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Animal Farm by George Orwell

All Animals are Equal but Some Animals are more Equal than Others

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace and Company
Genre: Allegory, Satire
First Publication: 1945
Language: English

Major Characters: Snowball, Napoleon, Clover, Boxer, Old Major, Muriel, Jones, Squealer, Moses the Raven, Benjamin

Setting Place: A farm somewhere in England in the first half of the 20th century

Theme: Revolution and Corruption, Totalitarianism, Power, Soviet Union

Narrator: Third Person narration

Book Summary: Animal Farm by George Orwell

As ferociously fresh as it was more than a half century ago, this remarkable allegory of a downtrodden society of overworked, mistreated animals, and their quest to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality is one of the most scathing satires ever published.

As we witness the rise and bloody fall of the revolutionary animals, we begin to recognize the seeds of totalitarianism in the most idealistic organization; and in our most charismatic leaders, the souls of our cruelest oppressors.

Book Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell captures the themes of oppression, rebellion and history repeating itself. Animal Farm begins like an ambitious children’s tale: After Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, falls asleep in a drunken stupor, all of his animals meet in the big barn at the request of old Major, a 12-year-old pig. Major delivers a rousing political speech about the evils inflicted upon them by their human keepers and their need to rebel against the tyranny of Man.

Shortly after, when Jones forgets to feed the animals, the revolution occurs, and Jones and his men are chased off the farm. Manor Farm is renamed Animal Farm, and the Seven Commandments of Animalism are painted on the barn wall, the most important being “ All animals are created equal “, which is later changed into “ All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. ” Through the revision of the commandments, Orwell demonstrates how simply political dogma can be turned into malleable propaganda.

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

Animal Farm by George Orwell maybe not really children’s book material! There’s some heavy stuff. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. He believed, the Soviet Union had become a brutal dictatorship, built upon a cult of personality and enforced by a reign of terror.

“I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job. The turning-point of the story was supposed to be when the pigs kept the milk and apples for themselves.” – George Orwell on Animal Farm

In his essay Why I Write (1946), he wrote that Animal Farm was the first book in which he tried, with full consciousness of what he was doing, “ to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole “. In my humble opinion, he mastered that with flying colors.

The revolt of the animals against Farmer Jones is Orwell’s analogy with the October 1917 Bolshevik Revolution . The Battle of the Cowshed has been said to represent the allied invasion of Soviet Russia in 1918. The pigs’ rise to pre-eminence mirrors the rise of a Stalinist bureaucracy in the USSR, just as Napoleon’s emergence as the farm’s sole leader reflects Stalin’s emergence. The pigs’ appropriation of milk and apples for their own use stands as an analogy for the crushing of the left-wing 1921 Kronstadt revolt against the Bolsheviks, and the difficult efforts of the animals to build the windmill suggest the various Five Year Plans.

“The only good human being is a dead one.”

I am not a history buff and I wasn’t acquainted with all of the historic events mirrored in Animal Farm, nonetheless, Orwell’s narrative remained accessible, since it can not only be coined to the Russian Revolution but to revolutions and change in leadership in general. Animal Farm by George Orwell details the history of humankind on this planet. History repeating itself. People being driven by money and profit.

Animal Farm by George Orwell closes with the pigs and men in a kind of rapprochement, reflected Orwell’s view of the 1943 Teheran Conference that seemed to display the establishment of “ the best possible relations between the USSR and the West “—but in reality were destined, as Orwell presciently predicted, to continue to unravel. The disagreement between the allies and the start of the Cold War is suggested when Napoleon and Pilkington, both suspicious, “ played an ace of spades simultaneously “. Of course, only one of the two is technically cheating, but Orwell does not indicate which one because such a fact is unimportant.

Another theme of Animal Farm by George Orwell that also strikes a satiric note is the idea of religion being the “ opium of the people ” (as Karl Marx famously wrote). Moses the raven’s talk of Sugarcandy Mountain originally annoys many of the animals, since Moses, known as a “teller of tales,” seems an unreliable source. At this point, the animals are still hopeful for a better future and therefore dismiss Moses’ stories of a paradise elsewhere. As their lives worsen, however, the animals begin to believe him, because “ Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious; Was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere else? ”

“Man serves the interests of no creature except himself.”

Here, Orwell mocks the futile dreaming of a better place that clearly does not exist. The pigs allow Moses to stay on the farm — and even encourage his presence by rewarding him with beer — because they know that his stories of Sugarcandy Mountain will keep the animals docile: As long as there is some better world somewhere — even after death — the animals will trudge through this one. Thus Orwell implies that religious devotion — viewed by many as a noble character trait — can actually distort the ways in which one thinks of his or her life on earth.

In conclusion, Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novel that completely shook me. A novel that will haunt and accompany for the rest of my life, and that I will continue to dread and look forward to picking up again and again and again.

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Animal farm, common sense media reviewers.

Classic satirical allegory about the abuse of power.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

George Orwell's novel about totalitarianism in gen

The main message of Animal Farm is pretty bleak—in

Many of the characters care about their community,

The different animal species represent human socia

The animals rebel against their human master and c

Even though the use of alcohol is prohibited on th

Educational Value

George Orwell's novel about totalitarianism in general and Stalinism in particular is one of the most famous satires in the English language. It comments on Soviet Russia specifically and human folly in general. That said, extra research is needed to tie the characters and events of Animal Farm to their counterparts in history.

Positive Messages

The main message of Animal Farm is pretty bleak—in essence, "Don't let this happen." Most animals mean well and want their farm to succeed, but none are a match for the treachery of their leaders. It takes humility, perseverance, and teamwork to achieve something seemingly impossible, like animals running their own farm. You need courage to speak out against injustice and integrity to make the world better for others (which the surviving animals ultimately lack).

Positive Role Models

Many of the characters care about their community, but few understand how they're being exploited until it's too late. For example, Boxer the horse steadfastly supports the farm and pushes himself to great acts of strength for the good of all. But even he is unprepared for his ultimate fate once he's no longer needed. Animals like Snowball, the four feeder pigs, and the hens show courage and integrity in standing up for what's right, but they're overwhelmed by Napoleon and his corrupt followers.

Diverse Representations

The different animal species represent human social classes. Pigs place themselves at the top of the hierarchy along with the dogs they've trained to serve them, and they classify everyone else on the farm as a "lower animal." The few humans in this world are presumably White and mostly male. Female representation is limited: There's the steadfast, matronly horse Clover, who mostly tends to her partner, Boxer, and the shallow, vain horse Mollie, who leaves the farm early on. Other women play small roles, from the farmer's wife to the hens and sows.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

The animals rebel against their human master and chase him from the farm. When Farmer Jones returns with his neighbors, now armed with a gun, the animals attack the intruders and inflict various bites and cuts on them. Later, the pigs use their guard dogs to keep order on the farm. Some animals are publicly executed for crimes for which they've supposedly confessed. Animals die in another battle with the humans. The violence in the novel isn't described in detail, but its emotional implications might be upsetting.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Even though the use of alcohol is prohibited on the farm, the pigs eventually feel free to get drunk whenever the mood strikes them.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Animal Farm is George Orwell 's biting satire of totalitarianism, written in the wake of World War II and published amid the rise of Soviet Russia. Though it tells a fairly simple story of barnyard animals trying to manage themselves after rebelling against their masters, the novel demonstrates how easily good intentions can cross into tyranny. The animals create rules for their new farm, including no killing and no alcohol, but the pigs slowly change the rules, leading to executions and frequent drunkenness on their part. There are a couple of battles between the animals and the humans, who are eager to regain control, but violence isn't described in detail. Most of the animals show perseverance, humility, and teamwork, but admirable characters such as the hard-working horse Boxer and the idealistic pig Snowball are tragically overwhelmed by the selfish, scheming pig Napoleon and his corrupt regime.

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Community reviews.

Parents say (15)
Kids say (126)

Based on 15 parent reviews

ANIMAL FARMIO

Epic rap battles of history : squealer vs. joseph stalin, what's the story.

In ANIMAL FARM, animals rise up against the oppressive Farmer Jones and chase him away. They plan to run the farm themselves, for their own benefit. At first, the animals are able to work together and support one another. But gradually the pigs make suggestions about how the farm should be run. Before long, the pigs are at the top of the social ladder, and the rest of the animals are wondering what happened.

Is It Any Good?

The story and language are very simple but unnervingly precise as this trenchant book depicts each step on the road from revolution to tyranny. Animal Farm has been popular and highly acclaimed since its publication in 1945, and rightly so. It's a deceptively simple parable that makes strong points about the importance of education, the perils of propaganda, and the need to keep all leaders in check. It's crushing to watch the idealism of the animals get twisted and taken advantage of by greedy leaders (even more so when we remember this was based on actual human events). Telling the story through familiar barnyard animals makes the bitter pill easier to swallow. In 2005, Time magazine chose it as one of the 100 best English-language novels, and the book ranks at 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th Century Novels.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about totalitarianism in Animal Farm : what it means, how it shaped the 20th century, and whether it still exists today.

Soon after they take over the farm, the animals agree to follow "The Seven Commandments." The rules seem fairly basic, but they're changed over the course of the novel. How do leaders today change the rules to achieve their own agendas?

One of the novel's most famous quotes is "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." What might that paradoxical statement mean?

Why do you think Animal Farm is often required reading in school?

