Animal Farm by George Orwell

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(Hardcover)

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  • Publisher: Archeion Press, LLC
  • Pub. Date: January 2008
  • ISBN-13: 9781605120614
  • Sales Rank: 186,013
  • 112pp
 
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Synopsis

Orwell's classic political fable is often cited as simply a condemnation of Stalinism, which it certainly was, but its political relevance is both wider and more enduring, as novelist Ann Patchett notes in her introductory essay to this new edition. Among the lessons contained in its pages is the need of politicians for "The Enemy" (think Axis of Evil) and the dangers of individuality to oppressive political order. A previous edition of this book was cited in the third edition of Books for College Libraries Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Edmund Wilson

Absolutely first-rate...comparable to Voltaire and Swift. -- The New Yorker

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Animal Farmby Anonymous

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November 21, 2008: I really enjoyed reading the book, Animal Farm by George Orwell. I thought that it was very cool how they put a twist in it. Although it was about animals, the events and plots were taken from the Russian Revolution. I thought that reading this book, that gave you information about the Russian Revolution, was better than reading an informational text about it. For me, it caught my attention and it appealed more to me. I liked how it was a book that you chose what to believe. It didn?t end all fixed up and it didn?t have a tight, explain all that happened ending. I like that for a couple of reasons. One, it let you think what you wanted. I am sure that I have different thoughts than some people. But I don?t think that Snowball was the person going against them, I think that it was Napoleon. Second, it left you thinking about what the ending could have been, and what could have happened. And the ending that you pick would differ depending on what you thought of during the book. Three, I liked the ending, because it showed that everything didn?t get fixed up like a perfect fairy-tale ending. It is not expected, but it really leaves you thinking. And four, it didn?t answer all of the questions weren?t answered, but it doesn?t end in a cliff-hanger, because the questions are all answered by how you thought of the characters and plots. Also, it is like the Russian Revolution ended. One strong thing that I believe is that Napoleon was a horrible leader. I think that he was actually going behind all of the animal?s backs and creating all of the problems. I think that he then blamed Snowball, to make himself look like a better ruler. Because it showed that he could deal with those problems. I think that with all of the change that he did, it was showing that he was incapable of keeping the rules and being a strong, honest leader. But that is not how others think. I think that it would be a great book for discussion topics, because I think that everyone feels and thinks something differently, and that is why I liked it. I loved how that in the book, it felt like you could walk in a know all of the characters. Although they weren?t really described to full detail, as the book went along it really showed the animals character. I really liked how the emotions and details went through the pages and into you, while you were reading it. I loved how it was book that we can learn from and be taught something from, but it was presented in an interesting and creative way. I think that the way it is presented is one of the reasons why I liked it so much. If it was about humans, I don?t think that it would be as interesting. Those are some of the main reasons why I enjoyed reading Animal Farm.

Animal Farmby Anonymous

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November 20, 2008: Sometimes in schools, teachers use puppets to teach the lessons in a less threatening way. Sometimes the best classic books have a hidden lesson behind them, which we must discover for ourselves. I believe that George Orwell used animals in replacement of puppets to teach us a lesson. His book, Animal Farm, teaches an important lesson about how power tends to corrupt. Following fifteen years of wars around the world, the book was published in 1945, which was during a period with many power struggles. In this case I believe he was attempting to teach us an important lesson about how power tends to corrupt.
The animals on The Manor Farm are tired of being underfed, overworked and generally mistreated, so they plan a rebellion. The animals chase Mr. Jones and his men away from the farm. Three pigs, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer, become the new leaders of the farm, and rename it Animal Farm. The pigs begin to educate themselves to read and write. Although they attempt to teach the other animals, the others do not pick it up as fast as they did. It seems natural that these educated pigs begin to think highly of themselves assuming that they are the better race. Attempting to establish peace on the farm, Snowball writes ?The Seven Commandments? on the barn wall. It seems that things are running smoothly on the farm until Napoleon rises into power and chases Snowball off of the farm. After Snowball was chased away, Napoleon begins lying to the animals and makes changes to the original commandments. He makes promises that he does not keep and actually reduces the food rations, promising them that they will be rewarded later. When innocent animals begin to raise questions about the truth, they are put to death. Has the plan for freedom on Animal Farm really gotten them where they wanted to go?
Throughout history there have always been power struggles since humans tend to want to control things. Whether between nations, races, or religions there has always been a need to acquire power. Stephen Vincent Benét said, ?We thought that because we had power, we had wisdom.? Animal Farm reveals that power and wisdom do not necessarily come as a packaged deal. Though Napoleon thought he ruled with wisdom, his desire for power led to corruption. This book will reveal to the reader how things can turn out when power gets into the wrong hands.


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