Overview

George Orwell's two subversive masterpieces—now together in one edition—are "weapons of self-respect as well as of self-defense," writes Christopher Hitchens in his introduction.

 

Animal Farm
A biting satire of the Russian Revolution, Animal Farm imagines a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. The pigs Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as leaders of the new community in a subtle evolution ...

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Animal Farm and 1984

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More About This Book

Overview

George Orwell's two subversive masterpieces—now together in one edition—are "weapons of self-respect as well as of self-defense," writes Christopher Hitchens in his introduction.

 

Animal Farm
A biting satire of the Russian Revolution, Animal Farm imagines a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. The pigs Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as leaders of the new community in a subtle evolution that leads to the brutal betrayal of the faithful horse Boxer and reestablishes totalitarian rule, adding an unforgettable bloodstained postscript to their founding slogan.

 

1984
London, 1984: Big Brother is watching, and the Thought Police are always one step ahead of you. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he risks his life in a deadly fight for freedom.


George Orwell (1903-1950) served with the Imperial Police in Burma, fought with the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War, and was a member of the Home Guard and a writer for the BBC during World War II. He is the author of many works of nonfiction and fiction, including Burmese Days, Down and Out in Paris and London, A Clergyman's Daughter, Coming Up for Air, and Keep the Aspidistra Flying.

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780547504186
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 6/1/2003
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 400
  • Sales rank: 9,101
  • File size: 388 KB

Meet the Author

GEORGE ORWELL (1903-1950) was born in India and served with the Imperial Police in Burma before joining the Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War. Orwell was the author of six novels as well as numerous essays and nonfiction works.

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS is the author of four collections of essays.

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Read an Excerpt


MR. JONES, OF THE Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes. With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already snoring.

As soon as the light in the bedroom went out there was a stirring and a fluttering all through the farm buildings. Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White boar, had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. Jones was safely out of the way. Old Major (so he was always called, though the name under which he had been exhibited was Willingdon Beauty) was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour's sleep in order to hear what he had to say.

At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. The hens perched themselves on the windowsills, the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters, the sheep and cows lay down behind the pigs and began to chew the cud. The two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover, came in together, walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest there should be some small animal concealed in the straw. Clover was a stout motherly mare approaching middle life, who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal. Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence, but he was universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work. After the horses came Muriel, the white goat, and Benjamin, the donkey. Benjamin was the oldest animal on the farm, and the worst tempered. He seldom talked, and when he did, it was usually to make some cynical remark-for instance, he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies. Alone among the animals on the farm he never laughed. If asked why, he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at. Nevertheless, without openly admitting it, he was devoted to Boxer; the two of them usually spent their Sundays together in the small paddock beyond the orchard, grazing side by side and never speaking.

The two horses had just lain down when a brood of ducklings, which had lost their mother, filed into the barn, cheeping feebly and wandering from side to side to find some place where they would not be trodden on. Clover made a sort of wall round them with her great foreleg, and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep. At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr. Jones's trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar. She took a place near the front and began flirting her white mane, hoping to draw attention to the red ribbons it was plaited with. Last of all came the cat, who looked round, as usual, for the warmest place, and finally squeezed herself in between Boxer and Clover; there she purred contentedly throughout Major's speech without listening to a word of what he was saying.

All the animals were now present except Moses, the tame raven, who slept on a perch behind the back door. When Major saw that they had all made themselves comfortable and were waiting attentively, he cleared his throat and began:

"Comrades, you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night. But I will come to the dream later. I have something else to say first. I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for many months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. I have had a long life, I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that I understand the nature of life on this earth as well as any animal now living. It is about this that I wish to speak to you.

"Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.

"But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell upon it? No, comrades, a thousand times no! The soil of England is fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance to an enormously greater number of animals than now inhabit it. This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep-and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining. Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word-Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever.