How do the animals on Animal Farm show perseverance , humility , and teamwork ? Which characters show courage and integrity ? Why are these important character strengths ? How might more courage and integrity from the rest of the characters have changed the story?

Book Details

Author : George Orwell
Genre : Literary Fiction
Topics : Horses and Farm Animals
Character Strengths : Courage , Humility , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
Book type : Fiction
Publication date : August 17, 1945
Number of pages : 128
Last updated : June 8, 2015

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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A Summary and Analysis of George Orwell’s Animal Farm

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Animal Farm is, after Nineteen Eighty-Four , George Orwell’s most famous book. Published in 1945, the novella (at under 100 pages, it’s too short to be called a full-blown ‘novel’) tells the story of how a group of animals on a farm overthrow the farmer who puts them to work, and set up an equal society where all animals work and share the fruits of their labours.

However, as time goes on, it becomes clear that the society the animals have constructed is not equal at all. It’s well-known that the novella is an allegory for Communist Russia under Josef Stalin, who was leader of the Soviet Union when Orwell wrote the book. Before we dig deeper into the context and meaning of Animal Farm with some words of analysis, it might be worth refreshing our memories with a brief summary of the novella’s plot.

Animal Farm: plot summary

The novella opens with an old pig, named Major, addressing his fellow animals on Manor Farm. Major criticises Mr Jones, the farmer who owns Manor Farm, because he controls the animals, takes their produce (the hens’ eggs, the cows’ milk), but gives them little in return. Major tells the other animals that man, who walks on two feet unlike the animals who walk on four, is their enemy.

They sing a rousing song in favour of animals, ‘Beasts of England’. Old Major dies a few days later, but the other animals have been inspired by his message.

Two pigs in particular, Snowball and Napoleon, rouse the other animals to take action against Mr Jones and seize the farm for themselves. They draw up seven commandments which all animals should abide by: among other things, these commandments forbid an animal to kill another animal, and include the mantra ‘four legs good, two legs bad’, because animals (who walk on four legs) are their friends while their two-legged human overlords are evil. (We have analysed this famous slogan here .)

The animals lead a rebellion against Mr Jones, whom they drive from the farm. They rename Manor Farm ‘Animal Farm’, and set about running things themselves, along the lines laid out in their seven commandments, where every animal is equal. But before long, it becomes clear that the pigs – especially Napoleon and Snowball – consider themselves special, requiring special treatment, as the leaders of the animals.

Nevertheless, when Mr Jones and some of the other farmers lead a raid to try to reclaim the farm, the animals work together to defend the farm and see off the men. A young farmhand is knocked unconscious, and initially feared dead.

Things begin to fall apart: Napoleon’s windmill, which he has instructed the animals to build, is vandalised and he accuses Snowball of sabotaging it. Snowball is banished from the farm. During winter, many of the animals are on the brink of starvation.

Napoleon engineers it so that when Mr Whymper, a man from a neighbouring farm with whom the pigs have started to trade (so the animals can acquire the materials they need to build the windmill), visits the farm, he overhears the animals giving a positive account of life on Animal Farm.

Without consulting the hens first, Napoleon organises a deal with Mr Whymper which involves giving him many of the hens’ eggs. They rebel against him, but he starves them into submission, although not before nine hens have died. Napoleon then announces that Snowball has been visiting the farm at night and destroying things.

Napoleon also claims that Snowball has been in league with Mr Jones all the time, and that even at the Battle of the Cowshed (as the animals are now referring to the farmers’ unsuccessful raid on the farm) Snowball was trying to sabotage the fight so that Jones won.

The animals are sceptical about this, because they all saw Snowball bravely fighting alongside them. Napoleon declares he has discovered ‘secret documents’ which prove Snowball was in league with their enemy.

Life on Animal Farm becomes harder for the animals, and Boxer, while labouring hard to complete the windmill, falls and injures his lung. The pigs arrange for him to be taken away and treated, but when the van arrives and takes him away, they realise too late that the van belongs to a man who slaughters horses, and that Napoleon has arranged for Boxer to be taken away to the knacker’s yard and killed.

Squealer lies to the animals, though, and when he announces Boxer’s death two days later, he pretends that the van had been bought by a veterinary surgeon who hadn’t yet painted over the old sign on the side of the van. The pigs take to wearing green ribbons and order in another crate of whisky for them to drink; they don’t share this with the other animals.

A few years pass, and some of the animals die, Napoleon and Squealer get fatter, and none of the animals is allowed to retire, as previously promised. The farm gets bigger and richer, but the luxuries the animals had been promised never materialised: they are told that the real pleasure is derived from hard work and frugal living.

Then, one day, the animals see Squealer up on his hind legs, walking on two legs like a human instead of on four like an animal.

The other pigs follow; and Clover and Benjamin discover that the seven commandments written on the barn wall have been rubbed off, to be replace by one single commandment: ‘All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.’ The pigs start installing radio and a telephone in the farmhouse, and subscribe to newspapers.

Finally, the pigs invite humans into the farm to drink with them, and announce a new partnership between the pigs and humans. Napoleon announces to his human guests that the name of the farm is reverting from Animal Farm to the original name, Manor Farm.

The other animals from the farm, observing this through the window, can no longer tell which are the pigs and which are the men, because Napoleon and the other pigs are behaving so much like men now.

Things have gone full circle: the pigs are no different from Mr Jones (indeed, are worse).

Animal Farm: analysis

First, a very brief history lesson, by way of context for Animal Farm . In 1917, the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, was overthrown by Communist revolutionaries.

These revolutionaries replaced the aristocratic rule which had been a feature of Russian society for centuries with a new political system: Communism, whereby everyone was equal. Everyone works, but everyone benefits equally from the results of that work. Josef Stalin became leader of Communist Russia, or the Soviet Union, in the early 1920s.

However, it soon became apparent that Stalin’s Communist regime wasn’t working: huge swathes of the population were working hard, but didn’t have enough food to survive. They were starving to death.

But Stalin and his politicians, who themselves were well-off, did nothing to combat this problem, and indeed actively contributed to it. But they told the people that things were much better since the Russian Revolution and the overthrow of the Tsar, than things had been before, under Nicholas II. The parallels with Orwell’s Animal Farm are crystal-clear.

Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution and the formation of a Communist regime in Russia (as the Soviet Union). We offer a fuller definition of allegory in a separate post, but the key thing is that, although it was subtitled A Fairy Story , Orwell’s novella is far from being a straightforward tale for children. It’s also political allegory, and even satire.

The cleverness of Orwell’s approach is that he manages to infuse his story with this political meaning while also telling an engaging tale about greed, corruption, and ‘society’ in a more general sense.

One of the commonest techniques used in both Stalinist Russia and in Animal Farm is what’s known as ‘gaslighting’ (meaning to manipulate someone by psychological means so they begin to doubt their own sanity; the term is derived from the film adaptation of Gaslight , a play by Patrick Hamilton).

For instance, when Napoleon and the other pigs take to eating their meals and sleeping in the beds in the house at Animal Farm, Clover is convinced this goes against one of the seven commandments the animals drew up at the beginning of their revolution.

But one of the pigs has altered the commandment (‘No animal shall sleep in a bed’), adding the words ‘ with sheets ’ to the end of it. Napoleon and the other pigs have rewritten history, but they then convince Clover that she is the one who is mistaken, and that she’s misremembered what the wording of the commandment was.

Another example of this technique – which is a prominent feature of many totalitarian regimes, namely keep the masses ignorant as they’re easier to manipulate that way – is when Napoleon claims that Snowball has been in league with Mr Jones all along. When the animals question this, based on all of the evidence to the contrary, Napoleon and Squealer declare they have ‘secret documents’ which prove it.

But the other animals can’t read them, so they have to take his word for it. Squealer’s lie about the van that comes to take Boxer away (he claims it’s going to the vet, but it’s clear that Boxer is really being taken away to be slaughtered) is another such example.

Communist propaganda

Much as Stalin did in Communist Russia, Napoleon actively rewrites history , and manages to convince the animals that certain things never happened or that they are mistaken about something. This is a feature that has become more and more prominent in political society, even in non-totalitarian ones: witness our modern era of ‘fake news’ and media spin where it becomes difficult to ascertain what is true any more.

The pigs also convince the other animals that they deserve to eat the apples themselves because they work so hard to keep things running, and that they will have an extra hour in bed in the mornings. In other words, they begin to become the very thing they sought to overthrow: they become like man.

They also undo the mantra that ‘all animals are equal’, since the pigs clearly think they’re not like the other animals and deserve special treatment. Whenever the other animals question them, one question always succeeds in putting an end to further questioning: do they want to see Jones back running the farm? As the obvious answer is ‘no’, the pigs continue to get away with doing what they want.

Squealer is Napoleon’s propagandist, ensuring that the decisions Napoleon makes are ‘spun’ so that the other animals will accept them and carry on working hard.

And we can draw a pretty clear line between many of the major characters in Animal Farm and key figures of the Russian Revolution and Stalinist Russia. Napoleon, the leader of the animals, is Joseph Stalin; Old Major , whose speech rouses the animals to revolution, partly represents Vladimir Lenin, who spearheaded the Russian Revolution of 1917 (although he is also a representative of Karl Marx , whose ideas inspired the Revolution); Snowball, who falls out with Napoleon and is banished from the farm, represents Leon Trotsky, who was involved in the Revolution but later went to live in exile in Mexico.

