Rating: 
Summary: Fun, Fun... plus a message too
Review: Look, I'm not going to sit here and write yet another review gushing about how I "got" the socio-economic message in this book. It was undeniably present from the first page to the last. What I enjoyed most about this book was that it was a fun read. You do not have to have aspirations to be a UN delegate to enjoy this book. I mean, lets face it, reading about animals taking over a farm is fun stuff. Couple that with the fact that this book is a short 140 pages well, I think it is just about the perfect read for anyone. With a book this good and this short the traditional excuses of "too much school work" or "too busy at the office" just don't fly. Turn off the TV, power down the video game and take you mind on a journey. Oh, and try this little experiment, once you have read it keep it on the shelf then read it again in 10 years or so, it will be like a whole different book.
Rating:
Summary: Still a Timeless Classic
Review: I'm not going to give a synopsis of the whole book, you can read other reviews if you're looking for general information. But I'd like to expound upon on character in the story, Mollie. Mollie was the horse who ran away from the farm after it was discovered that she was receiving sugar and petting from the humans from the adjacent farm. Orwell is using Mollie in the story as a metaphor for capitalism. Surprisingly, Orwell was a socialist, but his ultimate belief was that man was simply unable to govern himself no matter what the ideology. Mollie is a reminder of the excesses of our government in the 1990's, and a warning of what eventually comes from it. Much like the U.S populace, Mollie was unconcened about who ran the government, or what polices were in place (like the 60-70 percent of the US population that doesn't vote). As long as she was getting her 'ribbons' and 'sugar' (i.e., money and material possessions) she was quite content to live in any regime, even a corrupt one like the humans had created for the animals. Remember the Clinton years? Who really cared what the President did, as long as the economy was swell? Orwell was more prophetic than most of us realize. Of course, in a communist society, sugar and ribbons are the first things to go. So Mollie heads over to the other farm, not caring about how she will be treated, but only desiring some more of that sugar. A book that should be read to every child once he/she is old enough to understand its implications.
Rating:
Summary: A corrupt revolution
Review: Animal Farm, by George Orwell, tells a story of the once peaceful Manor Farm. The animals decide to overthrow humans, and take on the job of supporting themselves by themselves. Day by day, the social imbalances start to emerge, such as the pigs determining themselves as the thinkers of the society; therefore they should get more priorities. The revolution was created to change society to where all animals are equal, but through the seven commandments, Napoleon, the leader boar, takes absolute power over the animal society. This story explains the Russian revolution in average English, where almost anyone can read it to understand the story, but there are many real meanings to it. Each animal represents a character in a revolution; such as Squealer representing the one who gets to a high status buy simply obeying the stronger side. Slowly it explains how their so-called equality becomes hard solid dictatorship. This idea of communism is easier said than done, as this book implies, since at the end, there will be someone who stands up to be a leader. There are many reasons that I recommend this book, but mainly because it compares real life to a fiction in a perfect way. Also as some minor positives, the book is short, very short so you won¡¦t be looking at a half ton book thinking do I want to read this? for slow readers like myself. Lastly, as I stated above, this book is written in not very complicated English, so almost everyone can read it. On the five star scale, this book is definitely a five star, so read it!
Rating:
Summary: Pure Socialism, Pure Fiction!