"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself. Our labour tills the soil, our dung fertilises it, and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin. You cows that I see before me, how many thousands of gallons of milk have you given during this last year? And what has happened to that milk which should have been breeding up sturdy calves? Every drop of it has gone down the throats of our enemies. And you hens, how many eggs have you laid in this last year, and how many of those eggs ever hatched into chickens? The rest have all gone to market to bring in money for Jones and his men. And you, Clover, where are those four foals you bore, who should have been the support and pleasure of your old age? Each was sold at a year old-you will never see one of them again. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the fields, what have you ever had except your bare rations and a stall?

"And even the miserable lives we lead are not allowed to reach their natural span. For myself I do not grumble, for I am one of the lucky ones. I am twelve years old and have had over four hundred children. Such is the natural life of a pig. But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end. You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year. To that horror we all must come-cows, pigs, hens, sheep, everyone. Even the horses and the dogs have no better fate. You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds. As for the dogs, when they grow old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond.

"Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion! I do not know when that Rebellion will come, it might be in a week or in a hundred years, but I know, as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet, that sooner or later justice will be done. Fix your eyes on that, comrades, throughout the short remainder of your lives! And above all, pass on this message of mine to those who come after you, so that future generations shall carry on the struggle until it is victorious.

"And remember, comrades, your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades."

At this moment there was a tremendous uproar. While Major was speaking four large rats had crept out of their holes and were sitting on their hindquarters, listening to him. The dogs had suddenly caught sight of them, and it was only by a swift dash for their holes that the rats saved their lives. Major raised his trotter for silence.

"Comrades," he said, "here is a point that must be settled. The wild creatures, such as rats and rabbits-are they our friends or our enemies? Let us put it to the vote. I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?"

The vote was taken at once, and it was agreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades. There were only four dissentients, the three dogs and the cat, who was afterwards discovered to have voted on both sides. Major continued:

"I have little more to say. I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. And remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices. No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade. All the habits of Man are evil. And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. No animal must ever kill any other animal. All animals are equal.

"And now, comrades, I will tell you about my dream of last night. I cannot describe that dream to you. It was a dream of the earth as it will be when Man has vanished. But it reminded me of something that I had long forgotten. Many years ago, when I was a little pig, my mother and the other sows used to sing an old song of which they knew only the tune and the first three words. I had known that tune in my infancy, but it had long since passed out of my mind. Last night, however, it came back to me in my dream. And what is more, the words of the song also came back-words, I am certain, which were sung by the animals of long ago and have been lost to memory for generations. I will sing you that song now, comrades. I am old and my voice is hoarse, but when I have taught you the tune, you can sing it better for yourselves. It is called 'Beasts of England.'"

Old Major cleared his throat and began to sing. As he had said, his voice was hoarse, but he sang well enough, and it was a stirring tune, something between "Clementine" and "La Cucaracha." The words ran


Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

Beasts of every land and clime,

Hearken to my joyful tidings

Of the golden future time.

Soon or late the day is coming,

Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown,

And the fruitful fields of England

Shall be trod by beasts alone.

Rings shall vanish from our noses,

And the harness from our back,

Bit and spur shall rust forever,

Cruel whips no more shall crack.

Riches more than mind can picture,

Wheat and barley, oats and hay,

Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels

Shall be ours upon that day.

Bright will shine the fields of England,

Purer shall its waters be,

Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes

On the day that sets us free.

For that day we all must labour,

Though we die before it break;

Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,

All must toil for freedom's sake.

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

Beasts of every land and clime,

Hearken well and spread my tidings

Of the golden future time.


The singing of this song threw the animals into the wildest excitement. Almost before Major had reached the end, they had begun singing it for themselves. Even the stupidest of them had already picked up the tune and a few of the words, and as for the clever ones, such as the pigs and dogs, they had the entire song by heart within a few minutes. And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into "Beasts of England" in tremendous unison. The cows lowed it, the dogs whined it, the sheep bleated it, the horses whinnied it, the ducks quacked it. They were so delighted with the song that they sang it right through five times in succession, and might have continued singing it all night if they had not been interrupted.

