chapter 7

• Who called upon the pigs to confess their crimes?

  Napoleon
• What did the four pigs confess to doing?

  Collaborating with Snowball to destroy the windmill
• What did the pigs agree to do with Snowball?

  Hand over Animal Farm to Mr. Frederick
• Historical/Political

  "The four pigs waited, trembling, with guilt written on every line of their countenances. Napoleon now called upon them to confess their crimes. They were the same four pigs as had protested when Napoleon abolished the Sunday Meetings. . . . [T]hey confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion, that they had collaborated with him in destroying the windmill, and that they had entered into an agreement with him to hand over Animal Farm to Mr. Frederick."
• What historical event does this passage allude to?

  • The Moscow trials
  • Held between 1936 and 1938
  • Part of the Great Purge
  • Opponents of Stalin forced to confess
• How does the pigs' confession relate to the Moscow trials?

  It mirrors forced confessions during Stalin's regime
• What was the purpose of the Moscow trials?

  To eliminate Stalin's political opponents
• What was the outcome for many during the Moscow trials?

  They confessed to crimes, often falsely
• What does the phrase "guilt written on every line of their countenances" suggest about the pigs' feelings?

  They felt remorse and fear for their actions
• What happened to the four pigs after their confession?

  The dogs tore their throats out
• What does Napoleon demand after the pigs' confession?


  Whether any other animal had anything to confess
• What does the pile of corpses symbolize in the context of the passage?

  The brutality of political purges
• What historical event is alluded to in the passage?

  The Great Purge
• Historical/Political

  "When [the four pigs] had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess. . . . And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood[.]"
• When did the Great Purge take place?

  From 1936 to 1938
• Who ordered the executions during the Great Purge?

  Joseph Stalin
• What often happened to political opponents during the Great Purge?

  They were forced to falsely confess to crimes
• What were the consequences for those who confessed during the Great Purge?

  They were executed or sent to labor camps
• How does the passage reflect the atmosphere of fear during the Great Purge?

  It shows the violent consequences of dissent
• What does the air being heavy with the smell of blood signify?

  A gruesome atmosphere of violence
• What theme does the passage illustrate regarding totalitarian regimes?

  The theme of betrayal and fear
• What song replaced "Beasts of England"?

  "Animal Farm, Animal Farm"
• What was the purpose of the new song "Animal Farm"?

  To promote loyalty to Animal Farm
• How did the animals feel about the new song compared to "Beasts of England"?

  They felt it did not measure up
• What does the replacement of "Beasts of England" symbolize in the context of the story?

  • Shift from revolutionary ideals to loyalty
  • Reflection of totalitarian control
  • Allusion to Stalin's regime in the Soviet Union
• Who composed the new song for Animal Farm?

  Minimus, the poet
• What historical event does the replacement of the anthem allude to?

  Stalin's replacement of "The Internationale"
• What was emphasized in "The Hymn of the Soviet Union" compared to "The Internationale"?

  Loyalty to Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union
• What are the implications of the change in anthem for the animals on the farm?

  • Loss of revolutionary spirit
  • Shift towards authoritarianism
  • Manipulation of culture for control
• Historical/Political

  "So Beasts of England was heard no more. In its place Minimus, the poet, had composed another song which began: Animal Farm, Animal Farm, Never through me shalt thou come to harm! and this was sung every Sunday morning after the hoisting of the flag. But somehow neither the words nor the tune ever seemed to the animals to come up to Beasts of England."