Animal Farm (1945)

A quick read.
Wasn't the amazing book I thought it would be. Have also just read 1984, so they are similar.



The saddest part was there wasn't any protest from the animals, but that reflects our society still. We just do what we are told as that is easiest. ( )

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.

Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back?

A great depiction of "governments", or what I see left today in my own land. Every character, every event seems to mock the history books, or rather, life in such a country. I loved this book, the very description and the depiction. ( )

Animal Farm is an allegory of Communism. The animals on a farm are told by Major, an old pig, about a dream he had where all the animals of England owned their own farm. Soon after he died but his dream was carried out by the animals led by Snowball and Napoleon, two pigs. They drove Mr. Jones, his wife and the hired men out and settled down to live completely by themselves. They called each other "Comrade" and everyone had equal rights and worked equally hard. Snowball was the acknowledged leader though he was never called such. The humans tried to regain the farm but with tactics memorable of Julius Caesar Snowball drove them away. The movement soon deteriorated and Napoleon, jealous of Snowball's fame, chased him off. Under Napoleon's guidance the pigs became "top dogs" on Animal Farm and eventually all the commandments laid down at the beginning were broken. The book concludes with the pigs looking just like men.

I think Major is comparable to Marx and Snowball to Lenin. Napoleon is Stalin and the rise of the pigs to the leading class is compared to the rise of Stalin's friends to leadership. The comparison of Stalin and his friends to pigs is very apt and very funny.

I enjoyed this book. It is so obviously improbable in the literal sense but it is very applicable to the Communist Party. I got me thinking about Communism and asking questions about it. Before I read Animal Farm I was indifferent to Communism but now I avidly read newspaper articles about it and look up articles in encyclopedias. Animal Farm is not by any means the truth absolute but it sets you on an unending track.

This review was written by me when I was in high school. The date was December 16 1969. ( )

Not a fable, fairy tale, or allegory, Animal Farm is simply a straightforward Horror Story of how groups of creatures
allow fear, lies, deception, denial, stupidity, and cruelty to govern them. Away With Truth! ( )

Even though I read 1984 back in high school, I was never assigned this other Orwellian classic. It is a real shame too since this was one of the most thought-provoking books I read for this assignment. The ending especially where the tyrant pig Napoleon resembles us humans kept me grappling with the book’s themes long after it finished. Similar to some other books I read on this list, it could be placed under other categories. Chief among them for Farm would be 'ILS 516 Modern Fantasy' since it deals with anthropomorphic animals and we know Orwell was the author. But, because you need a knowledge of British affairs to get the most out of this book, it has been placed here. All in all, based upon the thoughts it inspires, Farm should have been a companion of 1984. If I was a teacher, I would certainly advocate for teaching the both of them. ( )