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What are readers saying about Animal Farm A Fairy Story?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-23 11:52:24.
(Language: English)
 
This story is a piece of social satire, highlighting the underlying follies that exist in the nature of all creatures in general, and men in particular, with regards to the social and political system that they choose to live in. The story begins by showing the growing dissatisfaction among the animals of a farm who seek justice and freedom from oppression of the human beings. A revolt soon follows and the humans are thrown out and the animals decide to take control of their lives. They adopt seven commandments and decide to adhere to the principles of Animalism. But slowly as time progresses, they fall prey to a section of their own kind, the intelligent pigs, who assume leadership and begin exploiting their fellow beings for their own pleasure and comfort by clever brainwashing and muscle power. In the end, their state turns out to be no better than it was initially and the values for which they stood were lost into oblivion.Orwell brilliantly represents the animal farm as an image of our human society. We all want equality and fraternity and are willing to fight for it. But what comes after the victory? We gradually go back to the same state. There is always someone who is misusing power and misleading us- the countenance of the oppressor varies from a human face to that of a pig. People probably thirst for a leader to lead them and in the process they are willing to blindly follow anyone who satisfies this thirst. The seven commandments are ideal to begin with but with each passing day, they are modified to suit one’s needs. So “four legs good, two legs bad” eventually become “four legs good, two legs better”! People turn a blind eye even when their doom is staring in their face. The idiocy of the system, the exploitation and the misery of the creatures is probably best summed up in the defining statement: “All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than the others”. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-12 08:30:01.
(Language: English)
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.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-11 01:29:35.
(Language: English)
Animal Farm is a satire intended to make a mockery of the Russian Revolution (and revolutions in general). It serves its purpose quite effectively! Orwell is brilliant in illustrating that when people (or, in this case, farm animals) revolt against the system and overthrow their oppressive dictators, they often end up in a situation that was just as bad (or generally worse) than what they had to begin with (the grass always looks greener on the other side). The book also goes to show that true Communism (as Karl Marx envisioned it) can never work as, even if the people (or animals) are willing to work together towards a common goal, someone will always take control and abuse their power. The most amusing aspect of Animal Farm is that each character in the story is made to represent an actual individual or group in the Russian Revolution. I highly recommened this book to anyone with a keen understanding of political activism and a sense of humour!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-24 07:13:57.
(Language: English)
Para quem acompanha a política brasileira com olhos e ouvidos muito atentos e sem se deixar arrastar pelo populismo do presidente Lula, este livro pode representar uma deliciosa brincadeira que ilustraria muito bem a mudança de governos e seus(nem sempre, bons) resultados. A história se passa numa fazenda em que os animais, revoltados com o tratamento recebido de seu dono Sr. Jones e inspirados por um discurso socialista dos porcos, resolvem se rebelar. Porém, após assumir o poder, os porcos se revelam como verdadeiros ditadores disfarçados de amigos e tentam, através da persuasão perpetuar seu domínio sobre os temerosos e ignorantes animais. Uma fábula simples contada com maestria e merecedora de respeito. Um livro delicioso que pode, para quem estiver interessado, levar a pensamentos mais profundos e conclusões menos óbvias.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-18 09:18:32.
(Language: English)
Written as vilification to former Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, “Animal Farm” is a satire novella that exposes the errors of a totalitarian regime. The story revolves around a group of farm animals who under the influence of Old Major, an intelligent prized white boar (who represents Karl Marx), ousts their human owner through a (Bolshevik!) revolution and takes control of the farm. Under the philosophical mandate of Old Major’s “Seven Commandments of Animalism”, the farm animals attempt to create a Utopian farm in which all animals are to be equal. The early reform period showed great promise: food was plenty, labor was at a minimum, and liberty was open. However, things begin to change when Napoleon (a pig representing Joseph Stalin) and his pack of ferocious dogs (representing the KGB) takes leadership over the farm. Ruling the farm with an iron fist, Napoleon begins slaughtering animals that were suspected of cooperating with his exiled enemy, Snowball (a pig who represents Leon Trotsky). Under Napoleon’s psychological conditioning, none of the farm animals questioned his authority and they worked harder than they ever had with less food in return. Utopia was simply a fool’s errand. – “Animal Farm” is a social science masterpiece. Orwell’s method of persona association creates an entertaining read that embeds stark political and sociological messages. The literature paints a portrait that displays the paradox behind Marx’s ruling-class ideology: if it’s not the bourgeoisie in power, it will be someone else. Read “Animal Farm”, it will make you smarter.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-11 03:12:00.
(Language: English)
I read this in one night and it is just brilliant. It's not as good as 1984 but it's so much simpler. A five year old could understand this book, whereas 1984 takes some sort of mental capacity to understand. "Four legs good, two legs bad" there's no complexity.The way he compounds such complexities as greed, propaganda, Communisim and Totalitarianism into something so simple is brilliant. The parallels that this book has are limitless. This very same thing happens over and over again in history and as Orwell stated in 1984 " At times the lower class will be pushed to rebel, helping the middle class overcome the upper, in hopes of better rights but the lower class always remains the lower class whilst the middle and upper simply flip positions. I think of 1984 as a sequel to this book. "Animal Farm" shows the process of how society slowly slips away and freedoms are no longer freedoms. Napoleon could just as easily be Big Brother and Snowball could, as well, be Emmanuel Goldstein. All said this book is wickedly brilliant.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-31 02:41:31.
