Seven Commandments In George Orwell's Animal Farm

Words: 704
Pages: 3
Open Document
Seven Commandments Analysis
The effectiveness of the Seven Commandments in giving a simple and understandable version of the founding principles of Animalism in George Orwell’s Animal Farm is undermined by three major obstacles. Their incompletion of noting all of Old Major’s ideals ,the animals’ illiteracy and lack of memory, and the pig’s power hungry, manipulative, underhanded tactics all make the Seven Commandments not as effective as they should be. All of these things present themselves in the form of Squealer and Napoleon's speeches and actions, and eventually lead to absolute control by the pigs.
One major thing that renders the Seven Commandments nearly useless is the fact that they lack some fundamental parts of Old Major’s vision …show more content…
Whymper. Immediately, the reader can tell that something is wrong with this. Old Major said in his speech states that, “No animal must… touch money, or engage in trade,”(Orwell 21). However, nothing about this was stated in the
Seven Commandments. When the animals begin to feel a glimmer of doubt about trading with humans, “Squealer asked them shrewdly, ‘Are you certain that this is not something that you have dreamed, comrades?... Have you any record of such a resolution? Is it written down anywhere?’” (Orwell 67). The pigs took advantage of the fact that the rule wasn’t written down and pull yet another fast one on their “comrades”.
The Seven Commandments were supposed to give the animals an understandable and simplified breakdown of Animalism, but another problem lies in the fact that they are written, as
“... the pigs… could read and write perfectly. The dogs learned to read fairly well…. Muriel, the goat, could read somewhat… Benjamin could read as well as any pig... None of the other animals on the farm could get much further than the letter A.” (Orwell 3940).
This means that practically all of the animals are illiterate, and nearly all of the literate animals are either pigs …show more content…
Finally,the pigs’ tactics of manipulating the rules to suit their needs only serves to deceive the other animals and completely defeats the purpose of the Commandments. The pigs, when presented with something in the Commandments that they don’t agree with, simply change it. When the pigs move into the farmhouse, some animals heard that the pigs slept in the beds.
Clover thought that she remembered a rule against beds, and has Muriel read her the Fourth
Commandment, which now says, “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets ,” (Orwell 69).
However, the reader can surely recall that the original Commandment says nothing about sheets.
Clearly, the pigs are changing the Commandments and using the animals’ ignorance to their own advantage. Ultimately, the Seven Commandments, a seemingly flawless idea, is sabotaged due to the animals’ ignorance, the pigs cheating the rules, and an incompletion of Old Major’s ideas. These three main factors, as well as many others, all add up to the demise of a free animal
Show More

Related Documents: Seven Commandments In George Orwell's Animal Farm

The Seven Commandments In George Orwell's Animal Farm

George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, is an allegory about Joseph Stalin’s ascent to power and the Russian revolution. Mr. Jones is the farmer of Manor Farm in the allegory Animal Farm. Often during the story Mr. Jones is intoxicated. His drunkenness causes him to act cruel and unjust towards the animals at the farm. Eventually the animals decided to take action against Mr. Jones and overthrow him. This similar to the way Russians exiled the leader of Russia before Stalin took charge over Russia. After…

Words 335 - Pages 2

Animal Farm pp. essay

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Quote - Lord Acton Good morning fellow comrades. George Orwell's novel Animal Farm is a satirical piece developed in order to shed light on to the events which led up to the Russian Revolution. Orwell was a man who was opposed to "every form of man's dominance over man". Hence I will now be discussing a quote from the book which illustrated this major concern of his. Orwell continually displays themes of corruption through the use of pigs…

Words 560 - Pages 3

The Role Of Propaganda In George Orwell's Animal Farm

George Orwell’s fascinating novel, Animal Farm was written in a period of time when World War II was raging across Europe. His book was an indirect message to the ruthless Soviet tycoon, Joseph Stalin about the consequences of his dictatorship. Stalin had killed millions of people just because they failed to follow his rules. In Orwell’s book, a farm called Manor farm is changed into Animal Farm after the overthrow of its owner, Mr. Jones by the animals. A pig named Napoleon, then slowly but surely…

Words 785 - Pages 4

Animal Farm Research Paper

Animal Farm Essay George Orwell's book Animal Farm shows a reenactment of the Russian Revolution, with farm animals and communism renamed "Animalism." True to the historical story, the noble players manipulate the other animals, tricking them with illusions of dignity and improved living conditions, while they are actually making themselves the leaders of the farm. Napoleon and Snowball represent Stalin and Lenin. After a speech from Old Major the animals start a Revolution on Manor Farm. They…

Words 555 - Pages 3

Animal Farm Research Paper

This is demonstrated in George Orwell’s well-known and cleverly written book, Animal Farm. The popular tale that is so well written embodies the events that have occurred during the Russian Revolution in 1917. Not only did it document these events, but it also documented Stalin’s wicked rise to power. In this cynical allegory that occurred in old English times on Manor Farm, which symbolically stood for Russia, Orwell portrays the history of Russian Revolution through animals, dividing them among…

Words 1280 - Pages 6

Change Animal Farm Essay

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a satirical novella which uses a group of animals as central figures in the Russian revolution to demonstrate human failings and weaknesses. As the pigs gained power, they became corrupted and the main principles of animalism had a brutal downfall. The pig’s greed and hunger for power has led to this corruption in their society. The pig’s greed has clearly led to the corruption of the original ideals of Animal Farm. The pigs wanted everything, and they will do anything…

Words 629 - Pages 3

Communism In George Orwell's Animal Farm

ultimately led to the fall of Communism in Russia. Synonymous to Communism, the philosophy of Animalism is envisioned in George Orwell’s allegory, Animal Farm by the wisest and oldest pig on the farm, Old Major. Outlined in his final address to the animals on the farm, the prizewinning boar explains that over his lifetime, he has come to the conclusion that man is the sole reason that animals cannot be free, happy and fulfilled and that the only solution is to adopt his idea of Animalism. When Old Major…

Words 987 - Pages 4

The Importance Of Power In George Orwell's Animal Farm

one of them being George Orwell’s Animal Farm. It is an analogy for the Russian Revolution, and like the revolution, the leaders within Animal Farm don't stay true to their motives. Throughout the story certain characters lie, steal, and cheat for their own benefit, and more specifically the leaders of the farm. Whether they were in groups or alone, the pigs a manipulative. In the beginning of Animal Farm, an old pig called Old Major is dying and he talks of a day when animals will rule all of england…

Words 527 - Pages 3

Animal Farm Analysis Essay

6, 2013 The Hunger for Power and the Journey towards It George Orwell’s Animal Farm was written during World War II and had received an ample amount of controversy for its allegorical anti-Russia literary depiction, when it was published in 1945, because of its negative portrayal of the Russians. The novel is about a group of animals that devise and execute a revolution over the humans that own the farm of which they live. The animals accomplish their goal of working for themselves and being rewarded…

Words 2305 - Pages 10

Examples Of Power In Animal Farm By George Orwell

As said by Sir John Dalberg-Acton, “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. From a historical standpoint, it appears that many powerful leaders are, or become, corrupt. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the plot begins with Old Major predicting a free animal farm where all animals are equal but, ironically, as the plot goes on, the newfound power corrupts the pigs and creates a society where one class dominates all the others. In the beginning, the pigs were good and just leaders…

Words 1507 - Pages 7