All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others

The Seventh Commandment, inscribed on the end wall of the big barn as part of the original Seven Commandments, was the cornerstone of Animalism. It read simply: "All animals are equal." This principle, derived from Old Major's teaching that "all animals are comrades," was meant to guarantee that no animal would ever tyrannise over his own kind, regardless of strength or cleverness. It was the promise that the new society would be fundamentally different from the human tyranny it had overthrown.

Origin and Original Meaning

The Seventh Commandment was the last of the seven laws that Snowball, with Squealer holding the paint-pot, inscribed on the tarred wall of the big barn in great white letters. It was the logical conclusion of Old Major's vision: a world where the weak and the strong were all brothers, where no animal would ever kill another, and where the produce of their labour would be their own. The animals nodded in complete agreement when Snowball read it aloud, and the cleverer ones began to learn it by heart. It was the ethical foundation upon which the new Animal Farm was built.

Early Erosion of Equality

Almost from the start, the principle of equality was undermined by the pigs' claim to special privileges. The pigs, as the self-appointed brainworkers, argued that milk and apples were necessary for their health, and that the entire farm depended on them. Squealer's persuasive rhetoric—"Surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?"—silenced any objection. The milk and windfall apples were reserved for the pigs alone. This was the first practical violation of the spirit of "All animals are equal," justified by the supposed greater needs of the leadership. The pigs also began to receive a daily ration of beer, with half a gallon for Napoleon himself, served in the Crown Derby soup tureen, while the other animals' rations were repeatedly reduced.

The Commandment's Textual Alteration

The Seventh Commandment was not immune to the pigs' rewriting of history. When the pigs moved into the farmhouse and began sleeping in the beds, Clover, troubled by a vague memory of a rule against beds, asked Muriel to read the Fourth Commandment. It now read: "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets." The addition of "with sheets" was the first documented alteration of the Commandments. Later, after the executions of the animals accused of conspiring with Snowball, the Sixth Commandment was found to read: "No animal shall kill any other animal WITHOUT CAUSE." The last two words had been added to justify the slaughter. The Fifth Commandment was similarly amended to read: "No animal shall drink alcohol TO EXCESS." Each alteration served to legitimize the pigs' increasingly tyrannical behaviour while maintaining the appearance of adherence to the original law.

The Final Transformation

The ultimate corruption of the Seventh Commandment occurred in the final chapter of the book. After the pigs had begun walking on their hind legs and carrying whips, Clover, her eyesight failing, asked Benjamin to read what was written on the wall. The entire list of Seven Commandments had been replaced by a single, devastating sentence: "ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS." This was not a correction of a forgotten phrase but a complete inversion of the original principle. It no longer promised equality; it enshrined inequality as the official doctrine. The phrase "more equal" is a logical absurdity that exposes the fraud: equality is an absolute state that cannot admit of degrees. By this point, the pigs had also taken to wearing Mr. Jones's clothes, carrying whips, and entertaining human farmers as equals. The final scene, in which the animals outside the farmhouse window can no longer distinguish between the faces of the pigs and the men, confirms that the pigs have become indistinguishable from the humans they once overthrew.

Thematic Significance

The transformation of the Seventh Commandment is the central symbol of the revolution's betrayal. It traces the arc from a genuine, if naive, ideal of universal equality to a cynical justification of a new hierarchy. The commandment's final form is a masterpiece of Orwellian doublethink: it preserves the word "equal" while destroying its meaning. The animals, who have been systematically deprived of memory and the ability to read, accept this final lie because they have no other standard by which to judge. The commandment's evolution mirrors the pigs' own transformation from revolutionary leaders into a new ruling class, and it stands as the definitive proof that the dream of Animal Farm has been completely abandoned.