Which Animal Hides During the Battle of the Cowshed
Characters
The characters in Animal farm can be split into three groups - the humans, the pigs, and the other farm animals. Each group represents a different element of the Russian Revolution in 1917.
Snowball in Animal Farm
Snowball is one of the key pigs who take the teachings of Old Major and turn them into a way of thinking called 'Animalism'. He is an intelligent and animated pig . He comes up with new ideas and cares about the working animals. His plans and ideas revolve around providing education and better conditions on the farm. He is also a brave fighter , organising the animals during 'The Battle of the Cowshed'.
Napoleon does not like Snowball's ideas and so has him chased off the farm by his guard dogs. We do not see Snowball after this incident. He is used by Napoleon as a scapegoat - anything that goes wrong on the farm is blamed on him. Napoleon also convinces the animals that Snowball was never brave during the battle and was actually on Mr Jones' side.
| How is Snowball like this? | Evidence from the text | Analysis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brave | Snowball shows his bravery during the 'Battle of the Cowshed' . | He himself dashed straight for Jones. Jones saw him coming, raised his gun, and fired. The pellets scored bloody streaks along Snowball's back... | 'He himself' emphasises that Snowball worked alone with no thought for his own safety , running straight for Jones and injuring himself in the process. |
| Good speaker | Snowball shows his speaking skills when addressing the animals. | Snowball's eloquence had carried them away. In glowing sentences he painted a picture of Animal Farm as it might be when sordid labour was lifted from the animals' backs. | The image of sentences 'glowing' gives the impression that his words are beautiful and shining, the fact he 'painted' a picture suggests that he is an artist with words . |
| Caring | Snowball's idea for a windmill shows he puts the other animals first. | Snowball conjured up pictures of fantastic machines which would do their work for them whilst they grazed at ease in the fields or improved their minds with reading and conversation. | Snowball wants the other animals to be 'at ease', relaxed and happy . He also values their education, preferring that they 'improved their minds.' He shows genuine concern for the animals' well-being. |
Social and historical context
Snowball represents Leon Trotsky. Trotsky was a political theorist, revolutionary and a leader of the Red Army. After the Revolution he was involved in Russian foreign affairs and policy making. He opposed Stalin's decisions and eventually was forced into exile from the Soviet Union in 1929. He resided in Mexico.
He was assassinated by a Soviet agent in 1940. Most of the family members he left in the Soviet Union were arrested and killed.
Analysing the evidence
Pre-eminent among the pigs were two young boars named Snowball and Napoleon, whom Mr Jones was breeding up for sale. Napoleon was a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar, the only Berkshire on the farm, not much of a talker, but with a reputation of getting his own way. Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive, but was not considered to have the same depth of character.Description of Snowball and Napoleon
- Question
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Looking at this extract from the book, compare how Orwell presents Snowball and Napoleon.
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How to analyse the quote:
'Pre-eminent among the pigs were two young boars named Snowball and Napoleon, whom Mr Jones was breeding up for sale. Napoleon was a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar, the only Berkshire on the farm, not much of a talker , but with a reputation of getting his own way. Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive , but was not considered to have the same depth of character.'
- 'large, rather fierce-looking' - suggests that Napoleon is much more physically intimidating.
- 'not much of a talker' / 'more inventive' - could suggest that Napoleon has fewer ideas than Snowball.
- 'more vivacious' - this implies that Snowball is more lively and energetic as well as approachable compared to Napoleon.
How to use this in an essay:
Napoleon is described as 'large, rather fierce-looking', and this gives the impression that Napoleon is a more physically intimidating pig and he might use his size to get his own way. Napoleon is 'not much of a talker' so he might not have had as many good ideas as Snowball. Snowball is described as 'more vivacious' and this suggests that he is more lively and energetic and perhaps that he is more approachable than Napoleon. Additionally, Snowball is said to be 'more inventive' , which shows that he is an intelligent pig with lots of good ideas.
Which Animal Hides During the Battle of the Cowshed
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zcb8p39/revision/4
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