Saturday 15 November 2014

What commandments are broken in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell?

Early in George Orwell's Animal Farm, the animals take over Manor Farm and come up with seven commandments by which they agree to live their lives.



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.


...


Early in George Orwell's Animal Farm, the animals take over Manor Farm and come up with seven commandments by which they agree to live their lives.



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. (Orwell 43)



It does not take long, though, for the pigs, particularly Napoleon, to take over as leaders and once this happens, the commandments start to change. By the end of the book, the pigs are walking around on two legs, wearing clothes, sleeping in beds, and drinking alcohol. As each commandment is broken, the other animals go to check the original commandments on the wall and find them "magically" changed. "No animal shall sleep in a bed" has "with sheets" added to the end of it, for example. Alcohol may be drunk, just not to excess. Animals can kill other animals if there's a good reason for it. Snowball, though he has four legs, is considered an enemy. The pigs live in the house and have become quite human-like and in many ways worse than Mr. Jones in their treatment of the other animals. 

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