Customer Reviews

Animal Farm

5 star:		(546)
4 star:		(222)
3 star:		(70)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

In terms of reading books that are classics, this one is pain free. The language is easy and it's short enough to get through in a day, and best of all the story is entertaining. My advice would be to spend a few hours on the net reading about the Russian Revolution and Stalin's bio before reading to make sure you appreciate all the allusion, allegory, metaphors and all that blah blah stuff that makes it an important book. This is the one book I actually liked when I had to read it in highschool, 10 or so years later I still enjoyed breezing through it.

A fairy tale or a nightmare? It all began with a dream by Major, a Middle White boar, of equality, and freedom from oppression. Maybe not in our life comrade, but eventually.

The dream brings a song. Intolerable conditions lead to revolution. As time passes things change; not exactly as planned.

There are two striking parts to this tale that stand out. First when Boxer is sent to the hospital and Benjamin reads the side of the van "Horse Slaughterer." Secondly there was a party in the farm house as the pigs were playing cards with the men, two aces of spades showed up. An argument ensues. Then a realization was drawn by the creatures outside looking in as they "...looked from pig to man, and man to pig, and from pig to man again..."

Like all classic novels, this one is bound to irritate a few, and delight others. The story begins when Old Major (a prize winning white boar) tells the other animals the dream he had had the night before when all humans are gone and all animals will be free. He tells them about the rebellion, but warns them if it should ever happen the animals must never adapt to human traits or intimidate others. George Orwell's satire represents the Russian Revolution of 1917. Every different character represents a different leader, social group or historical event that happened surrounding the Russian Revolution. For example the pigs represent Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, and Vladimir Lenin. Mr. Jones, representing Czar Nicholas II, spends a lot of his time drinking and neglecting his work. During the reign of Czar Nicholas II, the Russian people experienced terrible poverty and turmoil just like the animals under Mr. Jones lead lives of hunger and want. When Jones neglects feeding the animals, they rebel. After the rebellion the struggle between Napoleon (Joseph Stalin) and Snowball (Leon Trotsky) for control over the farm escalates into major disturbances. When Snowball is run off the farm, Napoleon and Squealer (representing the communist newspaper Pravda) separate themselves more and more from the other animals. Squealer helps Napoleon in twisting the truth to tell the animals. Who is left with the farm? Is the animals' worst fear about Jones coming back going to become a reality? Will the other animals realize a dictator is ruling them? I really enjoyed reading this book because it was easy to follow and didn't use many difficult terms that were hard to understand. Animal Farm is an example of one of those books you would stay up all night just to finish. Must also recommend another great Amazon pick: "Katzenjammer" by Jackson McCrae--very funny and a great glimpse into New York and what one person does to get published.

"Animal farm" is to this day one of the best attempts to criticize a totalitarian regime through the means that literature provides: the power of words. George Orwell (1903- 1950) wanted to help others to realize things that for him were evident, and attempted to do so by writing a fable that can easily be read as a satire of the Russian Revolution. Orwell said in an article that "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism, as I understand it. It seems to me nonsense, in a period like our own, to think that one can avoid writing of such subjects. It is simply a question of which side one takes and what approach one follows".

Orwell also pointed out that "Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole". He succeded beyond his wildest expectations, even though at first nobody wanted to publish this work because it was too controversial.

The plot of this book is relatively easy to grasp, and I think that is probably one of the reasons why it is so popular. Some animals decide to take over the conduction of a farm, because they believe there is too much injustice, and that they would improve the situation if they had the power to do so. They make a revolution, and end up evicting Mr. Jones, the owner of the farm. From that moment onwards, the farm is called "Animal farm"...

The animals establish seven "commandments", that they are supposed to obey at all moments in the new "Animal farm": 1- Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy, 2 - Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend, 3- No animal shall wear clothes, 4 - No animal shall sleep in a bed , 5 -No animal shall drink alcohol, 6 - No animal shall kill another animal , 7- All animals are created equal. At the same time, all commandments can be comprised in a maxim: "Four legs good, two legs bad".

Everything seems all right for sometime, and all the animals work together for the success of the revolution, obeying the commandments and striving for a new order of things. However, after a while the pigs begin to think that being part of the animal revolution is not enough: they want to dominate it. After that first realization things take a quick turn for the worse, and we cease to be in the presence of a "wannabe utopical society", having instead to be unwilling witnesses to the birth of a new totalitarian society.

At that moment, the pigs even change some of the commandments. For example, the fourth commandment turns into "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets", and the sixth commandment says "No animal shall kill another animal without cause". Now, the commandments can be reduced to "Four legs good, two legs better". Finally, all the commandments will be replaced with one: "All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others".

All in all, I consider "Animal farm" extremely interesting, even though it is somewhat sad and pessimistic. The language is clear, and you won't find yourself wondering what the author meant by a phrase, or needing to read a paragraph again. From my point of view, that makes the reading process even more enjoyable.

Despite that, I believe that this book will be considerably more appreciated by those with some basic knowledge regarding the Russian Revolution. Only then will the reader be able to take full advantage of what this short fable can offer him, due to the fact that he will realize without too much effort that some of the fictional characters in "Animal Farm" were inspired by historical characters. For example, Napoleon (one of the pigs) was quite possibly inspired by Stalin, and Snowball (another pig) by Trosky. When you read this book, try to find the characters that represent the proletariat, the Communist Party, the intellectuals, etc... :)

On the whole, I regard this book as one of those you just need to read, but that fortunately you can also enjoy. The messages implicit in "Animal farm" are many, and the questions it makes you pose yourself are even more. But then, what better than a book that makes you THINK ?.

