Animal Farm by George Orwell, C. M. Woodhouse, Russell Baker
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(Mass Market Paperback - 50th Anniversary Edition)
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- ISBN: 0451526341
- Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
- Pub. Date: April 1996
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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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11/29/2009: Animal farm is a complex book about the struggles of unhappy animals and how too much power can change everything. The book strongly resembles the Russian Revolution, in the violence and over throw of their leader. George Orwell captured the reader's attention by giving these animals human characteristic and giving examples of power corrupting them. The Book shows the Animals with high intelligence kicking out Mr. Jones, and making the Manor Farm now 'Animal farm'. At first the Animals were doing great, but the pigs soon became more of a dictator than for the animals. For example Napoleon changed one of the laws to 'all animals are equal, but some are more equal than other.'
The book shows the Pigs becoming more like humans, for example Napoleon. Through out the book it shows how they get the best of things and taking more than others. The first example of this is when Napoleon takes the Apples and Milk and claims the pigs need it more than anyone else. With his lust of power Napoleon shows more of dictator when he takes nine puppies to make them killer guard dogs. And even forcing confessions out of innocent animals and then having them killed in front of all the other Animals. Napoleon is soon sleeping in Mr. Jones bed, sharing and trading with the humans on other farms, drinking alcohol, standing on two feet, eating from Jones plate and overall acting like Mr. Jones. He's the complete image of cruel. When changing the law to 'All animals are equal but some are more equal than others' he showed that he believed he was in complete control of the farm. And to top it all off Napoleon completely changes everything and ignored the words of old Major when he changes the once Animal Farm back into Manor Farm. When writing this book George Orwell showed a great and creative way of showing people how too much power for one person can corrupt them and what they once stood for.You thought Old McDonald had a farm!by Anonymous
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11/27/2009: In the English countryside during the 1900s, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, the owners of the Manor Farm, were run off their land by the animals that served them. The animals believed they would have a better life if they ran the farm themselves. Little did they know that life without humans would be just as bad, if not worse. During their quest for a Utopian society, the animals elected a new leader, Napoleon. He was elected by using typical political maneuvers such as empty promises, lies and manipulation. Obsessed with the power he acquired, Napoleon became a dictator in every sense of the word. In any society, there are leaders and followers. This holds true for the characters of Animal Farm. Power struggles, abuse of power, uneven workloads, stealing, lies, deceit and manipulation were problems that the animals faced during the reign of their new leader.
In George Orwell's work, Animal Farm, the most important part of the book would be Napoleon gaining power and control over the other animals of the farm. This symbolizes dictatorship in an entirely new way. The author's method to attracting the audience to the subject of abuse of power was unconventional and brilliant. Having the main characters being not only animals, but talking animals in their own society facing and dealing with problems that other societies have faced in the past, or even still, will face in the future. I think the author is trying to tell his audience that every society needs a leader, but not a dictator. Power and authority can be very alluring and intoxicating. The author clearly demonstrated power and authority in the wrong hands can only cause drama and chaos. In addition, the author wrote Animal Farm in a different time. This poses a challenge to a modern day reader, as the dialogue was difficult to read, follow and sometimes understand. The plot definitely proved to be an interesting topic and was told from such a different point of view. The author attempted to engage the reader with talking animals, intrigue, abuse of power and other struggles, but as the reader, it did not capture or retain my attention. While I can appreciate classic literature, I prefer the type of novel that engrosses the reader from the first page and continues throughout the book until the conclusion. Animal Farm was not a page-turner, or a book that you wanted to just keep reading. It was a clever and insightful way to introduce dictatorship to a younger audience that may not have learned about this type of leadership. As a classic, it does provide a new spin on this topic; however, I would not recommend it.I Also Recommend: Wuthering Heights, Lord of the Flies, The Scarlet Letter.
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