(Language: English)
Think this was the first book I read in English. Also the only book I have been forced to read that I actually enjoyed. It is a loose fable about the destructive nature of a society that lives for the assumed greater good. Many lessons can be taken out from it. For me the main one is the problem with overthrowing one government for a supposedly better one. Particularly when it is argued to be for the greater good. Whatever that is. Orwell was also very good in explaining himself in a very plain language, which was very purposely done. Only one thought expressed pr sentence and every word that could be made simpler was. Those were at least his writing rules as given in Wikipedia. It is almost funny to think that the book is presented as a children's book when it essentially is very political and you need to have a perceptive inquisitive politically interested mind to get the meaning behind it. Sadly Orwell was very loose in tying the characters in the book to actual people at the time. There are some similarities in the characters to Hitler and Stalin, but he could have been more stringent on that. I detect a little of the same in his book 1984. I just get the feeling that although he was a good writer he could have spent a little bit more time thinking through the structure and ideas in his work.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-28 05:40:03.
(Language: English)
The first "C" that I ever got was in Mr. Larson's seventh grade English class and it was over "Animal Farm". Up to then every grade was an "A" or a "B". I argued with him until I was blue in the face that I understood that it was all about animals acting like people on a farm... then he mentioned socialism, the USSR, and dictators. I had read it but did not understand the true meanings hidden within the pages. Now, I will read this book about every three years and it becomes more and more clear about the idealism of good intentions quashed in what was supposed to be a utopia. After each reading my friends and family would say that I act like a jerk since I am sooo peeved at communism and the USSR. It is a life lesson that the world should never forget since so many lives were needlessly lost in its dehumanizing society.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-30 09:30:36.
(Language: English)
George Orwell would strongly disagree with most of these reviews including the editorial review. Orwell was a strong supporter of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 in Russia, and a fierce opposer of the Stalinist state capitalist system that replaced it (after the U.S. and other world powers slaughtered the working class Stalin came to power). Animal Farm is not evidence of an anti-communist stance on Orwell's part. He wrote it after coming back to the United States after fighting in the Spanish Civil War against fascism. True to its form, the U.S. government refused to even sell arms to the U.S. soldiers who volunteered to defeat Franco. On the contrary, Orwell was a Trotskyist and a supporter of a workers' democracy and wrote this book as a warning that if socialism doesn't replace captialism, fascism does. Don't take my word for it; read Orwell's Homage to Catalonia, which he wrote during his involvement in the working class rebellion against the rise of fascism.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-20 02:11:27.
(Language: English)
"All animals are equal but some r more equal than others".. so goes one of the unforgetable lines in this story. to me this seems to be the theme on which this book runs right from the start. The animals, collectively tired and sick of unchecked oppression from their owner(head) agree to carry out what turns out to b a successful coup. Things turn out wonderful and a bright, happilly ever after is anticipated on the farm under the independent, seemingly democratic leadership of the animals themselves. however this wont last, before one of the revolutionalists, gets tired of socialistic kind of governance on the farm. As the story unfolds, he assumes all the dominance in what can seen as a second coup on the farm. By the end of the story we seem to have sailed back to the days of old Jones only this time under Napoleon. To an African like me, this book is more than a fairy tale, but a reality show. I have grown up on a continent, where revolutionalists come cursing the old regimes(of which on many occasions they have bn part) promising a milk and honey flowing future, only to turn into tyrants, wealth hungry wolves, persecuting anyone who dare say a word against them. After a time someone comes up with a coup against them and the cycle starts again. But for how long will Africans suffer in this cycle, its time to wake up. A call for african leaders, this is no way to go. We r tired
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-22 10:24:06.
(Language: English)
It was a summer evening in the English countryside. A flight of pigeons was returning to Animal Farm from one of the neighboring farms, bored of recounting endless tales of the Rebellion and leading rounds of 'Beasts of England' and tired from racing one another home. A beautiful checkered hen named Kim was out front, in a hurry to get home to her hatchlings. She hated to leave them very long for fear that Napoleon's army of dogs might somehow reach them in the coop. She wasn't afraid of much, but the thought of the dogs' snarling faces sent her soaring even faster through the sky. The only thing that scared Kim more than the dogs were the local farmers. She must remember, "Four legs good, two legs bad." Kim's musings were interrupted as Buddy, a fledgeling, came hurtling out of a tree and bumbling into her path. She slowed to keep from running into the young bird and warned him to be more careful. Just then she heard a faint croaking from below. it sounded like, "I will work harder." Kim looked down and saw Boxer, the cart horse struggling with a load of stone for the windmill. Poor Boxer did not look well. She wished that he would stop working so hard and take it easy until he could retire but he was determined to finish the windmill once and for all. Sometimes Kim wondered how it was possible that the animals worked so hard but never seemed to get ahead. Of course Squealer said they were doing better than they had while Jones owned the farm, so that was something at least. She vowed to talk to Napoleon tomorrow and see what he thought should be done. After all, as Boxer always says, "Comrade Napoleon is always right." Suddenly Kim heard a loud roar below her. It was Boxer! He had fallen over and all the rocks had poured out of his cart and were sliding down the hill. The poor horse was lying on his side and crying out for help. What had happened! One of the pigeons yelled that he was sure that he had seen Snowball dashing away from the scene of the accident and heading for Mr. Frederick's farm. Quickly Kim and Buddy raced toward the barn to tell Clover and Benjamin what had happened to their good friend. Before reaching the barn, Kim saw Squealer trudging that direction with a ladder and a bucket of white paint chanting something about some animals being more equal than others. She was about to call to him when he looked up, saw the pigeons, then quickly dashed behind some trees. Now what was he up to? Never mind that, she had to help Boxer! The birds flew low over the barnyard and yelled the news. Many of the animals started running toward the knoll to help Boxer. Kim felt better already. She felt sure that the animals would help Boxer and that Comrade Napoleon would make sure that he was treated by a veterinarian. The Seven Commandments painted on the barn wall were a great reminder that they were all friends. Life could be difficult on Animal Farm but Napoleon insisted that things were better under Animalism. Kim headed to the coop to see her hatchlings and thought to herself, "If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right!". This is a wonderful book and satire on totalitarianism. Read it!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-02 04:31:06.
