Animal Farm

In Animal Farm, the animals on Manor Farm carry out a rebellion against Mr. Jones and then go on to establish their own independent society. By the end of the book, conditions on the farm are as bad or worse for most of the animals than they were during Jones’s time. Based on your reading and analyses of the novel, what is the course of action that must follow a revolution to ensure that its original goals are met? Consider the following points as you offer your response:

• Do you know of any successful revolutions that have been carried out in history? What made them so?
• Is violence ever justified during a revolution? Why or why not?
• What responsibility does the public hold both during and after a revolution to ensure society changes for the better?
• Is corruption inevitable in governance? Are there ways to prevent or minimize it?
• What role does ethics or morality play in establishing and maintaining a fair and just society?

Teaching Suggestion: Animal Farm details a revolution by a group of farm animals to free themselves of human oppression. However, following this revolution, the pigs are able to use their superior intelligence, brute force, and propaganda to establish a totalitarian regime over the other animals.