2.2.3

Hens

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The Hens

Animal Farm is an allegory; all of the events and characters symbolise 20th century historical and political events.

5 key words

5 key words

  • Brave.
  • Rebellious.
  • Tough.
  • Powerless.
  • Punished.
Rebel

Rebel

  • The hens are ordered to give up their eggs to be sold. The hens rebel by smashing their eggs on the floor.
Example to betrayers

Example to betrayers

  • Napoleon is ruthless and denies them any rations. He also says that any animal that helps the hens will be killed. Nine hens die before they give in.
  • The hens are tough and brave, but they do not have the power to oppose Napoleon and his dogs.
  • The 3 hens who lead this are later killed by Napoleon’s dogs at the forced confessions. They are used as examples to demonstrate what will happen to those who stand up to the regime. They are killed quickly and mercilessly.
Context

Context

  • The hens represent the Russian Peasants.
  • The Russian peasants were forced to give up their produce for the state.

The Hens - Key Quotes

Here are a few key quotes about the hens:

Unfairly ordered

Unfairly ordered

  • “A contract for four hundred eggs a week”.
Brutally punished

Brutally punished

  • “Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly”.
  • “Rations to be stopped”.
  • “They, too, were slaughtered”.
Jump to other topics
1

Important Plot Features

1.1

Plot Summaries

1.1.1Chapters 1-21.1.2Chapters 3-41.1.3Chapters 5-61.1.4Chapters 7-81.1.5Chapters 9-101.1.6Keywords1.1.7End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-51.1.8End of Topic Test - Chapters 6-10
2

Characters & Their Links to History

2.1

Key Characters

2.1.1Old Major2.1.2Snowball2.1.3Napoleon2.1.4Squealer2.1.5Boxer2.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Characters2.1.7AO2/3 - Key Characters2.1.8Exam-Style Questions - Boxer
2.2

Other Characters

2.2.1Mr Jones2.2.2Clover2.2.3Hens2.2.4Sheep2.2.5Mollie2.2.6Benjamin2.2.7Moses2.2.8Mr Frederick2.2.9Pilkington2.2.10Mr Whymper2.2.11End of Topic Test - Other Characters2.2.12End of Topic Test - Other Characters 2
3

Key Themes & Orwell's Purpose

3.1

Key Themes

3.1.1Education3.1.2Power & Control3.1.3Power & Language3.1.4Equality3.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Themes
4

Language, Form & Structure

4.1

Language, Form & Structure

4.1.1Form & Structure4.1.2Language4.1.3Symbols4.1.4Narrator & Allegory
5

Recap: Main Quotes

5.1

Characters Quotes

5.1.1Old Major Quotes5.1.2Snowball Quotes5.1.3Napoleon Quotes5.1.4Squealer Quotes5.1.5Boxer Quotes5.1.6Clover Quotes5.1.7Moses & Mr Frederick Quotes5.1.8Benjamin Quotes5.1.9Sheep Quotes5.1.10Hens Quotes5.1.11Mollie Quotes5.1.12Pilkington & Mr Whymper Quotes5.1.13Mr Jones Quotes
5.2

Text Structure Quotes

5.2.1Education Quotes5.2.2Power, Control & Language Quotes5.2.3Propaganda Quotes

Practice questions on Hens

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What are 5 key words to describe the hens?Fill in the list
  2. 2
    How do the hens rebel?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Who do the hens represent?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Which of the following is NOT a key quote about or in relation to the hens?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    What does the quote __“they, too, were slaughtered”__ tell us about the hens?Multiple choice
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Clover

Sheep