Animal Farm Summary

Old Major, an old boar gathers all the animals in the barn. He explains to them his dream of living free, without any humans to oppress them. At the end of the meeting, he teaches all the animals a song called "Beasts of England". A few days after the meeting, Old Major died. In reply to his death, three pigs, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer take all of Old Major's ideas and create Animalism. The animals organize a rebellion and overtake the farm, kicking the humans out. Then they rename it Animal Farm. All is going well. Snowball is teaching some of the animals to read. One day, Mr. Jones, the former farm owner, returns with other humans to take back the farm. Once again, the animals drive him out. After this battle, things start to get a little more complicated. Snowball and Napoleon struggle over power. Snowball creates a plan to make a windmill on the farm, but Napoleon disapproves. They hold a meeting to discuss it. During the meeting, Napoleon makes a strange cry, and attack dogs burst in and chase Snowball off the farm. Napoleon decrees that there will be no more meeting. The pigs alone will make all the decisions for the farm. Napoleon starts changing all of the rules to better favor the pigs. Once again, the farm is attacked by humans, and the windmill is destroyed. Again, the animals win the battle, but Boxer, a strong working horse, is greatly wounded. He is eventually taken away due to his great injuries. Over the years, the pigs become more and more like humans. They walk upright, and they wear clothes. In the end, the other animals can no longer separate human from pig.

1984 Summary

The main character Winston lives in Paris in the year 1984. In this time period, everything is controlled by an unseen leader known as Big Brother. At the time, Big Brother, or The Party, is implementing something called Newspeak, a method of eliminating words even remotely related to the subject of any political rebellion. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to alter the historical records to meet the needs of The Party. One day, he receives a note from a girl named Julia saying "I love you". They eventually rent a place together. The more Winston is with Julia, the greater his hatred towards The Party becomes. Winston knows that they will eventually get caught, and one day, he receives a note saying that O'Brien wants to see him. O'Brien tells them that he too hates The Party, and wants them to join the Brotherhood. They join the Brotherhood, but then guards charge into the room and arrest them. Winston is taken to the Ministry of Love, where he realizes that O'Brien was a Party spy who was trying to get him to openly show his defiance to The Party. As punishment, a cage of rats, Winston's recurring nightmare, is strapped to his head, and O'Brien is about to let them eat him when he cracks and tell O'Brien to make them eat Julia instead of himself. Winston is then released back into the world with a broken spirit, and a new love for Big Brother.

Album Cover

I chose this picture to be the cover of my Animal Farm/1984 Soundtrack because of a few different reasons. The first thing I noticed when looking at this picture is the colors. On the left, there is red and purple, which, to me, represent the war in 1984, and the revolution in Animal Farm. The right side is full of bright green and yellow, which seem more like the peace throughout both novels. It is the two of these put side by side that brings balance.



1) Underclass Hero - Sum 41
2) Muse - Uprising
3) Spies - Coldplay
4) Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
5) Animal in Man - Dead Prez

Underclass Hero

The lyrics of this song reminded me of the attitude that the animals had towards the humans after the revolution in Animal Farm.

"Well because we're doing fine and we don't need to be told
That we're doing fine 'cause we wont give you control
And we don't need anything from you
'Cause we'll be just fine and we wont be bought and sold just like you  "

I feel that these lyrics greatly show the way the animals felt towards the humans. They thought that they would never need help, and that everything was going to work out perfectly.

Muse

I noticed the lyrics in this song, and immediately thought of their connection to the novel Animal Farm.

     "They will not force us
      They will stop degrading us
      The will not control us
      We will be victorious
      So come on  "

If you have read Animal Farm, it is clear that these lyrics relate to the animals starting to rise up against the humans, and they are starting their revolution.

Spies

 Many aspects of this song relate to 1984. The title itself can relate to how there is always someone watching you. The lyrics are a great way to emphasize that point.


     "And if we don't hide here, they're gonna find us
      And if we don't hide now 
      They're gonna catch us when we sleep
      And if we don't hide here, they're gonna find us "

In the world of 1984, where nothing is private, one has to do their very best to keep anything hidden.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

I noticed a connection between the lyrics of this song and the novel 1984.

    "Welcome to your life
      There's no turning back
      Even while we sleep 
      We will find you  "

The last two lines of this segment strongly relate to the world of 1984, because at every moment in a person's life, they are always being watched. No matter where they run, they will be found.