Animal Farm

George Orwell- Animal Farm-Book Review

QUOTE OF THE BOOK: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

CONNECTIONS:
• Animal farm relates directly, and was written for the sole purpose, to illustrate, and retell, the story of the emergence and development of Soviet communism, but obviously in the form of an animal fable. Animal Farm describes Napoleon, the protagonist pig of the story, as history describes the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Snowball, the antagonist of the story represents Leon Trotsky, Stalin’s initial political opponent. The actions shown throughout the story are identical to the political, military, and psychological actions done in Soviet Russia. The story shows runs through how Napoleon eliminated his enemies and solidified his political base in several cases including the collapse of the electric wind-mill, just like Stalin did to gain control. Napoleon claims all controversial confessions from other animals to be false and calls for their execution, like Stalin did to obtain omnipotence. The book as a whole is a metaphorical “play-by-play” of the Soviet occurrences in Russia.
• Animal Farm serves as a “break-down” of the development of class tyranny and the human tendency to maintain and reestablish class structures. In the book, even though the farm was run with the idea of total equality, an order of things began to seamlessly impose itself. The motto of the so called society in the farm was, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” The motto itself serves as an underscoring of the fact that total equality is impossible. The novella illustrates how classes that are initially unified in the face of a common enemy, the humans, may become internally divided when that enemy is eliminated. Nothing stands in the way of hierarchy and fluctuation of power.

VISUAL REPRESENTATION:

This image shows the idea having one omnipotent person rule the entirety of the population, like Stalin, and like Napoleon. There is no other power, no controversy; there is only one ultimate power. This book shows these ideas constantly through its characters and the actions they take. Orwell seems to be under a deep spell of hatred fro the Soviet and Nazi parties, seeing how, both 1984 and Animal Farm, are deliberate attacks and analyses of the organizations and their history.

QUESTIONS:
• WHY IS ORWELL SO CAPTIVATED BY THIS THEME OF SOVIETS AND NAZIS?
• WHAT’S THE VALUE OF HAVING THE STORY TOLD THE AN ANIMAL FABLE?
• Of ALL OF THE CHARACTERS IN ANIMAL FARM, ARE THERE ANY WHO SEEM TO REPRESENT THE POINT OF VIEW OF ORWELL?

REFLECTION:
I ENJOYED READING ANIMAL FARM AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE WRITING STYLE ORWELL USES. PERSONALLY, I AM AN AFICIONADO OF WWII AND COLD WAR RELATED BOOKS, THUS MY LEVEL OF INTEREST WAS MUCH HIGHER. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANY READER LOOKING FOR A GREAT BOOK WITH EXCELLENT WRITING STYLE AND TONE THAT USES AN OIVERLAYING METAPHOR TO EXPLAIN HISTORICAL EVENTS.