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Summary: Human nature
Review: After reading this novel, I felt that George Orwell was refering to the average human. In Animal Farm, there were many examples of human nature, today. Selfishness was expressed in Napolean's character but Snowball, on the other hand, represented selflessness.
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Summary: A Great Fable
Review: This had to have been my favorite book that I read my freshman year of high school, after Harry Potter of course. I was very skeptical because I get bored very easily. But, I read it in one night and I loved it!!! It is such a great historical novel because of it's parallels with the Russian Revoulation. If you don't have time to read it, make time.
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Summary: The Revolution of Animal Farm
Review: When I read the book "Animal Farm", I compared it to the overthrow of Milosevic and the revolution of Yugoslavia. Many things that George Orwell included in his book applied to Yugoslavia. I think that all revolutions begin the same way, and that "Animal Farm" can be compared to all of them. This book happened in steps, showing everything that happens during a revolution. From the very beginning with the overthrow of a leader to the rebellions that happen later. I know that in the future more revolution will occur. Even though they'll all start at different times and places, they'll all start the same way, and they'll share many common characteristics. "Animal Farm" is a guide to revolutions, and even though it was written sometime ago, the storyline still pertains to revolutions today.
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Summary: Review of The Animal Farm
Review: George Orwell's The Animal Farm is a great book that bridges the gap between history and fiction. This easy-to-read book is a story of "Manor Farm" and the many animals that live there. At first glance it may appear to be an extra long children's story, however, the reader will soon pick up on the underlying story. This fable is allegorical in nature due to the fact that it tells the story of Soviet communism. This is a story that features a workers' revolt where the working class (the animals) rise up against an oppressive ruling class (humans). This revolt resembles the revolt advocated by Karl Marx, the so-called "father of communism". The animals' revolt against their oppressors only leads to a much harsher oppression within a dictatorship, once again pointing to the Soviet brand of communism. Orwell paints an accurate picture throughout this story of both the dictatorship, which is represented by pigs, and the lesser working class, which is the rest of the animals. Despite the serious nature of Orwell's message, there is some comedy as well as action that make this story a good read. Although this book was originally published in 1946, it is still relevant today. In today's world there are still residual effects of Soviet communism as well as many dictatorships. By reading The Animal Farm one is able to understand the oppressive nature of a dictatorship, and of communism in its impure state, which will allow one to have a better understanding of the tactics dictators use to seize and remain in power. This understanding will also shed light on the events occuring throughout the world today in the form of war and strife. This short book that resembles the nursery rhyme "Old McDonald's Farm" is a much more complex story than it appears. Anyone who considers themselves to be an historian or a casual reader could benefit from reading this classic tale.
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Summary: Review
Review: George Orwell's allegory Animal Farm conveys a strong political message in a universal manner. Stereotypical characters and cycles in Animal Farm illustrate how oppressive governments exert their power over the masses. Written in 1943, as an allegory to Stalin's brutal reign in the Soviet Union Animal Farm outlines how a socialist system can shift towards totalitarian. The corrupt owner of Manor Farm, Mr. Jones, is driven off his land after the wisest of the animals, old Major, has a vision. Driven to starvation and ignited by Old Major's speech, the animals launch a rebellious insurrection. In the period after Jones is driven off the farm, all animals coexist in momentary harmony. A system of government called Animalism is developed under which codes of conduct are introduced in the form of commandments. While the paint from the commandments is still wet, the pigs begin to manipulate their fellow animals. Blatant propaganda is the device used to shepherd the weaker animals into the exploitative pigs regime. Napoleon is the quintessential Stalin both in character and tactics. The very vices and ways of man, once rebelled against, are adopted by the dominating pigs emphasizing the theme: a powerful class need not censor itself, once established. The theme of ignorance runs rampant in Animal Farm. The destruction of Animalism and the behavior of the ignorant are intended to impassion the reader, as well as educate mass society. Orwell's brilliance outlines the nature of power struggles in the relationship of animal to master. Through the manipulation of these relationships Orwell is able to create a universal political message that is as relevant today as it was when it was written.
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Summary: Pigs In Power
Review: George Orwell's, Animal Farm is not only an accurate description of the Russian Revolution but of its key players as well. When you discover whom each animal in the story represents and how the events are parallel to real events of the Russian Revolution, you begin to realize what a truly innovative book this is. Orwell has combined his creative imagination with historical fact and has created a work that has lived well beyond his years. Aside from Orwell's historical overtones, I believe there is a more universal focus that applies not only to the Russian Revolution but to every single conflict of the world in human history: abuse of power. Acton's Law dictates, "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." The purpose of this "law" is not to stress how power over anyone is wrong, quite the contrary. A mother must have the authority to discipline and protect her child, even against the child's wishes, and the same principle can be applied on a larger scale. The focus lies with the absolution of such power and with the authority that goes unregulated. If a law is to be deemed just, what applies to one member of a society must apply to all members of a society. Animal Farm shows us what happens when members of a society are exempt from certain "laws" and even when those "laws" are broken they are exempt from appropriate punishment. Orwell tends to show us the more negative side of politics and like his work, 1984, Animal Farm is no exception. I liked this book and I recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in politics.
