Focus Chapter Questions

3. After the Terror, what consoles the animals?
The animals are consoled by singing ‘Beasts of England’ very tunefully as well as slowly and mournfully

4. Squealer has a whole new story about the battle of the Cowshed. What is it? Why does Boxer have doubts? How does Squealer deal with this?

Squealer new account of ‘The Battle of The Cowshed’ includes Snowball running away at the point when he is needed most and Napoleon instead rallying the troops and biting Jones’ leg. Boxer has doubts because he believes that Snowball was good at first and he thinks that he remembers seeing Snowball fight bravely at the battle. Squealer tries to convince the animals by telling them that there is evidence and then finally convinces Boxer by saying that it was Napoleon who said so.

5. What do the hens do? Why? How is it dealt with? What does this tell you about what Animal Farm has become?

The hens go on strike after they are told that their eggs are going to be sold in order to buy food from neighbouring farms. The 3 main leading chickens fly up onto the rafters and lay there eggs so that they break on the floor. When Napoleon hears what is happening he orders the hens food to be cut off and any animal that attempts to give them food be executed. The hens after 5 days eventually give in but already 9 of them have died. This shows us that Animal Farm truly has become a dictatorship as all who oppose Napoleon are killed (or given an ultimatum that will eventually result in death) and that the other animals have lost all right to have a say in what goes on at Animal Farm.

6. Why do so many animals confess? Do you believe their confessions? Why or why not?

The book never actually gives a reason for the animals confessing however the reader is led to believe it is because they were in some way forced.
I don’t believe the confessions as some of them (like the hens confession that Snowball visited them in a dream) are not possible, that and also because as the reader I know that Snowball wasn’t a bad pig who wanted to destroy animal farm.

7. What is Boxer's response to the Terror? What does this tell you about how people responded to a similar situation in Russia?
Boxer response to the terror is to work harder then ever for animal farm, even though he does not understand why the terror happened in the first place. He concludes that it must have been some kind of error of on the behalf of him and the other animals. In relation to real world events this tells us that in response to the Moscow Show Trials many citizens of Russia were confused and unable to form an opinion or a satisfactory answer for the cause of events.

8. Why is Beasts of England banned?
Squealer explains to the animals that Beasts Of England is banned because it is no longer necessary as a rebellion and the promised animal farm has already been achieved.