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on August 28, 2016
Orwellian writing is both pessimistic and advisory. Orwell had the ability to look into both how people think, and into why they did what they did - their core motivations. Both 1984 and Animal Farm discuss the problems with political power, and how far those having power will subvert the good to get and maintain that power.
on January 13, 2016
George Orwell's Animal Farm reveals what could happen when animals stand up for themselves against the human race and run things there own way.
Taking place on a farm, the animals that exist on Manor Farm are tired to taking direction from and working for Mr. Jones. With the pigs taking the lead, the animals ban together to drive out the humans. Successfully out from underneath the reign of humans, the animals changes the name of the farm to "Animal Farm", create their own set of commandments, and establish routines in order to get all the work down and run the farm.
As time passes, leadership roles are established placing the pigs at the head of the table with dogs taking up the sidelines, becoming the bodyguards. The sheep seem to take on the role of mindless followers of the pigs, but all other animals become the labor force. Initially, the system seems good. Running well and everyone is happy. As time passes however resources shift in the favor of the pigs and the remainder of animals begin working longer hours for less food. As commandments become changed, statuses get exaggerated and animal lives become loss the realization begins to dawn that they have come full circle. The pigs have taken the place of the humans, and the animals are being disrespected and overworked even more so than they were underneath Mr. Jones and his men.
A quick read at only about 125 pages long, Animal Farm keeps the reader entertained from beginning to end. It's hard not to make comparison between the decisions the animals made and errors made throughout human history. For instance, when the animals blindingly follow the pigs through a rebellion and two battles, losing plenty of the lives in the process it's similar to political leaders who get numerous people to rally behind them in and effort to abolish an enemy. Unfortunately, similar to the clueless animals that followed the pigs, too many people can become brainwashed and convinced of a seemingly worthwhile cause which turns out to be superficial in nature.
The Seven Commandments that were established for the farm were originally designed to keep the animals from committing any of the mistakes that the people made but throughout the novel, the animals were unaware of the pigs modifications to the commandments. In human history, there are plenty of instances where political leaders offer empty promises to encourage the masses, but then often times act contrary to the promises. The pigs in this case offered an amazing example. With each new human luxury they encountered that they liked, from sleeping in beds, to wearing clothes and even drinking alcohol, additions were made to the commandments. Even worse was the propagation that the commandments possessed these additions all along, the animals own ignorance was grossly played against them.
Even the sheep, who never seemed to do much of any labor -nothing compared to Boxer, the horse- posed as the propaganda committee for the pigs. Constantly bleating "four legs good, two legs bad" when the animals initially took over the farm and progressing to "four legs good, two legs better" when the pigs took it upon themselves to learn to walk upright, gradually mimicking their supposed human enemies.
Over, worthwhile for people to read whether you are interested in the simple idea of animals taking over humans, or for the deeper political satire that the story brings
Taking place on a farm, the animals that exist on Manor Farm are tired to taking direction from and working for Mr. Jones. With the pigs taking the lead, the animals ban together to drive out the humans. Successfully out from underneath the reign of humans, the animals changes the name of the farm to "Animal Farm", create their own set of commandments, and establish routines in order to get all the work down and run the farm.
As time passes, leadership roles are established placing the pigs at the head of the table with dogs taking up the sidelines, becoming the bodyguards. The sheep seem to take on the role of mindless followers of the pigs, but all other animals become the labor force. Initially, the system seems good. Running well and everyone is happy. As time passes however resources shift in the favor of the pigs and the remainder of animals begin working longer hours for less food. As commandments become changed, statuses get exaggerated and animal lives become loss the realization begins to dawn that they have come full circle. The pigs have taken the place of the humans, and the animals are being disrespected and overworked even more so than they were underneath Mr. Jones and his men.
A quick read at only about 125 pages long, Animal Farm keeps the reader entertained from beginning to end. It's hard not to make comparison between the decisions the animals made and errors made throughout human history. For instance, when the animals blindingly follow the pigs through a rebellion and two battles, losing plenty of the lives in the process it's similar to political leaders who get numerous people to rally behind them in and effort to abolish an enemy. Unfortunately, similar to the clueless animals that followed the pigs, too many people can become brainwashed and convinced of a seemingly worthwhile cause which turns out to be superficial in nature.
