Animal Farm

Feb 18, 2012

Meridyforgot rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. {I've had a slight change of heart. After thinking it over, I have decided to bump my rating up one star. Shocking you say? Well I still concur with everything written below (except the one star rating explanation), I just realized that I broke my own rule shall we say (I can no longer stand my own hypocrisy). One star, for me, actually most often means, that I totally hated the book, got NOTHING out of it, and in most cases it made me quite angry--There is no zero star rating after all. So,...more{I've had a slight change of heart. After thinking it over, I have decided to bump my rating up one star. Shocking you say? Well I still concur with everything written below (except the one star rating explanation), I just realized that I broke my own rule shall we say (I can no longer stand my own hypocrisy). One star, for me, actually most often means, that I totally hated the book, got NOTHING out of it, and in most cases it made me quite angry--There is no zero star rating after all. So, because this book actually taught me something valuable, I am giving it the distinction of two stars. Nobel of me, yes. Do I still loathe this book? You betcha.}

{I've decided to preface this review because I keep getting comments from people telling me that I don't know what this book is about. I do in fact. It is a allegory about the Soviet Union. The reason why I talk about America is because I am applying the book to myself. What is the point of reading a book like this if you can't apply it to yourself in some way and make changes for the better? Why else make high school students read this? And I rated it one star because I did not enjoy reading this book. That is how I rate books on this site. Perhaps this is very unfair of me because I did get a lot of good out of this book. But I'm not changing the rating now. Sorry. This is really one of my least favorite books on the planet.}

What surprises me most, in glancing at the other reviews, is that the people who didn't like the book, didn't like it because it was boring. I didn't like it because it was creepy! Animals taking over like that is frightening to me. Perhaps it is because I have seen the creepy cartoon. (My husband actually bought the cartoon to watch it more than once. Maybe I will go into the movie cabinet now and throw it away! ;)

But seriously. I think everyone should read it once, understand the symbolism, learn from it, and appreciate the good things about America. Just know you may not enjoy it. After that the lesson should be remembered, but the creepy story forgotten. What bugs me most about the story is Boxer. I mean he is a great guy (I mean horse). He is a hard worker, gentle, giving, and valuable to society because he is capable of doing great things. And what does he get for it?? Those of you who have read the story know. How aggravating is that?!?!? I have a hard time respecting him. He was duped! Year after year he gives service to these evil leaders and gets nothing for it. Not that we should all be selfish, but we need to look for good leadership. Boxer supports these bad leaders! He thinks they're wonderful until they betray him. Use your head. I find it extremely aggravating that all of his talents are wasted on undeserving leaders who don't care about him at all. He counted on the government to take care of him and they didn't care about him at all.

Now, I hope that every one knows, that even though America is not perfect and has flawed leadership sometimes, that I love America. It has the most potential to do good when compared to other forms of government, all things considered. But I would hope that I would not be duped by politicians promising me the moon, and then taking my hard work and money and using it selfishly for themselves. And I would hope that I would not continue voting for people like that year after year after year. Do not be duped America! Use your heads. If they are not promoting and DOING good things, don't vote for them. I think that is the most important lesson this book taught me. And it also taught me not to depend on government to take care of my problems. The animals depend on their government for everything, therefore the government as all the power, and then the power is abused. Take charge of your own life! Help should be provided by government if truly needed as a TEMPORARY safety net. However, there is no way that a government can provide everything for everyone without being socialistic and having too much power and then taking away everyone's freedom of choice.(less)

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Nov 16, 2008

Shannon rated it

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Shelves: 2008, satire, classics

This is a book I've been meaning to read for ages but never got around to - last week I not only read it but gave a lesson on the historical context for the grade 8 class, who will be reading this book and The Wave. As I found, out of the class of 24, about 20 of them had already read the book, and at least one kid knew it was an allegory of the Russian Revolution. Still, my lesson wasn't totally redundant :)

For anyone who isn't familiar with the story, Animal Farm is about the anima...moreThis is a book I've been meaning to read for ages but never got around to - last week I not only read it but gave a lesson on the historical context for the grade 8 class, who will be reading this book and The Wave. As I found, out of the class of 24, about 20 of them had already read the book, and at least one kid knew it was an allegory of the Russian Revolution. Still, my lesson wasn't totally redundant :)

For anyone who isn't familiar with the story, Animal Farm is about the animals on a farm in England rising up against the incompetent, cruel farmer (Mr Jones, who represents the deposed Tsar, Nicholas II) and taking over the farm, renaming it Animal Farm (USSR) and - so the glorious vision intended - running it for themselves, so their lives would be better.