(Language: English)
Like many other book reviewers here, I was forced to read Animal Farm by George Owell. I had many other choices, however, since Animal Farm seems to be the shortest, yet fruitful book to read, I decided to read for my quarter book. Like many other reviewers, Animal Farm is a very touching, sophisticated book expressed through short content. Animal Farm appears to be a book based on factual information from the real world. It is interesting how a book could illustrate communism and corruption during the Stalin era through the leadership of pigs. At first, the human beings seemed to be the ruler throughout the story. Pigs, cows, and many other animals were completely against their owners’ behaviors. Animals were united and planned a scheme to overthrow the house owners. The Animals have created a huge rebel and created the seven commandments for equal treatment among animals. Though the pigs were the only animals that could read and write, their governmental system seemed to be secured. As time passed by, greediness and avarice led the pigs to change the seven commandments for their advantage from “No animal shall sleep in a bed, No animal shall drink alcohol, No animal shall kill any other animal” (Owell 9) into “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets, No animal shall drink alcohol to excess, No animal shall kill any other animal without cause” (Owell ). I would have thought the change in a strange way as all of the other animals did in the book, before I saw ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS” (Owell 52) As I was reading Animal Farm, it reminded me of 1984, another series of George Owell. 1984 also depicts communism in more intense way through human beings. In 1984, reforming the structure of language and removal of personal expression and thought were used as a tool to control other people and prevent then from thinking. Some people say language makes you think; therefore, if you simplify language into few words, people won’t be able to think critically. It is called as “thought crime" whenever people talked or thought of corruption. Surprisingly, it is not hard to find these communist aspects from Animal Farm. Boxer, a hard working bull, was removed from the Animal Farm because he gained more fame, respect, and honor than Napoleon. I highly recommend those who read 1984 to read Animal Farm since it has a very similar tone and setting. Both books have a very intense atmosphere and are both based on idea of communism. Therefore, it would relate to each other a lot and would help you understand and enjoy the book a lot. I still prefer people to read the Animal Farm since it is sophisticatedly written expressing communism.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-11 02:41:28.
(Language: Spanish)
Animal Farm es una de las obras más conocidas de George Orwell, reconocida por ser una alegoría contra el Stalinismo y la época posterior a la revolución bolchevique. La corta novela se desarrolla en una granja donde los animales ocupantes, hartos de los malos tratos y pocas ventajas que les presentan sus trabajos; los animales derrocan al granjero y fundan su propia sociedad que prueba también tener sus propios problemas y destruir el sueño igualitario con la que la rebelión fue fundada. Orwell como escritor, no creía en la escritura que no comunicaba un mensaje importante, en la mayoría de los casos políticos; sus obras coinciden con situaciones y eventos políticos contemporaneos tales como el gobierno de Stalin, el nazismo, la guerra civil española y el comienzo de la guerra fría. El autor hace sus opiniones transparentes en la medida de lo posible, pues era un gran creyente de la función didáctica de las obras y de su comunicación al pueblo en general. De ahí podemos encontrar dos de los "defectos" eventuales de sus obras: Un lenguaje plano que busca ser lo más sencillo posible, y referencias históricas directas que vuelven a la obra menos universal y más de tipo panfleto. Animal Farm es una historia conmovedora, cruda y hasta cierto punto pesimista en lo que corresponde a la sociedad animal. La revolución no es vista con hostilidad, pero el liderazgo venida tras esta parece ser el cancer de la situación. Hay muchas analogías historicas obvias dentro del texto que hacen eco a los eventos posteriores a la revolución rusa. El tema se mantiene didáctico, accesible y casi al nivel que un niño podría entender la situación. Es la ejecución que hace sufrir un poco el resultado final de Animal Farm, el estilo didáctico casi condescendiente y los obvios paralelos con la cultura rusa hacen que este libro parezca casi un leccionario de historia, o de otra forma muestra muchos elementos gratuitos. No es vano sugerir que se lea con un libro de historia en mano. AF es dependiente de los eventos de la historia, no les hace referencia, sino los relata análogamente; su independencia de los eventos casi no existe o es un accesorio. Los personajes son alegorías que sacrifican profundidad para servir a la historia, pocos tienen un rol siquiera medianamente importante y están alli por completismo referencial. Pareciera que Orwell depende y a la vez olvida el rol central que sus personajes tienen en la narración. Animal Farm persigue pues, un concepto sólido y fuerte que se debilita por la ejecución dada al final. El estilo de Orwell tiene sus puntos fuertes, pero estos salen al descubierto más en 1984. Para su corta duración y su reconocimiento en el trabajo del autor, sigue siendo un libro recomendable e interesante para leerse. No diría yo que sea capaz de hacerle sombra a otros trabajos más célebres de la literatura universal.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-11-24 07:08:31.