Squealer, meanwhile, is based on Molotov (after whom the Molotov cocktail was named); Molotov was Stalin’s protégé, much as Squealer is encouraged by Napoleon to serve as Napoleon’s right-hand (or right-hoof?) man (pig).

Publication

Animal Farm very nearly didn’t make it into print at all. First, not long after Orwell completed the first draft in February 1944, his flat on Mortimer Crescent in London was bombed in June, and he feared the typescript had been destroyed. Orwell later found it in the rubble.

Then, Orwell had difficulty finding a publisher. T. S. Eliot, at Faber and Faber, rejected it because he feared that it was the wrong sort of political message for the time.

The novella was eventually published the following year, in 1945, and its relevance – as political satire, as animal fable, and as one of Orwell’s two great works of fiction – shows no signs of abating.

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Animal farm, by george orwell, recommendations from our site.

“ Animal Farm sticks in everybody’s mind. ‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others’. Again, this is something read twice. I read it for the first time when I was 14 or 15 and it was a funny story about badly behaved animals, but then I read it again at college and someone pointed out to me that this was sharp social satire. I thought it was an animal story, a kids’ book, but when I took another look at it I realised what he was getting at. The Soviet leadership was pretty well represented there.” Read more...

The Best Political Satire Books

P. J. O’Rourke , Political Commentator

“I picked Animal Farm because it is an allegory about power and its seductive and corruptive influence on people regardless of their initial good intentions.” Read more...

The best books on Holding Power to Account

Heather Brooke , Journalist

There is the extraordinary political impact of those two books, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, actually releasing out of the barrel a number of highly unpleasant but necessary truths about the way oligarchy and authoritarianism works in the mid-20th century, at a time when a lot of people were determined that those things shouldn’t be said. When Orwell was trying to get Animal Farm published in the mid 1940s, it was rejected by at least one English publishing firm because they had been recommended to turn it down by the Ministry of Information on the grounds that it was politically inadvisable, given that the Soviet Union were our allies. And Peter Smollett, the man who’d advised that the book be rejected, was actually a Soviet spy. That just shows you how convoluted the situation was in Britain in the mid-1940s.

The Best George Orwell Books recommended by D J Taylor

I remember when I was in Bulgaria during the takeover, and one of President Kolarov’s entourage asked, ‘Could you get me Orwell’s book?’. That meant his first book, Animal Farm . When I gave it to this party veteran and he read it, he said Orwell must have come from a Communist country. But of course Orwell didn’t – so it was possible to understand communism without having been there.

The best books on Communism recommended by Robert Conquest

He wrote this book ( 1984 ) in 1948, when he was dying of tuberculosis, in a great burst of passionate determination, because he could see long before other people where totalitarianism and communism were heading. Animal Farm had told it as a kind of dark fairy-tale, but this was the culmination. The intellectual dishonesty of the Left, which refused to see how evil Stalin was, is despicable, and Orwell was brave enough to stand up to his friends as well as his enemies.

Books that Changed the World recommended by Amanda Craig

I could recommend you Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men , Orwell’s Animal F a rm or Kafka’s The Metamorphosis , all of which clock in at around 100 pages in length. But perhaps these are too obvious, as they are often set texts in high school.

Very Short Books You Can Read In A Day recommended by Cal Flyn

Other books by George Orwell

Down and out in paris and london by george orwell, burmese days by george orwell, a clergyman’s daughter by george orwell, keep the aspidistra flying by george orwell, the road to wigan pier by george orwell, homage to catalonia by george orwell, our most recommended books, funny story by emily henry, the last murder at the end of the world by stuart turton, the tainted cup by robert jackson bennett, three eight one by aliya whiteley, the tower: a novel by flora carr.

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Book review: “Animal Farm” by George Orwell

“Oh, I read that — in high school, I think,” the waitress said as she saw me with George Orwell’s 1945 novel Animal Farm .

“Yeah, I might have even read it in grade school,” I said. “It’s different reading it now. Back then, it was all about Communism. Now, it’s about….well, everything.”

Animal Farm was less than two decades old when I read it sometime in the early 1960s, but it was already a classic. That was, in part, because it was heavily promoted by our elders as a total indictment of the Soviet Union and its totalitarian form of Communism.

There’s no question that Orwell, who died in 1950, patterned the events in his short novel on the Russian Revolution and on the resulting government that evolved into a top-heavy, brutal regime based on lying and terror. It seemed made-to-order for the rabid anti-Reds in America in that era, and Orwell’s fable-like simplicity in telling the story meant it was assigned to an entire generation to preteens and teens.

I suspect, however, that, had he lived longer, Orwell would have been chagrined at how his novel had been pigeon-holed as an anti-Communist tract — because it isn’t.

How power corrupts

Orwell’s simplicity of language isn’t a dumbing down of the story to make it palatable for children. There is genius in the way he walks the reader through the tale, and, if it seems easy to read, that, I’m sure, is because Orwell wanted everyone, including adults, regardless of their education, to be able to take it in.

It is a modern fable, a parable, a story to teach a lesson. And the lesson is about more than Russian Communists.

It’s a lesson about how power corrupts, no matter the situation.

In the novel, the animals on Manor Farm revolt against Farmer Jones and win possession and control of the farm. And, the next day, they gather on a knoll from which they can see their shared domain:

Yes, it was theirs — everything that they could see was theirs! In the ecstasy of that thought they gamboled round and round, they hurled themselves into the air in great leaps of excitement. They rolled in the dew, they cropped mouthfuls of the sweet summer grass, they kicked up clods of the black earth and snuffed its rich scent.

Echoes any revolution

Over the next hundred pages, the pigs who led the revolt — Napoleon and Snowball, and their spokesman Squealer — gather more and more power unto themselves. The two leaders have a falling out, and Snowball is chased away, lucky to survive with his life. The Seven Commandments that were promulgated in the aftermath of the rebellion are increasingly adjusted to the benefit of Napoleon and the other pigs, and their dog allies.

One of the most shocking developments is the line of animals who are forced to confess to crimes against the farm and are immediately executed. Then, Boxer, the steadfast, salt-of-the-earth workhorse, breaks down with age and overwork and is sent off to the knacker’s to be killed and turned into glue.

The story fits the first half century of the Soviet Union, but it also echoes what happens in any rebellion, whether the French Revolution or the American Revolution or ones still to come.

The idealism at the beginning of a revolt has to do with equality, but that equality will soon fade away as those with power use their power. As Napoleon eventually tells the other animals in the form of a new commandment that replaces the earlier ones:

“ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.”

As Animal Farm details, those in power keep control by using their power for that purpose. They also use propaganda and terror and statistics and high ideals and outright lies.

Orwell’s novel is not just a fable. It is also a warning to the multitudes of any nation that those in power will do whatever they can get away with in order to stay in charge.

Oh, you may say, it hasn’t happened here in the United States in the way Orwell as written. It won’t happen here. It can’t happen here.

Of course, it has been happening, as anyone paying attention can attest to.

One last note: There’s no happy ending to Animal Farm .

Patrick T. Reardon

Written by : Patrick T. Reardon

For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.

Orwell’s Fables

George orwell's story is too close to recent historical events without being close enough..

George Orwell in his critical writings shows imagination and taste; his wit is both edged and human. Few writers of any period have been able to use the English language so simply and accurately to say what they mean, and at the same time to mean something. The news that he had written a satirical allegory, telling the story of a revolution by farm animals against their cruel and dissolute master, and of their subsequent fortunes, was like the smell of a roast from a kitchen ruled by a good cook, near the end of a hungry morning. The further news that this book had been chosen and was being pushed by the Book of the Month Club, though it occasioned surprise, was pleasant because it seemed to herald one of those instances when unusual talent of the sort rarely popular receives recognition and a great tangible reward.

There are times when a reviewer is happy to report that a book is bad because it fulfills his hope that the author will expose himself in a way that permits a long deserved castigation. This is not one of them, I was expecting that Orwell would again give pleasure and that his satire of the sort of thing which democrats deplore in the Soviet Union would be keen and cleansing. Instead, the book puzzled and saddened me. It seemed on the whole dull. The allegory turned out to be a creaking machine for saying in a clumsy way things that have been said better directly. And many of the things said are not instantly recognized as the essence of truth, but are of the sort which start endless and boring controversy.

Orwell does know his farm animals and gives them vivid personalities. Many will recognize Benjamin, the donkey who never commits himself, never hurries and thinks that in the end nothing much matters. Mollie the saddle horse, who wanders from the puritanical path of the revolution to seek ribbons for her mane, the cat who never does any work, the hens who sabotage by laying their eggs in the rafters, Clover and Boxer, the powerful, trusting and honest draught horses, are all real enough. But these spontaneous creatures seem in action like circus animals performing mechanically to the crack of the story-teller’s whip.

Part of the trouble lies in the fact that the story is too close to recent historical events without being close enough. Major, the aged pig who on his deathbed tells the animals of their oppression and prophesies revolution, must be Karl Marx. His two followers who lead the revolution, Napoleon and Snowball, are then readily identified as Lenin and Trotsky. This identification turns out to be correct in the case of Snowball, but the reader soon begins to puzzle over the fact that Napoleon disapproves the project of building a windmill—an obvious symbol for electrification and industrialization—whereas this was Lenin’s program. The puzzlement is increased when Napoleon chases out Snowball as a traitor; it was Stalin who did this.

