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Summary: Animal Farm
Review: George Orwell, though obviously a very open-minded man and a believer in the communist beliefs, harshly attacks Marxist ideals. Marx wrote his manifestos on revolution in an ivory tower, which, in practice, came crashing down both is our world(USSR) and in Animal Farm(perhaps represented by the windmill?). As a passive reader of this novel, it is easy to notice the transition from commune equality to totalitarianism. However, when personally involved, such as the animals(excluding the pigs) on the farm, it is not so easy to notice the coup d'etat of the perfect democratic system. I, like many who have posted for this review, am young(freshman in highschool), and for such a broad range of people to understand this novel is representative of how thinly Orwell actually did spread the magical realism over his masterful work. "I see Barsad, and Cly, Defarge, The Vengenance, the Juryman, the Judge, long ranks of the new oppressors who have risen on the destruction of the old, perishing by this retributive instrument, before it shall cease out of its present use."-Sydney Carton, Tale of Two Cities
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Summary: Wonderful allegory! I loved it's depth
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the animals represented people in the Russian Revolution. It was interesting to see how the pigs were the leaders, when in real life, they're not very smart.
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Summary: A good imaginative view on the Russian Revolution!
Review: In reading Animal Farm and reviewing the history of the Russian Revolution of 1917 for my class, the book gave me a powerful understanding on the beliefs and lies that were raised during the book. Orwell gave each charater an unforgetable role whether it was Boxer, Nepolean or Snowball. Animal Fram gave me a better understanding on what went on and the ability to match names with events.
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Summary: Very good, understandable, however strange and exxagerated!
Review: Before saying anything bad about this book, I must mention that it was very well written, and is extremely interesting, and even amusing at some parts. The comparison of Napoleon and Snowball to Stalin and Trotsky is very good. But I think its too abusive of Communism. I know Communism is not very good if ot used properly, as it destroys much of people's freedom. But it is not as bad as some people make it sound. However, if it works well, as Karl Marx dreamed, then it can be good for the people who it governs. But when its true meaning becomes abused, it is then that it can be destructive and people lose freedom and other things. This does happen often in such a government, and despite his aptitude for writing, Orwell exxagerates in making the generalization that Communism always leads to chaos and loss of freedom and voice, which is not true. The reason I think that it is so good despite this is that in Orwell's time Communism was just emerging. What Orwell experienced of Communism was horrible, therefore he is under no circumstances responsible for makig this exxageration. It is just today, in 1998, that we can look back at history and really see that despite most Communist governments becoming destructive of freedom, if COmmunism is used as Karl Marx hoped, then it can be a good government. Person, Age 12
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Summary: A complex subject in a manner children can easily understand
Review: From the point in which "Old Major" made his stirring speach to the animals in the barn, I was hooked. (Lenin would have been pleased) A compelling tale of a group of animals that rise against their masters to acheive equality. As the story progresses, drawing the parallels between this childrens story and the real world became abundently clear. As "Animal Farm" transends between an unjust enviornment lead by Farmer Jones to the unjust enviornment lead by Napolean the "pig", it is easy to see how happened to them . . . and to the Russians. A story every child should read by the time they leave high school.
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Summary: A brilliant satiracal masterpiece
Review: After reading the supurbly written, thought-provoking vision, 1984, I went on to read Orwell's novel, Animal Farm. It was quite different from other serious social commentary books, in that it was so simply written. It was to the point, and told a story with a powerful message that we should all listen to. Orwell proves once again that he's one of the most brilliant, talented writers to come along in a long time.
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Summary: Fasinating Book
Review: I just finished reading the novel Animal Farm in my Seventh Grade Lititure class. I found it to be quite intersting and realistic. It shows in a different point of the whole Russian Reveloution. IT is a wonderful book
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Summary: Allegorically fable of the reality of Communism and Facism
Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell was an interesting allegory of the philosiphy and consequences of revolution and Communism. The Utopian ideas of old Major are presented to a fickle assemble of a wide range of intelligence and interpretations. They all willingly take to heart the dying words of the symbolic equvilent of Karl Marx. Maxims and songs are created to instill the beliefs into the animals. Then, the are set free of their tyrannical human and set "free" as the dead pig had prophesized. In truth, the were still bound by their economical needs and eventually themselves. Leadership plays a key role in this politically jaged fable. The pigs were always the smartest and most literate. Therefore, it was "only natural" for them to take charge. They abused the mild amount of control given to them and proved the maxim of absolute power corrupting absolutely. With no one to despute the pigs drew more and more power. It was an excellent book. Adressed as a fable written for adults, the book excelled far surpassed my expectations. If you want to find out what happens to the ruling class of the pigs and how the rest of the fickle farm handles this, you should read this short book.
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Summary: I rate it as one of the top 2 books I have EVER read.
Review: This book is a MUST for every political science major to every psychology major in our universities. I have read this book once a year for the last 12 years and it still astounds me at the depth of the writing. This book is wonderful on so many different plains.
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Summary: Another great Orwell book.
Review: George Orwell has done it again writing another good book after I just read 1984.
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