Rating: 
Summary: Very Accurate description of politicians .
Review: George Orwell did an excellent job in the way he depicted human behavior during the Russian Revolution and the behaviors of the character in Animal Farm. This was a simple and short book, that was one of the reasons I chose to read it. But after the first page, it's like you can put it down until you've read every page. The characters in the book were not unlike many politicians I have read and known about. For example, Napoleon, the pig, represented Stalin and the way he ran Russian during the revolution. This a great book and deserves to be read by anyone that can read. It's a masterpiece in disguise.
Rating:
Summary: Barnyard power struggle parallels Russian Revolution
Review: Orwell's "Animal Farm" is a fast-paced fable about power struggles and corruption. Read literally, it is a simple book with a strong theme. When applied to the Russion Revolution, it becomes a humorous and amusing political sattire. Take a break and read this book! Have fun!
Rating:
Summary: Iowa boy find Animal Farm more exciting than his own farm!
Review: You all know the saying that you can't judge a book by it cover. The book Animal Farm by George Orwell makes this old saying true. Beyond the old tattered pages lies a timeless classic. This story is about the life on a farm. The animals and the farm duties are neglected and the animals are fed up with Farmer Jones. Lead by a prize pig Major, the animals decide to revolt. The animals take over the farm and run the farm for themselves. When doing this they change the name to Animal Farm and now they are completely in charge. Later in the story some of the animals break the rules and make their own rules for life on the farm. This only leads to problems with the operation of the farm. The story of Animal Farm is told in a simple straightforward style. The sentences are often short and simple. "Old Major cleared his throat and began to sing." This story is a fictitious story that is a fable. This means that is usually has a moral and animals act like humans. Orwell did a great job of making these animals very much like humans. In the story for example the dogs still bite and growl, yet the still support Napoleon's drive for political power. Another example is how the pigs eat mash and they also drink whiskey and walk on two legs by the end of the story. I feel the moral of the story was revealed in the last lines of the story. "Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. 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." I hope I didn't ruin the ending of the story for you. This story also has great description that kept me interested. "With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already snoring." I felt that this book was very easy to read; yet the meaning behind it took more time to grasp. It is only 118 pages and can be finished on a rainy afternoon. The story's ending summed up the plot of the story very well. This happened when the last commandment was written "But some animals are more equal than others." This had been proven true when the pigs rebelled from all of the other farm commandments. I liked this book a lot because it seemed to be very realistic. Even though these were animals, their actions were almost just like humans. This story might not be for everyone because of the deep messanges portrayed at the end of the story. Yet I would recommend this book to most anyone because it makes you see that there isn't a perfect society anywhere. There will always be someone that breaks the rules and tries to be better than everyone else.
Rating:
Summary: Muy Bien!
Review: Animal Farm portrays the behavior of humans in a society of farm animals and mirrors the real-life condition of communism. It is an allegory that can be applied to almost any system of government. Although Orwell satirizes the Russian revolution, the book communicates such a shocking message it must be considered a significant work. Abuse of power and the use nepotism to maintain authority are horrifying realities that exist today. The novel entailed descriptions of the different animal characters, each representing a figure in the true drama of the communist revolution in Russia. Benjamin, a pivotal character in representing a facet of society, is depicted as a wise, clever donkey who accepts that life is the way it is and does not try to change it. He saw what the other animals failed to see; the real truth behind the Rebellion -one ruler would only be replaced by another. He represents the intellectuals, and perhaps, the Jews, during the era of communism in Russia. Napoleon used his fellow animals' intrigue with the philosophy of Old Major to deceive them into working towards his goals. When he first established himself as the leader of Animal Farm, he appeared to be a good-hearted and fair ruler. However, as time progressed he became increasingly dictatorial, initially he lied to his populace and eventually he executed anyone who opposed him, all in the name of animalism. As the novel closed, irony was a principal element. Although the animals had undergone a revolution with great personal sacrifice, they ended up in even more oppressive circumstances than that of their former human masters, from which they did not revolt. The book reflects realities of communist totalitarianism in a realistic manner. Animal Farm illustrates the biting irony of socialism corrupted by those very elements which the animals previously overthrew -a greedy ruling class. Orwell ends the novel with the realistic insight that even in a "classless" non-material society, the capable and self-serving bureaucrats who crave power will eventually rise to positions of authority and subjugate the masses to a life of slavery to serve their selfish needs
Rating:
Summary: Clever and highly relevant fable of corruption and tyranny.
