Animal Farm Characterisation

A character trait that Snowball had was intelligence. Snowball was the one who wrote and thought of the seven commandments. He was also the first one who thought of the animal committees. This is seen in “He formed the Egg Production Committee for the hens, the Clean Tails League for the cows, the Wild Comrades' Re-education Committee, the Whiter Wool Movement for the sheep, and various others, besides instituting classes in reading and writing.” He knew that these committees were the best way to keep order and to easily improve life between the animals. He also knew that teaching the animals to read and write would improve their standard of living. This shows us that he really wanted a new and better life for the animals and that he was an intelligent leader. Another instance where snowball showed intelligence was just before the battle of the cowshed. Snowball had expected the farmers to attempt to recapture the farm and had taken all the necessary preparations to make it impossible for them to do so. He did so by “studying an old book of Julius Caesar’s campaigns which he had found in the farmhouse”. This shows that Snowball had planned the entire defensive operation and gave orders with much planning. His plan was perfect and very ingenious and thus shows us that he is indeed an intelligent pig.

Question 2
I feel sympathetic towards Snowball because even though he was a visionary leader, he was too happy and motivated to do his job and improve animal life that he failed to see the inevitable. Snowball was naive not to know that sooner or later Napoleon would try to take full control over the farm by chasing him out of the way. He should have imagined what Napoleon was going to use the puppies for and should have taken precautions against him. If he had done so, he would not have been chased out of the farm and could have continued to improve the animals’ standard of