossed with pigs
– a successful year for the farm, but short of money
└> needed bricks, sand and lime for the schoolhouse, (see page 78 middle): candles…
– selling: stump of hay, potato crops and 600 eggs a week
– rations reduced in December and February
– beer is made in the brew house of Jones
└> the barley is reserved for the pigs
– once a week a Spontaneous Demonstration (to celebrate the efforts (Aufwand) of Animal Farm)
└> poems to N., speeches by Squealer, gun was fired, marches of military formations
└> animals enjoyed that, forgot the empty belly
– Animal Farm became a republic with N. as president
– Moses the raven appears (erscheinen) → dreams of Sugarcandy Mountain
└> animals believed him and on an existing better world after life
└> Moses could stay (religious prophet)
– Boxer was healthy but weak, had an accident, was sold to a slaughter
– Squealer explained writing was not painted over
– animals believed
– for the money of Boxer, whiskey was bought
Chapter 10
– old animals are dead except Clover, Benjamin, Moses
→ Boxer and Snowball were forgotten
– number of animals was higher than ever before
– farm is better organized, bigger, mill is finished (without electrical power → meal corn for money)
– farm was rich but their animals were hungry and had bad conditions
– Squealer was very fat, pigs had good conditions
– animals couldn’t compare (vergleichen) now a times and Jones’ times, didn’t knew time before Rebellion
└> animals accepted bad conditions
– sheep should learn a new song (“four legs good two legs better”)
└> pigs went on two legs
– Clover looked up to Commandments: “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others”
– neighbour farmers came to visit/inspect Animal Farm
– Pilkington compared (vergleichen) in his speech Animal Farm with human classes
– humans accepted Animal Farm, learned how to oppress (unterdrücken) others in a clever way
– Animal Farm was no more feared (gefürchtet) as competitor (Konkurrent)
– pigs turned to men and men turned to pigs, Animal Farm animals didn’t know which was which