Animal Farm A Fairy Story

Despite the fact that Animal Farm is about talking animals that take over a farm, you will be hard pressed to find a book that contains as much truth as this slim novel does. The book is a pitch perfect allegory about the Soviet Union under Stalin, however what makes this book so timeless is that it is ultimately about totalitarianism and the corrupting nature of power. The writing itself is...more

Despite the fact that Animal Farm is about talking animals that take over a farm, you will be hard pressed to find a book that contains as much truth as this slim novel does. The book is a pitch perfect allegory about the Soviet Union under Stalin, however what makes this book so timeless is that it is ultimately about totalitarianism and the corrupting nature of power. The writing itself is brilliant - very simple and straightforward with a compelling plot, yet underneath everything is an insight and intelligence that goes well beyond a story about talking animals. To top it off, Animal Farm also contains one of the greatest closing paragraphs in the entire canon of English literature. There are small things you could nit-pick about (why is it that the animals suddenly start talking? How does a pig teach itself to read?) but they are irrelevant - Animal Farm is a quick and engaging read, a brilliant allegory, and given the current political climate of the world, it is as timely and as vital as it ever has been.   hide

Great masterpiece!

this book is a great satire on society in general. Orwell's story can come off as a little dated in today's world. but, the underlying themes of a culture that has grown despondent and disgruntled with the powers that be, still reflect in current times.

I must confess, I was a little leery of another philosophical Orwell book after the dismal 1984 experience. However, this book lacks the overly lengthy exposition and provides its story with action making it far more interesting even if one doesn't know the history of Russian communism. That being said, it is so thinly veiled in the respect, I would call it an open attack if the USSR existed any...more

I must confess, I was a little leery of another philosophical Orwell book after the dismal 1984 experience. However, this book lacks the overly lengthy exposition and provides its story with action making it far more interesting even if one doesn't know the history of Russian communism. That being said, it is so thinly veiled in the respect, I would call it an open attack if the USSR existed any more. Not having much experience in political history, I was intrigued to discover how much I missed when I looked up some of the symbolism of the book BUT unlike most "classic" books, this book can exist without a discussion of symbolism. That's what? About 1 out of 100 "classic" books that're actually good?   hide

A quick and easy read that a child could understand and relate to. Animal farm is a parable of the Soviet revolution and what can go tragically wrong when the aspirations of popular revolt are hijacked by a self-interested authoritarian clique. Contrary to popular misconception, Orwell did not intend this work to be a rejection of Socialism. In fact, Orwell remained a committed Democratic...more

A quick and easy read that a child could understand and relate to. Animal farm is a parable of the Soviet revolution and what can go tragically wrong when the aspirations of popular revolt are hijacked by a self-interested authoritarian clique. Contrary to popular misconception, Orwell did not intend this work to be a rejection of Socialism. In fact, Orwell remained a committed Democratic Socialist to his dying day. It is instead, a cautionary tale for revolutionaries to avoid blindly following leaders, think for themselves and commit to Democracy, not authoritarianism. Read Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia" about his real life experience fighting on the side of the Spanish Republic in the Trotskyist militia the P.O.U.M. to get a real sense of Orwell's politics. You'll note that Snowball the pig (who represents Leon Trotsky) is treated as a sympathetic character. It is Napoleon (who represents Stalin) who betrays the revolution. Orwell would be rolling in his grave to think that his masterworks "Animal Farm" and "1984" were being misinterpreted for use as right wing propaganda today.   hide

I had to read this book for a 8th grade project, I thought, at the time it sucked. But in a sense, this is one of the most brilliant books ever, along with Mr. Orwell's 1948 novel 1984,, which was alost pretty brilliant because he was trying to predict the future of the politics and he may not have been just perfectly right.....yet. George Orwell (AKA Eric Blair) has a way with symbolism and...more

I had to read this book for a 8th grade project, I thought, at the time it sucked. But in a sense, this is one of the most brilliant books ever, along with Mr. Orwell's 1948 novel 1984,, which was alost pretty brilliant because he was trying to predict the future of the politics and he may not have been just perfectly right.....yet. George Orwell (AKA Eric Blair) has a way with symbolism and words that he tends to use in every one of his stories. Though, I'm not fond of the concept of this story, [I find the fact that it's the story of Russia a bit dry and boring] how it's presented is pure brilliance.   hide

Rebelión en la Granja es una alegoría en donde se representa la historia de todo un país y sus ideas políticas con animales y en la que se critica al comunismo durante la II guerra mundial en Rusia. El Sr. Jones, dueño de una granja, representa a el Zar de Rusia, Frederick a Hitler, Pilkington a Churchill; los cerdos, Napoleón y Snowball representan a Stalin y Trotsky. En esta...more

Rebelión en la Granja es una alegoría en donde se representa la historia de todo un país y sus ideas políticas con animales y en la que se critica al comunismo durante la II guerra mundial en Rusia. El Sr. Jones, dueño de una granja, representa a el Zar de Rusia, Frederick a Hitler, Pilkington a Churchill; los cerdos, Napoleón y Snowball representan a Stalin y Trotsky. En esta novela todo el poder está en manos de estos dos cerdos, protagonistas de esta obra y quienes consiguen unir a todos los miembros de una granja para luchar en contra de sus amos humanos que los tenían esclavizados y en condiciones de vida precarias, venciendo y declarándose independientes y libres. Nuevos líderes comienzan a surgir y un nuevo régimen se impone creando sus propias leyes y estructurando su vida; pero esto durará poco debido a las traiciones de los cerdos quienes, una vez en el poder, terminan cometiendo los mismos errores e injusticias que pretendían suprimir.   hide

To think that freedom is earned or required is to deny the aspect in itself. George Orwell so magically asserts the premise that Communism, while apparently delegating freedom and equality toward all, in actuality only provides it to those who manage it; thus, society cannot simply allow a totalitarian ruler to dictate and manage our equality, for as long as one is ruling, there can be no...more

To think that freedom is earned or required is to deny the aspect in itself. George Orwell so magically asserts the premise that Communism, while apparently delegating freedom and equality toward all, in actuality only provides it to those who manage it; thus, society cannot simply allow a totalitarian ruler to dictate and manage our equality, for as long as one is ruling, there can be no equality; hence, the notion for change in politics shall never result in the intended result; power drives men mad to the point that their ideals shift to self-serving ones, and those self-serving ideals are in fact the very ideals that they had once set forth to destroy... The circular irony of politics George Orwell discusses is astounding.   hide

communism with furry talking animals. cool.