Animal Farm 1.9: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

That’s the entrepreneurial spirit!

Even though they’re already putting in 60 hours a week, Napoleon is now making Sunday

a workday, too.

Technically, it’s voluntary… But they’ll get half-rations if they don’t volunteer. [Napoleon discussing Sunday as a new workday]

The animals need to get the ACLU on speed dial, stat. [A goat using the telephone]

They’re starting to feel like they’re living in a country song.

But instead of their dog dying (they wish!)…

…or their lady leaving (who needs Mollie anyway)… [Lady horse leaving a barn]

…they’ve got the piggy-power blues.

Every game has rules. And when the rules change while you’re playing? It’s a little disorienting. [Napoleon and a chicken playing chess]

Don’t like it? Whadya gonna do ’bout it?

Well, with the propagandist (Squealer) making them doubt their memory about what the rules are…

…vicious dogs ready to attack them if they complain… [Dog carrying a ferret in its mouth]

…and their… let’s call it “modest”… brain power, they do nothing.

They accept their conditions as they are and adjust to each change as it comes.

They accept having commerce with humans…

The dogs need their biscuits, after all. [Man shows tray of a dog biscuit]

And they accept the pigs moving into the farmhouse...

Because the pigs need to be comfortable to think.

And they accept the pigs sleeping in beds… [Man serves pig food and milk in bed]

Because how can the pigs’ brains work without enough sleep?

And they accept the lie that Snowball destroyed the windmill…

Because Napoleon is always right. Right? [Snowball destroys windmill]

And they accept having to rebuild the windmill, because they can’t let Snowball get away

with what he’s done.

And because Napoleon ordered them to.

The animals can’t exactly say so for themselves, but accepting all these rule changes leads [Animals sleeping]

to total surrender of their society of equals to Napoleon’s absolute dominance.

The king is dead. Long live the king. [Napoleon and Mr Jones cross and high five]

And what of Snowball? He’s still on the lam.

…Not that kind of lamb…. [Snowball riding a lamb]

…Better.

Talk about a fall from grace. At the beginning, the 7 Commandments embodied the spirit of Animalism.

Everyone was equal. [Snowball stood by the 7 commandments]

But when the Commandments changed to benefit the pigs and make them special, the whole

fabric of the revolution unraveled.

The pigs used the rules to manipulate and abuse the other animals and maintain the order [Pigs at a table in a meeting]

they imposed. We don’t think that’s what Old Major had in mind.