Question

What are the Seven Commandments in Animal Farm based on?

• A. Animalism's principles
• B. Human law
• C. The Bible
• D. The Holy Book of Animal

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Animalism's principles

Understanding the Seven Commandments in Animal Farm

• The novel Animal Farm, penned by George Orwell (pseudonym for Eric Arthur Blair) and published in 1945, is a dystopian allegorical novella.
• It serves as a scathing satire of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent totalitarian regime established under Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union.

• What is Animalism?

  • Animalism is the philosophical system that the pigs, particularly Old Major, Snowball, and Napoleon, create based on Old Major's dream of a world free from human oppression.
  • It is the animals' version of Communism, advocating for the overthrow of human oppressors and the establishment of a society where all animals are equal, work for the common good, and benefit from their own labor.
  • Key tenets of Animalism include the idea that 'Four legs good, two legs bad', representing a clear distinction between animals and humans.

• The Seven Commandments: The Foundation of Animalism

  • The Seven Commandments are the codified principles of Animalism, drawn up by Snowball and Napoleon shortly after the successful Rebellion. They are written on the barn wall to serve as the unalterable law for the animals.
  • These commandments are essentially the constitution or manifesto of the newly formed Animal Farm, reflecting the initial pure ideals of the revolution.
  • They embody the core beliefs of Animalism: equality, anti-human sentiment, and a collective, harmonious way of life.
  • Originally, these commandments were:
    1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
    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.

• Corruption and Evolution of the Commandments

  • As the pigs, led by Napoleon, consolidate power, they incrementally alter the commandments to suit their tyrannical rule and justify their privileges.
  • This gradual corruption reflects the betrayal of the original revolutionary ideals, paralleling the deviation from Marxist principles under Stalin's regime.
  • The final, famously altered commandment becomes: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.", encapsulating the complete subversion of Animalism's original principles.