Choose three of the Seven Commandments. Examine the way they change during the course of the story and the effects the changes have on Animal Farm.

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Choose three of the Seven Commandments. Examine the way they change during the course of the story and the effects the changes have on Animal Farm. (Explain)

George Orwell begins Animal Farm with an insight into a world which was envisaged by the animals on Manor Farm. The animals achieve their dream as they overthrow their human owner Mr Jones and take control of the farm. They develop Animalism, which is based on communism, and develop the seven commandments which all animals are to obey. The commandments are said to be unalterable laws, even so all of these laws are altered or broken, right up till the end where Napoleon removed all the laws to make room for one statement. All of the alterations have some effect on the running of Animal Farm but three of them stand out. These are “No Animal shall kill any other animal; Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy; All Animals are equal” (p. 17).

The violent aspects of the farm come from the manipulation of the sixth commandment, “No Animal shall kill any other animal”. The incidents towards the change occur after the sabotaging of the thin-walled windmill, allegedly by the scape-goat Snowball. The not so clever animals ‘had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes’ (p. 64) related to Snowball. The animals then realise the sixth commandment has been manipulated to “No animal shall kill any other animals WITHOUT CAUSE” (p. 66). The animals convince themselves that they have forgotten the last two words. Squealer’s propaganda makes it clear that anyone who attempts to inveigh against Napoleon, are to be punished in a similar manner. "It [had been] given out that the animals … tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes” (p. 33) but it now seemed that it is not too different in Animal Farm. As a result, fear is created and no animal dares to argue against Napoleon, who is always surrounded by guard dogs. In this way, Napoleon is able to alter the unalterable laws. Overall, the manipulation and killing of the animals can correspond to human behaviour; humans who stand on two legs and whom the animals detested.

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The first commandment reads ‘Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy’. This commandment is flouted shortly after Napoleon rises to power. Knowing “[a]ll men are enemies [and all] animals are comrades" (p. 9), Napoleon has dealings with Mr Whymper. Yet again, Squealer takes care of the protesting animals and Mr Whymper is treated like a friend. The animals are forced to believe that ‘four legs [are] good, two [legged are] better’ (p. 97). The rebellion is initiated for the animals to be unrestricted by human power but the cleverer animals eventually come to appreciate them. The effects of this alteration are significant as Animal Farm returns to ...

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