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Animal Farm - George Orwell
Animal Farm
by: (author)
3.96 60
Since its publication in 1946, George Orwell's fable of a workers' revolution gone wrong has been recognized as a classic of modern political satire. Fuelled by Orwell's intense disillusionment with Soviet Communism, Animal Farm is a nearly perfect piece of writing--both an engaging story and... show more
Since its publication in 1946, George Orwell's fable of a workers' revolution gone wrong has been recognized as a classic of modern political satire. Fuelled by Orwell's intense disillusionment with Soviet Communism, Animal Farm is a nearly perfect piece of writing--both an engaging story and an allegory that actually works. When the downtrodden beasts of Manor Farm oust their drunken human master and take over management of the land, all are awash in collectivist zeal. Everyone willingly works overtime, productivity soars and for one brief, glorious season, every belly is full. The animals' Seven Commandment credo is painted in big white letters on the barn. All animals are equal. No animal shall drink alcohol, wear clothes, sleep in a bed or kill a fellow four-footed creature. Those that go upon four legs or wings are friends and the two-legged are, by definition, the enemy. Too soon, however, the pigs, who have styled themselves leaders by virtue of their intelligence, succumb to the temptations of privilege and power. "We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of the farm depend on us. Day and night, we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples." While this swinish brotherhood sells out the revolution, cynically editing the Seven Commandments to excuse their violence and greed, the common animals are once again left hungry and exhausted, no better off than in the days when humans ran the farm. Satire Animal Farm may be, but it's a stony reader who remains unmoved when the stalwart workhorse, Boxer, having given his all to his comrades, is sold to the glue factory to buy booze for the pigs. Orwell's view of Communism is bleak indeed, but given the history of the Russian people since 1917, his pessimism has an air of prophecy. --Joyce Thompson
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9780140126709 (0140126708)
Publisher: Penguin
Pages no: 95
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
nicky2910's book reviews
nicky2910's book reviews rated it
4.5 Animal Farm by George Orwell
This might be one of the most popular stories, mostly read in school. And yes, I read it at school as well, but back then I couldn't appreciate this parable to its fullest. But given the developments in the last 25 years, nations risen and fallen, political systems overthrown in the hope for somethi...
Beyond Strange New Words
Beyond Strange New Words rated it
3.0 Animal Farm
As I understand it, the entire story of Animal Farm is one giant cynical metaphor for a failed communist utopia (because a communist utopia is a fail all of itself). It includes all the most representative tropes from mindless masses (animals) and propaganda (Squealer) to class enemies (upper class/...
theguywhoreads
theguywhoreads rated it
3.0 Where Politics Today Can Be Found In Animal Farm
When I first heard of Animal Farm, my curiosity peaks to a point if I should read it. This was in fact in the 1990s when I heard about it. Of course, I didn't read it at all and never even go further and didn't even know there was a TV live-action movie that was released in 1999 or even the 1954 ani...
Reader & Dreamer
Reader & Dreamer rated it
5.0 Animal Farm
Well worth the read, it's a very powerful story that everyone must read at some point in their lives.& We're doomed, comrades. well, the story in short was that some animals on a farm rebel, throw out the farmer and decide to run the place themselves, influenced by the old major's speech about anima...
Domhnall
Domhnall rated it
5.0 Animal Farm
Worth re-reading at a time when its messages could not be much more topical. From Appendix 1: Orwell's proposed preface to the first edition (not printed then)"Tolerance and decency are deeply rooted in England, but they are not indestructible and they have to be kept alive partly by conscious effo...
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