Chapter+10



Chapter 10

__** Summary **__

In chapter 10, many animals aged and died, and few recall the days before the Rebellion. The animals complete a new windmill, which is used, not for generating electricity but for milling corn, a far more profitable endeavor. Squealer explains that the pigs and dogs do very important work—filling out forms and such. The other animals largely accept this explanation, and their lives go on very much as before. They never lose their sense of pride in Animal Farm or their feeling that they have differentiated themselves from animals on other farms. Squealer takes the sheep off to a remote spot to teach them a new chant. Not long afterward, the animals have just finished their day’s work when they hear the terrified neighing of a horse. It is Clover, and she summons the others hastily to the yard. There, the animals gaze in amazement at Squealer walking toward them on his hind legs. Napoleon soon appears as well, walking upright; worse, he carries a whip. Before the other animals have a chance to react to the change, the sheep begin to chant, as if on cue: “Four legs good, two legs better!” These chants completely drone out any form of would-be protest from the animals, and the chants do not stop until the pigs are back safely inside the farmhouse. Clover, who is now very old and whose sight is failing her, asks Benjamin to read her the commandments. Though she cannot read them, she notices they look different than before. Benjamin breaks his rule of never reading these commandments, and says it aloud: “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL – BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.” The commandments had been changed yet again into one single rule. The pigs begin to wear Jones’ and his wife’s old clothes the next day. A week later, neighboring farms come to visit Animal Farm. They all admire the great progress in which Animal Farm had taken. Later that night, the pigs invite the neighboring farms inside for drinks and a game of cards. It’s there that Pilkington praises Napoleon’s progress and proposes a toast. Soon after, Napoleon reveals that he is changing the farm’s name back to “The Manor Farm” because he believes it is the farm’s correct and original name. The other animals, who are watching the meeting from the outside, notice something changing about the pigs. Soon, an incredible argument erupts because both Pilkington and Napoleon simultaneously played an ace of spades in their card game. This is when the other farm animals realize that they cannot tell the difference between man and pig.


 * __ Parallels __**

__ Napoleon On Two Legs and His Whip __ At the same time that the pigs begin walking, Napoleon, along with the other pigs shortly after, also begins carrying a whip. The pigs walking on two legs symbolizes how indiscernible the new leader (Stalin) is from the old (Czar Nicholas). The long working hours for meager pay are back in full force, just like it was before the Czar was taken out of power. However, Napoleon’s whip symbolizes the oppression that comes with the new ruler. On top of having to worry about surviving on their meager pay, the animals now have to fear for their lives. This shows Stalin’s readiness to kill any citizen that stood against him. Oppression also helps the farm greatly, at least profit-wise. The new Manor Farm is much more rich and profitable in the same way that the new Stalinist Russia was much more powerful than when Russia was under the Czar. This is all in thanks to Napoleon's whip; the power of oppression.

__ The Ending __ Napoleon (Stalin) is on good terms with Foxwood Farm, a neighboring farm (US and Britain) and invites the farmers to see Animal Farm’s progress. This signifies the good relations that Russia had with the Allies after the Second World War. Napoleon announces that “Animal Farm” will no longer be called by such a title, and is now being changed back to its original name, “Manor Farm.” This without a doubt signifies Russia’s complete political circle back to how the government was before Stalin took over. Further proving the point of the Russian government’s hypocrisy, Pilkington, a man from Foxwood, states that “If you have your lower animals to contend with, we have our lower classes!” This causes an uproar of laughter among the table and shows that the equality that the animals strived for so long to see to fruition was now scoffed at like an afterthought. Soon after, a furious argument erupts. Both Napoleon and Pilkington played an ace of spades during the card game the table was playing. Since there is only one ace of spades in a deck of cards, one of the two was cheating, hence the argument. The book gives no clear hint on which side was cheating, which alludes to the real-world mutual distrust between the West and Russia. This distrust would go on for many, many years to come, quickly resulting in the Cold War lasting from the late 1940's all the way into the 1990's. What is amazing about this passage almost eerie accuracy of Orwell’s prediction, keeping in mind that the man was dead before the 1950’s. Orwell himself coined the phrase “Cold War,” meaning a peace where there is no peace. For the next few decades, the Western powers were under constant fear of a nuclear attack from Russia, though they were in no war, but rather a peace where there is no peace.


 * __ ﻿ __**

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" (133) Finally all other commandments are erased and the animals accept this law again as what the truth has been all along. The paradox of this commandment represents the hypocrisy of Totalitarian governments.
 * __ Quotes __**

"Four legs good, two legs better" (132) This quote is the new mantra that has been taught to the sheep by the pigs who have assimilated to humanity. The mantra shows that the book has come full circle; the pigs are now no better than Mr. Jones. Just as Stalin was no better a leader than Czar Nikolas.

"True happiness, [Napoleon] said, lay in working hard and living frugally" (128) The Animals live by this motto; they are working hard and living on the minimal rations the pigs allow. Similar to Stalin, Napoleon makes himself wealthy at the sacrifice of his animals (people). The hypocrisy of the government again shines through.

"'If you have your lower animals to contend with,' he said 'we have our lower classes!'" (136) The whole purpose of Animalism (Communism) was to get rid of classes and make everyone equal. In Mr. Pilkington's statement it is seen that this goal has failed. It seems that in every system of government, even Communism, a class system will always become defined.



Sources  [] []