Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow : 

One Sunday morning, which the animals assembled to receive their orders,
Napoleon announced that he had decided upon a new policy.
"From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the
neighboring farms: not, of course, for any commercial purpose, but
simply in order to obtain certain materials which were urgently necessary." 

(i) Why did the animals need 'certain materials'? What arrangement had Napolean made to engage in trade with the neighboring farms? 

(ii) Why did Napoleon's announcement make the animals uneasy? 

(iii) What did Squealer say to the animals to ease their doubts and fears?

(iv) Who was Mr. Whymper? What had the agreed to do? 
Why had he entered into this agreement with Napoleon? 

(v) There was a change in the attitude of humans towards Animal Farm.
Comment on this change. What were the signs and symptoms of this change?

Answer 1

(i) The animals needed the materials to construct the windmill. However, the actual need was luxurious living for the pigs. This was similar to the exploitation of hard-working beings for selfish interests, as seen in the human world. The arrangement was the selling of a part of wheat crop and a stack of hay and four hundred eggs. 

(ii) The announcement of trade made the animals uneasy as it went against the initial resolution of not engaging in trade or money-making as humans do. It was opposed to one of the commandments inscribed. 

(iii) Squealer told the uneasy animals that there was no resolution of not trading for money. It was their own imagination or Snowball must have misguided them. 

(iv) Whymper was the human solicitor whom Napoleon hired to represent Animal Farm in human society. Mr. Whymper's entry into the Animal Farm community-initiated contact between Animal Farm and human society, alarming the common animals. He negotiated with the humans and Napolean in trading. He was the person who made· arrangement for trading four hundred eggs, thereby initiating the Hen Rebellion. In short, he was first the · hµman intermediary, who was allowed to come in contact with the Animal Farm, after the rebellion. He enters into the agreement for financial gains. 

(v) When humans got to know that the farm was progressing, they hated it more than ever. They had faith that the farm would go bankrupt, but later they started calling the farm by a proper name. They seemed to grudgingly accept that the animals were able to. keep the farm up with the product. No one ever openly supported Jones. They started seeing the farm as commercial opportunity. They were also envious of the fact that animals were constructing a windmill. They became wary of the hard-working, resourceful animals. After the windmill collapsed, human beings were inventing fresh lies about Animal Farm. Once again, it was being put about that all the animals were dying of famine and disease, and that they were continually fighting among themselves and had resorted to cannibalism and infanticide. This malicious remain;ks seemed to satisfy their ego.