Book Report

Animal Farm
George Orwell

Quote and Page Number Explanation of Significance “‘Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interest of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.’” (10) | This quote is significant because the whole rebellion started because of Major’s big speech on how man is evil and all animals are equal. If not for this speech then the entire rebellion which the whole book is based on would not have occurred. So this quote basically instigated the rebellion against Mr. Jones. It gave the farm animals the idea that they are strong if they are united and that Man is weak. | “By the autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate in some degree. As for the pigs, they could already read and write perfectly. The dogs learned to read fairly well, but were not interested in reading anything except the Seven Commandments.” (29) | This quote is significant because this shows that the animals are changing. Normally animals at farms or anywhere don’t or can’t read or write. Now that they can, it shows that they are slowly changing into humans basically. The only basic difference between animals and humans is literacy, talking, and walking on hind legs. With this quote they became literate so they only have to do two more things, talking and walking. | “Three days later Mollie disappeared. For some weeks nothing was known of her whereabouts, then the pigeons reported that they had seen her on the other side of Willingdon. …was stroking her nose and feeding her with sugar. Her coat was newly clipped and she wore a scarlet ribbon round her forelock.” (42) | | “They were the puppies that Napoleon had taken away from their mothers and reared privately. Though not full-grown, they were huge dogs and as fierce looking as wolves. They kept close to Napoleon. It was noticed that they wagged their tails to him in the same way as the other dogs had been used to do to Mr. Jones.” (46-47) | | “It was about this time that the pigs suddenly moved into the farmhouse and took up residence there. …It was absolutely necessary, he said, that the pigs, who were the brains of the farm, should have a quiet place to work in. It was also more suited to the dignity of the leader (for of late he had taken to speaking of Napoleon under the title of “Leader”) to live in a house than in a mere sty. Nevertheless, some of the animals were disturbed when they heard that the pigs not only took their meals in the kitchen and used the drawing-room as a recreation room, but also slept in the beds. (56) | | | |