(Language: English)
The greatest political book ever written in a mere 32k+ words. Orwell, whose life is shaped by events of war, demonstrates that COMMON INTEREST is what forms allies and inspires plans/executions. Though once the objective has been attained, like atoms realigning themselves when their environment changes, allies unaware even to themselves begin their shift, ultimately leading to another COMMON INTEREST and another alliance. So, those who were once "friends" become "enemies". This leaves the individual often to slide up and down a scale of ideologies--very often becoming his/her worst enemy. The impossibility of any one ideology standardizing a social context is what Orwell portrays through the use of a society still following the traditional European economy of agrarianism. Then slowly, he moves them into industrialism, all the while getting them from one supposed ideological extreme to another. In between, he lays out the tenets of what one ideological system needs: an inspiration, a death leading to the immediate misinterpretation, yet mobilization of the inspiration, an icon, an individual to represent this lost/immortalized icon, seduction, misunderstood intent by the population, power from the population to push on, eventual regrouping, disappointment, and taste from something new. Ironically, all ideologies work off of these tenets. Orwell leaves his story at the coda/onset of change because the cycle of COMMON INTEREST is unending. And, this is just one interpretation. Hands down, Animal Farm is a fantastic book for its minimalism as much as its magnitude.
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Tong posted a review at 2008-12-22 12:41:05.
(Language: English)
I like this book very much and it is simple and full of profound insights and prophetic. I feel bad I missed to read this book when I was a children. I believe every business, political arena, the families and countries minimum have one "Pig" inside their groups. For example, there are some country leaders are playing in that "Pig's" role - keep telling citizen to feed their parents by themselves so that the government "immune" to help the elderly folks, persuade every corp. to cut down staff salaries during SARS period but never adjusted even the economy is recovered, impose tolls on almost every road into the city whilst they take the highest salary in the world, control all the sovereign by their families...
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-20 02:05:04.
(Language: English)
Please parents: stop confusing this with cutesy little children's stories! Though, I think it would not hurt a child to read the book, as children may as well learn that bad things happen to good animals and people, and to watch out for Hitleresque individuals, etc. It's really the movie that I think they could do without! Video City puts it in the Family Movies section, but, I don't think most parents want their 4 year olds experiencing the delights of a chopped off head in the refrigerator, even if it is just the head of a talking pig All that aside, this is a fantastic book, and yes, it does have it's funny, ironic moments; I don't care what anyone says!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-15 12:08:55.
(Language: English)
I just finished reading this, and I'm pretty much stunned. It's a wonderful look at how power corrupts. I've always heard about it as an indictment of communism, but it seems to me to apply to any and every society. Mainly, it seems to imply that greed and exploitation are all that can be expected under any system of governance. There is nothing to be triumphal about. The end of the book is simply the beginning of the book. Business is business, and the goal is to enrich those who are already rich. Fear, sloganeering, and even religion (which is very quickly dismissed) is used to distract the animals from their inevitable suffering. The winners and losers change, but the winners, by virtue of power, assume the mask of the previous winners. The losers are treated with scorn and are threatened with the whip. This is in no way a defense of the West or of Britain. It's simply a no-bullshit look at the futility of the human condition and the impossibility of utopia. I say it's not bullshit, because it deals fairly directly with the fact there are stupid people who can be easily manipulated (the sheep, of course) into parroting any idea, no matter how contrary to their own interests. What to do with the stupid or vain people? Their lot is essentially the same under any system, and they comprise, by definition, essentially half the populace. I may very well have more to say about this book. As mentioned, I just finished, and I'm just staggered. This is probably the best dystopian novel I've read. What I like is it doesn't cherry-pick targets in the way, say, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Handmaid's Tale</span> does. Every system (and every possible system) is guilty. I understand why there was so much bleating about this book in the West during the Cold War, but the enthusiasm was as much propaganda as the pronouncements of Squealer in the book. Ahh, the irony... As I'm reading more about Animal Farm on the internet, I see that Orwell had <a href="http://home.iprimus.com.au/korob/Orwell.html" target="_blank">penned an introduction</a> complaining about self-censorship in the press in Britain, without need even for the fetters of the state. This shouldn't surprise anyone who takes the book seriously.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-21 10:35:09.
(Language: English)
Animal Farm is a book that I read when I was about 16 years of age. I could never see why people thought it was a classic, but that was stupidly because I just "didnt get it" at that stage of my life. Having just finished it today, I now realise why it is a classic in the true sense of the word.Orwells novel depicts a revolution that takes place on a farm, with the animals overthrowing their "evil" master Mr Jones and the farm becoming a democratic place to live in where all animals are equal and anything with two legs is bad! ( Four legs - good- Two legs -BAD )is the common bleating from the resident sheep. The novel is very dark if you relate it to the society in which we live in today as the democracy in the farm yard is slowly eroded by the pigs who want more power and rewrite the commonly agreed commandments and systematicaly brainwash the other animals into believing in the new order-with them thinking it is the original order as agreed by all. Wonderfully written and recomended.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-02 02:44:23.