Review: This book should open the eyes of many who are caught up with the ideas of utopianism, absolute egalitarianism, and other "heaven-on-earth" ideas. Orwell does a masterful job in this short, easy, and fun to read book showing how a "utopian-oriented" revolution can go wrong. Though the book is humorous, it has a serious and solemn message for any generation. Though Orwell was a socialist himself, he had the guts to prove that "socialist" transformation or revolution of society can go wrong if the leaders of the revolution adopt "rightist" attitudes and behaviours along the process. This book shows the similarities between Animal Farm and the Soviet Union during the Stalin era. The pigs in the book represent the Soviet vanguard leaders of the revolution; the dogs the ruthless secret police; and the rest of the animals the various bodies within the USSR during the Stalin era. This book is a good reminder that no matter what words and rhetorics are spoken in the past, leaders can succumb to the influence of power and elitism and throw out their past socialist beliefs in actual behaviour. Pure forms of socialism cannot happen on this side of life. People are still inherently selfish and proud. Positivism is a dead social theory (individual genes, personalities, and brain processess do matter on how society is formed and structured). What is society? It is the product of human personalities. This should awaken the ideological slumbering of many liberals, socialists, and leftists. Orwell does a good job showing that no matter what (poor or plenty) people only seek their own self-interest when the opportunity arises.
Rating:
Summary: Still a parable for our times
Review: It is so easy to read a book like ANIMAL FARM, say to yourself that it is entertaining enough not to hurt when you have to write your high school book report on it, and then get rid of it and go on with life as you grow into adulthood. But this book is entertaining the way Aesop's fables are entertaining; the life lessons of it keep returning like Springtime after long, cold winters. Orwell wrote this after discovering many of the intrinsic horrors of Communism in the Soviet Union and elsewhere before and after World War II. The political hypocrises and subsequent crimes inherent in the movement were made all the more genocidally infectious to innocent people around the world in the way they always are in political movements: by the leaders' demands of people to look at the culturally genocidal infections of the "other" (in this case laissez faire capitalism and its resultant colonialist/imperialist criminalities in the West), instead of allowing the independent questioning of the relevance and righteousness of what they were dealing with. The Frankenstein impulse of Man's ego as it governs the creation of utopianesque political systems and quasi-cultures has been alluded to many times before and after this novel (even before Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN), but for me never so succinctly, so beautifully, and so painfully accurate as ANIMAL FARM. I just bought this novel for my son, age twelve. I bought it for him not just knowing that he loves animals and stories about animals (a way Dads like me sneak good literature in their system). As he approaches the (help me Lord) teen years where the peer group becomes everything, he will need to know that he can be caught in the same dynamic that the innocent and naive animals underneath the leadership of the pigs were caught up in. (Hearing me lecture about it would naturally have the opposite effect.) Hearing a confused but charismatic kid begin to sound a lot like Squealer in a new and unexpected context for him just might save his power of independent thought when peer pressure comes into play. If I could, I would buy this book for half the world, and let them give their dog-eared copy to the other half; there is no one whose life isn't touched by the intoxicating rhythm of power in groups, and its ability to lead people into total bondage of some sort while it promises to protect your freedom. For example: any and every woman I've ever known who felt the need to regurgitate feminist manifestos at their future ex boyfriends and husbands in order to protect the integrity of an illusory sisterhood--a sisterhood often run by women who would (and often are) sleeping with the very men these confused but loyal women have alienated in their name, needs to read this. Nancy Friday's MY MOTHER, MY SELF and Daphne Patai's HETEROPHOBIA are ANIMAL FARMs for the independent American Woman, struggling to truly know herself beyond the confines of patriarchy, its postmodern discontents, and any culture set up to combat it. For anyone starting the next round of self-improvement courses lauded by the newest pop-psychology guru that have this funny way of feeling like they are not actually leading you anywhere, the work of Stanford Peele, heretic of the twelve step program community, has written several ANIMAL FARMs on this self-help/addiction philosophy, serving them as well as all of us in innumerable ways. For those devoted to a pretty cerebral psychoanalytic perspective on life, or an often emotionally/socially detached Church or creed, psychologist/author Alice Miller's work are in different ways ANIMAL FARMs of their own: they are for the psychologically/transformation-minded who alternately pay too much surface and too liitle in-depth attention to childhood's true effect on the adult human heart...Steele's THE CONTENT OF OUR CHARACTER and Tony Brown's WHITE LIES, BLACK LIES are both ANIMAL FARMs for the Black Community--a community that may only truly take control of its (our) own destiny if we start looking for spiritual/economic *colonics*, instead of socio-political streetsweepers... The metaphors are endless, and endlessly fitting. ANIMAL FARM's power is that it is so deceptively powerful in its simplicity as to make the point only writers of powerful insight, intellect and above board courage can do, regarding what happens to men and women in groups when power becomes intoxicating. And today they need several hundred more pages and a million footnotes to do it AT ALL, let alone as well as Orwell did. It resonates in ways that force you to think beyond the conventional in life (i.e., the pre-programmed), and begin a search to find out what reality really is, for YOU, not someone else. If Jesus came back and was asked to give a sermon for the people of every nation, he would instead tell the world a parabel that would essentially be this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Review of Animal Farm!
