Preview

The seven commandments in Animal Farm

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
444 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The seven commandments in Animal Farm
Interestingly, the seven commandments are significant throughout the whole novel, as they provide the reader with a checklist which they can use through out the novel to see the treacherous behaviour of the pigs, and the fact that they change the seven commandments multiple times throughout the novel shows their total lack of morals,
‘Muriel, reading over the seven commandments to herself, noticed there was yet another the animals had remembered wrong’. The fact that the animals regularly just ‘read over the seven commandments’ shows the importance of the commandments to the animals, and the amount of respect they have for them. The pigs are definitely the most intelligent of the animals, and they use this intelligence to manipulate and take advantage of the other animals on the farm by changing the rules and commandments to suit themselves, no matter the cost and discomfort of the other animals. The fact that Muriel believes the ‘animals had remembered wrong’ one of the commandments is ironic to the reader, as the reader knows that the animals aren't remembering the commandments wrong the pigs keep on changing them. Additionally, near the end of the book the pigs have changed the seven commandments so many times that there is only one which remains, and that one benefits the pigs, but makes life for the other animals ever worse showing the pigs abuse of power and their total disregard for the other animals on the farm,
‘All animals are equal, but some more equal than others. After that it did not seem strange that the pigs all carried whips’. This final commandment seems very odd, and does not make sense to the reader, as you cannot have ‘more equal’ animals, but because of the low intelligence of the other animals they feel it makes sense, and allows the pigs to do whatever they want. The clear manipulation of words is nonsensical and is dark humour by Orwell to show how if the general populace is not very intelligence, the manipulation of words by the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Throughout the story Napoleon, Squealer, and the other pigs who were granted leadership broke and altered the seven commandments made to differentiate themselves from the humans. They wore clothes, sleep in Mr. jones bed, drank the beer, Napoleon killed the animals connected to snowball, and changed the seventh commandment so some animals were more equal than others. They altered the fourth commandment so that they could sleep in the beds but had to do it with no sheets. The pigs added on to the fifth commandment so they could drink alcohol but they had to do it with excess. In chapter ten the animals had heard clovers voice, they rushed to her and saw squealer walking on his hind legs.…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The pigs slowly started to do the same things that Mr. Jones did. They took all the milk because they felt they needed it more. They list Seven Commandments on the barn wall, which the pigs have developed from the teachings of old Major. The Commandments suggest that whatever is human is an enemy, that whatever is animal is a friend, and that all animals are equal. The first indication that all are not equal, however, occurs when the pigs set themselves up as the leaders and take for themselves, the milk. Napoleon trains young puppies, which he took from their mother at birth, to grow into fierce mean enforcers. Napoleon then later uses these enforcers to get rid of Snowball so he alone can dictate the farm. Then we have Squealer, another pig who convinces the animals that the pigs deserve certain special privileges because they work harder than the rest of the animals.…

    • 580 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ever since the Seven Commandments had been written, Napoleon used his power to change the commandments and make them the way he wanted them to be. One of them he changed was, “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” (Orwell, 111). Here, Napoleon is abusing his power because at the beginning of his regime, he followed the commandments, but after becoming accustomed to his power, he claimed it as a right and abused it. Napoleon proclaimed the absolute equality of all the animals, but gave extra power and privileges to himself and the pigs. Napoleon believes that he and the pigs have complete control and have extra privileges, while the working animals exist only to serve the pigs, to provide them with everything they desire,…