Review: While I'm sure that this is not the greatest prose that has ever been written, this book is a joy to read in itself. Orwell, himself a socialist, paints a brilliant allegory of the Russian Revolution and its evolution into Stalinism by 1945 using a fable of a mass of animals on a farm rebelling from their capitalistic oppression by the consumers. It certainly falls short of, as some here seem to beleive, a total economic/philosophical evaluation of Communist societies in general, but nevertheless it's a brilliant satire on their nature and how human (animal) nature betrays idealism.
Rating: 
Summary: New Era Politicians
Review: It was a very interesting concept- the idea of animals taking on the characteristics of politicians is very creative. The concept is related to that of a changing society and changing times; laws must constantly be maintained in order to encompass all different types of people and situations. In the beginning of the story, the animals decided to revolt. This was in an effort to follow the ideas of Major, the old, wise pig. Once the revolt had occured and the animals had taken control,the pigs decided they needed leaders and that they were perfect. The other animals were almost forced to be dependent on the pigs because the pigs created an enviornment in which they were the main source of information. This led to great difficulties between each of the different species, and the animals began to question the authority of the pigs. This created an entire new world of chaos, in which the animals had not just revolted against the humans, but were now in a sense having a revolution inside the world they had created on their own.
Rating:
Summary: Animal Farm was a wonderful book.
Review: Putting animals and communism together was a great idea. George Orwell's ideas about politics and style of writing are great. I recommend this book because it is easy to read and a good lesson.
Rating: 
Summary: Politically related, but still a fantasy.
Review: George Orwell, otherwise known as Eric Blair of England, and the author of Animal Farm, depicts the behavior of human nature in a society of farm animals. This is full of irony and symbolism. The humans were appropriately shown as gods to the animals and the pigs were the leaders of the revolting society. As in any society, there are those in favor of the ruling power, those who just follow along with much support, and those who are traitors. Also, there is a parallel to the Russian Revolution. Those, like me, who know little to nothing about this event, may learn the basic mechanics of this event as if from a textbook. One may use it to study certain aspects of greed, conflict, and freedom that are common in any era. In this novel each animal has a job, but proves that someone has to be a leader. In this the pigs do rule over all, and teach the rest of the animals. They learn how to spell, talk, and even memorize commandments. Some of the animals are too slow, but others learned rather quickly. It is a political satire and I feel Mr.Orwell did well in writing this outlook-on-life changing novel.
Rating:
Summary: So Who's Who?
Review: A quite excellent book and the best political satire I have ever read. Can only be fully appreciated if the reader is familliar with the history of the Russian Revolution. For those who aren't, here is a list of who, or what, I thought the various animals and events represented. Jones:= The Aristocracy. The Old Major:= Lenin. Napoleon:= Stalin. Snowball:= Trotsky. Squealer:= Beria?. Boxer:= The male Peasants. Dolly:= The female Peasants. The Pigs:= The Communist Party. The Dogs:= The NKVD. The Sheep:= The Army. The Raven:= The Clergy. The Donkey:= The Intellectuals, maybe the Jews. The Windmill:= Stalin's 5 year plans. Frederick`s Farm:= Germany. Pilkington Farm:= The West. The Counterfeit Money:= The Molotov-Rippentrop Pact. Hope this is useful.
Rating:
Summary: A Student's View (Village Academy)
Review: The greatest part of Animal Farm is the different levels that it can be understood at and the huge amount of symbolism within the book. Although it is written in context of the Russian revolution, the basic motion that the book ran, correspond with most revolutions. I did not enjoy this book as much as Orwell's 1984, due to the simple and less descriptive language. Although it is a fairly interesting book and contains important historical context, it is not one that I would pick up again.
|
