Prologue (Purely fictional satire. No animals — or governments — were harmed in the writing of this summary.)
This is a fictional summary inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm and has no relation to the present, past, or future of any country, government, or real-world events. All characters, stories, plots, and allegories are entirely fictional. This piece is written purely for satirical literary purposes and intends no harm, hate, or direct commentary on any actual persons, institutions, or situations.
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Once upon a time, there was a miserable farm where every animal lived in true unhappiness and despondency. The place was owned by a lazy, two-legged human who looked down upon the animals with contempt. In the animal kingdom, two-legged creatures were considered supreme, followed by the pigs, then the sheep, and so on. Dogs were loyal and ferocious attack animals, horses were the tireless workers, and donkeys mostly did nothing but observe.
Tired of being exploited and looked down upon, the animals organised a protest that turned into a full-blown revolution. Against all odds, they won. The humans were driven out. Leading the charge was Snowball, a smart and visionary pig who had fought bravely and devised grand plans for the farm’s future — most notably, building an “important infrastructure” that would benefit all animals.
But power has a way of revealing true natures.
Enter Napoleon, another pig. He hadn’t been particularly visible or heroic during the actual revolution, yet he quickly boasted the loudest, gathered followers, and seized control. With him was his loyal propagandist Squealer — a slick, persuasive little pig gifted at twisting facts, rewriting history, and selling every betrayal as noble sacrifice. “You don’t want the humans to come back, do you?” became the eternal refrain.
Napoleon also recruited a pack of loyal, state-sponsored dogs — ferocious enforcers who followed orders without question or understanding. The sheep, as always, mindlessly bleated whatever slogan was fed to them that week: “Four legs good, two legs bad!” … until it conveniently became “Four legs good, two legs better!”
Boxer, the massive, nationalistic cart-horse and hardest worker on the farm, kept repeating his mottos with blind devotion: “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right.” He poured his blood and sweat into every project, too loyal and hardworking to see the rot setting in.
Clover, the motherly mare, grew suspicious but chose to remain loyal anyway.
Benjamin, the cynical old donkey who could read and saw through the entire farce, simply shrugged and muttered, “Donkeys live a long time,” before going back to minding his own business.
As promised, Napoleon eventually built the important infrastructure. Never mind that the idea and initial plan belonged to Snowball, whom he had already chased away. Napoleon claimed full credit. The project was riddled with corruption and incompetence.
Who did Napoleon blame? Everyone except himself. Snowball (the exiled), the old human owners, neighbouring farms, the weather, foreign animals — literally anyone but the leadership. No accountability was ever accepted. The very infrastructure that helped make him leader had now gone corrupt, yet the pigs grew fatter and the rules kept changing.
Even after a lot of hardships and facing lack of accountability a few animals dared to protest the failures, Napoleon’s dogs immediately suppressed them. Squealer then spun the rhetoric so masterfully that the sheep bleated in approval and the rest quietly accepted their misery. Boxer worked even harder. Clover stayed suspicious but loyal. Benjamin continued living his long, cynical life.
In the end, the animals watched in quiet horror as the pigs — the very ones they had elected as their representatives — changed all the rules with Squealer’s help. The original commandments were erased or rewritten. The revolution’s ideals were abandoned. The pigs started walking on two legs, wearing human clothes, drinking with the two-legged humans, and trading with the very oppressors they once overthrew.
The new slogan?
“All animals are equal… but some animals are more equal than others.”
And so the farm came full circle. The two-legged rulers were gone, but a new set of two-legged (in spirit) rulers had taken their place — perhaps even worse. The wheel of power turned, the animals kept working, and the pigs partied in the farmhouse.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