Unfortunately, the uproar awoke Mr. Jones, who sprang out of bed, feeling sure that there was a fox in the yard. He seized the gun which always stood in a corner of his bedroom, and let fly a charge of number 6 shot into the darkness. The pellets buried themselves in the wall of the barn and the meeting broke up hurriedly. Everyone fled to his own sleeping place. The birds jumped on to their perches, the animals settled down in the straw, and the whole farm was asleep in a moment.

Introduction copyright © 2003 by Christopher Hitchens

"Animal Farm" copyright 1945 by Harcourt, Inc.
and renewed 1973 by Sonia Orwell
"1984" copyright 1949 by Harcourt, Inc.
and renewed 1977 by Sonia Brownell Orwell

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be mailed to: Permissions Department, Harcourt, Inc.,
6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777.


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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 152 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(81)

4 Star

(44)

3 Star

(16)

2 Star

(8)

1 Star

(3)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 153 Customer Reviews

  • Posted March 17, 2011

    This is a poorly edited version

    These are good, classic books, and I liked the idea of getting them both at once. Unfortunately, this eBook version contains an unacceptable number of typos. I give it 3 stars for the novels but 0.5 stars for this version.

    11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 20, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    want a prediction?

    Wow, if anything is closest to a prediction of where the world is headed this is it! Its so cram packed with psychological themes that most people are afraid to even approach that its a Psychologist/Philosopher's dream. Its very good for opening ones eyes to the world around you and seeing where we can end up if we stand idly by. I recommend this to anyone who has the intellect to understand and appreciate good literature ^_^

    6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 16, 2011

    GREAT BOOK!

    Animal Farm was a lot better of a book then what I expected when I had to read it. While many may think its just about crazy animals or human stupidity they are wrong in the highest sense. The plot of Animal Farm is truly exceptional and is actually drawn from real world happenings, specifically the fall of the Soviet Union. In the beginning of Animal Farm, the animals hold a secret meeting after their drunken owner Mr.Jones goes to bed. This meeting is spearheaded by Old Major, an old boar and leader of the animals, whom is on the brink of death. Old Major tells the other animals of a vision he has had, where animals roam free to do whatever the want with out the influence of human beings. The morning right after Old Majors speech he dies, which is a wake up call to the animals, especially two young boars, Snowball and Napoleon. Together along with the other animals they work to make Old Majors dream in to a reality. Compared to many of the other books I have read this one stands out by far. One reason for this is the integration of real life events and happenings, which in this case is the fall of Soviet Russia, by combining it into a more easily understandable story that still conveys the message of the events. Also George Orwell's ability to take real people such as Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler and real events like world war two and the fall of the Soviet Union and transform them in to an animal and an event in the story. This book can grasp your interest very quickly and keep it until the end, by the events that unfold and the unexpected twists and turns that are an essential part of the book. This is a quality in a book that I have not seen in a long time. If a book isn't interesting then most people will quickly put it down and not bother to read on, but Animal Farm steals your attention right away and holds on to it right through the end of the novel. So if your looking for an interesting read, that combines some of the most notable events in history into a more understandable form then Animal Farm is the book for you. Read it and I promise you will be more than glad you did. This book is a ten on my chart!

    4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted January 8, 2012

    Animal Farm

    Animal Farm was the only book I have read so far. Animal Farm is a great book. Its characters are cleverly simple. It has an excellent point, and a fun writing style to go with it. Overall it is a must read... If you didn't somehow read it in middle school.

    2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 23, 2012

    Animal farm

    I truely enjoy this book ;AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 19, 2012

    Young, middle-aged or old, these stories are a MUST READ for all thinkers alike!