The Seven Commandments that were established for the farm were originally designed to keep the animals from committing any of the mistakes that the people made but throughout the novel, the animals were unaware of the pigs modifications to the commandments. In human history, there are plenty of instances where political leaders offer empty promises to encourage the masses, but then often times act contrary to the promises. The pigs in this case offered an amazing example. With each new human luxury they encountered that they liked, from sleeping in beds, to wearing clothes and even drinking alcohol, additions were made to the commandments. Even worse was the propagation that the commandments possessed these additions all along, the animals own ignorance was grossly played against them.
Even the sheep, who never seemed to do much of any labor -nothing compared to Boxer, the horse- posed as the propaganda committee for the pigs. Constantly bleating "four legs good, two legs bad" when the animals initially took over the farm and progressing to "four legs good, two legs better" when the pigs took it upon themselves to learn to walk upright, gradually mimicking their supposed human enemies.
Over, worthwhile for people to read whether you are interested in the simple idea of animals taking over humans, or for the deeper political satire that the story brings
on May 16, 2017
One of the finest works I have read. A must read. This is a most engaging story that eloquently explains the failures of Communism and Humanism in general.
on May 20, 2017
A classic never fails. Bought this for my son.
on March 19, 2015
1984 and Animal Farm are two classics. Besides the fact there are a ton of reviews online, most people already know about the book (and most have read it.)
This review is regarding this edition.
I don't know who the editor was but they didn't do a very good job!!!
First and foremost. THERE. ARE. NO. PAGE. NUMBERS. Either book. At all. Chapter heading but NO PAGE NUMBERS!!!!!!!!!!!! Makes absolutely no sense to me, and from a teacher/parent perspective it's super annoying. Additionally there are numerous typos throughout Animal Farm (haven't read 1984 but I'm thinking it's safe bet). Words not spelled correctly, letters switched around. Things that should have been caught in the computer processing program, let alone a human reading it before final approval! Just weird.
It was a decent price for both books, cheaper than buying each separately (I had to get two copies). But that no page numbers thing....I almost went and purchased the book somewhere else.....but I didn't. When it came down to it, I knew we'd only need it for a few weeks so we lived with it (many tabs on pages for marking!!)
This review is regarding this edition.
I don't know who the editor was but they didn't do a very good job!!!
First and foremost. THERE. ARE. NO. PAGE. NUMBERS. Either book. At all. Chapter heading but NO PAGE NUMBERS!!!!!!!!!!!! Makes absolutely no sense to me, and from a teacher/parent perspective it's super annoying. Additionally there are numerous typos throughout Animal Farm (haven't read 1984 but I'm thinking it's safe bet). Words not spelled correctly, letters switched around. Things that should have been caught in the computer processing program, let alone a human reading it before final approval! Just weird.
It was a decent price for both books, cheaper than buying each separately (I had to get two copies). But that no page numbers thing....I almost went and purchased the book somewhere else.....but I didn't. When it came down to it, I knew we'd only need it for a few weeks so we lived with it (many tabs on pages for marking!!)
on October 1, 2015
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is widely considered a literary classic and this consideration is well deserved. In this novel Orwell almost flawlessly uses the allegory of animals living on a farm as a medium for his political commentary on Stalin’s USSR, tyranny, and many other political themes.
We know that Orwell wrote this novel near the culmination of World War II and the book was published shortly after the war ended. The book gained success after the war with the worldwide rise of Communism and the Cold War. Orwell stated during his life that this novel is commentary on the USSR under Stalin’s rule. However this book could easily be used as commentary on one of the many other tyrannical governments in Europe at or around the time, for example Fascist Germany and Italy.