Review: I read the book and watch the film of animal farm.In the book I noticed the parallels between book and reality. The history of politics is well shown by pigs and other animals.Especially the russian communism and other dictatorships are referred to Napoleon(the leader of the farm).He reminds me of Hitler who destroy his country(the farm) by his own insanity. Supported by Squealer(Goebbles the minister for propaganda)he takes advantage of the more dump animals(the folk), who work for his luxuary.The industrial revolution is expressed by the windmill, but in the film it moves more and more to the background. The end in the book is open but we all know how it will be....like Benjamin said
nothings gonna change.
Rating: 
Summary: Review Animal Farm
Review: Review of "Animal Farm" "Animal Fram" written by George Orwell.
The story takes place on a farm somewhere in England. The story is told by an omniscient narrator
in the third person. The action of this novel starts when the
oldest pig on the farm, Old Major, calls all animals to a meeting. He tells them
about his dream of a revolution against Mr. Jones. Three days later Old Major
dies, but the speech gives the more intelligent animals a new outlook of life.
The pigs, which are considered the most intelligent animals, instruct the other
ones. Their names are Napoleon and Snowball. Together with another pig
call Squealer, who is a very good speaker, they work out the theory of
"Animalism". The rebellion starts months later, when Mr. Jones comes home
drunken one night and forgets to feed the animals. All animals attack him and
drive him off the farm. The intelligent pigs make up the seven
commandements. No animal is allowed to break one of these rules. Farmer
Jones comes back and want to recapture the farm, but the animals fight and
they manage to defend the farm. The pigs, Napoleon and Snowball often argue.
When Snowball presents his idea to build a windmill, to produce electricity,
Napoleon calls nine dogs, which drive Snowball from the farm.Napoleon
explains that Snowball was co-operating with Mr. Jones.
Some time later the seven commandements change one after the other. The
other animals can`t believe it, because now the intelligent pigs sleep in beds
and live in the fram house. The time passes and the pigs change everything.
During this time deepens the relation with the neighbour farm and one day
Napoleon invites the owners of this farm. They sit inside the farmhouse and
celebrate the efficiency of his farm, where the animals work very hard with
minimum of food. All other animals watch at the window of the fram when they
look inside they can`t distinguish between man and animal.
This is the story how you can read it in the book, when you watch the movie you
can see some differences between them. There aren`t big differences, they are
small. For example the begining in the film isn't like in the book. I think there is a better
begining in the film,because in the book is no real introduction.
There is another perspective of the narrator. In the book is it an omniscent
narrator in the third person but in the film is the narrator Jessie the dog. Other
differences are that the movie has an end and there come new people (new
owners) to the farm.
The story is an Allegory,it means that this what you read have an other
meaning. The story "Animal Fram" is a satire on the Russian revolution and
therefore full of symbolism. Here are some symbols for people and buildings:
1. Old Major = He is the personification oh Lenin who is like the "father" of the
Russians.