    Both Animal Farm and 1984 are well written and engaging. Inspired by cold-war USSR, Orwell uses this context to create worlds were animals and humans persist.
    I read both stories while in high school and each was compelling to my teenage mind. Many years later, it was very interesting to see how both stories affected me differently today, as I've matured, am in a relationship, and a member of the middle working class. However the message remained the same, never stop from continuing forward.
    If you love to challenger your thinking and need a perspective or literary change of pace, you'll love Animal Farm and 1984. 2+2=4

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 14, 2012

    Awesome

    Great read

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 18, 2012

    @ carlostmock - The day the world is rid of wickedness, indiffe

    @ carlostmock - The day the world is rid of wickedness, indifference, ignorance, greed and myopia is the day it will be ready for a Utopia. Which, in case you do not realize it, will be never! Why even dream of such a drug called Utopia?

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 5, 2011

    I TOTALLY LOVE COMMUNIST PIGS!!!

    In my Discovering Literature class, we are reading animal farm. The idea of the Russian revolution being acted out by farm animals made me laugh. Who would have thought that little farm animals could lead a revolution? Anyway, the 13 other kids that are in my Discovering Literature class are split into three different groups. There are the people who like Napolean(pardon my spelling), which includes three people. Then there are the people who like Snowball. I am in that group along with nine others. Then there is one person who refuses to vote. Anyway, I really enjoy this book so far and can't wait to finish it. By the way, Leon Trotsky, otherwise kniw as Snowball in Animal Farm, was such a better leader than Stalin, otherwise known as Napolean!

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 17, 2013

    Great classic read

    I had heard of 1984 but never read it. It is a great book about totalitarianism and state control. It details the natural evolution of the Nazi party if it had been allowed to continue. Very thought provoking.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 8, 2013

    Two Great Reads in One Awesome Package!

    I read Animal Farm as a kid and loved it then--nothing's changed! This was my first attempt at 1984 and I can absolutely say that George Orwell is a Master at the art of thought-provoking writing. Looking for a classic to keep your mind on edge, pick up this book and read both Animal Farm and 1984. You'll never put it down!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 2, 2013

    Great Set What a great set of books.

    Great Set
    What a great set of books.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 27, 2013

    "I do not wish to comment on the work; if it does not spea


    "I do not wish to comment on the work; if it does not speak for itself, it is a failure."

    The words of Eric Arthur Blair, the writer commonly known by his pen name, George Orwell. They are excerpted from his preface to the Ukrainian translation of what is probably one of his most broadly familiar works, the little book entitled Animal Farm. To review this work I will discuss, briefly, the plot, general nature and purpose of the work and, before concluding, some aspects of the book that I considered noteworthy.

    The story takes place on an English farm called, at the beginning, "Manor Farm." There, events unfold which change "Manor Farm" into "Animal Farm." I found the plot straightforward. A pig, an old and respected resident of Manor Farm has a dream. He gathers the farm's residents, farmer excepted , to discuss his vision. Once the animals are gathered he expounds the plight of animals. He tells explains to them that they are slaves, their only enemy is Man, that Manor Farm's animals must rebel to be free, that the message and goals must spread to all animals in England. The animals are pledged to regard each other as equals and fight as one the common enemy. Through circumstance unimagined a battle ensues. The animals win. Manor Farm, and a new society where, in their own words, "All animals are equal," is born. The animals of Animal Farm immediately set themselves about the work managing a farm, and do so better than men ever had. There is happiness and dignity, estates none of them have enjoyed previously. But, there is trouble. It starts quickly, originates with the natural leaders and the most clever animals on the farm, and escalates throughout the remainder of the work until the last where some animals discover themselves subject to a new truth.

