Title: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Publisher: Secker & Warburg
Year: 1945
96 pages
From the Back: Revolution is in the air at Manor Farm after old Major, a prize boar, tells the other animals about his dream of freedom and teaches them to sing "Beasts of England". Mr Jones, the drunken farmer, is deposed and a committee of pigs takes over the running of the farm. The animals are taught to read and write, but the dream turns sour, the purges begin, and those in charge come more and more to resemble their oppressors.
Orwell's allegory of the Soviet revolution remains as lucid and compelling as ever. In beautifully clear prose, he gives us a vivid gallery of characters and a fable that conveys the truth about how we are manipulated through language and the impossibility of finding heaven on earth.
Personal Thoughts: Animal Farm is one of those books that I probably should have read in high school but never did. It was recommended to me by my partner as a "must read". She said that the story relates perfectly to what's going on in the world today. And boy they weren't kidding! Absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is the crux of this story. The animals wish for a better life, one where everyone is equal. On the surface, it seems like the perfect plan. But it doesn't take long for one group of animals to get the taste of being in control and taking power from the others. Keeping those below them uneducated, not keeping government transparent, using threat of danger as a motivation tactic...sound familiar?
Animal Farm is a good read but beware, the subject matter hits home. I highly recommend it, as well as Orwell's 1984.
