Oldest donkey ever (2024)

FAQs

What might old Benjamin mean when he replies to the animals questions by saying donkeys live a long time? ›

Answer and Explanation:

When Benjamin makes his remark about the long life of donkeys, he is letting the animals know that he has seen this sort of thing before. Benjamin is implying that there is nothing truly new that can happen, which is why he isn't excited about the rebellion.

His cryptic remarks, rather than outright dissent, express his caution towards the new order. His role is critical in providing a balanced perspective, helping to reveal the cracks in the apparent idyll of the farm that others fail to note.

Prior to getting a donkey, it is important to be aware that owning a donkey is a long-term commitment; the average age for donkeys in the UK is 27 but donkeys can live to over 40 years old! Donkeys are not like horses; they differ physically, mentally and emotionally.

Character Analysis Benjamin

Of course, Benjamin is proven right by the novel's end, and the only thing that he knows for sure — "Life would go on as it had always gone on — that is, badly" — proves to be a definitive remark about the animals' lives. Although pessimistic, he is a realist.

His comment that they have never seen a 'dead donkey' is a hint that he has seen similar events in the past and so he is not as excited as the other animals. Benjamin's responses are often negative, he doesn't share in the enthusiasm of the other animals even in their victories.

Donkeys live longer than horses, too. Matthews says it's not uncommon for donkeys to live 40 years or more (some have lived to be 60). Another useful trait of donkeys: they can guard a herd of sheep against predators such as coyotes and wolves.

Certainly, some individuals do live to 40 and beyond, but many donkeys are showing signs of old age in their early twenties. In fact, looking back over records at The Donkey Sanctuary, the average life expectancy is just over 30 years.

Long-Lived Longears

Donkeys and mules are known for longevity. There are stories of donkeys living past 50, for example.

Benjamin, the donkey in Animal Farm, represents intellectual people who do not step up and oppose political corruption. More specifically, he represents people who did not oppose Stalin and communism in the Soviet Union.

Some interpret Benjamin as representing the elderly populous of Russia, because he is old and cynical. Others feel that he represents the Menshevik intelligentsia as he is just as intelligent, if not more so than the novel's pigs, yet he is marginalised. He is very cynical about the Revolution and life in general.

What is Benjamin's philosophy of life? ›

Benjamin knew that "things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much worse- hunger, hardship, and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life."

When you consider that one donkey year is around three human years that makes them both over 100 years old if they were human!

The truth about donkey intelligence

Donkeys have an excellent memory, and great ability to learn. A 2013 study by The Donkey Sanctuary found that they can learn and problem-solve at the same pace as dolphins and dogs. This means that donkeys remember good and bad experiences for a long time.

Benjamin is one of the minor characters on the farm, an old donkey who is a pessimist but also the most realistic on the farm. His observations provide necessary perspective but the other animals ignore them.

He refused to believe either that food would become more plentiful or that the windmill would save work. Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it had always gone on–that is, badly.

What would Old Major say if he were alive during chapter VII? Old Major would bring up the Seven Commandments during chapter VII. He would say that no animal shall kill other animals without a cause.

Old Major delivers a speech to all the farm animals. He points out that their lives are difficult, full of hardship and that they live in slavery because of the way Farmer Jones treats them. According to Old Major 'All men are enemies. All animals are equal' and one day there will be a rebellion.