(Language: English)
This is a short book, therefore, regardless of the fact that I have alot to say in the review, I will keep it short so other people can derive their own conclusions and enjoy it in their own way. Animal Farm basically depicts facts in history and ideological mishaps humanity has fallen into as we progress in time (I believe that the book tells the story of the birth of communism, and then its progress/destruction by the Soviet leaders). If you read 1984 and then Animal Farm without knowing who the author is, you'll definately know that both books are written by the same man. Works of fiction that represent reality in a fascinating manner, and make the reader really think about the cruelties humans have committed in the name of ending crime itself. The animals in this book are representatives of real people, or maybe even animals, if we ever knew what they were thinking. The rise of the weak, the rebellion, the revolution against those oppressing us, achieving the dream of utopia, which soon enough, turns to be the same hell we tried to run away from in the first place. If there is any lesson to be learnt from this book is that one should always question authority, even if this authority is derived from your own self. This book is the real deal, especially for political cynics as myself.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-21 06:17:38.
(Language: English)
The saying "size doesnt matter" rings true with this amazing work of art(for that is what it is) of politics, of the common interests which bind and unbind people, and of the betrayal of a thinker and a leader by the followers of his ideology. The parallels of the story and the evolution of socialism in the Soviet Union are striking, though this is by no means an anti-socialist book. Indeed, it shows that common interest and in many ways even greed(2 things capitalist societies are well versed about) manifests itself in both the ideologies, and that for all their differences, they really are quite similar. The book is quite short at around 120 pages, and one can read it in just about an hour, but it leaves you with a sense of learning that even the large textbooks of a politics course might not bring. To me, this should be read by every child being taught about socialism and capitalism, about economics, about politics and about the ways in which ideologies are formed and destroyed.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-06 05:52:10.
(Language: English)
I was shocked at the ending! I was truly hoping throughout that the animals would stage another rebellion. I know that this was not written for this time but it makes one wonder about the true appreciation of freedom that our founding fathers had as compared to value placed on our freedom today which is something that people have come to just expect. Also that pomp and circumstance is meaningless if one cannot define that which is being celebrated and therefore understand the significance of the celebration. I've also pondered how much the Bill of Rights has been exteneded through law-making in the similar fashion that the commandments were revised to benefit the few. Have we begun to stray from the original ideas that founded this country? The thing that binds the animals to their perceived sense of freedom which is actual slavery is their ignorance and the brilliant propaganda of Squealer. Considering the state of our educational system and the current love affair with the popular media perhaps this book was written for our time. Overall, I loved it!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-02 07:51:39.
(Language: English)
very simple read. i read it in less then a school week (so basically one could read it in a day or two). I read it before it became a mandatory read for juniors. In my sophomore year i chose it because it was the shortest book, for a book report (i grew out of that phase and idea). Once i got into it i realized it was a good story, great plot and ideas. Also a good use of symbols and all that literary tool jazz. I would recommend it as a summer read, something to pass the time while you wait for a friend to get out of work, or while you enjoy icecream on the beach, or hell tanning if you swing that way. highly recommended, basically, if you like a short quick read, but still provides a small challange in comparing it to our lives (like you would tale of two cities, brave new world, or 1984).
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-07 09:42:11.
(Language: English)
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.
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Sarah posted a review at 2010-02-22 12:08:01.
(Language: English)
This book is greatly inspired by real events that went down during the era of communism in Russia. Orwell uses a animals as an allegory for the actual people. While it helps to know about that time period, the book is written so well that it is easily understood even if you only know a little about what happened during that time. The use of animals was a very creative way to tell this story, as it gives you a big incentive to actually care for these characters. Had this just been about real people, then it would've just sounded like anything you could find in your history books. Orwell finds a much more interesting way of tackling the topic. He gives life to every one of his characters and they all elicit some kind of a feeling from you. There are times when the book is funny, and then there are times when it is just downright chilling (the last chapter will stay in your head for more than a few hours). George Orwell's Animal Farm is a genuine masterpiece that quickly hooks the reader from the very beginning. It's an extremely easy read as well as an enjoyable one--not enjoyable in the sense that this is a "happy tale," but enjoyable in the sense that you really feel like you're reading something great. If you haven't had the chance to check it out, make sure you add this to your reading list. It is something that should be read by everyone at least once in their life, even if they don't end up enjoying it as much as others. I loved every single word that was written in the extremely creative read. This is an important classic in literature that shouldn't be missed for any reason.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-30 11:15:00.
