Animal Farm
Discuss the seven commandments in Animal Farm. How do they change and why?
In the dystopian novel, Animal Farm, the animals start a rebellion and create seven commandments that they all have to follow. Old Major, the prize winning boar, created these commandments and discussed them to the animals in his farewell speech. After the animals led the rebellion and took control of the farm, they painted the Seven Commandments up on a wall for all animals to see and read. The Seven Commandments changed later on in the novel, to suit the needs of the selfish pigs. The original Seven Commandments were:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. (Four legs good, two legs bad)
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
The first commandment refers to mankind as the only enemy. Old Major states in his farewell speech: ‘Man is the only real enemy we have.’ The main reason animals have this much hatred towards humans is because they dislike how they work for humans, and never get benefits from their hard work and production. Animals also hate the way humans mistreat them, such as forgetting to feed them. The pigs break this commandment. The pigs started talking, making deals and even playing cards with humans. It was Napoleon who first broke this rule by creating a business friendship with Mr Pilkington. The pigs start to walk on two legs just like humans and this causes shock to the farm animals who say; ‘there is a pig walking on his own two legs’ and this portrays the pigs as enemies because whatever walks on two legs is an enemy. So the pigs change the first commandment to: ‘four legs good, two legs better’
The second commandment states that all animals are friends and should stick together against the enemies. Napoleon breaks this commandment by treating Snowball as an enemy
In the dystopian novel, Animal Farm, the animals start a rebellion and create seven commandments that they all have to follow. Old Major, the prize winning boar, created these commandments and discussed them to the animals in his farewell speech. After the animals led the rebellion and took control of the farm, they painted the Seven Commandments up on a wall for all animals to see and read. The Seven Commandments changed later on in the novel, to suit the needs of the selfish pigs. The original Seven Commandments were:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. (Four legs good, two legs bad)
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
The first commandment refers to mankind as the only enemy. Old Major states in his farewell speech: ‘Man is the only real enemy we have.’ The main reason animals have this much hatred towards humans is because they dislike how they work for humans, and never get benefits from their hard work and production. Animals also hate the way humans mistreat them, such as forgetting to feed them. The pigs break this commandment. The pigs started talking, making deals and even playing cards with humans. It was Napoleon who first broke this rule by creating a business friendship with Mr Pilkington. The pigs start to walk on two legs just like humans and this causes shock to the farm animals who say; ‘there is a pig walking on his own two legs’ and this portrays the pigs as enemies because whatever walks on two legs is an enemy. So the pigs change the first commandment to: ‘four legs good, two legs better’
The second commandment states that all animals are friends and should stick together against the enemies. Napoleon breaks this commandment by treating Snowball as an enemy