Lies & Deceit: Animal Farm: Themes:
English Literature: GCSE (9:1)
"You do not imagine, i hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?" -
ANSThe pigs repeatedly use the pronoun "you" to make the animals think that they are asking
for too much but in turn, this emphasises the pigs' own selfishness and sense of privilege
"Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health." - ANSThe pigs make the
animals feel guilty for questioning or raising issue with their decisions.
"It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples." - ANSInitially, it had been
decided under Animalism that the food that was harvested was to be shared equally among the
animals. Instead, by consuming these items themselves, they are immediately creating injustice
and deceiving the animals as to the produce of their hard work. This is a reference to the
tendency of the communist elite to justify their receiving more perks than other people and to
distract people from this unfairness by referring to the injustices of the old system that the
Russians followed under Tsar Nicolas II.
"You did not suppose, surely, that there was a ruling against beds?" - ANSThe pigs slowly erode
away the meaning and intent behind the seven commandments underpinning Animalism. They
use subtle manipulation and deceit to trick the uneducated and the ignorant among the other
animals to believe that their decisions are in their best interests.
"They could already read and write perfectly." - ANSThe pigs' deceit arises from the power they
obtain from their sense of intelligence and their literacy. They use this to undermine and take
advantage of the other animals.
"Squealer, with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice. He
was a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping
from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive. The others said of
Squealer that he could turn black into white." - ANSOrwell presents Squealer as having the
ability to charm and persuade the other animals. At this point, it is not evident that he will later
come to use his persuasive abilities to manipulate, deceive and guilt-trip the other animals into
obedience. Orwell uses him to represent how Stalin used propaganda and the newspaper
Pravda in order to make himself look favourably to the public.
"The pigs had set aside the harness room as a headquarters for themselves." - ANSBy
segregating themselves away from the other animals, the pigs are inevitably setting themselves
up to be in a position where they are no longer able to work in a united manner.
English Literature: GCSE (9:1)
"You do not imagine, i hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?" -
ANSThe pigs repeatedly use the pronoun "you" to make the animals think that they are asking
for too much but in turn, this emphasises the pigs' own selfishness and sense of privilege
"Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health." - ANSThe pigs make the
animals feel guilty for questioning or raising issue with their decisions.
"It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples." - ANSInitially, it had been
decided under Animalism that the food that was harvested was to be shared equally among the
animals. Instead, by consuming these items themselves, they are immediately creating injustice
and deceiving the animals as to the produce of their hard work. This is a reference to the
tendency of the communist elite to justify their receiving more perks than other people and to
distract people from this unfairness by referring to the injustices of the old system that the
Russians followed under Tsar Nicolas II.
"You did not suppose, surely, that there was a ruling against beds?" - ANSThe pigs slowly erode
away the meaning and intent behind the seven commandments underpinning Animalism. They
use subtle manipulation and deceit to trick the uneducated and the ignorant among the other
animals to believe that their decisions are in their best interests.
"They could already read and write perfectly." - ANSThe pigs' deceit arises from the power they
obtain from their sense of intelligence and their literacy. They use this to undermine and take
advantage of the other animals.
"Squealer, with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice. He
was a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping
from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive. The others said of
Squealer that he could turn black into white." - ANSOrwell presents Squealer as having the
ability to charm and persuade the other animals. At this point, it is not evident that he will later
come to use his persuasive abilities to manipulate, deceive and guilt-trip the other animals into
obedience. Orwell uses him to represent how Stalin used propaganda and the newspaper
Pravda in order to make himself look favourably to the public.
"The pigs had set aside the harness room as a headquarters for themselves." - ANSBy
segregating themselves away from the other animals, the pigs are inevitably setting themselves
up to be in a position where they are no longer able to work in a united manner.
