The first two lines of The Wife's Story are presented as both flashback and foreshadowing
setting and theme
irony and diction
conflict and resolution

normally working animals are domesticated and ruled by a master, a domesticator (tamer), to perform basic and important functions on a farm, for example. the value used in this context is animal labor in exchange for food. it is not so much a contrast to the story told by napoleon and the pigs, since the animals of that particular farm also performed functions on the farm through domestication. the only thing is that in this case, who rules them is a pig, also an animal, but very respected, to whom the other animals lent him submission. that's about a strong relationship of dependency between animal and owner.