Animal Farm by George Orwell, Richard Brown (Read by), Ralph Cosham (Read by)

ANIMAL FARM (DANIEL NEAL)
A reviewer, A reviewer, 08/25/2008

I think the author George Orwell really understood what was going on during the Russian revolution, he basically broke it down to where even kids reading it had the same ideas as of what was going on in that time and place. Just like in reality the farm took a turn for the worst, after Napoleon took charge he kind of put the farm back in the way it had been before when farmer Jones used to be in control. The animals started to notice that the commandments that they had set for themselves were changing and were in favor of their comrades the pigs. the experiences that these animals went through were really close to those of the Russian revolution. George Orwell got his opinion stated and opened the eyes of the world.

Where did it go wrong?
Grace Thompson, a FLVS student, 08/24/2008

Grace Thompson August 24, 2008 3.11 Honor Component Animal farm is a compelling tale of how a good plan goes wrong. With corrupt leaders, ignorant followers, and an intense paranoia being the driving forces of the novel. The novel itself is a parody of the real life events that set in motion after the Russian Revolution and the communist take over. George Orwell did a brilliant job recreating the events in a creative way so that young readers can understand the problems that followed the take over of the Russian government. It all started with a prophecy. When and old, wise pig named Old Major see’s a bright future for the animals pending their decision to take control of their lives. Mr. Jones, the irresponsible drunk that was the original owner of Manor Farm, was run off after Old Major’s vision. From there, the animals appeared to be happy. They educated themselves the best that they could, but some animals, the pigs, caught on more easily than others, the sheep and horses. That is where the problem really started. Snowball was a smart pig that often contested with another pig named Napoleon. After the creation of the 7 laws that constituted the Animal Farm, the bitter rivalry between Napoleon and Snowball only escalated until the breaking point which was the windmill. Napoleon was an aggressive, power hungry, egomaniac, that when Snowball contested his windmill idea, Napoleon ran him off the farm later he convinced the other, more vulnerable, animals that Snowball was a traitor and the cause of all the problems they had experienced so far. I thought this was a wonderful play on how Napoleon was very Stalin like in his dominant control of the farm and his totalitarianism. Animal farm is an interesting satire that makes fun of the real life events of the communist movement in the early 1900’s in Russia. It stresses the bad points of Napoleon and how he changed the original vision of a better farm for animal’s, to a distorted vision of the more human like you were the better. With the help of Squealer, a pig infamously known for his persuasive tactics, Napoleon convinced a whole farm of animals that his authority was never to be questioned. That’s what makes this book because it parallels human nature and lets you see how people allow fear and convincing words control their life. By the end of the novel the pigs have complete control of the farm and the farm is failing. This really shows how even a good plan can go very wrong when put into the hand of an irresponsible person.

Animal Farm
Jessica M., a student required to read this boo, 08/24/2008

Depending on one’s character, there are many emotions you will have to bear when reading Animal Farm. Animal Farm is an excellent and riveting story about a power driven pig who manages to con animals on a farm to do just about his every will. He turns a farm that broke from a struggle back into that same hardship. This story makes you want to read the book over and over again. It opens the mind of every reader and allows them to think outside the box. Why did history repeat itself? Is there really such a thing as a happy life? Can any one group of animals break free from the bonds of nature and not be under the rule of a human master? Why does power corrupt almost everyone who has a chance of wielding it? When reading Animal Farm you can’t help but ask yourself questions like “Why does history have a history of repeating itself?” It’s a good question. In the novel the animals break from the bonds of slavery under mankind and for once in their lives taste the sweet taste of freedom, but only for a moment because as quickly as freedom came is as quickly as it was taken away. Then of course you ask yourself another question “Why? What did these animal do to deserve such treatment?” However the answer to that can only be found by reading this book and coming up with your own conclusion. The book is truly a masterpiece. Not only is this book good for critical thinking, but it also deals with fascism and totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is a system of government that has absolute power and requires complete control over all. The animals on the farm are succumb to this lifestyle and through time begin to fall into fascism. Fascism is the belief that power should be given to a single dictator, and demands complete obedience. After this evolves (or devolves) on the farm, and Napoleon gains complete control over all other animal it results in the complete destruction of hope for freedom in the animals on the farm. Animal Farm gives great insight on what the world was, is, and can be like. It can never be out of date and it is a constant reminder of how humans can behave inhumanly, almost like animals. George Orwell has created a masterpiece that will forever be imbedded in the world of readers. It is an unbelievably amazing book and should not be taken lightly. This book really sheds light over how power corrupts the mind and leads to destruction, and (dare I say it) damnation.