    • 243 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After Major dies the two younger pigs starting to share his philosophy known as Animalism. The two younger pigs Napoleon and Snowball eventually become the leaders of the farm as major once was. The two pigs engage in a rebellion against the owner of the farm Mr. Jones and other workers soon after the farm is renamed animal farm and seven commandments are made up on the side of the barn. The more important of the commandments is ‘All animals are equal’ and ‘four legs good, two legs bad.’ The farm is running efficiently until Napoleon becomes power hungry and asserts himself as the leader of the farm.…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The animals go from disregarding an unwritten, unspoken set of rules (the common belief that animals are lesser than humans) to disobeying a written set of rules. The pigs created the Seven Commandments as the definition of animalism, a philosophy that preached animal equality. The pigs say, “These Seven Commandments would now be inscribed on the wall; they would form an unalterable law by which all the animals on Animal Farm must live for ever after” (Orwell 9). The Seven Commandments stated that animals must never wear clothing, sleep in beds, or drink alcohol, as those things are characteristic of humans. However, as the pigs started doing all of the things that were prohibited, Squealer, the propagandist, modified the commandments to allow whatever the pigs were doing. Orwell suggests that there will always be a disruption of order. The animals disrupt the order that the humans established, while the pigs disregard the order that they themselves…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In both of the dysfunctional societies, the characters believe they are equal but in reality they are not equal with others at all. Once Jones is overthrown from the farm In Animal Farm the pigs assume the position of leaders and “So it was agreed without further agreement that the milk and the windfall apples (and also the main crop of apples when they ripened should be reserved for the pigs alone” (Orwell 52-53). Never starting of as equal, pigs have special privileges that others do not have; they start off making a majority of the decisions without the rest of the animals agreeing to it. Being the only ones who eat the apples and drink the milk the pigs also come up with the Seven Commandments and put them into place without having the other animals help decide what they should be. Intelligent or strong people have a handicap in “Harrison Bergeron” and George Bergeron happens to have both. These…

    • 1363 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A key point in the book occurs when all the commandments become one. “All animal are equal but some animals are more equal than others” becomes the single commandment (92). Also an example, “It did not seem strange when the next day the pigs who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their trotters” (92). Another example, “It did not seem strange to learn that the pigs were arranging to install a telephone” (92).…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Satire In Animal Farm

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The novella, Animal Farm, satirizes the lifestyle of Stalinist Russia. The author, Eric Blair, known by the pseudonym George Orwell, uses a farm in which every animal and conflict is allegorical to the lifestyle of the Soviet Union. In the story, Orwell portrays how the animals are unaware of their power similar to the working class in Russia. After the rebellion, which represents the Russian Revolution, the animals anticipate an exponentially better life that consists of bigger rations, proper care, and a society with no social classes and equality among all animals, similar to communism. The pigs, who are naturally the leaders, create a list of commandments, but due to the lack of education among the farm animals, the pigs sum up the commandments…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Animail Farm

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In chapter two, they have just overthrown Mr. Jones and the pigs reveal to the other animals that they have taught themselves how to read, and Snowball replaces the words on the sign “Manor Farm” on the front gate with the words “Animal Farm.” Snowball and Napoleon, having reduced the principles of Animalism to seven key commandments, paint these commandments on the side of the big barn. When it becomes apparent that many of the animals are unable to memorize the Seven Commandments, Snowball reduces the principles to one essential maxim, which he says contains the heart of Animalism: “Four legs good, two legs bad.” The animals accept the maxim without argument, and the sheep begin to chant it at random times, mindlessly, as if it were a song. A few days after the bloody executions, the animals discover that the commandment reading “No animal shall kill any other animal” now reads: “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.” As with the previous revisions of commandments, the animals blame the apparent change on their faulty memories—they must have…

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Napoleon and Squealer immediately started to enforce their own rules. Many of the commandments that the Animals made were changed. For instance, the first commandment, “Whatever goes upon two legs is a enemy.” was changed as soon as the pigs start walking on two legs. Now it’s four legs good two legs better. The fifth commandment was also changed. At first it was “No animal shall drink alcohol.” but is changed to “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.” “No animal shall kill any other animal.” was changed to "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause." Like these commandments all the others were changed, to benefit the pigs that were in charge. Napoleon taking over the farm did nothing to benefit the animals or the farm. The pigs changing all the commandments and rules, is causing the farm to go away from the roots of what it was grown…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The pigs Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer adapt Old Major 's ideas into 'a complete system of thought ', which they formally name Animalism. Soon after, Napoleon and Squealer indulge in the vices of humans (drinking alcohol, sleeping in beds, trading). Squealer is employed to alter the Seven Commandments to account for this humanisation, an allusion to the Soviet government 's revising of history in order to exercise control of the people 's beliefs about themselves and their society.[42]…