And so it goes through incident after incident. The young dogs are alone selected for schooling; later they appear as the secret police. Is this a picture of Soviet education? The pigs not only keep the best food for themselves, but also become drunkards, taking over the pasture reserved for retirement of the superannuated in order to raise the necessary barley. Of course prohibition was abolished early in the revolution, but have the leaders drunk too much and has social insurance been abolished? There is a pathetic incident when Boxer, the sturdy and loyal old work horse, is sent off to be slaughtered and turned into dog food and bone meal, under the pretext that he is being hospitalized. Just what part of Soviet history corresponds to this?

Nobody would suppose that good allegory is literally accurate, but when the reader is continually led to wonder who is who and what aspect of reality is being satirized, he is prevented either from enjoying the story as a story or from valuing it as a comment. Masters like Swift and Anatole France, with whom Orwell is compared in the blurbs, were not guilty of this fault. They told good stories, the interest of which did not lie wholly in their caricature. And their satire, however barbed, was not dependent on identification of historical personages or specific events.

The thoughtful reader must be further disturbed by the lack of clarity in the main intention of the author. Obviously he is convinced that the animals had just cause for revolt and that for a time their condition was improved under the new regime. But they are betrayed by their scoundrelly, piggish leaders. In the end, the pigs become indistinguishable from the men who run the other nearby farms; they walk on two legs, have double and triple chins, wear clothes and carry whips. Animal Farm reverts to the old Manor Farm in both name and reality.

No doubt this is what George Orwell thinks has happened in Russia. But if he wants to tell us why it happened, he has failed. Does he mean to say that not these pigs, but Snowball, should have been on top? Or that all the animals should have been merged in a common primitive communism without leaders or organization? Or that it was a mistake to try to industrialize, because pastoral simplicity is the condition of equality and cooperation? Or that, as in the old saw criticizing socialism, the possibility of a better society is a pipe-dream, because if property were distributed equally, the more clever and selfish would soon get a larger share and things would go on as of old? Though I am sure he did not intend this moral, the chances are that a sample poll of the book-club readers in the United States would indicate that a large majority think so and will heartily approve the book on that account.

There is no question that Orwell hates tyranny, sycophancy, deceitful propaganda, sheeplike acceptance of empty political formulas. His exposures of these detestable vices constitute the best passages in the book. There have been plenty of such abuses in Russia, They also crop up in other places. It is difficult to believe that they determined the whole issue of the Russian revolution, or that Russia is now just like every other nation. No doubt in some respects she is worse than most; in other respects she may be better.

It seems to me that the failure of this book (commercially it is already assured of tremendous success) arises from the fact that the satire deals not with something the author has experienced, but rather with stereotyped ideas about a country which he probably does not know very well. The plan for the allegory, which must have seemed a good one when be first thought of it, became mechanical in execution. It almost appears as if he had lost his zest before be got very far with the writing. He should try again, and this time on something nearer home.

Animal Farm

By george orwell.

‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell, an allegorical novel, tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human masters to create a society of equality and freedom.

Article written by Mizpah Albert

M.A. in English Literature and a Ph.D. in English Language Teaching.

However, as the story progresses, it is clear that certain things are easy said than done.

‘Spoiler-free’ Summary of Animal Farm

The story of “ Animal Farm ” by George Orwell opens with the Old Major, a prize-winning boar, in Manor Farm, calls for a secret meeting at night. He shares his dream in which animals are free and happy without any humans to control them. The animals embrace his dream and he motivates them to aspire to attain that dream. Soon after the death of Old Major, the pigs, smarter animals on the farm, works to achieve freedom.

One fine day, the rebellion breaks out and the animals, fed up with Farmer Jones, drive him and his family out of the farm. Also, they rename the property as Animal Farm.

Life at the Animal Farm seems to be flourishing under the leadership of Snowball, a selfless young pig. He works day and night to idealize the dream of Old Major. They prepare seven rules “7 commandments” called animalism for a life of equality among the animals. With a vision of a promising future ahead: less work, better education, and more food, the animals work hard. Meetings are held to get the general opinion of the animals.

As the story progresses, the seasons change so does the situation in Animal Farm. Troubles start to brew in the animal farm. Soon corrupted the nature of power starts to take its toll, as some of the animals become a victim of it. Snowball is blamed for treachery and overthrown by Napoleon. What happens further deliberates the theme and the intention of the author.

Animal Farm Plot Summary

Spoiler alert: important details of the novel are revealed below.

“Animal Farm” opens with the meeting of the frustrated animals of Manor Farm, gathered at the big barn. Old Major, an old pig tells them of his dream where animals are free from the human masters. They are free and lead a happy life as there is no human to exploit them. Further, he tells the animal to work towards such a life and teaches them a song called “Beasts of England.”

The Old Major dies and the pigs under the guidance of Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer formulate a philosophy called Animalism. Soon a revolt provokes and the animals manage to defeat the farmer and kick him off the land. The animals rename the property Animal Farm and devote themselves to achieving Major’s dream. Especially, Boxer, cart-horse embraces it with great zeal and vows to work harder.

Animal Farm prospers following the guidance of Snowball. In the meanwhile, Mr. Jones reappears to take back his farm but the animals defeat him again. It is recognized as the Battle of the Cowshed.

As time passes, Napoleon and Snowball get into a disagreement and they often struggle with each other for power and influence among the other animals. Meanwhile, Snowball devises a plan to build an electricity-generating windmill that could be more profitable and reduce the work of the animals. Napoleon solidly opposes the plan and they call for a meeting to vote on the project. During the meeting, Napoleon makes the puppies, now the grown-up dogs to chase Snowball out of the Farm.

Further, he declares him to be a traitor and assumes himself as the leader of Animal Farm. Further, he declares that there will be no more meetings and the pigs alone will make all of the decisions for the good of every animal.

Napoleon, in the absence of Snowball, claims the idea of the windmill to be his. For a year, the animals, especially Boxer work sincerely to build the windmill. Unfortunately, after a storm, the animals find the windmill to be collapsed and Napoleon uses the opportunity and accuses snowball as a reason behind it.

More than that, Napoleon uses this opportunity to wash out those animals that seem to be questioning or disheartened by Napoleon’s power. Despite all that’s happening around, Boxer ardently believes in Napoleon, and takes up a new maxim “Napoleon is always right.”

As the season changes in Animal Farm, Napoleon begins to expand his powers. He ensures to picture Snowball as a villain in the minds of the animals. He too starts to behave more and more like a human being forgoing the principles of Animalism, like sleeping in a bed, drinking whisky, and engaging in trade with neighboring farmers. Squealer, Napoleon’s propagandist, justifies every action and convinces the other animals that Napoleon is a great leader and is making things better for everyone. But in fact, the common animals were cold, hungry, and overworked.

Mr. Frederick makes a deal with Napoleon for some timber and then he cheats on him by giving him a fake check. Then he attacks the farm and dynamites the windmill. A battle between the farmers and the animals soon follows in which the animals defeat the humans. Boxer is wounded in the battle, yet he continues to work in rebuilding the windmill.

One day Boxer falls while trying to build the windmill and Napoleon promises to take him to the doctor. But in reality, he sends him to the glue factory in order to get money for whiskey. When the animals start to question Boxer, Squealer convinces the animals that Boxer has died in peace, praising the Rebellion with his last breath.

Years go by, and the pigs become increasingly human: walking upright, carrying whips, and wearing clothes. Moreover, Napoleon invites a human farmer named Mr. Pilkington, and they form an alley for selling and exchanging goods, despite the protest from humans and animals. He also changes the name of Animal Farm back to the Manor Farm. Eventually, the rules of Animalism, the seven principles, are abridged and have only one thing written upon it “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

The final image of the novel – Napoleon inviting some farmers over to the farmhouse – expresses the animals’ realization that they can’t tell the difference between the two. The pigs also have started walking on two legs and become as cruel and oppressive as human farmers.

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About Mizpah Albert

Mizpah Albert is an experienced educator and literature analyst. Building on years of teaching experience in India, she has contributed to the literary world with published analysis articles and evocative poems.

About the Book

George Orwell

George Orwell is remembered today for his social criticism, controversial beliefs, and his novels ' Animal Farm ' and '1984'.

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Animal Farm

by George Orwell

Animal Farm opens with a clandestine meeting of the animals of Manor Farm after the owner, Mr. Jones, goes to bed drunk. Old Major, a boar, had a dream that he wanted to relate to all of the animals. His dream was of a farm governed by the animals, without Mr. Jones and other humans stealing all of their work, where all the animals were free and equal and worked to support themselves instead of their masters. Old Major dies before his vision is seen, but two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, take up the cause, flesh out his vision, and convince the animals that it's possible. The next time Jones lashes out with cruelty, the animals rebel, drive him and his wife off the farm, and take it over for themselves.

At first, the rebellion is an amazing success. The farm animals are giddy with joy and quickly change how everything is done on the farm. Seven basic principles are drawn up and painted on the side of the shed, the animals do their tasks with far more efficiency than possible before and work more collectively, the harvest is the best they've ever seen, and everyone has more food and more leisure. The only sign of the trouble to come is that the pigs don't seem to do much of the physical work, instead saying that they're the best ones to do the organizing and directing. But slowly, the pigs take more and more control, the principles begin to change conveniently, times get worse, and Napoleon slowly seizes control.

It's always a bit odd to review a book that nearly everyone has already read in high school (and probably has written a book report on). It's particularly odd to admit that this is one's first reading, as my idiosyncratic literature education missed Animal Farm and I'd never gotten around to reading it afterwards. But this is a fascinating book to read as an adult, particularly against the backdrop of reading Orwell's collected non-fiction writings including his own commentary on the purpose of the book and his feelings while writing it.

To warn, I consider the basic plot arc and tone of Animal Farm to be so much a part of our culture as to be beyond spoilers and therefore comment in more depth on later parts of the book than I normally would. If you haven't yet read the book and want to avoid all spoilers, you should stop reading here.

Animal Farm is, of course, a satirical allegory, very specifically of the Russian Revolution and of Stalin (Napoleon in the book), but more generally of revolution, the idealism of utopias, and the way in which people take control of societies founded on principles of equality. Several of the characters and settings have obvious specific mappings: Mr. Jones is Tsar Nicholas II, the farm itself is Russia, the neighboring farms are neighboring countries (particularly Pinchfield, representing Germany, and Foxwood, representing the Allies), old Major is Marx (with perhaps a bit of Lenin), Napoleon as mentioned is Stalin, Snowball is Trotsky, and Squealer is Pravda and the Russian government propaganda in general. But many of the other characters represent broader classes of people or even ideas, and the story reads wonderfully as both a specific satire and a general commentary on revolution and government.

On the first reading, of specific satire, it's well-done and more detailed than one might realize without reading background material and perhaps some keys to the mappings (the Wikipedia article is mediocre but somewhat helpful). The negotiations and treaties and betrayals of the lead-in to World War II are all here, as are Stalin's purges, the famines, the creeping re-establishment of capitalism in the farm's external dealings, and a brilliant closing scene that captures the Tehran Conference and even the post-war confrontation between Stalin and the United States. The conflict between Napoleon and Snowball and Napoleon's subsequent use of Snowball throughout the rest of the book is a viciously sharp attack on the Stalinist vilification of Trotsky and tactic of blaming Trotskyites for everything, something that Orwell talks about at length in other books . Animal Farm is a remarkable history lesson in miniature, the sort that prods one to go look up facts rather than teaching them directly.

But for me, it's the broader reading that makes the book, and while there are multiple facets to Orwell's allegorical portrayal, I think the heart of the story is Boxer and Benjamin.

Boxer is one of the farm's two cart-horses, the hardest worker and the strongest animal on the farm. He isn't particularly intelligent, but he's steady and determined. In the revolution, Boxer is the true believer. Early on, he takes as his motto "I will work harder," and puts his heart and soul into making the farm a success. Later, when times get rougher, he sadly adds "Napoleon is always right," setting aside his doubts and redoubling his efforts.

Benjamin, on the other hand, is the farm donkey. He's cantankerous and ill-tempered, cynical, and the oldest animal on the farm. He refuses to take a position on the revolution and is entirely unaffected by the patriotic fervor the other animals. He simply continues on working at the same pace he always has, staying out of politics, not commenting even when the pigs start changing the rules. Benjamin is the disaffected cynic, certain that "life would go on as it always had gone on — that is, badly."

Benjamin is, of course, right. Benjamin is the knowing voice of the reader who's familiar with the Russian Revolution, of the author who knows how badly things will turn out, of the political cynic who is nearly always right. But Benjamin is not the sympathetic character in Animal Farm . Boxer is. Benjamin may most closely match the knowledge and feeling of the reader, but it's hard to read this book without partly wanting to be Boxer. Wanting to believe, wanting to work towards a greater goal and a larger good, wanting to think that by main force, dedication, and sheer effort, the world can become a better place. And in a beautifully poignant commentary on politics, Orwell paints Boxer and Benjamin as close friends, a friendship of entirely opposite personalities but deep mutual respect. Benjamin is proven right, but Benjamin cares more about Boxer than about being right, which is a key to the tragedy of the book.

Animal Farm is not, at its core, an attack on utopias or even on communism; that reading is far too simplistic. Old Major, for example, is portrayed positively throughout the book. Orwell was a committed socialist. And that, I think, is why he could write this book and give it this much power. Animal Farm is the story of betrayal of ideals, of the way leaders in general and Stalin in particular can hijack a longing for a better world and turn it into a different tool of oppression. If it were written by someone who believed only in free-market capitalism, it would be a polemic. It's Boxer and the desire to believe that gives it all of its emotional depth, making it a tragedy.

I could go on at even greater length: there are so many analogies in this book that are worth taking apart and analyzing. A major theme here, as in 1984 , is the destruction of history, the ability to rewrite people's memories through persuasion and persistent repetition. The general illiteracy of the animals helps significantly, leaving the reader to imagine what might be different if Boxer could read and had a better memory. And I haven't mentioned Mollie, or the elections, or the way Snowball is the opposition but is still complicit in the initial seizure of power by the pigs. Suffice it to say that if you've not yet read this book, I highly recommend it, and if you have but remember it only dimly, it's worth reading again.

I do have to say one final word about the framing of this book, and with it, about the attempts of various political orthodoxies to claim Orwell for themselves. The version of this book I read is a 1959 Signet Classics edition with an introduction by C.M. Woodhouse taken from the Times Literary Supplement in 1954. This is a mere nine and four years, respectively, after Orwell's death, but already you can see the process of recasting and respinning Orwell's beliefs begin in the author bio at the start of the book:

He was essentially a political writer who wrote of his own times, a man of intense feelings and fierce hates. He hated intellectuals, although he was a literary critic. He hated the Communists, although he had served in the Loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War. He hated leftists, although he was a Socialist.

Notice how Orwell's political convictions, which from his non-fiction writing are clearly based on thought, detailed analysis, and specific policy positions as well as moral beliefs, are instead attributed to passion and emotion. They're described as "intense," as "hates," and worked around a little so that the free-market anti-socialist capitalist can feel that Orwell is on their side, really, and where he isn't, it's just a sad excess of feeling. It's a deft sidelining and belittling of his extensively-argued political beliefs and advocacy in order to claim him for an audience that he largely disagreed with.

I have a current printing of 1984 with a copyright date of 1977; its bio of Orwell, while recognizably based on the same original biography, amazingly manages to avoid the words "Communist," "Socialist," or "leftist" entirely; from it alone, you could believe Orwell was a Randian libertarian if you wanted.

The introduction continues this sort of deftly twisted praise and dodging of Orwell's beliefs, claiming him wholeheartedly for the anti-Communist cause (which isn't wholly unjustified insofar as Communism was redefined to mean Stalinism), but then avoiding any of his other inconvenient beliefs. The most glaring part of Woodhouse's introduction to me was the canonization of Churchill that he engages in alongside his discussion of Animal Farm . The contrast to Orwell's own beliefs is startling. Woodhouse, to be sure, carefully never puts his words in Orwell's mouth, but the constant juxtaposition could easily create the impression, for one who hadn't just read Orwell's own writings on the topic, that Orwell would agree with this glowing praise of Churchill as the man who won the war. Orwell's own opinion of Churchill, as a gifted orator but only marginally better than Chamberlain as a politician and firmly on the wrong side politically, doesn't fit with the already-established mythology.

I think Orwell's portrayal in Animal Farm of the manipulation of history is too easy; the point he's making is valid, but the techniques presented are simplified and more effective than they would be, the risk somewhat overstated. But it's hard to argue that position strongly when one reads the rewriting of history that takes place in the framing of his own books, a rewriting that allows Orwell to be a darling of right-wing advocates of capitalism who argue on Wikipedia that there's no way he could be a socialist.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Reviewed: 2008-11-16

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Animal Farm by George Orwell

Publication Date: June 1, 1996
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Plume
ISBN-10: 0452277507
ISBN-13: 9780452277502
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Birthday: June 25, 1903

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Swearing, rants, reviews, on every level, book review – animal farm by george orwell.

I might as well start off by saying something potentially controversial. I much prefer Animal Farm to 1984 . George Orwell’s classic dystopia may have a much more exciting narrative but his Russian Revolution fable just hits harder. For a start, it’s written better, it doesn’t waste time getting its message across, and follows a clear structure. 1984 is a rambling and slow story with underdeveloped characters. Is it more exciting? At times. Does it have a powerful message? Yes. But was it as successful a whole as Animal Farm ? No. 1984 is undoubtedly a classic but it feels a little indulgent. It’s always kind of bewildered me that 1984 has always been the more popular one. It feels like dystopian fiction just gets more of a pass.

When you really look at it, Animal Farm does almost exactly what 1984 does but in a much cleaner and accomplished way. Instead of looking to the future, Orwell looks to the past. The novella uses farm animals to depict the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. When the animals of Manor Farm finally have enough of their owner, they come together to overthrow him. Once he’s gone, the pigs start to paint a picture of a wholly equal society and things start off well. Tensions begin rising between the two wisest pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, and the happy society begins to fracture. How long can the animals live together in harmony?

Okay, so there’s no real surprises with this book because we know how Stalin worked out for the Soviet Union. It’s not as if the twists will really shock you but that’s not really the point. This is a story with a powerful message and it works so well. The farm structure reflects Rusian society so perfectly and it really lends itself to the overall message. The way that the hierarchy works within the animals is really clever and the whole concept grabs you from the beginning. And that ending? If the opening line to 1984 is one of the most well-known in literature, the closing lines of Animal Farm have also got to be up there. It punches you in the gut and will leave you with a chill up your spine.

Now, let’s talk about those characters for a second. Can anyone say that they really cared about anyone in 1984 as much as anyone in Animal Farm? I felt like I knew more about the sheep and chickens than I did about Winston and Julia. When you have a character like Boxer, the longer novel can’t stand up. Maybe it helps that the characters are representing historical figures but so what? They are all so perfectly rendered here and you really get to grips with them. You understand who they are and where they’re coming from.

It might sound impossible but turning these characters into animals only makes them seem more human. The tyrants of 1984 are evil, there is no doubt, but there is an emotional connection missing. Their actions don’t have that personal touch because you aren’t fully engaged with the main characters. In Animal Farm there is an added tragedy to the proceedings. We understand these characters and we care about them. It only makes the awful actions of the pigs more emotional for the reader. Not only does this change the way they read but the way the story gets across. The animals really help project Orwell’s argument onto the real world. It is easy to see their behaviour as human behaviour and, therefore, take heed of the message. 1984 is too far removed from reality for that to happen.

I’ll never understand the epic popularity of 1984 . I would happily reread Animal Farm every year but I’d have to push myself to reread 1984 that often. Every line in the shorter book is practically perfect and is there for the right reason. The writing is superior, the pace works, and the whole message is much clearer. There is more balance and lightness in this novel that makes it a much more enjoyable reading experience. I guess its true, “all Orwell books are equal but some are more equal than others”.

Book review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

George Orwell is a name that needs no introduction if you’re a fan of literature and Animal Farm is one of, if not his most, famous books. Animal Farm centres around animals rebelling against humans on a farm and rising up as part of a revolution.

Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase Animal Farm via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support the blog. These links do not affect my final opinion of the product.

Animal Farm was written in 1945 by George Orwell and as noted above tells the story of a group of farm animals who decide to overthrow the humans that run the farm with the aim of living a better life. However, in typical George Orwell form, things don’t go exactly as planned and there are huge political connotations throughout the book.

One day Old Major, a boar on a farm in the middle of England calls all of the animals of the farm together and tells them that the reason they live in a life that constantly sees them producing and working to only have their produce taken is away is because they are ruled by humans. They then quickly rebel against Mr Jones, the owner of the farm, driving him out and beginning their own rules on the farm. Everything starts out very well, they set clear rules and guides so that everybody is treated fairly, eats well and contributes an equal amount. However, things begin to change as intelligence, importance and hierarchy are brought into force.

Animal Farm is a book that’s been studied in British Schools for decades due to its social suggestions and political education. George Orwell does a fantastic job in this book of exploring how societies collapse into a dictatorship slowly but steadily via careful planning and building of trust. Animal Farm gives us a simple selection of subjects – animals from a farm. It then uses well-known traits about these animals – horses are strong, pigs and dogs are smart, sheep and ducks are dumb etc to give us an idea of how these people would be represented in society. These animals are literal and metaphorical clones of human beings within society. Along with this, we see Orwell write a story that shows us how certain animals (people) make it to the top of their power tree and then use their intelligence and control to stay there via propaganda and lies.

I loved the plot of this book. It was a true joy to follow the adventures of these animals – how they all dealt with one another and how the story progressed so far in so few pages (it’s only a novella). You’re gripped the whole way through as you can see where you’re being taken but Orwell is doing such a great job of explaining things to you that you’re finding it a joy to be taken there.

Characters – 4/5

I’m not really sure how to rate the characters in this book as none of them fit into my usual brackets of being “good” characters. Plus, as with Orwell’s other books, there isn’t a vast amount of dialogue between the characters. It is written with a very passive voice, often writing about the events happening rather than actually having the characters take part in the event as part of the plot. However, Orwell has a brilliant way of writing this where he combines intelligent language but simple prose so it’s very accessible but also intelligent enough to not feel like you’re reading a children’s book.

However, as discussed above, they each have their own characteristics that make them more suited to the new Animal Farm regime or less suited. The Pigs, deemed the most intelligent, essentially end up running the farm as they are accepted to make the best decisions of the masses. Boxer is a horse, he’s hard-working, quiet and well-loved by many for his dedication. There’s Leonard, a boar who becomes the leader, enforcing new rules as he slowly gains the trust of his fellow farm members. There are some really interesting characters here who you feel could represent people you know or political figures from history. Either way, Orwell has done a great job of simply making each of these characters different. However, I have dropped it one point as this isn’t a character-driven book and so many of them weren’t overly fleshed out.

Animal Farm summary – 5/5

Animal Farm is a wonderful book. It’s the first time I’ve read it and I can see why so many people hail it as such a fantastic piece of British literature. I can also see why it’s been studied in British academia – it’s a book about the power of propaganda and social control. It’s a book that puts into simple terms how your personality, intelligence, ethics and even physical build can affect where you end up in life and your importance to society. We’re very lucky in Britain to live in a society that isn’t centred around those mentioned above to allow you to progress in whatever profession or lifestyle you wish to progress in. However, it’s worth noting that Orwell noted that this book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union so its messages are very real.

I’d recommend Animal Farm to anybody who is in political propaganda, anybody may well be into a bit of fantasy (it’s a book about animals forming a society) or people that simply want to read an absolute classic of literature.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell was first published in 1945 and will be celebrating its seventieth birthday next year. It is still a keen area of debate whether it remains relevant for readers of this generation - I certainly believe it is, and the fact that it is still studied as part of the United Kingdom’s English Literature curriculum would add further credence to this opinion. I re-read the novella last night and found its themes and messages just as powerful, moving and relevant as they must have been seven decades ago.

George Orwell was – and still is - one of Great Britain’s most famous writers and it was Animal Farm, and the dystopian nightmare Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) which first brought him worldwide respect. Animal Farm is set in a farmyard where the animals decide to seize the farmer's land and create a co-operative that reaps the benefits of their combined labours. However, some animals see a bigger share of the rewards than others, and the animals start to question their supposed utopia. Little by little, the rules begin to mysteriously change, and the pigs seem to gain power little by little, making the animals question what society they were striving for in the first place and whether their new-found freedom is as liberating as they might have hoped.

Animal Farm is one of the greatest socio-political works of all time but there is no need for the reader to pick-up on - or understand - any of the allusions to Lenin, Marx, Trotsky or Stalin as the story can be enjoyed as the simple, moving and enlightening parable it essentially is, a story that clearly shows humankind at its best and very worst. For me, it highlights the demons within every human – jealousy, greed, laziness and cruelty born of fear.

The parable successfully shows how the dream that communism in theory could be so easily turns into the nightmare that totalitarianism again and again has proven to be. I have always found anthropomorphism within the animal kingdom to provide an excellent framework within on which to build very serious themes – William Horwood’s Duncton Wood deals with religious intolerance, Watership Down deals with the never-ending struggle between tyranny and freedom. And for some reason, a loyal horse betrayed can become one of the most tragic and sympathetic figures in literature.

Animal Farm is moving, bitter and a warning from history – one of which will of course be ignored, for that is what humans excel at, repeating the errors and misjudgements of the past. It will only take 2-3 hours to read from cover to cover and as I believe it can now be sourced legitimately for free from sources like Project Gutenberg it is a book that anyone could and should read.

10/10 Animal Farm is moving, bitter and a warning from history.

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Review by Floresiensis

43 positive reader review(s) for Animal Farm

Junaid from England

A brilliant and timeless analyse of the mechanics of bureaucracy, ultimate betrayal of the hopes of the people. Let's pray it remains in the curriculum, for this story talks about power and control in general, not only in a communist system. The worst we could do against this book is to keep on saying "it is only about totalitarianism and the history of the USSR"... Not only, not only

The book Animal Farm an engaging and educational must read. I thought it was very interesting how he portrayed the the cycle of revolution turning into tyranny. He describes how easily good intentions can be subverted into tyranny. This book indirectly describes communism and the government and how you can never make everyone happy. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Orwell's writing is pessimistic and visual. I recommend this book.

Someone from California

Everyone should read and it is base on a true story. EVERYONE SHOULD READ ANIMAL FARM!

Bita from Iran

One of the greatest book I have ever read. Just a writer can write this kinda book that has a powerful imagination and Mr Orwell was the right person for that. It was months that my friends recommended it to me but I thought that it will be weird and I won't like it but when I finished the book I got that I was wrong whole time.

Arnav from India

Mr. Jones owns a farm in which the animals are treated harshly. This leads to a widespread rebellion of animals and then they overthrow the humans. The main objective of this rebellion is that the animals should lead a life of their own.

Ali from Pakistan

I have recently read the novella "Animal Farm", and I found it as influential as it must have been for the readers who were looking for the masterpiece of English literature. I am amazingly impressed by the plot, and its allegorical flow of theme. All in all, it gets into your and impels you to complete it as soon as one may. Interestingly, I read it for my academic course but it is on the top of the masterpieces I have read it so far. It explicitly indicates what political leaders of modern world brag for, but when they access to the realm of power their hypocrisy is reveled and they leave no stones to fill their buckets with the blood and sweet of the masses.

Thalia from England

I studied Animal Far for my English class and it was an amazingly fascinating book to read, it does well to portray how difficult it must have been to live in the Russian Revolution and it makes me feel very lucky to live today.

Heather from Canada

I am not even finished the book however it is such a joy to read! Knowing the reason why Orwell wrote this book and relating it back to history was so symbolic! Even though some may say that it is difficult for kids under 15, I am under 15 and it is not difficult for me. If you really spent the time devouring every word, this book is such a joy to read. It portrays what happened then and translating it to a perspective we can all imagine as. Animal Farm is an excellent book and everyone must read it at least once in their life!

Anon from UK

A must read book for everyone.

Paul Mendy from Gambia

Very nice book

John from Canada

I I read this book in 1965, and it is still in my library it is an eye opener to readers.

Jeff from Jamaica

I love the book!!!

Sourov Datta Bijoy from Bangladesh

Animal Farm is a great a depiction of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the USSR. It shows how the leaders manipulates public over their believes (sometimes which are wrong).

Professor from UK

Animal Farm is an engaging eye-opening book that highlights the issues about betrayal, greed and inequality in human society. The book is based on the Russian revolution and shows how we are tricked into believing the ideas set by leaders.

Fatemeh from Iran

Such an interesting and symbolic book! I really enjoyed reading this amazing book.

Ibrahima Sanoh from The Gambia

the book shows how humanity is and the book is very nice and sensible.

Rads from United Kingdom

This is the greatest satire of the darker face of modern history which highlights deep issues about trust, betrayal, tyranny and corruption. Orwell's chilling fable is remarkably accurate and gives is one of the best allegories out there to read. It is a book worth reading by anyone who understands its context and structure. This 94-page book is the best book I have ever read and I am glad I read it! A MUST READ!!!!!!

Dali from Africa

So goood!!!!!!!!!

Missu from Canada

Difficult reading, great discussion.

Sky from United States

This book was assigned to me in my senior English class. This book was nothing I was anticipating. I was promised a book with talking animals. I came to find out that it was much more. This book is much bigger than that once you learn the purpose driven behind it. George Orwell uses the animal fable effectively to show the issues of injustice, and inequality in human society/human nature. He tells a story of The Russian Revolution through Animal Farm. He express his opinions on the circumstances, while also exposing the corrupt system in communism. He does an incredible job at this. The theme i received from this story was the corruption in the Soviet Union. I received this through the many issues and conflicts throughout the stories, especially the ones that had to do with the over use of power. All in all, it was a good story with many surprises. Solid 9/10

Ezekiel from South Sudan

Animal farm which was written seven decades ago is still relevant in to day generation. It is a story where animal characters represent humans. Animals fought for freedom and equality which they achieved by seizing the farm land from Jones. At long run the cause of struggle for the like of Snowball was betrayed by tyrant (Napoleon).

Cris from England

I think that this book was outstanding, because it thoroughly describes how communism was acted, in a childish way. I recommend everyone to read this book!!

Joel from Africa

A Book for the Ages Animal Farm is a timeless piece of literature which feels like a modern masterpiece. It tells a deeply engrossing story with many dramatic twists within its relatively small number of pages. This story deals with themes of corruption and utopias in a satirical but immersive way. The fact that Animal Farm is based on the Russian Revolution is no secret, but the use of animals as an analogy provides a different perspective to this historical event. This animal representation is done so masterfully that it works perfectly as a standalone story, without the reader needing any prior knowledge on the topic. Overall, Animal Farm takes creates a unique story and breaks many common conventions to create a compelling narrative. Animal Farm follows the rise and fall of an animal rebellion against the farmer, Mr. Jones. The opening speech given by Old Major creates a vision for the revolution and presents a promising future for the farm. As the story progresses, Jones and other farmers work to fight this revolution in the “Animal Farm.” Along with this conflict, the foundation of this new society where “all animals are equal” (Orwell 14) begins to crumble. At the beginning of the story, the ideas of the revolution seem justified, but the progression of Animal Farm leads to the realization of how flawed this new society actually is. This downfall is coupled with an internal battle for power and control. It is deeply interesting to follow the characters as they each find their own way to cope with this changing environment. Ultimately, this is a story of corruption which explores this concept to its full extent. Animal Farm will hit home with an older audience. This is especially true for those who have experienced similar problems of manipulation and corruption as those seen in the story. Although the animals in Animal Farm represent different groups and people in Russia during the communist revolution, the hunger for power is still largely present in the world today. An adult audience may more easily realize the connection to the story’s development and to other leaders throughout history. The true brilliance behind Animal Farm lies in its intelligent use of satire. George Orwell’s approach of representing millions of people as single characters creates an enjoyable story about a serious event. Although many other stories use animals as main characters in their story, few books do so as masterfully as Animal Farm. Each character’s limitations, roles, and skills fit the animal they are. This technique works as a great way to introduce obstacles for each animal to overcome; adding further depth to the plot and conflict within the story. The most positive aspect of this story is the unconventional plot. Almost all stories set up an obstacle and follow how the “good guys” overcome it. In Animal Farm, this is the case, but only for the first few chapters of the story. After the farm rises against Mr. Jones, the main conflict is resolved and the true conflict arises. Animal Farm is not about a revolution; rather, it is about the internal struggle in a society where “all animals are equal.” The major question this book strives to answer is if such a society is even possible. Following each character as the farm continued to fall further into turmoil proved to create a compelling and a thoroughly enjoyable tale. Overall, I would give Animal Farm a rating of four and a half stars out of five. My only gripe in reading Animal Farm is that the book ended early. The powerful and shocking conclusion had me wondering how the animals would react to this turn of events and if any of them would finally realize the weight of their situation. Nevertheless, the story kept me intrigued all the way through with a good pace and engaging conflicts. The themes of betrayal and power-hungry leaders fit brilliantly with the communist history Animal Farm is based off of. The events and nature of characters continue to hold true when compared to leaders today. These connections between the real world and the book make the story more enjoyable. Each character felt unique and added something to the story’s plot. This is a great book that I would definitely recommend picking up. Long live Animal Farm!

Aabha Sangmin from India

A very good satire. You can enjoy it as a simple story but if you are really interested in the contemporary world politics then this book should be in your book shelf. How the utopian dream of the animals struggling for a communist society where they can enjoy equal rights and freedom shattered and ultimately led them to live a miserable life under a totalitarian ruler under the constant fear of some unknown enemy is very precisely described in the book and you can have an insight of the condition of Russian people under Lenin and Stalin's rule through the book.

Ngozika from South Africa

The book is very interesting and fun to read. I even got 100% for my book review. I AM ONLY IN GRADE 5. Best book ever.

Jerry from China

One of the best books I've ever read about. It profoundly exposed the disadvantage of totalitarianism and has a unique view (though pessimistic) on what's gonna happen next in our view. Just one more thing, Orwell is not criticizing communism or socialism, he's actually a supporter of it.

AnupA Khanal from Nepal

I never got bored reading this book. Totally moving and completely different than other works.

Shalvi from India

It's a most interesting book to read, which tells about and compare the Russian revolutionary. It also shows the difference of equality between animals who has more compare to take extra response from other's animals. its a subjugation, intimidation and the simplicity of masses of what actually happens in a socio- life. This book directly describes how easily good intentions to be the tyranny. we can also say that- it is totally based on distopiniasim and the history of the Russian revolution. All the characters were based on this revolution and it is a good book for everyone.

Zibani from Botswana

This is a very addictivve book. In a good way. I loved it.

Peter Byrne from Australia

I absolutely loved every page of it! I just couldn't put it down, very engaging! Recommend it to anyone who is looking for a book to read, it's just amazing! 😘

Ahmad from Egypt - Giza

I like this book so much. It's an amazing book about revolution, like in Egypt.

Samip from Nepal

This book is the exact reflection of the political system throughout the world. This is what the politics really is..... all about obtaining power. Mostly in context of the developing country like ours this is the case. We ignorant people are easily deceived by the sweet talks of the politicians. By listening to them we believe that maybe this time actual progress might take place, maybe this time the people might actually be benefited but no ..... each time they back off from their promises and we feel like jokers for actually believing them . All they care for is power. All they want is personal benefit. They have no concern for public interest. For power they can do anything. Walking over the few corpses and injuries will also not matter to them and this book shows it.

Mupela from Zambia

I honestly think he wrote into the future meaning our world today we are being sweet talked into believing the false ideas set by many leaders his book is an eye opener

Elisa White from US

Tavish from India

Sweta from India

The best book I have ever read.

Karim from Ireland

Its a really good book. It is a perfect book for a class to read together. When I read it it was amazing.

Suranjith from Sri Lanka

Scary in view of the situation we find ourselves in now

Kabiito from Uganda

Animal farm is a book recommended for everyone at school and in society because it is a true reflection(The absolutism of power, greed, subjugation, intimidation and the simplicity of the masses) of what actually happens in the socio_political spheres of life.

Harri from UK

Good book for teens not so much for younger children.

Isba from Pakistan

The best piece of literature.

Rapha�l from France

A brilliant and timeless analyse of the mechanics of bureaucracy, ultimate betrayal of the hopes of the people. Let's pray it remains in the curriculum, for this story talks about power and control in general, not only in a communist system. The worst we could do against this book is to keep on saying "it is only about totalitarianism and the history of the USSR"... Not only, not only.

9.6 /10 from 44 reviews

All George Orwell Reviews

Animal Farm

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George Orwell - Animal Farm - Summary & Reading Guide

Book & audio, publisher description.

Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, published in 1945. It tells the story of the animals on Manor Farm who rebel against their human owner, Mr. Jones, and establish their own farm based on the principles of equality and freedom.

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The story of Snowball in George Orwell’s book, ‘Animal Farm’

The cornerstone of everyone’s childhood. Watching the live-action adaptation of George Orwell’s historical novel Animal Farm due to a misunderstanding of the subject material.

No? Just me? Moving on.

Despite its friendly title, the book is an allegorical and savagely satirical novel about a disenfranchised group rising against their oppressors. Orwell uses anthropomorphic farm animals to tell a story about dictatorship that was quite topical of the time. One of the primary animals is a pig named Napoleon, who creates a ruling class that leaves the farm in shambles. The book devises a connection to the forces that created the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the ideologies of Joseph Stalin. The events of the book cement this no more clearly than with the effect of Snowball, one of the pigs on the farm who is a stand-in for a historical figure.

What is Snowball’s fate in Animal Farm ?

Animal Farm kicks off with a fairly basic premise: Manor Farm is in shambles due to the neglect of its farmer, Mr. Jones. A boar by the name of Old Major decides to rally the farm animals into rebellion. After the old boar’s death, fellow porcines Napoleon and Snowball take control and drive the humans off the farm. This story is a clear allegory for the diminishing quality of life during World War II , when Orwell first published the book. But as Napoleon and Snowball free the animals, making them all equal, the age-old adage of “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” comes to fruition.

Napoleon resents Snowball’s interest in progress. The latter wants to modernize the farm by building a windmill. Napoleon uses the dogs of the farm to drive Snowball away so he can take control. Students of history will note that this is a familiar story. Napoleon is an allegory for Stalin’s iron grip over Russia, while Snowball closely resembles Leon Trotsky, a revolutionary during the downfall of Czarist Russia. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Trotsky was elevated to high positions in Leninist Russian but, following the death of Vladimir Lenin, fell out of favor.

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Animal Farm: Persuasive Speeches SOW

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

3 June 2024

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Well-scaffolded and planned scheme of work on Animal Farm by George Orwell, focused on persuasive writing skills, culminating in speeches (like Spoken Language component at GCSE).

With lesson-by-lesson overview, homework suggestions, fully resourced, assessment and mark scheme, model answers, and feedback lessons for checkpoint and end of unit assessment.

18 lessons for a full scheme of work on persuasive speech writing skills

fully planned lessons with worksheets, model answers, extracts, etc.
feedback lessons and tasks for checkpoint task and end of unit assessment
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Animal Farm

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Animal Farm by George Orwell
Book Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell. Animal Farm by George Orwell captures the themes of oppression, rebellion and history repeating itself. Animal Farm begins like an ambitious children's tale: After Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, falls asleep in a drunken stupor, all of his animals meet in the big barn at the request of old Major ...
Animal Farm Book Review
George Orwell's novel about totalitarianism in general and Stalinism in particular is one of the most famous satires in the English language. It comments on Soviet Russia specifically and human folly in general. That said, extra research is needed to tie the characters and events of Animal Farm to their counterparts in history.
Animal Farm Review: a socio-political work
Dialogue. Conclusion. Lasting Impact on Reader. 4.6. Animal Farm Review: A Socio-Political Work. George Orwell's 'Animal Farm', in a broader sense is the socio-political work of all time. Still, it can be read as a simple story of animals. The novel (novella) highlights the human weaknesses jealousy, greed, laziness, and cruelty through ...
A Summary and Analysis of George Orwell's Animal Farm
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Animal Farm is, after Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell's most famous book.Published in 1945, the novella (at under 100 pages, it's too short to be called a full-blown 'novel') tells the story of how a group of animals on a farm overthrow the farmer who puts them to work, and set up an equal society where all animals work and share the ...
Animal Farm by George Orwell
July 26, 2021. (book 564 From 1001 Books) - Animal Farm, George Orwell. Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union.
Book Review : Animal Farm, George Orwell
About the Book. My Rating : 5 / 5 Published In : 1945 Plot : Animal Farm is an allegorical novel by George Orwell, which is set in a world where animals are much cleverer than now. And because of ...
Animal Farm
Books that Changed the World recommended by Amanda Craig. I could recommend you Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Orwell's Animal Farm or Kafka's The Metamorphosis, all of which clock in at around 100 pages in length. But perhaps these are too obvious, as they are often set texts in high school.
Book review: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
"Oh, I read that — in high school, I think," the waitress said as she saw me with George Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm. "Yeah, I might have even read it in grade school," I said. "It's different reading it now. Back then, it was all about Communism. Now, it's about….well, everything."
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal Farm Summary 🐖. 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell, an allegorical novel, tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human masters to create a society of equality and freedom. 'Animal Farm' projects how the people of Russia fall prey to a totalitarian regime when they were dreaming of a more free country of ...
1946 Review of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'
The thoughtful reader must be further disturbed by the lack of clarity in the main intention of the author. Obviously he is convinced that the animals had just cause for revolt and that for a time ...
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is a satirical allegorical novella, in the form of a beast fable, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, the rebellion is betrayed, and under the dictatorship of a pig ...
Animal Farm Plot Summary
The story of " Animal Farm " by George Orwell opens with the Old Major, a prize-winning boar, in Manor Farm, calls for a secret meeting at night. He shares his dream in which animals are free and happy without any humans to control them. The animals embrace his dream and he motivates them to aspire to attain that dream.
"Animal Farm" by George Orwell: A Book Report
Animal Farm is a classic fable written by George Orwell, who is also the author of the book 1984. Its satirical nature and its brutally accurate depiction of the political world make it a must-read. Set on a farm initially ruled by humans, the book tells the story of the animals' journey from their revolution to tyranny.
Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Orwell was a committed socialist. And that, I think, is why he could write this book and give it this much power. Animal Farm is the story of betrayal of ideals, of the way leaders in general and Stalin in particular can hijack a longing for a better world and turn it into a different tool of oppression. If it were written by someone who ...
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Author interviews, book reviews and lively book commentary are found here. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. The Book Report Network. Our Other Sites. ... Animal Farm by George Orwell. Publication Date: June 1, 1996; Paperback: 128 pages; Publisher: Plume; ISBN-10: 0452277507; ISBN-13: 9780452277502; About the ...
Book Review
I much prefer Animal Farm to 1984. George Orwell's classic dystopia may have a much more exciting narrative but his Russian Revolution fable just hits harder. For a start, it's written better, it doesn't waste time getting its message across, and follows a clear structure. 1984 is a rambling and slow story with underdeveloped characters.
Book review: Animal Farm by George Orwell
George Orwell does a fantastic job in this book of exploring how societies collapse into a dictatorship slowly but steadily via careful planning and building of trust. Animal Farm gives us a simple selection of subjects - animals from a farm. It then uses well-known traits about these animals - horses are strong, pigs and dogs are smart ...
A Short Review of "Animal Farm" book by George Orwell (1945)
A Short Review of "Animal Farm" book by George Orwell (1945) Irene Teresa Angelica · Follow. 4 min read · Dec 17, 2023--Listen. Share. Animal Farm (Orwell, 1945) www.gramedia.com.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal Farm by George Orwell was first published in 1945 and will be celebrating its seventieth birthday next year. It is still a keen area of debate whether it remains relevant for readers of this generation - I certainly believe it is, and the fact that it is still studied as part of the United Kingdom's English Literature curriculum would add further credence to this opinion.
Book Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal farm ended up being a dictatorship of pigs, who were the brightest, and the most idle of all the animals. Orwell has also criticized the church which is represented by Moses, a tame raven, who talks of 'Sugarcandy Mountain', a happy country in the sky where poor animals shall rest forever from their labours.
Book Review
Yesterday afternoon, I finished reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. George Orwell was the pen name for Eric Arthur Blair, an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. The book was first published in England on August 17, 1945. Animal Farm is a dystopian satire that depicts the negative features of a society, as opposed to a utopian ...
George Orwell
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, published in 1945. It tells the story of the animals on Manor Farm who rebel against their human owner, Mr. Jones, and establish their own farm based on the principles of equality and freedom.
The story of Snowball in George Orwell's book, 'Animal Farm'
Animal Farm trailer. Watch on. Animal Farm kicks off with a fairly basic premise: Manor Farm is in shambles due to the neglect of its farmer, Mr. Jones. A boar by the name of Old Major decides to ...
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal Farm is a dystopian novella by George Orwell. Published in England on 17 August 1945, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II. Orwell, a democratic socialist and a member of the Independent Labour Party for many years, was a critic of Joseph Stalin and was suspicious of Moscow-directed ...
Animal Farm: Persuasive Speeches SOW
pptx, 704.57 KB. Well-scaffolded and planned scheme of work on Animal Farm by George Orwell, focused on persuasive writing skills, culminating in speeches (like Spoken Language component at GCSE). With lesson-by-lesson overview, homework suggestions, fully resourced, assessment and mark scheme, model answers, and feedback lessons for checkpoint ...
Animal Farm : George Orwell : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming
Animal Farm. Animal Farm adalah novel satir politik karya George Orwell yang menceritakan tentang pemberontakan hewan-hewan ternak di Peternakan Manor melawan Tuan Jones, sang pemilik yang kejam. Setelah berhasil mengusir Tuan Jones, para hewan bertekad untuk membangun masyarakat yang adil dan setara di bawah ideologi "Animalisme".

Animal Farm by George Orwell

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Book review: Animal Farm by George Orwell