In Animal Farm the Animals are at first ruled by a man named Mr. Jones. At this time a wise old pig named old Major preaches to the animals the idea of Animalism. This is the idea that all animals are equal but can never obtain true freedom or happiness under the rule of men. Under Mr. Jones ‘rule’ animals have no freedom, and all at a certain point will be slaughtered when once they become useless. Old Major preaches that a revolution must occur someday and that animals must achieve self government and a world without men. Soon the opportunity for revolution arises when Mr. Jones drunkenly forgets to feed the animals, and they raid the food shed. Mr. Jones and his men find the animals gorging in the shed and attacks them with whips, but the men are defeated and the animals seize control of the farm. Soon the animals establish a government where 7 animal commandments are established, namely all animals are created equal. The animals hold weekly meetings where all animals can raise concerns and vote on certain issues. Over time however the power begins to sway toward the pig’s ( the most intelligent animals on the farm) favor. Two leaders emerge a pig named Napoleon and one named Snowball. The two always disagree on issues and both carry about half the support of the animals on the farm. However Napoleon (somewhat secretly) raises an army of dogs who attack Snowball and run him off the farm. Napoleon seizes full power and soon institutes his absolute rule. Napoleon manipulates the narrative of Snowball (once considered a hero on Animal Farm) and paints him as an enemy of the Farm and himself as the hero. Napoleon blames the problems Animal Farm faces on Snowball and even executes animals based on the belief they were loyal to Snowball. Overtime Napoleon’s regime becomes worse than the regime it sought to replace originally.
This book provides commentary on how a ruling class or ruler can manipulate a certain idea such as Animalism in the novel, or Communism. These ideas start out with good intentions where all men (or animals) are created equal, but one corrupt ruler can manipulate these ideas to their own liking and flip them in their favor. They can do this through the power of fear, propaganda, or even simply by lies and manipulation. Orwell’s novel reflects on many themes which can be applied to many political themes and related to many events in history. The novel is not simply a commentary on tyranny but a commentary on the role of governments and their relations with the people they rule over as well.
I chose to read this book as I am a future social studies teacher and thought it would be interesting to read a novel which allegorically commented on the USSR and Stalin, as I find the USSR, the Cold War, and World War II to be interesting subjects. As I read through this however I found myself thinking how the events in Animal Farm can be applied to so many other events in History and politics today. I would definitely recommend teachers to incorporate this novel into their lesson plan’s or recommend this novel to anyone interested in the social sciences.
We know that Orwell wrote this novel near the culmination of World War II and the book was published shortly after the war ended. The book gained success after the war with the worldwide rise of Communism and the Cold War. Orwell stated during his life that this novel is commentary on the USSR under Stalin’s rule. However this book could easily be used as commentary on one of the many other tyrannical governments in Europe at or around the time, for example Fascist Germany and Italy.
In Animal Farm the Animals are at first ruled by a man named Mr. Jones. At this time a wise old pig named old Major preaches to the animals the idea of Animalism. This is the idea that all animals are equal but can never obtain true freedom or happiness under the rule of men. Under Mr. Jones ‘rule’ animals have no freedom, and all at a certain point will be slaughtered when once they become useless. Old Major preaches that a revolution must occur someday and that animals must achieve self government and a world without men. Soon the opportunity for revolution arises when Mr. Jones drunkenly forgets to feed the animals, and they raid the food shed. Mr. Jones and his men find the animals gorging in the shed and attacks them with whips, but the men are defeated and the animals seize control of the farm. Soon the animals establish a government where 7 animal commandments are established, namely all animals are created equal. The animals hold weekly meetings where all animals can raise concerns and vote on certain issues. Over time however the power begins to sway toward the pig’s ( the most intelligent animals on the farm) favor. Two leaders emerge a pig named Napoleon and one named Snowball. The two always disagree on issues and both carry about half the support of the animals on the farm. However Napoleon (somewhat secretly) raises an army of dogs who attack Snowball and run him off the farm. Napoleon seizes full power and soon institutes his absolute rule. Napoleon manipulates the narrative of Snowball (once considered a hero on Animal Farm) and paints him as an enemy of the Farm and himself as the hero. Napoleon blames the problems Animal Farm faces on Snowball and even executes animals based on the belief they were loyal to Snowball. Overtime Napoleon’s regime becomes worse than the regime it sought to replace originally.