(Language: English)
Animal Farm is a novella by George Orwell, and is the most famous satirical allegory of Soviet totalitarianism. Published in 1945, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era. Orwell, a democratic socialist, and a member of the Independent Labour Party for many years, was a critic of Josef Stalin, and was suspicious of Moscow-directed Stalinism after his experiences with the NKVD during the Spanish Civil War. The book was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels (1923 to 2005) and was number 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels. Overview The plot is an allegory in which animals play the roles of the Bolshevik revolutionaries and overthrow and oust the human owners of the farm, setting it up as a commune in which, at first, all animals are equal; soon disparities start to emerge between the different species or classes. The novel describes how a society's ideologies can be changed and manipulated by individuals in positions of power. Including how the idea of utopia is seemingly impossible with the corruption of power. Characters and their possible real life counterparts The events and characters in Animal Farm parallel the early history of the Soviet Union; Orwell makes this explicit in the case of Napoleon, whom he directly connects to Stalin in a letter of 17 March 1945 to the publisher. “ ...when the windmill is blown up, I wrote "all the animals including Napoleon flung themselves on their faces." I would like to alter it to 'all the animals except Napoleon." If that has been printed it's not worth bothering about, but I just thought the alteration would be fair to JS [ Joseph Stalin ], as he did stay in Moscow during the German advance. †The other characters have their parallels in the real world, but care should be taken with these comparisons, as Orwell's intent was not always explicit and they often simply represent generalised concepts. Pigs Old Major is the inspiration which fuels the Revolution and the book. According to one interpretation, he could be based upon both Karl Marx and Lenin. As a socialist, George Orwell may have agreed with much of Marx, and even respected aspects of Lenin. According to this interpretation, the satire in Animal Farm is not of Marxism, or of Lenin's revolution, but of the corruption that occurred later although very similar to it. However, according to Christopher Hitchens: “ As an allegory, the story has one enormous failure: the persons of Lenin and Trotsky are combined into one [i.e., Snowball], or, it might even be truer to say, there is no Lenin-pig at all. Such a stupendous omission cannot have been accidental.... Orwell in his essays was fond of saying that both Lenin and Trotsky bore some responsibility for Stalinism; by eliding this thought... he may have been subconsciously catering to the needs of tragedy.[2] †Hitchens goes on to agree, however, that in the book "the aims and principles of the Russian Revolution are given face-value credit throughout; this is a revolution betrayed, not a revolution that is monstrous from its inception". Though Old Major is presented positively, Orwell does slip in some flaws, such as his admission that he has largely been free of the abuse the rest of the animals have had to suffer. Napoleon, a Berkshire boar, is the main villain of Animal Farm. Napoleon begins to gradually build up his power, using puppies he took from mother dogs Jessie and Bluebell, which he raised to be vicious dogs as his secret police. After driving Snowball off the farm, Napoleon usurps full power, using false propaganda from Squealer and threats and intimidation from the dogs to keep the other animals in line. Among other things he gradually changes the Commandments to allow himself privileges and justify his dictatorial rule. By the end of the book Napoleon and his fellow pigs have learned to walk upright and started to behave similar to humans. Orwell modeled him after Joseph Stalin, who set up a dictatorship whose repression and despotism was far worse than that of the Imperial Russian government supplanted by the Bolsheviks. (In the French version of Animal Farm, Napoleon is called César, the French spelling of Caesar.[3]) Snowball, a white boar, is Napoleon's rival. He is inspired by Leon Trotsky. He wins over most animals, but is driven out of the farm in the end by Napoleon. Snowball genuinely works for the good of the farm and devises plans to help the animals achieve their vision of a utopia but is chased from the farm by Napoleon and his dogs and rumours are spread about him (by Napoleon) to make him seem evil and corrupt and that he is secretly sabotaging the animal's efforts to improve the farm. His name is likely a reference to Trotsky's having been killed by one of Stalin's henchman with an ice pick. Squealer, a small fat porker, serves as Napoleon's public speaker. Inspired by Vyacheslav Molotov and the Russian paper Pravda, Squealer twists and abuses the language to excuse, justify, and extol all of Napoleon's actions. He represents all the propaganda Stalin used to justify his actions. In all of his work, George Orwell made it a point to show how politicians used language. Squealer limits debate by complicating it, and he confuses and disorients, making claims that the pigs need the extra luxury they are taking in order to function properly, for example. However, when questions persist, he usually uses the threat of Mr. Jones's return as justification for the pigs' privileges. Squealer uses statistics to convince the animals that life is getting better and better. Most of the animals have only dim memories of life before the revolution; therefore they are convinced. Minimus is a poetical pig who writes the second and third national anthems of Animal Farm after the singing of "Beasts of England" is banned, representing admirers of Stalin both inside and outside the USSR such as Maxim Gorky. As Minimus composed the replacement of "Beasts of England", he may equate to the three main composers of the National Anthem of the Soviet Union which replaced The Internationale -- Gabriel El-Registan, Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov, and Sergey Mikhalkov. Pinkeye is a small piglet who tastes Napoleon's food for poisoning. The Piglets are hinted to be the children of Napoleon (albeit not truly noted in the novel), and are the first generation of animals to actually be subjugated to his idea of animal inequality. The Rebel Pigs are pigs who complain about Napoleon's takeover of the farm but are quickly silenced and later executed. This is based on the Great Purge during Stalin's regime. The closest parallels to the Rebel Pigs may be Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Grigory Zinoviev, and Lev Kamenev. Humans Mr. Jones represents Nicholas II of Russia, the deposed Tsar, who had been facing severe financial difficulties in the days leading up to the 1917 Revolution. The character is also a nod towards Louis XVI. There are also several implications that he represents an autocratic but ineffective capitalist, incapable of running the farm and looking after the animals properly. Jones is a very heavy drinker and the animals revolt on him after he drinks so much that he does not feed them nor does he take care of them. Mr. Frederick is the tough owner of Pinchfield, a well-kept neighbouring farm. He represents Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in general.