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How are the revolution and Animalism related in Animal Farm?

The revolution is inspired by Old Major’s dream, which becomes the tenets of Animalism. 


Old Major is an old respected boar.  One day, he gathers the animals to hear his dream of the future.  He tells the animals that they are being exploited by humans, and they would be better off without them.  He proposes a method for living that will become Animalism. 


Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon...

The revolution is inspired by Old Major’s dream, which becomes the tenets of Animalism. 


Old Major is an old respected boar.  One day, he gathers the animals to hear his dream of the future.  He tells the animals that they are being exploited by humans, and they would be better off without them.  He proposes a method for living that will become Animalism. 



Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. And remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices. (Ch. 1) 



The animals are spurred to action when Jones and his men come home drunk and do not feed them or milk the cows.  With Old Major’s ideas in their mind, they decide to act.  It doesn’t begin with revolution, but it does begin with the animals helping themselves when Jones won’t. 



When Mr. Jones got back he immediately went to sleep on the drawing-room sofa … so that when evening came, the animals were still unfed. At last they could stand it no longer. One of the cows broke in the door of the store-shed with her horn and all the animals began to help themselves from the bins. (Ch. 2) 



This gets a reaction from the men, who run at them with whips and try to drive them out.  The animals do not submit.  They are willing to fight back, and they drive the men out.  This is the start of the rebellion. 


They rename the farm Animal Farm.  After this, the animals commit to Animalism, which is represented by a series of commandments called the Seven Commandments, which include rules of daily life.  The animals want to be better than their human counterparts. They will not act like men, and they will treat all animals equally.  It is a good dream, but the greed of the pigs prevents it from coming to reality.

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