the barn

• What do the pigs paint on the barn at Animal Farm?

  The Seven Commandments
• What does the barn represent in Animal Farm?

  The collective memory of a modern nation
• How do the ruling-class pigs alter the principles of Animalism?

  They revise the principles to maintain control
• What do the working-class animals do when the principles are altered?

  They puzzle over but accept the changes
• What does the alteration of history by those in power signify?

  It bolsters their control over the community
• Why are the working-class animals less likely to question oppressive practices?

  They believe history favors their oppressors
• How do oppressors gain control over a nation's identity?

  By revising the conception of its origins
• What do the oppressed come to depend on for their communal sense of self?

  The authorities
• What are the implications of the pigs' revisions of the Seven Commandments in Animal Farm?

  • Represents manipulation of collective memory
  • Reflects how power can alter history
  • Shows the impact on identity and self-perception
• Who is already ensconced on his bed of straw at the barn?

  Major
• "At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions."
• How old is Major in the story?

  He is twelve years old
• What physical change has Major recently undergone?

  He has grown rather stout
• What is Major's appearance described as?

  Wise and benevolent
• What has never been cut on Major?

  His tushes
• What do the other animals do when they arrive at the barn?

  They make themselves comfortable
• What does Old Major gather the farm animals to share?

  His strange dream
• What role does the barn play in the novel?

  It is where communal decisions are made
• How does the barn represent the farm's past and future?

  It symbolizes pivotal moments and decisions
• What is the significance of the barn in the story?

  • Meetinghouse for animals
  • Site of communal decisions
  • Represents the farm's past and future
• What does the barn symbolize in the context of the farm?

  The bastion of government
• What will stem from discussions made in the barn?

  All ensuing important events
• What event occurs after the hoisting of the flag?

  Animals troop into the big barn
• "After the hoisting of the flag all the animals trooped into the big barn for a general assembly which was known as the Meeting. Here the work of the coming week was planned out and resolutions were put forward and debated. It was always the pigs who put forward the resolutions. The other animals understood how to vote, but could never think of any resolutions of their own."
• What is the purpose of the Meeting in the barn?

  To plan the work for the coming week
• Who primarily puts forward resolutions during the Meeting?

  The pigs
• How do the other animals participate in the Meeting?

  They understand how to vote
• What does the barn symbolize in Animal Farm?

  The hypocrisy of the governing body
• How do the meetings reflect the origins of Animal Farm?

  They do not reflect the original ideals
• What is the significance of the pigs' dominance in the meetings?

  It shows the concentration of power
• What does the term "comrades" imply about the animals' relationships?

  They are supposed to be equal friends
• How do the animals contribute to the charade in the barn?

  They perpetuate the pigs' control
• What are the key functions of the Meeting in the barn?

  • Planning the work for the week
  • Debating resolutions
  • Voting on proposals
• What are the implications of the pigs controlling the resolutions?

  • Concentration of power among pigs
  • Lack of true representation for other animals
  • Erosion of original ideals of equality
• "[T]he animals were required to file past the skull in a reverent manner before entering the barn. Nowadays they did not sit all together as they had done in the past. Napoleon, with Squealer and another pig named Minimus . . . sat on the front of the raised platform, with the nine young dogs forming a semicircle round them, and the other pigs sitting behind. The rest of the animals sat facing them in the main body of the barn."
• What did the animals do before entering the barn?

  They filed past the skull reverently
• How did the seating arrangement change for the animals?

  They no longer sat together as before
• Who sat on the front of the raised platform?

  Napoleon, Squealer, and Minimus
• What did the nine young dogs form around Napoleon and the pigs?

  A semicircle
• Where did the rest of the animals sit in relation to the pigs?

  They sat facing the pigs