The way Snowball directs the animals in the Battle of the Cowshed is compared with the way Napoleon directs them in the Battle of the Windmill. Snowball unites the animals while Napoleon ends up dividing them, showing the difference in their leadership ways and the effects they have on the animals.
In the fourth paragraph, ‘The men gave a shout of triumph’, a mistake is made by the humans as they misread Snowball’s squeal for a retreat. Shows how every detail was well-planned out and thought of.
‘Snowball now gave the signal for charge…dashed straight at Jones’, a contrast scene to the Battle of the Windmill where Napoleon is behind all the animals.
‘Pellets scored bloody streaks…flung his 15 stone against Jones’s legs…striking out with his great iron-shod hoofs…they were gored, kicked, bitten, trample on’ shows the determination of the animals and how they are fighting for everyone on the farm. The Battle of the Cowshed unites the animals.
‘Bitten, trample on’ is the climax of the battle and ends the action. ‘Even the cat…sank her claws in his neck’, shows how the cat gets involved in the good of the animals even if in the beginning of the novel she was described as being very selfish and vain, she still fights for the farm and all the animals.
Orwell eliminates Napoleon from the battle because he is not a key player in the battle and that Napoleon won’t do anything unless it is for his own benefit.
‘Within five minutes’ is the length of time the battle lasted. ‘Flock of geese hissing after them’; how the animals were fighting for each other is presented all throughout the Battle of the Cowshed.
In paragraphs seven and eight, Orwell turns the attention on Boxer after the Battle has ended. Boxer is known to help with everything takes the farm’s responsibility on his shoulders and it comes as a shock to us when the strong willed animal with no humane feelings shows sadness. ‘“I have no wish to take life”…eyes were full of tears’. We are proven wrong and understand that Boxer has humane emotions.
‘No sentimentality…war is war’, states that was is war and there should be no emotions, which goes against Boxer’s humane feelings. The word ‘comrade’ unites the animals, and at the end of the novel it is abolished by Napoleon.
In the ninth paragraph, ‘Where is Mollie?’ is another example of the fact that not all the animals participated in the Battle. Mollie was found hiding in the barn. This scene is the beginning of the division of the farm and animals.
In the eleventh paragraph, the animals are excited and emotionally and mentally involved in the Battle and happy that they won, ‘wildest excitement…celebration’. While in the Battle of the Mill they weren’t celebrating.
‘Flag run up…’Beasts of England’ sang’ are Animalism symbols that are abolished in the end of the novel by Napoleon, and symbols of dictatorship and money are introduced.
In the twelfth paragraph, ‘military symbols’ are used to give a sort of a prize for those animals that fought in the battle; these symbols are used by humans, and they go against the commandments.
I believe the significance of the battle is important to the novel as a whole because it is the beginning of animalism and unity of the animals where they have a good community and a fair leader in contrast to the end of the novel where there is inequality and dictatorship.
With Snowball the animals were unified and victory was an easily-earned trait while after Snowballs’ ban and Napoleons’ dictatorship and leadership the animals lose everything. In my opinion, Snowball was the fair leader while Napoleon wasn’t and thus started the downfall of animalism.
Therefore, Snowball and the Battle of the Cowshed oppose to Napoleon and the Battle of the Mill.
Natalie Petersen 4Green
929 words including quotes
