The Seven Commandments in Orwells Animal Farm

George Orwell, in his Animal Farm, uses the Seven Commandments as the moral code of the animals' society to represent the promise of equality that is the driving force behind the revolt. When the animals displace Mr. Jones and take over the farm, they are inspired to produce these commandments that will direct their actions and ensure that human brutality never returns, but later they change as pigs take the power over the farm. The seven commandments show the reader how the most positive plans for social well-being can change if the community is ruled by an authoritarian leader.

These commandments are intended to ensure justice and unity among all animals. According to Saoudi (2022), the initial phase of the farm is a promise of the oppressed that they will establish a community devoid of the issues of class and unfairness. The commandments convey a vision of a system in which all animals are responsible, respect one another, and denounce the values of people driven by greed and dominance. The regulations aim to establish a new social foundation of equal rights and justice.

Nonetheless, the commandments are soon starting to reform with the pigs gaining powers. The reading, planning, and teaching are left to the pigs, who are the most learned. They gradually seize privileges that distinguish them beyond the rest of the animals. An illustration is that the pigs feed on apples and drink milk, as they justify it as a necessity in their position as leaders. Hasan et al. (2022) state that the ruling power can alter the law and manipulate other people to their advantage because a small group controls knowledge. The pigs take their higher education to redefine the commandments and persuade the animals that the rules do reflect the initial ideals, despite the increasingly bad circumstances.

The commandments are distorted in little bits to play up to the deeds of the pigs. The principle that no creature shall sleep in a bed is transformed into no creature shall sleep in a bed with a sheet when the pigs enter the farmhouse. Subsequently, the decree that no animal will drink alcohol turned out to be the decree that no animal will drink alcohol in excess (Orwell, 2021). The pigs also change the rule, which states that no animal should kill another animal, when they come to slaughter other animals who oppose Napoleon. According to Kadhim Abass et al. (2021), Orwell provides an example of how those with and against power can use power to sustain their position. Language transforms into a means of concealing the truth, and commandments cease being symbols of equality and become means of control.

The loss of meaning of the commandments is also affected by culture. The song Beasts of England motivates unity at the beginning of the rebellion and makes the animals remember that they had a dream for freedom (Orwell, 2021). The song provides every animal with a sense of belonging and hope. Nonetheless, things changed after Napoleon took over power entirely, and the song was outlawed and replaced with songs that glorified Napoleon. According to Capitain (2025), music was initially a place where every animal felt equal, but the pigs subsequently turned to cultural expressions to influence the issue of loyalty and obedience. Therefore, this transformation indicates that leaders can manage not only laws but also feelings and recollections.

The last phase in the commandments confirms utter betrayal of the initial vision. The whole of the commandment is eliminated and is substituted by a single dogma: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. This assertion kills the concept of equality and enables the pigs to excuse all forms of injustice. The pigs now possess two-legged ambulation and act like human beings, forming alliances with farmers. Saoudi (2022) remarks that the lower within the society is worse off than it used to be before the uprising, which demonstrates the revolution has failed and the office is oppressive than the regime it questioned. Thus, once the rebellion against people resulted in other animals creating the same regime in their community.

In summary, the ideals that become perverted when a ruling group dominates knowledge, culture, and language are illustrated in the Seven Commandments of Animal Farm. The commandments begin as a fair promise, but they ultimately become a means of control. The reforms show how corruption can be promoted by distorting the truth. Orwell cautions that as long as one is not aware and active in an aspect of freedom, then that society can repeat its actions and be oppressed.