    • 7369 Words
    • 30 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism and allegory in three aspects of Animal Farm : Old major, The Windmill and The Seven Commandments George Orwell uses symbols throughout the novel Animal Farm to show how the upper class groups use manipulation to their advantage. Animal Farm in simple terms is the allegory of a revolution gone sour. Animalism, Communism, and Fascism are all the symbols which are used by the pigs as a means of satisfying their greed and lust for power. As Lord Acton wrote: "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely” which is definitely the case. The author uses the animals, the windmill, and the seven commandments to symbolize the extreme power over the animals (workers commune). “Writers such as Jonathan Swift use allegory to satirise, as does George Orwell, in whose work the hidden meanings are political and and social rather than moral or religious”. George Orwell's book is full of satire. The aim of this book is to get people to think for themselves and have faith in their beliefs; in this way 'People will never be completely equal but at least they will not be oppressed'. This view is voiced by Old Major who said: "... Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest....we must not come to resemble him...No animal must ever live in a house or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade." This is where the Seven Commandments originally comes from and is slowly but surely misenterpreted. Symbolism is the author's way of expressing problems and solutions derived from the Bolshevik takeover. As mentioned in the Critical anthology; “ The symbols employed by writers can sometimes be private or personal, and this can pose problems for the reader in the interpretation of what the writer actually means”. This is not the case in Animal farm as he has chosen a very popular subject. The main message in the Animal Farm is that power or authority cannot be divided equally in…

    • 1648 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Animal Farm Essay

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The hierarchical structure of 'Animal Farm' shows how society is split into classes. The novel shows this by how the pigs who are at the top treat the other animals, often in a poor way. "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. pg.90" this commandment in the story shows how some animals are more "equal" or dominant than others, in this case the pigs. Throughout the book, the pigs never lifted a trotter in most occasions, "All that year the animals worked like slaves...Throughout the spring and summer they worked a sixty-hour week." (pg.40.) By the pigs propaganda and intelligence, all the animals were easily manipulated to doing all the hard work, believing that it was for their own benefit as well as happily working for the pigs. These social classes, creates a hierarchical structure within 'Animal Farm' where the pigs being at the top of the system while the other animals at the bottom.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Animal Farm Propaganda

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Their unquestioning nature lead to the down fall of the farm. Throughout the entire novel the animals never question authority, they would rather be told what to think. Even when Snowball was chased off the farm and painted as the enemy the animals made not vocal objections but “ Several of [the animals] would have protested if they found the right arguments ” (Orwell 36). The animals only thought of protesting but no one made such an attempt. They accepted the lies they had been feed even though they knew something was wrong. Their lack of questioning is what let Napoleon into total control. The farm suffered because no one bothered to question authority. Moreover, the animals notice the commandments changing but do not object or retaliate. Although the animals could not read very well the noticed the change “Muriel read the commandments for her. It read ‘No animal shall kill another without cause’”(Orwell 61). The animals are aware of this change but make no attempt to question the pigs. The lack of questioning the change is what let the pigs get away with execution of innocent animals in the first place. The pigs repeatedly changed the commandments to suit their own needs and the animals sat by idly as they watched the rebellion they worked so hard for die. The animals put their lives in someone else’s hands and never for a moment believed it could end badly. Their lack of questioning can be…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The leaders put seven commandments out there that they themselves are breaking. In fact, they're the only ones breaking the rules, while everyone else abides by them. Because the pigs are considered “better than” the others, they think that they can break the rules and everything will be okay. They've got the other animals thinking this too. And though all of the commandments are eventually broken by Napoleon, there are three that come to mind first. #5: “no animal shall drink alcohol”, #6: “no animal shall kill another animal”, and #7: “all animals are equal”. The other animals don't deserve to be treated like they're inferior to the pigs. Who suddenly decided that the pigs were going to be the rulers anyways? This is not a real democracy, this is a dictatorship. Unfortunately, this does happen in real life. This book does a very good job of showing…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays