THE REBELLION BY GEORGE ORWELL NOTES

THE REBELLION

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

1. Write the speech by Old Major.

Answer:  Old Major addressed the animals as "comrades", acknowledging that they had already heard about the strange dream he experienced the previous night. However, he set the dream aside for the moment, as there was something more urgent he wished to share. He confessed that he did not expect to live for many more months and felt it his duty to pass on the wisdom he had gained over his long life. Reflecting on his years spent thinking in solitude, he believed he understood the nature of life on earth as well as any animal alive, and this was what he wished to discuss.

He asked his comrades to consider the reality of their lives. Their existence, he stated plainly, was miserable, full of hard labor, and short. From birth, they were given just enough food to survive, and those who were capable of working were pushed to the limits of their strength. The moment they were no longer useful, they were killed without mercy. No animal in England knew happiness or rest once they were a year old. None of them were free. The life of an animal, he declared, was one of suffering and slavery — a harsh but undeniable truth.

But was this suffering simply a part of nature’s order? Was it because the land was poor and unable to support those who lived on it? No, he insisted — absolutely not. The soil of England was fertile, the climate was favorable, and the land could provide food in abundance for far more animals than currently inhabited it. Their very farm alone could sustain a dozen horses, twenty cows, and hundreds of sheep — all living in comfort and dignity, something almost unimaginable to them now.

So why did they continue to live in such wretched conditions? The answer, he said, was simple: nearly all the produce of their labor was stolen by human beings. This, he proclaimed, was the root of all their problems. Their true enemy could be summed up in one word — Man. Man was the only real adversary they had. If Man were removed from the picture, the root causes of hunger and overwork would vanish forever.

Man, he explained, was the only creature who consumed without producing. He gave no milk, laid no eggs, was too weak to pull a plough, and could not run fast enough to catch a rabbit. Yet, despite this, he ruled over all animals. He forced them to work, returning only the bare minimum needed to keep them from starving, while keeping the rest for himself. It was their labor that tilled the soil and their dung that fertilized it, yet none of them owned more than their bare skins.

He addressed the cows, asking how many thousands of gallons of milk they had given the past year and pointing out that none of it went to nourish their own calves. Every drop was taken by their enemies. He spoke to the hens, asking how many eggs they had laid and how few had hatched into chicks — most were sold at the market to earn money for Jones and his men. Turning to Clover, he reminded her of the four foals she had borne, who should have been her support and comfort in old age. Yet each one was sold at a year old, and she would never see them again. In return for her labor and sacrifices, she had received nothing but meager rations and a stall.

Even the brief and harsh lives they lived were cut short. He did not complain about his own fate, as he considered himself fortunate — he was twelve years old and had fathered over four hundred piglets. That, he said, was a natural life for a pig. But in the end, no animal escaped the cruel knife. He warned the young pigs sitting before him that each one of them would scream their lives away at the butcher’s block within a year. This grim fate awaited them all — cows, pigs, hens, sheep — none were spared. Even the horses and dogs faced a similar end. He addressed Boxer directly, telling him that the day his strong muscles weakened, Jones would sell him to the knacker, who would cut his throat and boil him down for the foxhounds. As for the dogs, once they grew old and lost their teeth, Jones would tie a brick around their necks and drown them in the nearest pond.

This, he concluded, was the harsh reality of their lives — one that could only change if they confronted the true enemy: Man.

2. How does the rebellion begin?

Answer: The rebellion begins when Mr. Jones forgets to feed the animals, and a frustrated cow breaks into the store-shed to find food. Seeing this, the other animals join in to help themselves. When Mr. Jones and his men try to regain control, the animals fight back and drive them off the farm, claiming it as their own. Celebrating their victory, the animals rename the farm 'Animal Farm' and establish seven commandments to guide their new way of life, emphasizing equality among animals and rejecting behaviors similar to Jones’.