George Orwell's Animal Farm

Animal Farm by George Orwell is somewhat of a cautionary tale outlining the dangers that accompany having one leader with superior knowledge and absolute power. The story begins with the secret meeting among the farm animals of Manor Farm, a farm run by the drunk and irresponsible Mr. Jones. Speaking at this meeting is the venerable Old Major, an old boar with great sagacity and who is revered among his peers. Old Major tells the animals of a dream that he has had, in which animals live long and happy lives, emancipated from human tyranny. Old Major continues to encourage his fellow animals to overthrow their human rulers, and live in camaraderie with each other, all as equals. The animals end the night by singing their new anthem, “Beasts of

For the next three months, the animals prepare for their coup. They are led by Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer, the cleverest of the Manor Farm animals. Together, the trio formulates the philosophy of animalism, the principles on which their new society will be based. One night, Mr. Jones returns home particularly inebriated, and the near-starving animals attack and chase out all of the humans with relative ease. After celebrating their wild success, the animals sing their anthem until they fall asleep. The next day, the three leader-pigs reveal to the animals that they have taught themselves to read and write, and they paint the seven commandments of animalism on the barn wall. The seven commandments essentially ensure that all animals are treated as equals, and that no animal would take up the habits of a man, such as walking on two legs, wearing clothes, drinking alcohol, or sleeping in beds. At first, Manor Farm, re-dubbed “Animal Farm,” is prosperous. Nobody steals, nobody goes hungry, and they are finally working for themselves. However, this success is evanescent; soon Snowball and Napoleon prove to be incompatible. There is not a single topic on which they agree, and neither of them is willing to