Lawnda's Overview of Animal Farm
Lawnda, A reviewer, 08/24/2008

Animal farm is a simple story, the title itself sounds and have the same approach as a kids book. When I first heard the name off the top of my head I was able to predict what the story was simple going to be about. Unfortunately this could not have been a children’s book because Orwell compares this story to World War II. I’ve believe that the story would only state about animals living in a farm, but when studying the author and the title it was mostly about a bloody war and a revolution. This book could be confusing, so the only way possible that a reader could full understand its meaning, they would have already been told by some the mean or like myself read the background of the story. In the begging of the book the theme of the revolution came to play. The book draws all the attention of the readers, and as we read captivates or opinions and interest. It was great to see the Animals living on a English farm turns against their Human master and take over the farm, allowing themselves to be free from neglect and starvation. After kicking out Mr. Jones everything went downhill when trying to regain his farm. At first, life was going great for the animals. As the story goes on the animals made their own rules and socialist government. The pigs became the dominating leaders, who along with their adjoining officials lived in lavishness, while the rest of the animals live like slaves, working and doing their dirty work. Gradually, it became depressing to read page after page, because the pigs took away more, and more of the others animals rights. It all started with the pigs taking the milk all for themselves. And then taking over the government. That Napoleon, the rule master, he even became depressing himself. Concurrently as the story goes on the mood of all the readers may start to change, why? Well, first of all the pig Napoleon or the head master became the most hated character in the book. Named after a French dictator Napoleon, I hated ever living thing about him. I believe if I was a character in the book I will allow him to suffer. Another person I would like to see suffer just like the other pigs, would be Squealer, he is another manipulating pig. At one point of the story, he convince the other animals that they were concerned about boxer health and sent him off to get better but, they sold him to a butcher and gained a wise deed of not money, but whiskey. However being o have a lot of respect for boxer, who is a truly trustworthy character. He cares less of himself and of health and cares more to work hard to gain whatever possible to make the other animals survive. This is a wonderful book, but may not be for everyone. It is indeed confusing and if not read properly, it would be like wasting valuable time. I recommend it for those with a strong mind and a great understanding. Even those young at heart may read this book, but do notice that it’s not for everyone. If easily persuaded it also may not be the book for you. This book not only connect with the Russian Revolution but it also connect with the author himself. Orwell grew up in America during the Russian Revolution, which was his main reason for writing this story. It gave him the ability to express himself, and create a master piece that would be memorable to generations to come, even when he has past.

Animal Farm Book Review
A reviewer, A reviewer, 08/23/2008

Animal Farm Book Review The book Animal Farm takes place on a farm. The farm has a large group of opinionated animals that want to change the way the farm is handled. The animals eventually plan an expulsion to get rid of the farmers. As for the rest of the story, the farm animals take charge of the farm. The animals establish that all animals are equal and should all be respected. They go on and try to keep the farm under control. This did not work for very long. The farm turns into a totalitarian environment. This book has underlying messages that have deeper meanings to them. In order to get the full meaning of the story you must read between the lines. In the story a certain group of animals make themselves the superior group compared to the other animals. They treat everyone poorly and cut down their privileges frequently. If you take a closer look at this situation it is very similar to our government doing budget cuts on the public service employees. This situation in the story defiantly symbolizes the government. Another Event you can compare the story Animal Farm to is the Stalin Era. One of the characters in the story eventually made himself the only leader of the farm by exiling the previous leader. This character is very similar to Joseph Stalin. The story symbolizes the Stalin Era in many ways. In my opinion this book was not a very eventful story. It was very odd. If you want to read a book that makes you think deeply about the actual meaning then it can be enjoyable. The story really makes you think about similar events and explains events about our government more clearly. From reading this story I have gained a new perspective of our world and how it is ran. But, overall the story is somewhat interesting. The story can also educate you on communism. This story is extremely creative and has so much meaning behind it. After reading it you can compare many real life situations to the events in the story. The farm community is a lot like our world today and in history. I think this is a great story that should be a warning of what our world will turn to, especially if the world does not start being controlled with more care and equality.