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Animal Farm: Chapters 7-8 (Chapter 7 (Snowball is regarded as a traitor…
Animal Farm: Chapters 7-8
Chapter 8
The sixth commandment is changed
Benjamin reads Clover the Sixth Commandment which now says:
“No animal shall kill any other animal without cause”.
Napoleon is hardly ever seen. Escorted by his dogs and a black cockerel; A gun is fired on his birthday; referred to as “Our leader, Comrade Napoleon” and “Father of all animals”. All achievements and successes on the farm are attributed to Napoleon.
The pig Minimus writes a poem about Napoleon’s greatness and benevolence which is written on the wall opposite the commandments, with a portrait of Napoleon.
Battle of the Windmill
The windmill is finished and named Napoleon Mill.
Napoleon sells timber to Frederick, the neighbouring farmer, but Frederick pays with forged banknotes. Frederick and his men attack and a number of animals are wounded. The men blow up the windmill.
Links to Germany betraying Russia's trust and invading
The animals charge and chase the men off the farm.
Squealer declares a “victory” for the animals, even though they are wounded and the windmill destroyed.
After the gun is fired, the flag raised and Napoleon makes a congratulatory speech, the animals also feel that it was a “victory”.
Alcohol
Pigs get drunk on Mr Jones’ whiskey and Napoleon is seen wearing Mr Jones hat. In “Animal Farm”, all human habits are symbols of corruption.
Squealer caught drunkenly changing the Fifth Commandment to
“No animal shall drink alcohol to excess”
. The innocent animals (except for Benjamin), don’t realise that he is drunk.
Another example of the pigs taking on the human habits that Old Major forbade and becoming more and more corrupt. Also demonstrates that as the corrupt become more powerful, the weak become weaker, unable even to acknowledge their powerlessness.
Chapter 7
The hens rebel
Their corn rations are reduced.
The animals rebuild the windmill, but “only Clover and Boxer never lost heart”.
The corn ration is reduced due to shortages and starvation appears to be close.
Napoleon rarely appears in public and the farmhouse doors are “guarded by fierce-looking dogs”.
Napoleon fills the food bins with sand and then puts grain on the top, so that when Mr Whymper visits he thinks they are prospering and reports this to the outside world.
One Sunday, Squealer announces that the hens must “surrender” their eggs as Napoleon has agreed to trade 400 eggs per week.
Hens rebel by laying eggs in the rafters so that they smash. “Napoleon reacted swiftly and ruthlessly”, just like the farmers did when their animals started to rebel.
The hens standing up to Napoleon echoes the Kulaks' resistance to collectivisation
He stops the hens’ rations and orders that any animal that helps them will be killed. Nine hens die and the 400 eggs are delivered.
Napoleon has again corrupted Old Major’s vision of Animalism and demonstrated that he rules through fear and violence.
Snowball is regarded as a traitor
Repeatedly declared a traitor and a saboteur who creeps into the farm “under cover of darkness” to cause trouble.
When Boxer says that he remembers Snowball fighting bravely and being wounded, Squealer responds that “secret documents” show that Snowball was tricking them and acting for the enemy.
Squealer begins to rewrite history, creating fear of Snowball and popularity for Napoleon.
Says that Napoleon was at the Battle of the Cowshed
Squealer uses the animals’ lack of education to deceive and manipulate them.
Orwell shows how terrifying the reign of Stalin was, and warns never to let it happen again.
Squealer claims he is "in league with Jones"
Confessions
Napoleon calls for an assembly.
Some of the dogs grab four of the pigs and three dogs attempt to grab Boxer. Boxer overpowers the dogs and pins one down with his hoof. Napoleon orders Boxer to let the dog go.
Napoleon calls the pigs to confess and they confess that they have been in league with Snowball. The dogs “promptly tore out their throats”.
Napoleon forces confessions and sets his dogs on anyone who threatens him. The animals seem to have no control over their own memories.
More animals confess and are “slain on the spot” until “there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones.”
Clover
Thinks back to Old Major's speech and his utopian vision of “a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip”.
Her thoughts of the past contrast with her present: “a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces”.
Clover still stays loyal to Napoleon: “there was no thought of rebellion or disobedience on her mind [...] they were far better off than they had been in the days of Jones.”
Her thoughts show the reader how different Napoleon’s totalitarian dictatorship is to Old Major’s idea of Animalism.
Use of her perspective also shows the reader how controlling and manipulative this regime is; Clover can see what is happening and yet still loyally follows Napoleon.
The Rebellion is over
Squealer reports that Napoleon has abolished the song Beasts of England because the Rebellion is over.