Ch. 8

1. Although the animals “think” they remember the  Sixth Commandment, they cannot be sure. Why is  this? What message is Orwell conveying through this  plot point?

The animals cannot read so they did not memorize the 7 commandments and could not look at it  daily to see what it said so they would not be able to tell if it had been changed or not. I think is conveying this through a plot point to show Napoleon's power over the other animals. And his ability to control what the animals think.

 2. When the animals are executed, the sentence   structure if very straightforward reflecting the matter of fact tone. Why do you think Orwell chose to write it this way?

I think he chose to write like this because he wanted his point to be clear. I also think Napoleon killing these animals is him showing his power like in the Hunger Games where they make kids kill each other to show power.

3. “Pinkeye was given the task of tasting all his  [Napoleon’s] food before he ate it. Napoleon becomes increasingly distanced and paranoid from those he seeks to control. Why do you think leaders have the propensity to become disconnected from their subjects?

I think Napoleon is scared. He is scared that an animal is going to rebel and kill him. Or Mr. Jones is going to poison his food. Or Snowball will. I think that his power is coming back to haunt him

 4. What is the danger of relying only on memories?

I think that it is dangerous in this book to rely on memories but in real life i cannot think of a situation where relying on your memories would put you in danger. Driving a car can be dangerous and if you forget which pedal is which. You might go on a red which could kill you. Otherwise i think that in our normal, everyday life, there are not many situations where if you don't remember something you could die.

 5. With regards to your response to Q4, can you think of a personal example where this has happened (you have "mis-remembered" something)?

I have "mis-remembered" things before. More recently i have been "mis-remembering" dates and times. In order to get me to walk faster my mom tells me my interview is 15-30 minutes sooner so i walk faster to get to my interview


 7.  Napoleon was “directing operations from the rear”. What does this tell us about Napoleon?

Napoleon is "directing from the rear" by telling everyone what to do but not helping them to do it. He is just giving orders. He doesn't help the animals. He eats all the food and does not threatens the animals with their food. He does not take care of the animals how he should. 

9. Who is hit hardest by the destruction of the  windmill and why?

I think that the animals (not including Napoleon or the dogs) were hit the hardest. Napoleon is making the the other animals work harder to get it done faster and they have to make it stronger so that it doesn't fall again. Napoleon really wants to get this windmill done so he is putting extra stress on the animals. They might not want to work but he is forcing them to. He is making them work harder and faster on less food.