The vision is given to them by a pig, Old Major, who dies not long afterwards. Old Major probably represents Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx, and it's not the socialist ideal put forward that is critiqued by this book but how that vision is corrupted by certain other characters, namely another pig called Napoleon, who represents Joseph Stalin. Napoleon chases a pig called Snowball (Leon Trotsky) off the farm with his personally trained dogs (while still just the General Secretary of the Party, Stalin recruited people who would follow him blindly, so that when Lenin died in 1924 he was able to defeat Trotsky for the leadership position and his "dogs" kept everyone else in line).

The pigs then take charge, and with their literacy skills keep changing the rules the animals established in order to suit themselves, using a pig called Squealer to convince the other animals that their memories are faulty. After all, as the drafthorse Boxer keeps saying, "Comrade Napoleon is always right".

Boxer is - for me - the most heartbreaking character in the novel. He represents the peasants, and is the most hardworking animal on the farm. He has utter faith in the leadership of Napoleon and works himself to the bone - literally. His reward is very telling, though I don't want to give it away. Most of the characters represent either a person, several people or groups of people, and for the complete list you can check it out on Wikipedia.

Orwell, while a socialist, was very cynical about Stalin's communist USSR - and for good reason! Animal Farm is a very well-written critique of how socialist ideals are corrupted by powerful people, how the uneducated masses are taken advantage of, and how the dictator or communist leaders turn into capitalists (just look at China). It's a wonderful example of how effective the allegorical style/format can be, and a well-deserved classic.(less)

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Pangolin I like that you (also) thought of Old Major as a representation of the TRUE origins of socialist and communist ideals, which would also include Karl M...more
Jan 15, 2011 06:37am

Arnab Das I personally feel this book shouldnt be read in schools. For heavens sake this isnt a fairy tale! How do you expect a young kid to understand the impl...more
Mar 19, 2011 01:12pm

Nov 05, 2011

Lou rated it

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Shelves: best-reads

Animal Farm was such a great book and demands a re-read. That time is way overdue it has been a while since I read this and I was trying to find a way to review what Orwell was trying to convey in this story. I found couple of good reviews that put it so much better in perspective so why try myself when it's been written about by so many people. When I read it again in the not so distant future I will add my own thoughts So here's to what some readers wrote in a couple of other websites.
...moreAnimal Farm was such a great book and demands a re-read. That time is way overdue it has been a while since I read this and I was trying to find a way to review what Orwell was trying to convey in this story. I found couple of good reviews that put it so much better in perspective so why try myself when it's been written about by so many people. When I read it again in the not so distant future I will add my own thoughts So here's to what some readers wrote in a couple of other websites.

Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely-and this is vividly and eloquently proved in Orwell's short novel. "Animal Farm" is a simple fable of great symbolic value, and as Orwell himself explained: "it is the history of a revolution that went wrong". The novel can be seen as the historical analysis of the causes of the failure of communism, or as a mere fairy-tale; in any case it tells a good story that aims to prove that human nature and diversity prevent people from being equal and happy ,or at least equally happy.

"Animal Farm" tells the simple and tragic story of what happens when the oppressed farm animals rebel, drive out Mr. Jones, the farmer, and attempt to rule the farm themselves, on an equal basis. What the animals seem to have aimed at was a utopian sort of communism, where each would work according to his capacity, respecting the needs of others. The venture failed, and "Animal Farm" ended up being a dictatorship of pigs, who were the brightest, and most idle of the animals.

Orwell's mastery lies in his presentation of the horrors of totalitarian regimes, and his analysis of communism put to practice, through satire and simple story-telling. The structure of the novel is skillfully organized, and the careful reader may, for example, detect the causes of the unworkability of communism even from the first chapter. This is deduced from Orwell's description of the various animals as they enter the barn and take their seats to listen to the revolutionary preaching of Old Major, father of communism in Animal Farm. Each animal has different features and attitude; the pigs, for example, "settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform", which is a hint on their future role, whereas Clover, the affectionate horse" made a sort of wall" with her foreleg to protect some ducklings.

So, it appears that the revolution was doomed from the beginning, even though it began in idealistic optimism as expressed by the motto" no animal must ever tyrannize over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. "When the animals drive out Mr. Jones, they create their "Seven Commandments" which ensure equality and prosperity for all the animals. The pigs, however, being the natural leaders, managed to reverse the commandments, and through terror and propaganda establish the rule of an elite of pigs, under the leadership of Napoleon, the most revered and sinister pig.

