Animal Farm
...are property of the “cruel” and “evil” farmer Mr. Jones. Old Major, a wise pig, and one of the oldest animals on the farm, calls for a secret meeting to take place later at night. At the meeting, Old Major tells the animals about a dream he recently had. In his dream, he sees a revolution taking place against Mr. Jones, and the freedom of all animals. Old Major points out to the animals that the cause of their miserable existences is the tyranny of man, who is a lazy, useless creature who steals the fruits of the animals for his own advantage. He encourages the animals to band together to defeat their enemy, and teaches them "Beasts of England," the song which becomes their revolutionary anthem and battle cry. But just before his dream becomes a reality, three days later Old Major passes away in his sleep. The speech gives the animals a new outlook on life, and feel it is their duty to fulfill his dream. And so, the revolution of the farm animals begins.
Mr. Jones is overthrown from the farm, and the animals take charge. Three pigs, Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as the leaders. These pigs create a system called “Animalism” along with a set of rules called The Seven Commandments that go as follows:
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill another animal.
All animals are created equal.
The Animalism regime begins very encouragingly, with all the animals working vigorously to improve the farm, and enjoying the feeling of independence and "animal pride" which their own government produces. After an apple harvest, the pigs announce that they will reserve all the apples and milk for themselves, to fuel their arduous efforts to manage the farm and the other animals...
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