This book provides commentary on how a ruling class or ruler can manipulate a certain idea such as Animalism in the novel, or Communism. These ideas start out with good intentions where all men (or animals) are created equal, but one corrupt ruler can manipulate these ideas to their own liking and flip them in their favor. They can do this through the power of fear, propaganda, or even simply by lies and manipulation. Orwell’s novel reflects on many themes which can be applied to many political themes and related to many events in history. The novel is not simply a commentary on tyranny but a commentary on the role of governments and their relations with the people they rule over as well.
I chose to read this book as I am a future social studies teacher and thought it would be interesting to read a novel which allegorically commented on the USSR and Stalin, as I find the USSR, the Cold War, and World War II to be interesting subjects. As I read through this however I found myself thinking how the events in Animal Farm can be applied to so many other events in History and politics today. I would definitely recommend teachers to incorporate this novel into their lesson plan’s or recommend this novel to anyone interested in the social sciences.
on September 21, 2016
The "new" preface provides an understanding of the political climate of post WWII England. This addition gives the reader additional insight regarding the challenges the author faced when attempting to get this work published. As a child of the cold war era myself, it was fascinating to learn that there was a time when the the soviets led by Stalin were given a free pass from the US and British press.
on December 5, 2015
This is my favourite book of all time... to the extent that I'm trying to find a first edition collector's item. I was first introduced to it in high school as it was a required read for English Literature. When I became an adult, I found myself referencing some of the story lines and characters as they are so relevant to modern times. There are:
Squealer, the Spin Doctor, a necessary part of any manipulative game (check many of the "experts" on TV who spin stories to coerce the masses)
Napolean, the brilliant dictator who knew how to play the political game. He had just the right grasp on the shortcomings of his followers - and a brute force of dogs - to understand just how to manipulate them
Snowball: A brilliant visionary whose inability to play the political game caused his efforts to go to nought
The "lower" animals who could not remember even their own past enough to challenge the lies (look at how gullible people are now, even with information readily available for all to see!)
Benjamin: the one that was perfectly aware but came off as eccentric to the other animals because he did not follow the hype
Mollie, who had a comfortable enough place in the old regime so could not come to terms with the suffering of the new (in the context of slavery, she was the house slave)
Great book. I also strongly recommend 1984
Squealer, the Spin Doctor, a necessary part of any manipulative game (check many of the "experts" on TV who spin stories to coerce the masses)
Napolean, the brilliant dictator who knew how to play the political game. He had just the right grasp on the shortcomings of his followers - and a brute force of dogs - to understand just how to manipulate them
Snowball: A brilliant visionary whose inability to play the political game caused his efforts to go to nought
The "lower" animals who could not remember even their own past enough to challenge the lies (look at how gullible people are now, even with information readily available for all to see!)
Benjamin: the one that was perfectly aware but came off as eccentric to the other animals because he did not follow the hype
Mollie, who had a comfortable enough place in the old regime so could not come to terms with the suffering of the new (in the context of slavery, she was the house slave)
Great book. I also strongly recommend 1984
on December 28, 2016
Animal Farm gives me the glimpse at how Communism work. Orwell did a good job illustrated the politics of Soviet Union under Stalin rule using Animal.
You may wonder how a pig (named Napoleon) can run the farm more efficient than a human can. How "he" (refer to a pig) uses hope, then fear to enslave lower animal ones? That is how the Communism work. No, I mean Animalism.
Also, Orwell also includes the power struggling inside the Communist party itself into his work, as Napoleon "purge" Snowball out of the farm to gain supreme power.
"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
But myself, I can't differentiate whether "animal farm" is run by animal or human.
"All animal are equal."
But...
nevermind...
You may wonder how a pig (named Napoleon) can run the farm more efficient than a human can. How "he" (refer to a pig) uses hope, then fear to enslave lower animal ones? That is how the Communism work. No, I mean Animalism.
Also, Orwell also includes the power struggling inside the Communist party itself into his work, as Napoleon "purge" Snowball out of the farm to gain supreme power.
"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
But myself, I can't differentiate whether "animal farm" is run by animal or human.
"All animal are equal."
But...
nevermind...
