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Summary: Everyone Should Read Animal Farm
Review: Animal Farm is one of the best books ever written. It was described by George Orwell as a "fairytale," is one of the thinnest books you'll ever read, and is filled with talking animals who want to work together to run a farm. However, this book is actually something more; it is an allegory of the Bolshevik Revolution and the following years in the USSR under the rule of Stalin. To understand this book and get the most out of it, you need to be understand the following things:
1) The Bolshevik Revolution and how Stalin corrupted the communist dream. The Bolsheviks seeked communism and Stalin perverted the dream into totalitarianism.
2) This is not just a book full of talking animals who don't like humans because they don't get enough food.
3) What communism is. Communism is not what happened in the USSR. It is not what is happening in China. It is not what is happening in Cuba. These countries more closely resemble fascist or totalitarianistic states than a communist government. Under communism, ALL people are completely equal in all regards. Because everyone is equal, there is no need for a military or police. Also, everyone voluntarily works for the promotion of the country and society. Thus, in the strictest sense of the word, there actually isn't a government at all because everyone voluntarily works together out of the kindness of their hearts to contribute to the good of their utopian society.
That being said, I highly recommend this book to anyone willing to read it with an open mind. (...)
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Summary: A great allegory of the American Revolution
Review: This is one of the best books that I have ever read. Every action every character makes is carefully planned, every word deliberately placed. I heard somewhere the the author spent 10 years on the dialogue alone. The book has two major brilliant points -- taking it for it's secret meaning, allegorically representing the American Revolution, and taking it for it's straight meaning, humans are evil. Each character carefully represents a major figure in the revolution (i.e. Mollie=France, Napoleon=George Washington and Squealer=Martha Washington. Snowball is, of course, England, and we can't forget last but not least Moses, who is the later-to-be Confederate States of America, and who speaks of The Great South when he talks of Sugarcandy Mountain).On another note, though, taking the book for it's literal meaning, one can easily tell that Orwell thinks that humans are evil and twisted -- it's amazing that 65 years ago someone got it so right. Every referance to humans is a bad one. In the card game it was Plinktington that cheated, Jones treating the animals poorly, and the owner of Foxwood, a lazy bum: representing the only three types of humans you will ever encounter. I think that Orwell's writing is ingenius and unequalled, especially his many-time quoted saying "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." Man! Just can't compare to that. His words flow like a river of tar, or something. We should start a new branch of Judaism worshipping him as the Messiah, his words are the words of God. Anyone who hasn't read this book hasn't lived -- all the other reviews I have read have it dead on correct.
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Summary: Stalin and Trotsky
Review: Animal Farm is an easy-to-read book,and on th surface it seems like it's about animals.Pigs and horses and moles fill the story.It definetely looks boring to a person who's older than 13 and who's looking for depth in books.But,as I said before,it just seems boring on the surface , however no reader can deny how deep the book really is.Obviously it's about the Russian Revolution and what happened afterwards,and it's a must to read about Soviet Union in order to understand the book thoroughly. Surely it's possible to see the power fight among the pigs and relate it to real world,but that's not understanding it as a whole.After you read about the Soviet Union,you'll have a different enjoyment figuring out who's who.For example Napoleon the pig is representing Stalin,and Snowball the pig is representing Trotsky.Overall,first read about "the" revolution and what happened afterwards,understand who did what,and then read this fabulous book.You'll definetely have fun and a strange smile will form on your face after you read the last line.
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Summary: Animal Farm is a book that everyone should read
Review: I have no background in the history of the Soviet Union and the Russian Revolution, but I read listened to the "unabridged audio" version of "Animal Farm" anyway. After reading this book, I have to say that I am finding many of the posts on this board helpful in matching up which animals related to which actual historical figures in the Soviet Union. Thanks to those who have shared this insight. One thing I discovered from reading "Animal Farm", however, was that a reader does not need to completely understand the Soviet Union or understand anything of the Soviet Union, for that matter, to enjoy this book. "Animal Farm" is about what happened in Russia, but could be a about what could happen in any totalitarian regime, where the government subordinates all aspects of its citizens' lives to the authority of the state, with a single charismatic leader as the ultimate authority. So if you think you must understand Russian History before reading this book, you don't. "Animal Farm" is an interesting and very well written book.
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Summary: I can see why it has sold many copies...
Review: I chose this novel to read as an outside project. It was on my high school book list, so I decided to give it a try. I must say that I was quite impressed with this novel.
After reading the introduction I learned that this novel was a "political fariy tail." As I read through the novel I also learned about the Russian Revolution and the history behind it. I also learned how the characters in Animal Farm related to the individuals that participated in the Russian Revolution. Most students think of the subject of history boring and unintersting, but if students could learn about history the way that George Orwell wrote it in this novel, students' interest in history would sky rocket.
This particular novel was written in such a way that it was educational and interesting, which is usually very hard to find. I am still in awe on how impressed I am with this novel.
The best quality of this novel is the ending. It is quite a simple ending, but it makes the reader think deeply and have a greater appreciation for political views during this time period. I know that I have learned so much from this novel and I would recommend this book to absoultely everyone!!!