[4] Mr. Pilkington is the easy-going but crafty owner of Foxwood, a neighbouring farm overgrown with weeds, as described in the book. He represents the western powers, such as Britain and the U.S. The card game at the very end of the novel is a metaphor for the Tehran Conference, where the parties flatter each other, all the while cheating at the game. The irony in this last scene is present because of all of the Pigs being civil and kind to the humans, defying all for which they had fought. This was present in the Tehran Conference with the Alliance that the Soviet Union formed with the United States and Britain; capitalist countries that the Soviet Union had fought in the early years of the revolution.[4] At the end of the novel, both Napoleon and Pilkington draw the Ace of Spades (which in most games, is the highest-ranking card) at the same time and begin fighting loudly, symbolizing the beginning of tension between the U.S. and Soviet superpowers. Mr. Whymper is a man hired by Napoleon to represent Animal Farm in human society. He is loosely based on Western intellectuals such as George Bernard Shaw and, especially, Lincoln Steffens, who visited the U.S.S.R. in 1919. and praised what they saw. Horses There are three horses Clover, Mollie, and Boxer Boxer is one of the main characters. He is the tragic avatar of the working class, or proletariat: loyal, kind, dedicated, and the most physically-strong animal on the farm, but naive and slow. His ignorance and blind trust towards his leaders led to his death and their profit. In particular, his heroic physical work represents the Stakhanovite movement. His maxim of "I will work harder" is reminiscent of Jurgis Rudkus from the Upton Sinclair novel The Jungle. Clover is Boxer's friend and a fellow draft horse. She helps and cares for Boxer when he splits his hoof. She blames herself for forgetting the original Seven Commandments when Squealer revises them. Clover is compassionate, as is shown when she protects the baby ducklings during Major's speech; albeit made out to be somewhat vain in the opening of the novel by the narrator, who remarks that she never "recovered" her figure after giving birth to her fourth foal. She is also upset when animals are executed by the dogs, and is held in great respect by three younger horses who ultimately replace Boxer. Mollie is a self-centered and vain white mare who likes wearing ribbons in her mane, eating sugar cubes (which represent luxury) and being pampered and groomed by humans. She represents upper-class people, the bourgeoisie and nobility who fled to the West after the Russian Revolution and effectively dominated the Russian diaspora. Accordingly, she quickly leaves for another farm and is only once mentioned again. Significance The allegory that the book employs allows it to be read on a variety of different levels. Orwell wrote the book following his experiences during the Spanish Civil War, which are described in another of his books, Homage to Catalonia. He intended it to be a strong condemnation of what he saw as the Stalinist corruption of the original socialist ideals. For the preface of a Ukrainian edition he prepared in 1947, Orwell described what gave him the idea of setting the book on a farm.[5] “ ...I saw a little boy, perhaps ten years old, driving a huge carthorse along a narrow path, whipping it whenever it tried to turn. It struck me that if only such animals became aware of their strength we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the proletariat. †This Ukrainian edition was an early propaganda use of the book. It was printed to be distributed among the Soviet citizens of Ukraine who were just some of the many millions of displaced persons throughout Europe at the end of the Second World War. The American occupation forces considered the edition to be propaganda printed on illegal presses, and handed 1,500 confiscated copies of Animal Farm over to the Soviet authorities. The politics in the book also affected Britain, with Orwell reporting that Ernest Bevin was "terrified"[6] that it may cause embarrassment if published before the 1945 general election. In recent years the book has been used to compare new movements that overthrow heads of a corrupt and undemocratic government or organization, only to eventually become corrupt and oppressive themselves as they succumb to the trappings of power and begin using violent and dictatorial methods to keep it. Such analogies have been used for many former African colonies such as Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose succeeding African-born rulers were accused of being as corrupt as, or worse than, the European colonists they supplanted. The book also clearly ponders whether a focus of power in one person is healthy for a society. The book leaves the ending slightly ambiguous in this regard. Perhaps the largest overriding theme in "Animal Farm" is the famous quote by Lord Acton, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Allusions to history, geography and current science Manor Farm is based on Chalk Farm [1] in Willingdon, Eastbourne. The ousting of the humans after the farmers forget to feed the animals is an allusion to the Russian Revolution of 1917 that led to the removal of Tsar Nicholas II and his family after a series of social upheavals and wars and ultimately resulted in famine and poverty. The refusal of the Humans to refer to Animal Farm by its new name (still calling it Manor Farm) may be indicative of the diplomatic limbo in which the Soviets existed following their early history. Mr. Jones' last ditch effort to re-take the farm (The Battle of the Cowshed) is analogous to the Russian Civil War in which the western capitalist governments sent soldiers to try to remove the Bolsheviks from power. The Battle of Cowshed is fought with similar tactics to the Battle of Cowpens in the American Revolution When Napoleon and Snowball argue about how Animal Farm should be ruled, Napoleon favours acquiring weapons to defend the farm while Snowball favoured getting other farms (countries) to rebel. This is similar to Stalin wanting "Socialism in one country" and Trotsky's theory of "Permanent Revolution." Napoleon's removal of Snowball is like Stalin’s removal of Leon Trotsky from power in 1927 and his subsequent expulsion and murder. Squealer constantly changing