We can see that the pigs take the power because they are more intelligent than the

other
animals. We can see that for everybody intelligence is the most important quality to have the
power. After a while we can see that the pigs use their intelligence in their favor (the milk, the
apples…), but because they are “more intelligent” the other animals don’t react to this
injustice.

The pigs learn how to read and write with a children book but after they destroy it, so most of
the animals only know how to write few letters. It seems that they want to be the only
animals to be clever because they want to keep the power.

The pigs use their intelligence to manipulate the other animals (they can change the 7
commandments when they want because nobody knows how to read).

Later in the book we can see that Napoleon takes the puppies in charge because he says
that the education of the youth is the most important. Near the end of the book we can see
that Napoleon uses the dogs to frighten the other animals.

At first Napoleon believes that all of the animals need some type of education, but that soon
changes as the he and other pigs realize that intelligence is what will keep them in control of
the other animals. Thus, they begin to use what they believe to be their "superior
intelligence," as a form of oppression.

The pigs teach themselves to read and write from a children's book; Napoleon then has it
destroyed and he adjusts the seven commandments at will because nobody else can read
them. His use of "educating" the other animals is limited to animals he can use for his own
purposes; ie, the puppies who become the secret police.

This study question is from Chapter Three of Animal Farm in which the pigs organize, direct,
and supervise the other animals. While there is no direct statement made about Snowball's
attitude regarding education, Orwell indicates the Napoleon and Snowball already are
literate at the time of the Rebellion: "As for the pigs, they could already read and write
perfectly." So, while the more intelligent animals such as the dogs and the goats learned to
read well, many of the others did not go much farther than learning letters.

However, this does not seem worry Snowball, for he busies himself with organizing the
animals into committees. "He was indefatigable at this." This interest in having the animals
in committees indicates Snowball's inclination to have the animals read and be informed of
the activities on the farm. When the animals cannot memorize the Seven Commandments,
Snowball declares that these commandments can be reduced to the single maxim that all
can learn, "Four legs good, two legs bad." Having initiated the path toward educating the
animals, Snowball is the more scholarly. Certainly, he is more interested in education than is
Napoleon who seeks power by instructing the puppies to be his bodyguards

Animal Farm is educational in many ways. It teaches that it is easy to be influenced if

individuals do not take a stand for what they believe in. If the animals had been more
educated they could have stopped Napoleon. Because they did not know what their
ancestors fought for they never protested the pigs power. What would a society be
like if all of its inhabitants were uneducated? What if no one could make a clear and
distinct decision for themselves about what is right and what is wrong? If they
allowed a ruler to have absolute control over their lives, then the ruler would probably
become corrupt from this authority. Lack of education in society will let the educated
to rule over the uneducated. Through a lack of education, the animals became
unable to see the power Napoleon was gaining over them. The pigs “have taught
themselves to read and write” (15), so everyone agrees and believe everything they
say because they are the educated ones. The pigs also limit the other animals
opportunity to gain education.

They teach themselves to read and write from a book but destroy it before the other
animals can have the same chance. Most of the animals never learn more than a few
letters of the alphabet. The pigs use being able to read and write to manipulate the
other animals. For example, knowing that the other animals cannot read the Seven
Commandments, they revise them whenever they like. The pigs also use it to learn
from manuals. Boxer is the most naive of them all. He admired Napoleon, who was
educated, and appeared so smart. He worked overly hard and always quoted “I will
work harder” (77). Boxer was very uneducated, and although he tried “he could not
go past the letter D” (23). Because he was uneducated he believed whatever he was
told because he didn’t know any better. He also admired those who were smarter like
the pigs and wanted to be like them.

Through a lack of education, the animals became unable to see the power Napoleon
was gaining over them.