"Animal Farm" successfully presents how the mechanism of propaganda and brainwashing works in totalitarian regimes, by showing how the pigs could make the other animals believe practically anything. Responsible for the propaganda was Squealer, a pig that "could turn black into white". Squealer managed to change the rule from "all animals are equal" to" all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others". He managed to convince the other animals that it was for their sake that the pigs ate most of the apples and drank most of the milk, that leadership was "heavy responsibility" and therefore the animals should be thankful to Napoleon, that what they saw may have been something they "dreamed", and when everything else failed he would use the threat of " Jones returning" to silence the animals. In this simple but effective way, Orwell presents the tragedy and confusion of thought control to the extent that one seems better off simply believing that" Napoleon is always right".

Orwell's criticism of the role of the Church is also very effective. In Animal Farm, the Church is represented by Moses, a tame raven, who talks of "Sugarcandy Mountain", a happy country in the sky "where we poor animals shall rest forever from our labors". It is interesting to observe that when Old Major was first preaching revolutionary communism, Moses was sleeping in the barn, which satirizes the Church being caught asleep by communism. It is also important to note that the pig-dictators allowed and indirectly encouraged Moses; it seems that it suited the pigs to have the animals dreaming of a better life after death so that they wouldn't attempt to have a better life while still alive...

In "Animal Farm", Orwell describes how power turned the pigs from simple "comrades" to ruthless dictators who managed to walk on two legs, and carry whips. The story maybe seen as an analysis of the Soviet regime, or as a warning against political power games of an absolute nature and totalitarianism in general. For this reason, the story ends with a hair-raising warning to all humankind:" 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".

http://more2read.com/?review=animal-farm-by-george-orwell (less)

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Feb 10, 2008

Samin Houshyar rated it

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I absolutely loved this book. It wasn't boring to me at all. I think Orwell did a great job of symbolizing all the injustice that happens in name of an outside force and how simple minded people who do not educate themselves get taken advantage from, be it West for Soviet Russia, America for Iran or Terrorists for the United states.

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Oct 07, 2011

Sita Sargeant rated it

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Recommends it for: Everyone should read it at least once

Recommended to Sita by: A few different people...

Shelves: own, classic, reviewed, nl

Animal Farm is one of those classic books that I’m always hearing people talk about. People are always telling me it’s one of those books you just have to read before you die (even though I don't plan on dying anytime soon, I thought I would get the book out of the way). So, when I found the book in my dads collection I thought “why not? Let’s see what all the fuss is about.”

I can now see what all the fuss was about. This book was amazing and I am really glad that I finally took the...more

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Apr 02, 2008

Kristen rated it

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Recommends it for: Everyone

I felt like this was one of the best books I have ever read. I was left with a crazy feeling in my stomach of sadness and awe, because I believe Orwell has wrote a masterpiece. At first, before reading it, I was nervous I would not see the satire and I would not connect it to Communism. Yet it was blantantly obvious and while pulling the readers to sympathize with animals like Boxer and Benjamin, one could dare to predict what would happen next and come to hate the pigs and Napoleon. At firs...moreI felt like this was one of the best books I have ever read. I was left with a crazy feeling in my stomach of sadness and awe, because I believe Orwell has wrote a masterpiece. At first, before reading it, I was nervous I would not see the satire and I would not connect it to Communism. Yet it was blantantly obvious and while pulling the readers to sympathize with animals like Boxer and Benjamin, one could dare to predict what would happen next and come to hate the pigs and Napoleon. At first, it almost showed how Communism COULD work, in a perfect, selfless world. I was confused a bit and was thinking that it was not that bad. But then, I realized all the issues and from every problem, like changing the commandments and bartering with humans, and I saw the terrors Commmunism can bring. I really enjoyed reading the book (even though the ending was sad and I was very upset when Boxer died) and I have already recommended to it to several friends. It was an easy read, but made me think a lot after. That last sentance was really a well-deserved slap in the face to humankind and it left me with chills. I loved the book!

comment part 2- While the book was a blatant example of Communism, Orwell also seemed to mean it as society as a whole. Socialist, Communist, whatever, any nation could have been taken advantage of like the farm was. Any nation could develop unfair classes, and it almost reminded me of the French Revolution - 3 Classes they had, and once you were the lower class, you could never be higher. Also, it seems once you're the lower class you don't really realize you are the lower class, you instead blindly follow. That was greatly shown by Boxer's quote, "Napoleon is always right." With an attitude like that, no one could even stand up. Another way it reminded me of the French Revolution was when there were blind executions and forced confessions and everyone wanted to put everyone to death by guillotine (dogs?). In addition, any nation could have a constitution of some sort and have it altered, yet the animals were so blind they either didn't notice or couldn't do anything about it. It was kind of a downer about society, or perhaps just a warning.