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Summary: Good Book
Review: I recently finished the novel Animal Farm. I really enjoyed the novel. The novel really didn't have any boring chapters because in each one, something different would happen. Right from the beginning, the novel started out very exciting and fast when the animals overthrew Mr. Jones and kicked him out of the farm. In each chapter, the pigs would do something more cruel to the other animals until they had basically taken over the farm. I really enjoyed how the novel was told through an animals perspective. Eventhough the novel was written in the 3rd person view, I really enjoyed seeing what the animals went through on a day to day basis. I liked reading about how the pigs slowly to control of the animals, and turned the farm into it's original state where they were slaves and not free. I also liked to see what the pigs would do next. In every chapter, the pigs would do something cruel or mean to the other animals so they could get complete control over the farm. The pigs were completely corrupt and controlled by the power they possessed over the other animals. Throughout the novel, the pigs started doing things more and more like the humans did. Until in the end, the animals couldn't even tell the difference between the pigs and the humans. The pigs were very violent with the other animals when they would do something wrong or against the pigs. Every animal that would betray the pigs was slaughtered by Napoleon's vicious dogs that he had trained to kill. I highly recommend this book to other readers. It contains suspense, action, and drama. There is no part in the novel where you will be bored out of your mind. I think anybody over the age of 13 could enjoy this book.
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Summary: A Story of Power
Review: The story Animal Farm by George Orwell was a compelling one. No wonder the cliched saying to not judge a book by its cover is used so much. My dad urged me to choose this as my book, and unwillingly, I went with it. The only reason why I chose this book was because I love animals and I love discussing books with my dad. I was amazed when I couldn't seem to put it down. The story opens with telling of a farm. We could compare the dreams of these enslaved animals with those of our own. How we want freedom and to work for ourselves. People everywhere strive to be rich, popular, or independent whereas the animals in the story dream to be free. The dream takes another step when a faithful and well respected pig with the name of Old Major sang a song entitled The Beasts of England and gave an uprising speech of a world where human no longer walked the grass of England. In this world, there was plenty of food and not a whip in sight. Old Major seemed to make this an achievement definitely worth fighting for, so thus they began to make their dream a reality. Throughout the story, I read as the pigs slowly changed the rules to suit their needs. They took advantage of the dumber of the animals and their power over them. The animals didn't complain. In their minds, they were free. They did not notice how Napoleon was slowly enslaving them once more. Orwell tells of how power corrupts everybody. To me, I feel this book tells of how dreams are dreams and they aren't meant to live. They are a promise of a better future or a hope of a new tomorrow. These promises and hopes are not to be kept. In reality, life will come with its struggles no matter how well you eat or work. Benjamin seemed to be the only creature on this farm to realize what I have realized. "Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be much better of much worse--hunger, hardship, and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life." It gave me chills at the end of the story when I read the last sentence. I think it'd be best to conclude this review with that one sentence. "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."
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Summary: I Really Liked It!!
Review: Personally I loved this book. It shows how people get power hungry and make you think they are doing it for you but actually they are doing it for themselves.
A great book for adults and teens but you have to understand how parts of our world are run. I couldn't put it down all day! I think Geroge Orwell was a great writer. That is all I have to say for now.
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Summary: Animal Farm--Good Book
Review: Before reading Animal Farm, I had no idea that the history of the Soviet Union could be so fun!!! The story starts off with words of wisdom passed on by Old Major, Lenin's or Stalin's piggish counterpart and the founder of Animalism, a form of society in which all animals are equal and all have their duties to the collective. The pigs of the farm, being the most intelligent of farm animals, proceed to organize the overthrow of the current oppressive 'government' (Farmer Jones) and rename the farm Animal Farm. The duty of leadership has only two real contenders, the two predominant pigs of the farm: Napoleon (a ruthless, evil, and ultimately corrupt egoist-politico, representative of Stalin) and Snowball (a relatively selfless pig concerned mostly with reforms to the system, representative of Trotsky). Snowball is eventually driven out of Animal Farm, and thanks to Napoleon's 'propaganda minister', Squealer, the animals, dumb as they are, soon forget all that Snowball fought for and accomplished in the name of Animalism. The book is great, whether you know it is a 'brief history of twentieth-century Russia' or whether you see it simply as a fantasy tale. Orwell's use of foreshadowing in the development of the ending goes nearly so far as to ruin it, but it is surprising nonetheless. One of his tools for this was the Seven Commandments of Animalism, which provide a benchmark to refer to as we see Napoleon twist them and pervert them to One Commandement. I particularly liked the third-person point of view Orwell wrote from. It allows us to see everything that the animals don't realize is going on behind their backs as Napoleon schemes his schemes and plots his plots. And I found the contrast between Snowball and Napoleon to be very dramatic; Snowball's undying dedication to Animalism as compared to Napoleon's undying dedication to his own advancement. My opinion is that there should be more authors like George Orwell. Or maybe there should be more books like Animal Farm. Not just a striking analogy, but a really good, entertaining book. Recommended, two thumbs up, five stars, blah, blah, blah. The thing that hit me after reading this book:
Wow. That really happened.
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Summary: Animal Farm
Review: Animal Farm grabbed me and pulled me into the story right away. Already at the beginning you decided which animals you liked and which you had something against. When laws began mysteriously changing, and things started to become unfair, that's when you knew something was wrong. I would definitely recommend anyone too read it, because anyone who reads it will see the story differently from other people, so everyone can enjoy it. It's very well written, and I will definately read it again when I get older, especially since I live on a farm.
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