Belen Alcat

Like all classic novels, this one is bound to irritate a few, and delight others. The story begins when Old Major (a prize winning white boar) tells the other animals the dream he had had the night before when all humans are gone and all animals will be free. He tells them about the rebellion, but warns them if it should ever happen the animals must never adapt to human traits or intimidate others. George Orwell's satire represents the Russian Revolution of 1917. Every different character represents a different leader, social group or historical event that happened surrounding the Russian Revolution. For example the pigs represent Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, and Vladimir Lenin. Mr. Jones, representing Czar Nicholas II, spends a lot of his time drinking and neglecting his work. During the reign of Czar Nicholas II, the Russian people experienced terrible poverty and turmoil just like the animals under Mr. Jones lead lives of hunger and want. When Jones neglects feeding the animals, they rebel. After the rebellion the struggle between Napoleon (Joseph Stalin) and Snowball (Leon Trotsky) for control over the farm escalates into major disturbances. When Snowball is run off the farm, Napoleon and Squealer (representing the communist newspaper Pravda) separate themselves more and more from the other animals. Squealer helps Napoleon in twisting the truth to tell the animals. Who is left with the farm? Is the animals' worst fear about Jones coming back going to become a reality? Will the other animals realize a dictator is ruling them? I really enjoyed reading this book because it was easy to follow and didn't use many difficult terms that were hard to understand. Animal Farm is an example of one of those books you would stay up all night just to finish. Must also recommend another great Amazon pick: "Katzenjammer" by Jackson McCrae--very funny and a great glimpse into New York and what one person does to get published.

Short as it is, this work represents all that Orwell had been leading to all his life. It's a satire and a fable -- and in very simple terms outlines the dangers of tyranny, the corruption of ideals. Orwell uses the Communist revolution as a template: and points out how, in the end, 'some animals are more equal than others' -- that is, the essential greediness of us all. In darker, more subtle terms, it suggests, too, that we are, in essense, animals ourselves -- we cannot escape our dark primal nature. And we need to always be aware and vigilant of this. It's a chilling, sad, illuminating and very effective masterpiece. Everytime I read it, it affects me more! Honestly, this book will haunt you. Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Orwell, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, lonesome (but also funny) little novel I can't stop thinking about.

1) "Animal Farm" is not a children's book. Yes, it is thin, and it is about animals. If there are any dim-witted lit teachers out there still assigning this book to their 12-year olds, please stop. They tend to write silly things about it on this site. ("It's boring. Talking animals are stupid.") Have them read Harry Potter instead, or better yet, teach them correct spelling and grammar.

2) "Animal Farm" will not make sense to people who don't have a good understanding of the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union, since this provides the crucial context for understanding the book's metaphorical meaning. (See point 1). Try reading Richard Pipes on the revolution, and Robert Conquest on the Stalinist terror.

3) Note to unreconstructed Stalinists: you will not like "Animal Farm." We knew this already. So save your precious typing fingers from ergonomic disorder, and spare us the "Orwell was in the British secret service" and your anti-historical bull about the Popular Front and whatnot. The Soviets saved the world from Nazism? Two words: Ribbentrop-Molotov. Put a sock in it and go read Eric Hobsbawm or something.

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.

there isn't too much i can say that hasn't already been said, i didn't do any research before reading this book, but I was familiar with the russian revolution. after reading it i figured it was about the russian revolution, stalin, et al, and came online to check it out. sure enough that's what it's about.

i think this is required reading, although i didn't have to read it in high school.

if you haven't read it, please do, it's a short, but fascinating read.

Every time I read something by George Orwell, I'm convinced what a genius he was. This novel, along with 1984, is so entrenched in our collective consciousness now that it is difficult to remember a time when they didn't exist. I think that political extremists on either side would like to subvert Orwell's message for their own purposes. What makes Orwell great however is that he is not simply skewering the left or the right, but politics itself. To paraphrase Woody Allen in Sleeper (his take on 1984) "It doesn't matter who is in charge - they're all terrible."

Historically, Animal Farm was written as a polemic against Soviet communism after Orwell returned from fighting in the Spanish Civil War. Even though the USSR is his main target, Animal Farm reads like a blueprint for every violent revolution ever. I'm also reading a book on the French Revolution, and I'm amazed at how much the two link up. First comes the idyllic phase when the oppressors have been overthrown. Next, the "liberators" soon set themselves up as demi-gods. Next comes marshal law. Eventually, it does become impossible to distinguish the men from the pigs. "All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

This book, written before 1984, introduces some of the themes that Orwell will do much to develop later. For instance, like Big Brother, Napoleon - the leader - gradually does away with the animal's history and memory. He gradually alters the Seven Commandments of animals, while maintaining they were "always" that way. ("We are at war with Eastasia. We have ALWAYS been at war with Eastasia.")

This book is so spot-on in its depiction of human (animal) behavior its scary. Whenever Napoleon institutes another sacrilege, the "sheep" are quick to shout down any opposition with their cry of "Four legs good, two legs bad." Inevitably, this becomes, "Two legs good, four legs bad." Four legs are bad, four legs have ALWAYS been bad...

If you were forced to read this in school, or haven't read it in a long time, give it another chance. It's extremely short and you'll enjoy it.