I thought it was on the list. :((less)

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Nov 20, 2008

Manny rated it

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A perfect book. People will still be reading this in a thousand years time, when communism is just a footnote.

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Aug 26, 2007

Tessa De Guzman added it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: curious children

Funnily enough, i read this book as a child and thought that it really WAS about animals. I remember thinking, Evil Pigs, I'm glad you're bacon in MY world, and Poor Hardworking Horsies, come live on my farm instead. You can have all the hay and makopa you want (sadly, no apples, tropical climate).

I reread it after education spoiled my natural inclinations for fast and absolute punishment of evildoers and eternal rewards for the good. I do find it pleasantly strange that these anima...more

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Aug 23, 2007

Steven rated it

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Shelves: politics, class, 1001, time-100

Wow. It took maybe a couple of hours to read this book - talk about a couple of hours well spent. I always thought I knew the story well, but reading its presented a wholly different experience. After a speech by wise Old Major , the great pig (read Marx/Lenin), in which it is noted that the life of an animal is misery and slavery and than man is the only creature that consumes without producing, the animals rise up and throw off the yolk of their oppressive master Jones (read Romanov family)...more

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Nov 10, 2011

Bonnie rated it

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Shelves: banned-and-or-challenged-books, classics, ya, read-in-2011, audiobooks, 1001, bbc-said-so

Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!

Another on my list of Banned/Challenged books.

Having missed this in my childhood education it's always been one that I've heard so many things about but have never been able to experience. I have to say that I'm quite glad I didn't read this until later in life because I don't believe I'd be able to appreciate it or understand it half as much as I would have in my early teens. I remember hearing about this book when I was younge...more

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Jan 05, 2009

Zinta rated it

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It wasn't my first stay on the farm. I'd read Orwell as a girl, one with ethnic roots reaching back to the Baltic States (Latvia) then occupied by the Soviet Union, and so having grown up on stories of human cruelty and betrayal, of human nature gone corrupt when faced with the seduction of power -- all of that rather than the common, soothing fairy tale. For that reason, I surely understood it on a deeper level than most of my peers. I was fifteen the first of many times I visited the Soviet Un...moreIt wasn't my first stay on the farm. I'd read Orwell as a girl, one with ethnic roots reaching back to the Baltic States (Latvia) then occupied by the Soviet Union, and so having grown up on stories of human cruelty and betrayal, of human nature gone corrupt when faced with the seduction of power -- all of that rather than the common, soothing fairy tale. For that reason, I surely understood it on a deeper level than most of my peers. I was fifteen the first of many times I visited the Soviet Union. And even though I had been born in the then freedom of the United States, I understood well enough that what I was witnessing was the essence of evil.

George Orwell was a socialist. With leanings towards Trotsky, perhaps an idealism that would be tested by the ugly reality of human nature, he did not stand where I stood in terms of ideology. I leaned more towards a laissez faire capitalism, a system never tested on this planet to this very day, but that did not detract from my enthusiasm for "Animal Farm." On this barnyard, we saw eye to eye and snout to snout.

"Animal Farm" is a story as if written for a child, and yet, not. Its language is simple. But the adult aware of history and politics, of the ways of government out of control, fully recognizes the parallels Orwell intended with the Russian Revolution. His animal characters had human counterparts. Marx, Trotsky, Lenin, Stalin, all find their form here among pigs become men, or is it men become pigs. Guard dogs mimic KGB, hard working horses (Boxer) mimic the hardworking proletarians, tragically deluded. A farm of abused and overworked animals, often slaughtered when they have passed their prime as work animals, revolt against the farmer - mankind - surely the epitome of cruel animal. Alas, given such power as to run the farm themselves, the animals quickly shift into social classes delineated by power. Pigs rule, and with their rule comes privilege. To sustain privilege, the pigs change laws to their convenience and pleasure. The basic tenet of "All animals are equal" becomes "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others."

