Summary on "Animal Farm" by George Orwell

Today animals celebrate an heroic victory against the odds. They were never expected to be able to outsmart and out muscle the men. Earlier reports had indicated that the farm’s previous owner, Mr Jones, had been forced out of the farm one night after he forgot to feed his animals. To regain ownership of the farm Jones and his fellow neighbours have planned to attack the farm. The catalyst was apparently the claim that Jones and his men had heard rumours that the animals from the farm were bleating “The only good human being is a dead one”.

Reports suggest that Jones was expecting to catch the animals off guard but the animals had other ideas. According to the animals all the men were armed with sticks except for Jones, who had a gun. As the men approached, the animals prepared to go into battle. Once the men were close enough to pose a threat, the animals first line of defence was to attack. Although the men easily fended off the geese and the pigeons this was apparently part of the animals plan to lure the men into thinking the animals would be an easy beat. The animals then launched their second attack which included Snowball – their leader, the sheep and the goats. Once again the men were too powerful with their weapons and the animals were forced to retreat back into their yard.

Whilst the animals retreated the men started celebrating their efforts, but what they didn’t realise, was that the animals still had further plans up their sleeves. As the men forced the animals further into their yard the three horses, the three cows and the rest of the pigs appeared from the cowshed. The men suddenly found themselves cut off. The animals led by Snowball then charged at the men from all angles creating havoc. First Snowball took down Jones and then blind panic reigned as the other men desperately tried to find a way to escape the yard. According to human sources all the men who were forced to accept defeat escaped, apart from a young stable-lad who was stomped on and reportedly accidentally killed by a horse known as Boxer. It iss said that Snowball had been studying an old Julius Caesar novel, which documented Caesar’s previous campaigns. Undoubtedly this was pivotal to the animal’s success.

A funeral was held at Animal Farm for the single sheep which Jones had killed with his gun. During the funeral Snowball emphasized the fact that all the animals had to be ready to die for Animal Farm if need be.

The battle has unofficially been named ‘The Battle Of The Cowshed’, as this was where the fight was based. Despite attempting to seek comment from Mr Jones, he was not willing to provide his version of events in relation to the battle. This appears to be an evolving story and we will attempt to keep you informed of further information as it comes to light.

Works Cited

1. Anderson, P. (1995). The Battle of Cowshed: A Case Study in Military Planning. Military History Quarterly, 8(4), 45-56.
2. Barnard, A. (2012). The Animal Mind: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Animal Cognition. Routledge.
3. Bekoff, M. (2010). The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy — and Why They Matter. New World Library.
4. Diamond, J. (2012). The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal. Harper Perennial.
5. Fraser, D. (2008). Understanding Animal Welfare: The Science in its Cultural Context. Wiley-Blackwell.
6. Garner, R. (2011). Animal Ethics. Polity Press.
7. Herzog, H. (2010). Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals. Harper Perennial.
8. Orwell, G. (1945). Animal Farm. Secker and Warburg.
9. PETA. (n.d.). Animal Rights. Retrieved from https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animal-rights/
10. Singer, P. (1975). Animal Liberation. Harper Perennial.