The Seven Commandments in Orwell's Animal Farm

The Seven Commandments in Orwell's Animal Farm

The fable book, “Animal Farm” by George Orwell is about a group of animals who are rebelling against their human farmer that created seven commandments and they are hoping to make all animals equal, free and joyful. However, there are pigs on this farm that need to live a better life than the other animals do, so they break the commandments and change them. The seven commandments had been made by Old Major to keep animals equal and respectful. A pig named Napoleon changed the seven commandments because he wanted the other pigs Squealer and Snowball to also be allowed to enjoy forbidden privileges that the other animals were not allowed to do. The commandments were changed by the pigs mainly Napoleon’s selfishness for wanting better privileges from the animals. An example of a commandment that was changed is “No animal shall kill any other animal,” and it was changed to “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.” Before the commandment was changed, there was terror a few days before the commandment being changed was due to executions of animals. It had eventually died down a few days later. In chapter 8 the author states, “But they saw now that the commandment had not been violated; for clearly there was good reason for killing the traitors who had leagued themselves with Snowball” (Orwell 91-92). This is explaining that because Napoleon had the sixth commandment changed the animals thought it was a good reason for the killings of the other animals.