    The novel is an easy read, with a fairly simple vocabulary, and clearly defined characters who are spelled out as if written in large, black, block letters. The book is, as described by Eric Blair's proposed subtitle (which was dropped before publication) "a fairy story." It is allegorical political drama populated by characters that represent real persons, or classes of people who where contemporary to the writing, in other words the book describes real historical events. Lessons can be drawn from the work, therefore it could also be regarded as a parable. It is also, I think, primarily, reporting. Eric Blair was using a simple story to reach a broad audience, and he was doing so for a purpose, to inform, and enlighten. We don't have to guess what circumstance he wished to relay information about because he states it in the afore mentioned preface to the Ukrainian translation. Using, again, his own words, "... it was of the utmost importance to me that people in western Europe should see the Soviet regime for what it really was." Blair tells us both the inspiration and, the reason for his novel, as well as where we might go in the 1940's to match human faces, collective, or individual, to his animal characters.

    I thought the novel had some particularly noteworthy features. In this work, Blair did not portray an idealized allegorical world. For instance, there are clearly antagonists, but no clear protagonists and the characters that are sympathetic figures are imperfect. They often miss the mark, and often misunderstand the progression of events in their world. In some ways they contribute to the cause of the antagonists - characters who are clearly not operating in anything but self-interest. In a particularly pronounced case of this, one of the most loyal members of the society becomes incapacitated by injury. The individual, being an animal, is sold to slaughter, a fact that most deduce. Later, when the "facts" are explained by those in leadership, all are relieved to find out the "truth"; their loyal comrade passed valiantly with care in the hospital. They, in effect, believe what they are told. In another instance, a member of the newly minted ruling class is caught in the very act altering a written constitution. The witnesses cannot understand what it means to find someone fallen at the bottom a ladder with a can of paint and a brush at a wall where common statutes are written. Blair showcases throughout the book what can happen when a populace fails to maintain it's critical faculties, and doesn't believe what it sees with it's own eyes. It's brilliant commentary on the kinds of things that are done to maintain political advantage and loyalty by manipulation, as well as an example of corresponding mechanisms of self censure and the will to be convinced that all is well against evidence. Here, too, the parabolic nature of the work can be seen. Blair is telling us what happened to them, and we should understand that it could happen to us. The book is filled with corollaries to the political intrigues of the system, and personages he is taking to task, and lessons for those who have a mind to learn from the events unveiled. The frankness of description, even regarding those Blair likely supports, lends credence to the idea that the allegory is not only a form of report, but a particularly honest one. Blair is not afraid to show characters, even sympathetic ones, as they are versus how he may wish them to be.


    Eric Blair's book Animal Farm is a noteworthy read. It is a stand alone story, with it's roots in real history and lessons that transcend the events of that history, lessons that are applicable to any people at any time and in any place were political processes and human will's are actively vying for power. It is populated by imperfect but sympathetic good characters, and accomplished bad ones. It is a warning to those whose hopes are tied to this world and the belief that, should we all try very hard to make society perfect, our efforts will reward us with success. It is a witness to what happens when we misdiagnose the root causes of our discontents in life, and a testimony to the end of pursuing a cure on the basis of a bad diagnosis. It's universal and timeless nature puts it in a class of works that have earned recognition as classics. It can be read over, and over again, without exhausting the lessons it contains. It is a book for our times, to be read by anyone who cares to have a better understanding of the world in which we carry out our lives.

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  • Posted January 25, 2013

    Worth reading - again.

    It had been eons since I read these 2 classics...and they still are!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 26, 2012