2. Snowball = Trotsky
3. Napoleon = Stalin
4. The nine dogs = The red army
5. Mr. Jones = He represents the imperial power
6. Farm building = The farm stands for the Kremlin
7. windmill = The windmill stands for the Russian industry
The book is written well but sometimes it isn`t easy to read. Maybe it is because
of the serious plot. I think if I read the book at home I wouldn`t have
understand as at school. I think I wouldn`t understand the real story
about the book, because at home you read a book to have fun and not to think
about it ervery time. The positive things of the book are that you can understand
the background better than in the film, because when you watch the movie you
think " ok it`s only a film", but when you read it you can think about it. The
negative things of the book are that some parts of the book are boring, because
it is very monotone and that the book has no end.
The negative thing of the movie is that you don`t really know the background.
The good things are that it's more interesting. There are some facts which are
typical for films. For example the begining and the end and the relationship
between the actors.
Only when you read the book you can derive the end from the film, because it
could mean that the family ( Clinton- Family) which come to the farm, is a
symbol for the victory against Russia. This is a point where I would say that it`s a
disadvantage that you haven`t read in the book.
Personaly I think the film is better than the book, because for me the book
was boring and at some parts I don`t want to read it to the end.I think the
movie is better, because you can watch it and you get it easyer to your mind.
But you have to know for yourself if you want to read the book or to watch the
film. book: 2 stars
film: 3 stars Review of Nicole und Katrin
Rating: 
Summary: Animal Farm review
Review: Animal Farm (book/film) You have the option to choose between two kinds of "Animal Farm". The book and the film. As you perhaps know, there are some differences between the film and the book. First there is the book, it has no real narrator. But in the film, Jessy is the narrator and tells us all the feelings of the animals. But in the book the author gives us all the feelings of the other animals. The film is different in some scenes. For example the meeting at the beginning is really different. In the book everything is explained very well. Ther e you get to know where everyone takes a seat or is standing around during the assambly. But there is an other difference. The death of Old Major is an other one than in the book. In the film Old Major is shot by Mr. Jones. The revolution in the film isn`t a true revolution. The revolution is only because of the hunger on the farm. They walk up to the granary and are caught by the humans. There was a small fight between animals and humans and the animals defeated the humans. But Mr. Jones didn`t flee into the city as it was told by the narrator of the book. He fled to the neighbour farm on which he has a one night stand with the wife of the owner of the farm, which is an other difference.
When the farm was quonquered by the animals and the farmers weren`t able to win it back, the farmers overheart the animals and decided to trade with the animals. Close to the end of the film the pics used a film to explain that they are good leaders. In the book they only used their mouth. The last difference between book and film is the end. First Jessy fled with other animals, stayed some years away and when they came back, the pics were dead and a new owner came to the farm. In the book there is just an open end. To put it in a nutshell, the film is much better than the book. Maybe it is because you don`t have to think that much about the things that happen. But I think the film is more effective in expressing the feelings of the animals and delivering the allegorical background.
Rating:
Summary: Animals in Animal Farm
Review: If you love this book, I would consider buying the unoffical soundtrack to the book. Pink Floyd Animals. Roger Waters based his lyrics of the album on this book and was inspired by the basis of Orwell's writings. Pigs (Three Different Ones) was based on the pigs in the books. Gluttoning themselves on Money and power. (Ha, Ha, Charade you are). Dogs became the merciless and ambitious players by selling out anyone to get to the top. Sheep are the mindless followers who rise up by killing the dogs and finaly establishing themselves. The book is great because it is almost the same as the album itself. The only difference is the book is based on a view of Communism and the album is based on waters view of Capitalism.
Rating:
Summary: A book for anyone
Review: This book will always remain a timeless classic on anybody's book shelf. Orwell does a fantastic job in realiting real world events into an easy to follow plot. His form of writting allows the reader much more understanding on the issue of totaltarianism, by linking it to a simple story anybody could understand a enjoy. Only problem I find with this book is it some what takes on a childish form of writting, almost like one of a fairy tale or a kids story. Had Orwell of just put a little more detail and emotion into the book, I would have givin it 5 stars. But overall, I feel a must read for everyone.
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