Summary

One night at the Manor Farm, the farm animals gather to listen to an ageing boar (male pig) named Old Major. Major tells them of the evils of Man, who takes all resources for himself and treats animals very poorly, but also lets them know that a great Rebellion will be coming soon to set things right. He also mentions a number of laws and principles that must be followed during this Rebellion.

Mr. Jones, the human farmer, is so incompetent that it leads to a situation where the animals are starving. This event triggers the Rebellion and the animals easily drive away the Jones family and their workers. The pigs rise to power in the new society because they are considered the most intelligent animals (though the other animals can still vote), and the farm is renamed Animal Farm.

Seven Commandments are written on the wall of the barn, functioning as basic laws of the new animal society. Some of the laws are designed to prevent the animals from acting like humans, w…