Final answer:
The seven commandments in 'Animal Farm' reflect the principles of Animalism, with the seventh stating 'All animals are equal.' The irony lies in its later alteration to 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,' highlighting the hypocrisy and corruption of the ruling pigs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The seven commandments in George Orwell's Animal Farm are a set of rules the animals establish to govern themselves after they overthrow their human owner. The commandments are intended to uphold the ideals of Animalism and ensure equality among the animals. However, by the end of the novel, the commandments have been altered by the pigs to justify their increasing power and privileges, evidencing the corruption and hypocrisy that have taken root.
The original seventh commandment is 'All animals are equal.' However, the irony of the seventh commandment is that it is later changed to 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.' This alteration reflects the betrayal of the commandments' original egalitarian principles and the ascent of the pigs to a position above the other animals, which is essentially a return to the kind of inequality and oppression the revolution was supposed to eliminate.