realize, and later accept, that the pigs are better than them and therefore have the right to claim these privileges and exert their influence.

The process begins with simple enough changes to the commandments such as altering "No animal shall sleep in a bed" to "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets." When the animals need an explanation, it is quite easy for Snowball to clarify the necessity for the pigs to sleep well. They are the brain workers, and if they don't get adequate rest, they will not be able to perform their tasks well. If they cannot do their work properly, Jones will come back, and, clearly, no one wants that to happen.

The process is repeated whenever a commandment is altered. Initially, the general animal public is not much affected by the changes in a direct sense. It is merely a matter of the pigs being more privileged than they are. Since the animals are of limited intellect and cannot remember the original commandments, it becomes easy to accept the changes. The animals are, however, deeply shocked and dismayed when, in chapter 7, Napoleon uses his vicious dogs to slaughter those he believes have been consorting with the so-called traitor Snowball and were betraying the cause.

By this time, so many of the commandments have been changed, and the pigs have assumed so much authority, that their supervision and control is unquestionable. In this instance, though, many of the animals remember that the sixth commandment states that "No animal shall kill any other animal." When Clover asks Muriel to read the commandment to her, it mentions: "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause." This is enough to convince the animals that the rule has not been broken, because they cannot remember that the last two words weren't always part of the commandment.

But they saw now that the Commandment had not been violated; for clearly there was good reason for killing the traitors who had leagued themselves with Snowball.

It is at this stage that Napoleon assumes even greater power and control. He is referred to as "our Leader, Comrade Napoleon" and given titles such as "Father of All Animals, Terror of Mankind, Protector of the Sheep-fold, Ducklings’ Friend, and the like." He is given credit for everything good that happens on the farm and is praised for his generosity. He has achieved the status of a demi-god when he has, in fact, become a dictator.

The pigs continue to exercise human habits, something Old Major warned against, and when they use money from the sale of timber to buy alcohol, the fifth commandment is adjusted from "No animal shall drink alcohol" to "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess." Once again, the animals seem to have forgotten the last two words. 

In the final chapter, the pigs' total dominance achieves its apex. They start walking on their hind legs. Napoleon appears walking majestically upright, carrying a whip in his right trotter. The animals want to protest, but the sheep start repeatedly bleating, "Four legs good, two legs BETTER!" Finally, to prove that their subjugation and the process of domination by the pigs is complete, all the commandments are replaced by a single, paradoxical rule which reads:

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL
BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS

Every time Napoleon changes one of the commandments, he takes more control.  For example, when he changes the commandments about sleeping in a bed to add “with sheets” it might seem as though he is not really taking control, but if you think about it he is enabling himself to sleep in the house, the symbol of man, and be more comfortable.  It puts him above everyone else.  The same is true for the fifth commandment, which allows him to drink.  This also contributes to the gluttony of the pigs.

In chapter 8, the commandment “No animal shall kill any other animal” changes to add the words “with cause,” allowing Napoleon to rule by fear.  Finally, they eliminate the commandments altogether:

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL

BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS

With this commandment, Napoleon can control all of the pigs’ actions.  He has complete control of the farm, and is indistinguishable from the other animals.

When Napoleon takes over control of Animal Farm by driving off Snowball, the effect is that he twists the ideals of the animals' revolution to add to his own personal power. He violently purges the farm of imagined enemies by using the dogs. He profits from trade with humans on other farms. He and the other pigs begin to engage in human-like activities, dressing in men's clothes, walking around on two legs, drinking alcohol, and gambling. He also demands more of the other animals, who are expected to sacrifice their labor (on the windmill, in particular) for what is portrayed as the common good. Even old Boxer is sent to the knacker to be killed, a bitter irony considering that Old Major warned him that Mr. Jones would one day send him to this fate. In short, the pigs become more and more corrupt, and this makes life for the other animals as bad or worse as it was under Mr. Jones.

It is worth noting that Napoleon does not explicitly ban the education of the other animals at any point in the story. Instead, the reader is left to infer that this is the case, notably after the expulsion of Snowball. Remember that education was Snowball’s idea. He wanted all of the animals to have a decent level of education, including a decent level of literacy. However, once he is expelled by Napoleon in chapter 5, Squealer announces an end to the Sunday meetings and that the windmill will be built, so the reader is left to imagine that Snowball’s educational committees have gone, too.

In chapter 9, however, Napoleon announces that a schoolroom will be built to facilitate the education of the piglets. This involves a considerable amount of labor, as well as money to buy the building materials.

By choosing to educate the piglets and not continue the education of the other animals, Napoleon is sending a strong message. In effect, he is strengthening the divide between the pigs and the other animals through the creation of a hierarchy. It is now clear the pigs are the true rulers, hence the need for them to be educated, while the other animals are simply there to provide labor.