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Summary: Brilliant Metaphorical Work
Review: Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is a brilliant metaphorical work that conveys a message of the ruling classes versus the working classes. This "Fairy Story" of animals rising against their oppressive leader is symbolic of the communist movements in Europe and Russia and reflects the characteristics of a society ruled by a dictatorship. The book demonstrates how power can gradually corrupt an individual and lead to a system which may or may not be favorable to the masses. Animal Farm is a story that takes place on a farm in England. It begins with the boar, Old Major, at a meeting which includes all the animals on the farm, telling them of a dream he had about an animal rebellion against their care giver, Mr. Jones. Upon contemplation, the animals decide to rebel. Through key characters such as Snowball, Napoleon, and Boxer, Orwell intertwines their important characteristics and delivers an important message about the effects of a Totalitarian ruled society, its consequences, and the fate of this type of society. Orwell depicts many relevant scenes that contain betrayal, heroism, cowardice, loyalty, and friendship, which are all important in reflecting the nuances and characteristics attributed to a totalitarian-ruled society. Animal Farm, in my opinion, is a truly wonderful book. It deals with many complicated issues, but through the easy writing of Orwell, the reader can understand the issues of communism, capitalism, and the many aspects of a totalitarian dictatorship. The symbolism of each character in the story is clear. The reader sees, for example, that Napoleon represents Stalin, that Snowball represents Trotsky, and that Boxer represents the proletariat. The book blends humor with tragedy. Animal Farm deals with issues of inequality versus equality and the importance of education in determining whether or not one is being unfairly treated. Naivete can be a dangerous characteristic, and Orwell conveys this idea in his story. I strongly recommend this book. It is an easy read compared to other books which try to explain and discuss the same subject matter. With Animal Farm, one can grasp the concepts of Totalitarianism, due to the brilliant writing style of Orwell.
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Summary: A Unique Telling of History
Review: A Unique Telling of History Animal Farm is an excellent source on Totalitarianism. Author George Orwell tells the truth of the Bolshevik revolution and what the communist Soviet Union was like in a make-believe tale. Orwell uses animals to characterize the leaders of the communist movement in Russia. He starts with Old Major who puts the thought into the minds of the animals (the proletariat) rising up against Mr. Jones who is the farm owner (the bourgeois) similar to the way Karl Marx does with the Communist Manifesto. With the thought of revolution implanted, the animals decide to take over the farm. They assume the farm and compose seven commandments to live by, with the most important being that "all animals are equal." The animals seem to have created an animal utopia for themselves, but as the story progresses the characters Napoleon (Stalin) and Snowball (Trotsky) begin to acquire power. Eventually Napoleon takes Snowball out of the picture and gains total control of the farm. The newly equal animal farm then becomes a totalitarian farm. This story is a great way to learn about what can happen in a communist nation. This is a suspenseful tale with events constantly unfolding, keeping the reader captivated and eager to know what will happen next. The tale is an easy and enjoyable read for children and adults alike.
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Summary: Deeply Compelling Writing
Review: Kay Calhoun Book Review - Animal Farm 10/30/00 Animal Farm is a deeply compelling piece of work that asks us to imagine what world figures are represented by Animal Farm characters. The story is about an animal revolt (revolution) against the farm owner to make for better lifestyles and more justice in their existence. Each character in the book (animal) has its own distinct personality and represents someone in world history in the real world. I liked the book immensely, because it was extremely well written by Orwell and the characters were well developed. The book was easy to read and hard to put down. Besides being a pleasure to read about these characters, Orwell's book taught lessons on racism, dictatorship, propaganda, totalitarianism, loyalty and socialism. Orwell was a genius to have real world figures represented by animals and had trouble getting this book published because of the political atmosphere. Orwell obviously used one main character to represent Stalin of the Soviet Union and during World War II it was a hard time to publish anything against an allied country. I highly recommend buying and reading this book and suggest you think about each animal character and who they represent in real life, and you will learn a lot about the Russian Revolution. This book is an eye-opener on the pitfalls of totalitarianism...All this is apparent from a little book about animals! Buy it and read it!
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Summary: Animal Farm
Review: George Orwell's Animal Farm is a superb animation of the Russian Revolutioon. The book is amusing and interesting; it includes a comic element as it synonymously demonstrates the evolution from the proletariat revolution to a totalitarian government led by the swine of the society. Orwell successfully simplified the not-so-simple theory of class stratification and Karl Marx's proposed solution of communism. Orwell's method of conveyance is incredibly inventive. He uses satire in the form of a fairy tale to share his indignation for ideological doctrines that would, if allowed, lead to the eventual destruction of a society. Each character in the story is representative of someone who was involved in the Russian Revolution. Old Major is Marx, and inspires the proletariat revolution by motivating the over-worked animals and educating them on the ways of the human beings, who represent the bourgeoisie. Orwell's creativity convinces the reader that the animals on the farm are intellectual beings, revolting against the tyranny of the humans. Animal Farm offers itself as an example of a responsible criticism of Marxism. The story gives us a peek at the Utopian vision, and then offers a long look at what results from using a Marxist approach at achieving it. I strongly reccomend this book, as it is entertaining and educational. Orwell succeeded in creating a fairy tale that evokes both sadness and laughter, while causing us to feel sympathy and even empathy for the working class animals. The book escapes complexity, but its message does not.
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