    If you enjoy books that allow you to have to use your imagi

    If you enjoy books that allow you to have to use your imagination then you will really love Animal Farm! I liked this book because I found some parts of it to be unpredictable, however I was still able to tell which direction things were headed. The way it was written really allowed me to picture everything that was happening just as if I was watching it on a screen. I had read it once before and I was given the chance to read it again, which really cleared up any past confusion I had had about the book. Basically, Animal Farm is exactly what it sounds like; animals thriving and coming together on a farm to work as a community of equals. I may have left out the part where all of what I just said is completely not true! You get to really become apart of the animals in this book, and experience all of their troubles as they battle for power and rights.
    I can see how this book is very much related to political times of our past, and present, because it actually displays how some people act when they let the power get to their heads. For example, pigs! The pigs in this book play such an important role, but I found myself realizing that they seem to not want to be what they really are. Napoleon for example, I would say he is the perfect example of an evil emperor, and then you have his servants (other fellow pigs and animals) which are always doing what he says and or, telling other animals to do what he says. The other animals on the farm are a perfect example of a “blind” society. You have the members who understand what is going on and may or may not except it, but then you have the members who have no idea of what is really going on, so they choose to just go with the flow without knowing whether it is really benefiting them or not.
    Animal Farm teaches a great lesson to anyone, but to figure out what that is you must read the book! I do recommend this book because it is a perfect example of an imperfect society, yet it is still creative and well written. I think that the author put a nice twist on a not-so-typical animal story. I could go on and on about the contents of the book, but what really left me thinking was the ending. I personally think that for this book if you were to read the last page before even reading the book, then it would completely ruin it for you. All the possible thoughts, questions, and predictions would basically be wrapped up in one nice little sentence. Animal Farm really was a great book and I recommend it to anyone who is willing to go on a troublesome journey that gives you the chance to learn more about what our world could turn into if we let power get to our heads.

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  • Posted October 22, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Even more insightful in today's America

    We've all read Orwell's two classics in junior high or high school, and going back to them was a decision I quickly knew was a good one. Orwell's insights into the aspects of human behavior that create and sustain authoritarian regimes and that doom socialist societies to failure are especially on point in 2012's America. We are faced with a stark presidential choice between the failed socialist policies of Barack Obama and the opportunity to put an end to the national nightmare that has been the last four years. Napoleon, Big Brother and the Ministry of Truth are all too real and Orwell provides a lens through which we better understand the realities we are dealing with as a people. Thank you, Mr. Orwell.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 23, 2012

    I have read hundreds of books in my life, no really. In my room

    I have read hundreds of books in my life, no really. In my room alone I
    must have at least 40 books. Although I have read so many books I don’t
    think I have ever read one as strange and unique as Animal Farm. Written
    by George Orwell in the year 1945 the book is set in England on a farm,
    and mainly features animals. If anything humans are only mentioned as a
    side note, I find this fascinating. With the exception of maybe Black
    Beauty, I think every animal book I have ever read has strongly featured
    humans. I think that one reason that the author did not feature humans
    as much in his book is so that you would think of the animals as the
    characters and stars of the book rather than just think of them as farm
    animals. This definitely worked in my case, of course I knew I was
    reading about animals but I never thought of them as such. The book
    itself is about a barnyard full of animals that have been abused,
    downtrodden, and almost starved. Fed only enough to keep going the days
    of the animals are full of either hard labor, or sorrow as things such
    as foals, calves, milk and eggs are ripped away from them. All of this
    changes when the author introduces an old pig named Major who gives a
    speech about freedom and describes a better life for animals. He also
    teaches them a song called Beasts of England. After Major dies, through
    a series of events, the author puts the animals in powerful human-like
    positions, allowing them to take over the farm and at least briefly end
    the pain and suffering that has been forced upon them. Dictatorship
    runs rapidly through this book as you wonder who will win, animal or
    man. And when one does finally take over the other, another struggle
    begins within the remaining race. The message of this book to me was
    about conflict and dictatorship. I think that the author of the book
    made it relatable to a number of scenarios. The civil war, the Cuban
    revolution, maybe even the holocaust. Through his skill with words he
    managed to write a book representing dictatorship that would be easily
    relatable to events in history that had already occurred, and were yet
    to happen. I am sure that it is because of this that the book Animal
    Farm is so iconic and well known. Two of the main characters in the
    book are the pigs Snowball and Napoleon, and the author skillfully uses
    the simple personas of pigs to show the differences between a leader and
    a dictator. When Orwell writes about the Pig Snowball he may not be
    writing of the best leader. Still, he tells of a leader that can rule
    fairly, construct solid laws that will help everyone and ensure that the
    end of the day the animals are well fed and well ruled. However when the
    author speaks of Napoleon you almost think he might be speaking of a
    snake rather than a pig. Napoleon has a silken tongue that he uses to
    twist events to go his way, and Orwell uses this character to
    demonstrate a dictator figure. He has Napoleon change the rules that
    Snowball wrote one by one, each changed so that they will better and
    Snowball and his fellow pigs. The author demonstrates how when a leader
    focuses on power, the people that they rule can suffer. This is
    demonstrated when Napoleon becomes fixated on the idea of building the
    windmill. As he forces the animals to work, they neglect to tend the
    fields that supply them with food they need to survive. As they build a
    windmill to rise up above them, they practically ruin themselves by
    working hard all day and being forced to live off of what they ca
    harvest from meager crops. This seems to be a pattern throughout the
    book as Napoleons orders the animals to do hard and difficult tasks and
    the animals he orders blindly obey. I think that here Orwell represented
    how at times people underneath dictators obey them, even when they may
    know that what they do will hurt themselves or others. They may obey
    either because they are foolish and weak-minded, or because they are
    scared of the person dictating them. I think that in Orwell’s case he
    decided to combine those two reasons and pour them into each of the
    animals that Napoleon was ruling. It made for a very interesting story.
    This book was rich in story, emotion, surprise and thought. I think that
    everyone should read this book at least once and I wish that I had read
    this book earlier on in my life but I’m sure I will read it many more
    times.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 11, 2012

