INDIVIDUAL ORAL COMMENTARY
The given extract has been taken from Chapter 1 of the novel “Animal Farm” written by George
Orwell. George Orwell has written this novel as an allegory and satire on the political scenario
of Russia between 1917 and 1943, that is, from the overthrowing of Tsar Nicholas II and the
subsequent Russian Revolution until the rise of Joseph Stalin as a dictator. During this period,
injustice and corruption was rampant in the Russian society. The Russian Revolution (also
known as the Bolshevik Movement) had aimed at overthrowing the tyrannical rule of Tsar
Nicholas II under whom Russia had almost gone down to the depths of nadir. The working class
or the proletariat was mistreated and they had to face very hard times. The Bolshevik
Movement did succeed in ending monarchial rule in the country and transforming it into a
Communist State under the ideals of Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” but after Stalin came
to power in 1941, Russians were subjected back to what they had rebelled against-injustice,
corruption and tyranny. Orwell’s hatred for this injustice and corruption drove him to write the
“Animal Farm” through which he strives to send across a message through the animal
characters. The story unfurls with Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm going off to sleep at
nightfall. As soon as the lights go out in the farmhouse, the animals gather in the barn of the
farm for a meeting called by the Old Major who has to share a “strange dream” he had seen in
his sleep with the other animals. Through this extract, Orwell introduces the readers to the
various animal characters, their characteristics and appearance. These animals stand for the
Russians and their ideas and ideals.
The first thing that strikes the readers’ mind while reading the extract is the setting of the farm.
It is in the barn of the Manor Farm during nightfall. Old Major stands on a raised platform while
the other animals enter the barn in their own fashion. The barn is a befitting setting for this
extract because this is the first major meeting that takes place in the farm that begins the
animals’ journey towards rebellion and freedom. The rest of the meetings throughout the story
are held in the barn and that is the place where all the major decisions are taken that will
ultimately direct the course of the story.
The mood and tone of the extraction is that of anticipation and restlessness. This exactly
reflects the mood of the animals, which are curious to know Old Major’s dream. This
restlessness also reflects the animals’ frustration with the way things are being run in the farm.
This restlessness ultimately leads to the rebellion against Mr. Jones.
Orwell has cleverly used the technique of foreshadowing in this extract. The readers also get a
glimpse at a certain hierarchy in the manner in which the animals enter the barn and take their
positions in the barn. This hierarchy is exactly same as the hierarchy of the roles that the
animals will play after they become the master of Manor Farm and change it into Animal Farm.
The dogs Bluebell and Jessie and come in first, before the pigs. This is a foreshadow of the
event that later in the story the offsprings of Bluebell and Jessie will act as guards to Napoleon
and the other pigs. The dogs represent the secret police of Stalin who were responsible for
mass killings of Russians.
The pigs take their position in the first row, just before the platform, indicating that in the
future they will be the leaders of the farm and everyone would follow them. The pigs stand for
all the leaders of the Bolshevik Movement including Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin.
Then come the pigeons and hens “fluttering” in and perching on the windowsills like bystanders
and that is exactly the role that they play in the novel. The pigeons and hens do not have any
major role to play and just “flutter” around. The cows and sheep are introduced next. They sit
down just behind the pigs and begin to chew cud. This indicates their laid-back attitude and the
fact that they were least bothered about what is happening around them. Their position is
perfect because later they are the ones that follow the pigs blindly without complaining or
questioning them.
Orwell then introduces Boxer and Clover, the most hard-working, compassionate and sincere
animals in the farm. Boxer is described as a horse who is respected for his strength. The fact
that both of them put down their hoofs with great care indicate that they were compassionate
about others. Clover is a motherly mare and we see her motherly instincts when she forms a
sort of a protective wall around the orphaned ducklings. Both of them are animals who think
about others rather than themselves. This is especially true for Boxer who later works the
hardest while constructing the windmill. Both of them stand for the people of Russia who
believed in the Bolshevik Revolution and were loyal to Stalin but ultimately were betrayed by
him.
The next major character introduced is Benjamin-the old donkey who is cynical of everything.
He can be said to be an introvert and a loner, as he does not talk to anyone much and his only
friend is Boxer. Though he is cynical, he is also a deep thinker. He is the only one who sees
things as they are and the readers get a proof of this when he realizes the pigs for what they
are when Boxer in taken away in pretext of taking him to a veterinary. He stands for those
people of Russia who were cynical of the movement but did nothing themselves to change the
system.
Then comes in Mollie. Mollie is a frivolous mare who loves attention. The fact that she goes
right up next to the pigs proves this statement. The pigs are the most powerful animals in the
farm and by staying close to them, she naturally gets attention. Generally, such kind of people
turns out to be traitors and this is exactly what happens with Mollie. She deserts the farm when
she realizes that the conditions in the farm are worsening. She represents the bourgeois of the
Russian society who were not happy with the revolution and the changes that came with it.
Last but not the least is Old Major. He is described as a twelve-year (which is very old for
animals) old boar with a wise and benevolent appearance. He is respected by all the animals in
the farm, so much so that all of them are ready to lose one hour’s sleep just to listen to him.
Orwell brings out the character of Karl Marx, the Father of Communism, in Old Major. Karl Marx
had first proposed the idea of Communism. In the novel, Old Major proposes his ideology of
“Animalism”.
The language of the extract is very simple and rustic with very less literary devices. This use of
simple language is deliberate. The animals are illiterate and hence, cannot comprehend
complex words or sentences. Since the focus of the whole book is on the animals, Orwell uses
this simple and easily comprehensible language.
Orwell also uses a lot of visual imagery in the extract. He describes the appearances and the
characteristics of the animals and the manner in which they arrive at the barn vividly and with
minute details. The use of phrases like “wise and benevolence appearance”, “fluttered up the
rafters”, “came mincing daintily in” and so on helps create an image of the animals and the
manner in which they move in the readers’ mind. The readers can actually visualize the whole
scene happening right in front of them. There is also usage of literary devices. Orwell uses
simile while describing Boxer. He writes that Boxer was “as strong as any two ordinary horses
put together”.
This extract leads on to the speech of Old Major in which he shares his dream and his vision of a
land that is free of humans. He also dictates his ideology of all animals and birds being equal
and all humans being their enemies. This is extremely important because this ideology is the
foundation of all the rules, regulations and commandments that the pigs form and ultimately
break.