|
English Literature زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی A Brief Synopsis One night, all the animals at Mr. Jones’ Manor Farm assemble in a
barn to hear old Major, a pig, describe a dream he had about a world
where all animals live free from the tyranny of their human masters.
Old Major dies soon after the meeting, but the animals—inspired by
his philosophy of Animalism—plot a rebellion against Jones. Two pigs,
Snowball and Napoleon, prove themselves important figures and planners
of this dangerous enterprise. When Jones forgets to feed the animals,
the revolution occurs, and Jones and his men are chased off the
farm. Manor Farm is renamed Animal Farm, and the Seven Commandments
of Animalism are painted on the barn wall.
Initially, the rebellion is a success: The animals complete the harvest
and meet every Sunday to debate farm policy. The pigs, because of their
intelligence, become the supervisors of the farm. Napoleon, however,
proves to be a power-hungry leader who steals the cows’ milk and a
number of apples to feed himself and the other pigs. He also enlists the
services of Squealer, a pig with the ability to persuade the other animals
that the pigs are always moral and correct in their decisions.
Later that fall, Jones and his men return to Animal Farm and
attempt to retake it. Thanks to the tactics of Snowball, the animals
defeat Jones in what thereafter becomes known as The Battle of the
Cowshed. Winter arrives, and Mollie, a vain horse concerned only with
ribbons and sugar, is lured off the farm by another human. Snowball
begins drawing plans for a windmill, which will provide electricity and
thereby give the animals more leisure time, but Napoleon vehemently
opposes such a plan on the grounds that building the windmill will
allow them less time for producing food. On the Sunday that the pigs
offer the windmill to the animals for a vote, Napoleon summons a pack
of ferocious dogs, who chase Snowball off the farm forever. Napoleon
announces that there will be no further debates; he also tells them that
the windmill will be built after all and lies that it was his own idea, stolen
by Snowball. For the rest of the novel, Napoleon uses Snowball as a
scapegoat on whom he blames all of the animals’ hardships.
10 CliffsNotes Orwell’s Animal Farm
Much of the next year is spent building the windmill. Boxer, an
incredibly strong horse, proves himself to be the most valuable animal
in this endeavor. Jones, meanwhile, forsakes the farm and moves to
another part of the county. Contrary to the principles of Animalism,
Napoleon hires a solicitor and begins trading with neighboring farms.
When a storm topples the half-finished windmill, Napoleon predictably
blames Snowball and orders the animals to begin rebuilding it.
Napoleon’s lust for power increases to the point where he becomes
a totalitarian dictator, forcing “confessions” from innocent animals and
having the dogs kill them in front of the entire farm. He and the pigs
move into Jones’ house and begin sleeping in beds (which Squealer
excuses with his brand of twisted logic). The animals receive less and
less food, while the pigs grow fatter. After the windmill is completed in
August, Napoleon sells a pile of timber to Frederick, a neighboring
farmer who pays for it with forged banknotes. Frederick and his men
attack the farm and explode the windmill but are eventually defeated.
As more of the Seven Commandments of Animalism are broken by the
pigs, the language of the Commandments is revised: For example, after
the pigs become drunk one night, the Commandment, “No animals
shall drink alcohol” is changed to, “No animal shall drink alcohol to
excess.”
Boxer again offers his strength to help build a new windmill, but
when he collapses, exhausted, Napoleon sells the devoted horse to a
knacker (a glue-boiler). Squealer tells the indignant animals that Boxer
was actually taken to a veterinarian and died a peaceful death in a hospital—
a tale the animals believe.
Years pass and Animal Farm expands its boundaries after Napoleon
purchases two fields from another neighboring farmer, Pilkington. Life
for all the animals (except the pigs) is harsh. Eventually, the pigs begin
walking on their hind legs and take on many other qualities of their former
human oppressors. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a
single law: “All Animals Are Equal / But Some Are More Equal Than
Others.” The novel ends with Pilkington sharing drinks with the pigs
in Jones’ house. Napoleon changes the name of the farm back to Manor
Farm and quarrels with Pilkington during a card game in which both
of them try to play the ace of spades. As other animals watch the scene
from outside the window, they cannot tell the pigs from the humans. نظرات شما عزیزان:
درباره وبلاگ  Welcome To English Literature blog of Arak Azad University Students آخرین مطالب پيوندها 
|
|||
 |
تبادل
لینک هوشمند
