The basic claim of Old Major is that all animals, no matter what they believe, are slaves. He makes this point right from the beginning. Here are his words:
No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.
Old Major has a cogent case. He offers proof. First, he says that man is an enemy. He says that man is the only animal that produces nothing but consumes everything. Moreover, man is the one who oppresses the animals. Here are his words again:
Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever.
Second, he goes on to say that even the offspring of the animals are not even their own, as man sells or consumes them. He says to Colver that each of his foals were sold off.
Each was sold at a year old — you will never see one of them again.
Finally, Old Major makes the point that even if the animals escaped all of these evils, in the end they are all put under the knife. They are killed. Again he says:
But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end.
Based on these words, Old Major makes a strong case against man.
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