the commandments on Napoleon's orders may refer to the constant line of adjustments to the Communist theory by the people in power. Also, his lies to animals of past events they cannot remember refers to the revision of history texts to glorify Stalin during his regime. Squealer could possibly represent public speaker Vyachesav Molotov. After Old Major dies, his skull is placed on display on a tree stump. Similarly, Lenin's embalmed body was put on display in Lenin's Tomb in Red Square post-mortem, where it still remains. It should also be noted that the tomb of Karl Marx is adorned by an extremely large bust of his likeness which lends more credibility to Old Major being a closer reference to Karl Marx than to Lenin. Marx's tomb is located in Highgate Cemetery, London. The flag of Animal Farm consists of a green field with a hoof and a horn. According to the book, the green represents the fields of England, with the hoof and horn being an analog to the hammer and sickle. When Napoleon steals Snowball’s idea for a windmill, the windmill can be considered a symbol of the Soviet Five-Year Plans, a concept developed by Trotsky and adopted by Stalin, who, after banning Trotsky from the Soviet Union, claimed them to be his idea. The failure of the windmill to generate the expected creature comforts and subsequent search for saboteurs is probably a reference to accusations and a show trial against British engineers who were working on electrification projects in the USSR. Moses the raven leaving the farm for a while and then returning is similar to the Russian Orthodox Church going underground and then being brought back to give the workers hope. Boxer's motto, "Napoleon is always right" is synonymous with «Il Duce ha sempre ragione» ("Mussolini is always right"), a chant used to hail Benito Mussolini during his rule of Italy from 1922 to 1943. During the rise of Napoleon, he ordered the collection of all the hens' eggs. In an act of defiance, the hens destroyed their eggs rather than give them to Napoleon. During Stalin's collectivization period in the early 1930s, many Ukrainian peasants burned their crops and farms rather than handing them over to the government. Napoleon's mass executions, of which many were unfair for the alleged crimes, is similar to Stalin executing his political enemies for various crimes after they were tortured and forced to falsify confessions. The four pigs that defy Napoleon's will are comparable with the purged party members during the Great Purge — Bukharin, Rykov, Zinoviev, Kamenev and many others. Napoleon replaces the farm anthem "Beasts of England" with an inane composition by the pig poet Minimus ("Animal Farm, Animal Farm / Never through me / Shall thou come to harm"). In 1943, Stalin replaced the old national anthem "the Internationale" with "the Hymn of the Soviet Union." The old Internationale glorified the revolution and "the people." The original version of the Hymn of the Soviet Union glorified Stalin so heavily that after his death in 1953, entire sections of the anthem had to be replaced or removed. Orwell could have also been referring to Napoleon Bonaparte's banning of the French national hymn, La Marseillaise in 1799. Napoleon works with Mr. Frederick, who eventually betrays Animal Farm and destroys the windmill. Though Animal Farm repels the human attack, many animals are wounded and killed. This is similar to Stalin’s Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany in 1939, which was later betrayed in 1941 when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. Though the Soviet Union won the war, it came at a tremendous price of roughly 8.5-15 million Soviet soldiers (unconfirmed) and many civilians, resulting in an incredible estimated 20 million dead, as well as the utter destruction of the Western Soviet Union and its prized collective farms that Stalin had created in the 1930s. The detonation of the windmill and the battle that ensued there could also be a reference to the Battle of Stalingrad. The selling of the farm's excess timber supply could represent the offering of raw materials to the United States in exchange for weapons of war under the Lend-Lease. Napoleon changing Animal Farm back to Manor echoes the Red Army’s name change from the "Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" to the "Soviet Army" to appear as a more appealing and professional organization rather than an army of the common people. Squealer may be an allegory of the Soviet Newspaper in which Stalin often wrote many of the articles anonymously to give the impression the country was far better off than it was. The dogs may be an allegory to the NKVD (KGB), the elite police force who ruled by terror under Stalin's hand. Boxer, in the allegory of the novel, directly relates to the working class who laboured under strenuous and exceedingly difficult conditions throughout the Communist regime with the hope that their work would result in a more prosperous life. Boxer represents this clearly at points when he utters such quotes as "I will work harder" in response to any sort of difficulty. In the context of the story, this also allows Boxer to become a tool of propaganda to be used by Napoleon and his regime later on once Boxer has been murdered to pay for a crate of whiskey for the pigs. The character of Boxer could be an allusion to the financial state of Russia at the time of publication. The term "four legs good, two legs bad" could be symbolic for the simplification of the April Theses, for workers to understand it better. Napoleon once creates and awards himself with the Order of the Green Banner, a reference to the Soviet Union's Order of the Red Banner. British censorship and suppressed preface During World War II it became apparent to Orwell that anti-Russian literature was not something which most major publishing houses would touch — including his regular publisher Gollancz. One publisher he sought rejected his book on the grounds of government advice — although the assumed civil servant who gave the order was later found to be a Soviet spy. Orwell originally prepared a preface which complains about British government suppression of his book, self-imposed British self-censorship and how the British people were suppressing criticism of the USSR, their World War II ally. "The sinister fact about literary censorship in England is that it is largely voluntary. ... [Things are] kept right out of the British press, not because the Government intervened but because of a general tacit agreement that ‘it wouldn’t do’ to mention that particular fact." Somewhat ironically, the preface itself was censored and is not published with most editions of the book. The estate of Orwell declared itself "hostile" to the publication of Snowball's Chance, a 2002 parody of Animal Farm by U.S. author John Reed.
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