Orwell wrote about the Russian Revolution. And well he should, because it can be argued that the cruelty of that government has as yet not been fully understood by the "free world" even today. Yet the power and timelessness of this tale is that it can be applied to all governments when not held firmly within their checks and balances -- and frightening parallels can be witnessed in the current administration of the United States. I reread the book today with growing dis-ease. With all of our talk of superiority, our Patriot Acts and our eavesdropping, our acts of aggression and our collective amnesia surrounding the Geneva Act, there but for the grace of God go we... (less)

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Oct 30, 2011

Petra X rated it

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Shelves: fiction

This is not really a review, but one of those moments where everything that was clear to you suddenly becomes utterly muddied and you really can't say what lies beneath the murky waters although a moment before you were sure you could.

I'm reading Christopher Hitchen's astonishingly percipient and brilliant Arguably: Essays. I read Animal Farm too young to identify the individual animals with actual characters on the stage of communism (the old boar Major is Marx, Farmer Jones is the ...more

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Oct 04, 2010

NG added it · review of another edition

هي رواية رائعة بلا شك، استمتعت بها كثيرا.. أورويل عنده مقدرة عبقرية على نسج الأحداث، وسرده ممتاز..
ولكن استرعى انتباهي تصنيفها "من أعظم الأعمال"، فهي إسقاط مباشر جدا، سرد لتاريخ قيام الاتحاد السوفيتي، مع إبدال أسماء الشخصيات بأسماء حيوانات.. وأرجح أن سبب الشهرة العظيمة التي حازت عليها، هو مهاجتها للفكر الشيوعي وتصويرها للشيوعيين كخنازير ومعتنقي هذا الفكر كبهائم، وهو ما كان كفيلاً بإنجاح أي رواية تكتب في الغرب في الفترة من 1945 وحتى انهيار الدولة الشيوعية.

أورويل كاتب م...more

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Jul 16, 2008

sahar alimohammadi added it · review of another edition

با خواندن این کتاب به یاد همه انقلاب های جهان افتادم،خصوصا انقلاب اسلامی خودمان!

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Sep 18, 2011

Carlo rated it

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Shelves: english-literature, to-be-read-again, literary-fiction, politics

I don’t think I can add much on what have already been said about this book. It is indeed a very good book, beside one or two things that didn't feel right to me.

I believe that the analogy Orwell made between humans and animals has an obvious flaw: Almost all the miseries of the majority of human beings in reality - who are represented by the oppressed animals in the book - were caused by their fellow humans, whereas most miseries of the animals were due to their nature and the fact t...moreI don’t think I can add much on what have already been said about this book. It is indeed a very good book, beside one or two things that didn't feel right to me.

I believe that the analogy Orwell made between humans and animals has an obvious flaw: Almost all the miseries of the majority of human beings in reality - who are represented by the oppressed animals in the book - were caused by their fellow humans, whereas most miseries of the animals were due to their nature and the fact that they were animals. Plus, I couldn't ignore the notion that the animals were not equal with one another. Of course, I am not referring to the fact that some animals claimed authority over the others, but rather to the inequality due to their being of different kinds with different capabilities. I can understand that each group of animal represents a different class of people, but even with that in mind there is an intrinsic equality between people (after all they are born with the same capabilities of learning and perceiving the world around them) which was missing between the animals of the book. For example the pigs were good at learning language but horses were not. I can’t see how the pigs are responsible for this. I'm not saying that the analogy is wrong, instead it is just not strong enough. I believe that an analogy works best when it corresponds with the reality as much as possible.

Another thing that didn't feel right was the single commandment ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS, which probably is the premise upon which the book is supposedly made. Apart from the obvious contradiction of the two sentences, which of course is relevant and apt to the theme of the book, the commandment is not very powerful and didn't elegantly describe the totalitarianism which was at work in the farm. In short, I was expecting something more profound from Orwell, for whom I have the highest regard.

But the thing I admired most in this book was its brevity. As we see in this very book, time has a numbing effect which is clearly demonstrated in the book when the animals begin to question their own memories about certain facts as time goes by. The book being short emphasizes the contrast between the beginning and the end, which afer all is what the book is all about.

So, I can't say I didn't enjoy the book. It contains some very powerful and vivid moments, and it is relevant today as much as when it was written if not more. It is obvious that Orwell had the USSR in mind when he wrote it, but I believe if he was alive today, he would have written a much gloomier version of it, in which the animals were very happy eating burgers and watching Twilight, while Napoleaon and his friends consuming them bit by bit.(less)

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Jan 13, 2011

Matt rated it

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Keep your Melville, with his dense, Scripture-based allusions. Stow your Dostoevsky, with his endless psychological babbling. Retain your Hawthorne, with all his thee-and-thou-studded dialogue. Instead, give me George Orwell, a writer of classics that are as easy to understand as any book by Ricahrd Scarry or Stan & Jan Berenstain.

