Animal Farm by George Orwell

Old Major’s Dream

On a farm called Manor Farm, there were many animals. The farmer, Mr. Jones, was not nice to them. The animals worked a lot but did not get to enjoy what they worked for. There was a smart old pig named Old Major. One night, Old Major told all the animals about a special dream he had.

In his dream, Old Major saw a place where animals did not have to listen to humans. He talked about a farm where the animals did their own work and shared everything. In this dream, there was no hunger or too much work. All the animals were happy and peaceful. Old Major’s dream was about all animals being equal and living together without humans being mean to them.

The animals liked Old Major’s dream. They started to think about running the farm by themselves. The idea of being free and equal made them excited. They thought about fighting against Mr. Jones. Old Major said they should always remember that humans are their enemy and not to become like them. He also taught them a song called “Beasts of England.” This song gave them hope and made them think about freedom.

Sadly, Old Major died a few days after telling his dream. But his dream stayed in the animals’ hearts. Two smart pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, began to make a plan from Old Major’s dream. They had secret meetings with the other animals to plan a fight. They were not sure when or how it would happen, but they wanted to make Old Major’s dream come true.

The Rebellion and New Beginnings

After the old pig Old Major died, the animals, led by two pigs named Snowball and Napoleon, got ready to fight against the farmer. They met secretly at night. They learned to read and write and talked about their plans. Other animals, like Boxer the strong horse and Clover the kind mare, listened carefully to Snowball and Napoleon. They all hoped for a day when they wouldn’t have to listen to humans.

Then, something big happened. The farmer, Mr. Jones, forgot to feed the animals. They were very hungry. The animals couldn’t wait any longer. They went into the store-shed to eat. When Mr. Jones and his helpers tried to stop them, the animals fought very hard. They were surprised when they won! Mr. Jones and his helpers ran away, scared. Now the animals were in charge of the farm.

The animals were very happy. They were free! They started to change the farm. They changed its name from Manor Farm to Animal Farm. This was a new start for them. The pigs, who were the smartest, became the leaders. Snowball and Napoleon helped organize the animals and made groups for different jobs.

The animals made the Seven Commandments. These were rules to make sure everyone was equal and fair. The most important rule was, “All animals are equal.” They put these rules on the barn wall for all to see. Every animal had a job on the farm. For the first time, they were working for themselves, not for a human.

The first few months were wonderful. The animals worked very hard, but they were happy because they were working for themselves. They had the best harvest ever. Every animal helped in their own way. They all shared what they made. It looked like Old Major’s dream had really happened.

Conflicts and Struggles

On Animal Farm, things started to go wrong. The pigs, who were the leaders, began making decisions alone. Two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, always argued about how to run the farm. Snowball was full of ideas. He wanted to build a windmill to make electricity and make work easier. But Napoleon, who was very clever, didn’t agree with Snowball.

They argued a lot about the windmill. Snowball said it would help everyone by making work lighter and life better. But Napoleon didn’t think it was a good idea. The animals didn’t know who to agree with, but many liked Snowball’s plan.

Then, something surprising happened. During a big argument about the windmill, Napoleon made a sign. Suddenly, nine big dogs – dogs Napoleon had raised in secret – attacked Snowball. Snowball got away but had to leave the farm. After that, Napoleon said he was the only leader.

Napoleon changed things on the farm. He said the pigs would decide everything to help everyone. They stopped having meetings. Napoleon’s orders came from another pig, Squealer, who was good at talking. Napoleon decided to build the windmill and said it was his idea from the start.

With Napoleon in charge, life on the farm changed. The animals had to work harder and longer, especially on the windmill, which kept breaking. The pigs did less work and started living better, with more food and nicer places to sleep. The other animals began to see that they weren’t all being treated equally anymore.

The Betrayal of Ideals

As time went on, life at Animal Farm got tougher for most animals, but not for the pigs and the dogs that helped Napoleon. They finally finished building the windmill. But instead of using it to make electricity for all, Napoleon used it to grind corn to sell to other farms. This was very different from what they first wanted for the farm.

Napoleon began to act more like a human. He walked on two feet, wore clothes, and even drank alcohol. The other pigs did the same. The Seven Commandments, the important rules of Animal Farm, were slowly changed by the pigs. They did this to make their actions seem right. The biggest change was to the rule, “All animals are equal.” They changed it to say, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

The other animals felt confused and sad. They had worked so hard for a dream that now seemed gone. The farm was doing better, but they were not happier or freer. They had less food than before and worked more.

The worst part was when the pigs invited human farmers to visit Animal Farm. The animals were shocked to see the pigs being friendly and laughing with the humans. They realized the pigs had become just like the humans they had fought against before. When the animals looked at the pigs and then at the humans, they could not tell the difference anymore.