Animal Farm
Classification Exercise
Leadership and Corruption
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GCSE English Content
by George Orwell
There are two pages to this exercise. Cut out the quotes on the second sheet and place them into the correct column of this chart.
This will provide you with examples of quotes / actions that illustrate each of the major themes within the novella.
Control over the Intellectually inferior
Deceit
Rules and order
Animal Farm
Classification Exercise
GCSE English Content
by George Orwell
Cut out the quotes on this sheet and place them into the correct column of the chart.
Throughout the spring and summer they worked But suddenly the dogs sitting round Napoleon
In addition, Napoleon ordered the almost empty
The pigs did not actually work, but directed
a sixty-hour week, and in August Napoleon
let out deep, menacing growls, and the pigs
bins in the store-shed to be filled nearly to the
and supervised the others. With their superior
announced that there would be work on Sunday
fell silent and sat down again. Then the sheep
brim with sand, which was then covered up with
knowledge it was natural that they should
afternoons as well. This work was strictly
broke out into a tremendous bleating of “Four
what remained of the grain and meal. On some
assume the leadership
voluntary, but any animal who absented himself
legs good, two legs bad!” which went on for
suitable pretext Whymper was led through the
from it would have his rations reduced by half.
nearly a quarter of an hour and put an end to
store-shed and allowed to catch a glimpse of
any chance of discussion.
the bins. He was deceived, and continued to
report to the outside world that there was no
food shortage on Animal Farm.
The birds did not understand Snowball’s long
Nevertheless, some of the animals were
Napoleon was better at canvassing support for
On Sundays there was no work. Breakfast was
words, but they accepted his explanation, and
disturbed when they heard that the pigs not
himself in between times. He was especially
an hour later than usual, and after breakfast
all the humbler animals set to work to learn the
only took their meals in the kitchen and used
successful with the sheep. Of late the sheep had
new maxim by heart.
the drawing-room as a recreation room, but also
taken to bleating “Four legs good, two legs bad”
slept in the beds.
both in and out of season.
They explained that by their studies of the
The others said of Squealer that he could turn
For once Benjamin consented to break his rule,
THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS
past three months the pigs had succeeded in
black into white.
and he read out to her what was written on the
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
reducing the principles of Animalism to Seven
wall. There was nothing there now except a
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings,
Commandments. These Seven Commandments
single Commandment. It ran:
is a friend.
would now be inscribed on the wall.
there was a ceremony which was observed
every week without fail.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
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Animal Farm
by George Orwell
Comparisons with Historical Events
GCSE English Content
Animal Farm is largely based on the events of the Russian Revolution. The chart below outlines some of the key
events in Russian and Soviet history. In the blank column write a note to say how these events have been portrayed
in Animal Farm.
Event in Russian / Soviet history
The Bolshevik Revolution
The Bolsheviks win the Russian Civil War
The New Economic Policy encourages some trade with
non Communist countries
Lenin dies and a group of Bolshevik’s rule
Stalin becomes a dictator
Trotsky is banished and later assassinated
Stalin’s political opponents are imprisoned or executed
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Animal Farm
Get Creative!
by George Orwell
GCSE English Content
Lots of the language in Animal Farm is designed to portray different kinds of political imagery. In the real world this has been done many
times through manipulation of all forms of media. Your task is to create an image of the Battle of the Cowshed that is designed to portray
Napoleon as a great, fearless leader. Annotate the image to say why you have included different things.
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Animal Farm
Literacy Challenge
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by George Orwell
Use EXACTLY one hundred words to explain what this quote means.
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
GCSE English Content
Animal Farm
GCSE English Content
by George Orwell
Character Analysis of Napoleon
Character based on
Political Ideology
Key Actions
Key Quote
NAPOLEON
Key Quote
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Personality and Ambition
Animal Farm
Script Writing
by George Orwell
GCSE English Content
Task: Imagine you are a television news reporter. Write a script for a news broadcast about Old Major’s speech. it should convey
the Old Major’s main complaints and outline his vision for the farm. Your script should be between 100 and 125 words long.
“Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it:
our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given
just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us
who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength;
and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are
slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning
of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is
free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.”
“But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land
of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell
upon it? No, comrades, a thousand times no! The soil of England is
fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance
to an enormously greater number of animals than now inhabit it. This
single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds
of sheep--and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now
almost beyond our imagining. Why then do we continue in this miserable
condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen
from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our
problems. It is summed up in a single word--Man. Man is the only real
enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of
hunger and overwork is abolished for ever.”
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Animal Farm
GCSE English Content
by George Orwell
Character Analysis of Snowball
Character based on
Political Ideology
Key Actions
Key Quote
SNOWBALL
Key Quote
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Personality and Ambition
Animal Farm
Starter Activity.
by George Orwell
GCSE English Content
“Beasts of England” is an anthem that is sung by the animals after the rebellion. Here the text has been turned into a Word Cloud based
on the number of times each word is used. What can we learn about the animals attitudes and beliefs from this Word Cloud?
The second Word Cloud is of the text of the anthem, “Comrade Napoleon”. Compare these key words with those appearing in Beasts of
England. What are the main changes in the attitudes and / or beliefs of the animals?
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Animal Farm
Turning Points
GCSE English Content
by George Orwell
There are a number of significant Turning Points in Animal Farm. As a result of these things change for different groups. use the chart below
to track the impact of these changes on different groups.
Things get worse for...
Turning Point
Mr Jones comes home drunk one night
Battle of the Cowshed
Snowball and Napoleon disagree about the
construction of the Windmill
The Windmill blows down
Mr. Frederick dynamites the windmill
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Things get better for...
Animal Farm
GCSE English Content
by George Orwell
Wordsearch
Words to find:
Napoleon
Manor Farm
Animal Farm
Snowball
Battle of the cowshed
Seven commandments
Sheep
George Orwell
Mr Jones
exploitation
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