    It all started with talk of rebellion. Animal Farm, by Gorge Orw

    It all started with talk of rebellion. Animal Farm, by Gorge Orwell, talks of the animals in a town of England turning against the farmers and taking over; Napoleon, one of the pigs on the farm, took over and abused the animals even though they thought it was for the best. All the humans thought it was a joke. The animals tried to prove them wrong by building a windmill, after about two years, they had finally finished, with not only one but one and a failure that the humans destroyed. However, as I began with, the rebellion started everything. Old Major’s speech before death about how the animals deserved better than what Mr. Jones was giving them. Things went father then he would have ever imagined.
    I personally enjoyed the book very much. At first it was misleading about how everything turned out and how it ended. The rebellion took place on a Sunday in mid-June. Both sides completely unprepared for this event, the animals won and took over changing the name from “Manor Farm” to “Animal farm,” and celebrated before thinking about what to do next. They caught on and the pigs milked the cows, and all the animals worked together to get the basic work that had to be done, done. They followed the “7 commandments” or the only real rules on the farm; they had a weekly meeting on Sunday and three pigs- Snowball, Napoleon, and squealer, took place as being in charge, however never abused their power until Napoleon finally ran Snowball off and took place as dictator on the farm. He changed the commandments little by little over a few years until they couldn’t even remember correctly to even tell that six of the seven had been totally removed and the last one- “All animals are equal” was changed to the following: “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.”
    Equally important to the rebellion was the windmills. Snowball was trying to get them to agree to build it so they could have heated/cooled stalls, hot and cold water in each stall, electric ploughs, threshing machines, harrows, rollers and reapers and binders; however the day he got the voted, the day he had gotten everyone’s attention and had them about to say “Let’s do it!” Napoleon ran him off the farm and stole the plans to build it and told the animals that Snowball had really stolen it from him and went through with it. Once they were about half way done, the humans came in and tore it down. Soon after they started and eventually finished a second windmill in the same place.
    I found the moral of the story to be as follows: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. George Orwell made this very clear in this very well written book. I enjoyed the book and not only would I, but I have recommended it to friends.

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  • Posted June 2, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Orwell is one of my favorite authors. Both of these books are ju

    Orwell is one of my favorite authors. Both of these books are just classic pieces of literature and they show us what can happen going the way we are.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 25, 2013

    Yay

    This is a great book. It really does show where the world is going.

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