ShmoopTube

00:04

Animal Farm 1.9 Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes… a la Shmoop.

00:10

The animals must feel a lot like Sisyphus, forever pushing boulders uphill. [A rooster pushing a boulder uphill]

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Of course, their hard work is for their windmill, so they can’t complain. [Horse pushing boulder by a windmill]

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They’re working for themselves, not for the Man.

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Slaving away for yourself isn’t as painful as slaving for someone else, right? [Man being pulled by a horse]

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That’s the entrepreneurial spirit!

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Even though they’re already putting in 60 hours a week, Napoleon is now making Sunday

00:31

a workday, too.

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Technically, it’s voluntary… But they’ll get half-rations if they don’t volunteer. [Napoleon discussing Sunday as a new workday]

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The animals need to get the ACLU on speed dial, stat. [A goat using the telephone]

00:42

They’re starting to feel like they’re living in a country song.

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But instead of their dog dying (they wish!)…

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…or their lady leaving (who needs Mollie anyway)… [Lady horse leaving a barn]

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…they’ve got the piggy-power blues.

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Every game has rules. And when the rules change while you’re playing? It’s a little disorienting. [Napoleon and a chicken playing chess]

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Don’t like it? Whadya gonna do ’bout it?

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Well, with the propagandist (Squealer) making them doubt their memory about what the rules are…

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…vicious dogs ready to attack them if they complain… [Dog carrying a ferret in its mouth]

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…and their… let’s call it “modest”… brain power, they do nothing.

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They accept their conditions as they are and adjust to each change as it comes.

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They accept having commerce with humans…

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The dogs need their biscuits, after all. [Man shows tray of a dog biscuit]

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And they accept the pigs moving into the farmhouse...

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Because the pigs need to be comfortable to think.

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And they accept the pigs sleeping in beds… [Man serves pig food and milk in bed]

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Because how can the pigs’ brains work without enough sleep?

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And they accept the lie that Snowball destroyed the windmill…

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Because Napoleon is always right. Right? [Snowball destroys windmill]

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And they accept having to rebuild the windmill, because they can’t let Snowball get away

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with what he’s done.

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And because Napoleon ordered them to.

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The animals can’t exactly say so for themselves, but accepting all these rule changes leads [Animals sleeping]

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to total surrender of their society of equals to Napoleon’s absolute dominance.

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The king is dead. Long live the king. [Napoleon and Mr Jones cross and high five]

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And what of Snowball? He’s still on the lam.

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…Not that kind of lamb…. [Snowball riding a lamb]

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…Better.

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Talk about a fall from grace. At the beginning, the 7 Commandments embodied the spirit of Animalism.

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Everyone was equal. [Snowball stood by the 7 commandments]

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But when the Commandments changed to benefit the pigs and make them special, the whole

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fabric of the revolution unraveled.

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The pigs used the rules to manipulate and abuse the other animals and maintain the order [Pigs at a table in a meeting]

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they imposed. We don’t think that’s what Old Major had in mind.

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