Oh, to be sure, there is something to be said of the struggle and the rewards of some of classic literature's heftier entries. This is especially true if ...more

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Mar 14, 2009

Choupette rated it

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Recommends it for: Communist sympathisers

Shelves: own-or-access, undeservedly-popular

At first I was delighted and amused to see the events of the Russian revolution to perfectly mirrored in this happy little animal fable. But somewhere around the time when the conflict between Stalin's 'Socialism in One Country' and Trotsky's 'Permanent Revolution' was reduced to the following description:

"According to Napoleon, what the animals must do was to procure fire-arms and train themselves in the use of them. According to Snowball, they must send out more and more pigeo...moreAt first I was delighted and amused to see the events of the Russian revolution to perfectly mirrored in this happy little animal fable. But somewhere around the time when the conflict between Stalin's 'Socialism in One Country' and Trotsky's 'Permanent Revolution' was reduced to the following description:

"According to Napoleon, what the animals must do was to procure fire-arms and train themselves in the use of them. According to Snowball, they must send out more and more pigeons and stir up rebellion among the animals on the other farms."

I started to feel insulted. Perhaps because of the ridiculous amount of research I did on this topic, I couldn't stand to see it distilled down into such simplistic terms. By then in fact, the whole concept began to jar. The characterisation of the Russian people as dumb animals, without the intelligence even to read, seemed to me to be needlessly cruel.

Animal Farm reminds me more than anything of a task I had to do in year 11 history. From a number of options, I chose to make a children's propaganda book to promote Communism in Russia. I created a story based on the fable of The Ant and the Grasshopper, where the ant was a communist and the grasshopper was a capitalist. Note that at this time I had no conscious knowledge of Animal Farm. If a sixteen-year-old of no special intelligence could think of such a similar concept to Animal Farm, how can Orwell be such a genius?

My story of the ant and the grasshopper was crude and simplistic, in the manner of the Soviet propaganda I was trying to mimic. The grasshopper had an evil face and a dollar sign drawn on his top hat, while the ant had a pretty smile and a little red scarf to keep her warm during the cold winter. Animal Farm seemed to me to be just as crude, in such a way that it degrades the suffering of the Russian people and the complexity of the Communist cause.

As such it seems to me that Orwell stoops to the same level as the Soviets; Animal Farm is just anti-Communist propaganda, plain as day. Nonetheless I still give it three stars because it does show the dangers and failings of Communism very clearly and powerfully.(less)

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Mar 09, 2008

HappyHippo rated it

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Shelves: classic

Untuk menikmati buku ini sepertinya anda harus memiliki ketertarikan mengenai politik atau minimal mengetahui sedikit tentang sejarah Uni Soviet dan komunisme.
Sebuah alegori, satir dan parodi yang ngeledek habis-habisan komunisme, Uni Soviet dan tentu saja Stalin.
Cerita dimulai dari seorang.. eh, seekor babi hutan tua (Major) disebuah peternakan yang mendorong para ternak2 untuk memberontak dan mendirikan peternakan yang dikelola oleh mereka sendiri. Para binatang akhirnya m...more
Untuk menikmati buku ini sepertinya anda harus memiliki ketertarikan mengenai politik atau minimal mengetahui sedikit tentang sejarah Uni Soviet dan komunisme.
Sebuah alegori, satir dan parodi yang ngeledek habis-habisan komunisme, Uni Soviet dan tentu saja Stalin.
Cerita dimulai dari seorang.. eh, seekor babi hutan tua (Major) disebuah peternakan yang mendorong para ternak2 untuk memberontak dan mendirikan peternakan yang dikelola oleh mereka sendiri. Para binatang akhirnya memberontak dengan mengusir sang pemilik peternakan dan mendirikan "negara" sendiri. Disini kita bisa meng-analogi-kan Major sebagai Karl Marx, Mrs Jones sbg Tsar, peristiwa pemberontakan yang disebut Rebellion oleh para binatang sebagai Revolusi Bolshevik. Mereka merumuskan suatu paham yang mereka sebut Animalism (komunisme) yang dituangkan dalam The Seven Commandment, menciptakan bendera hijau bergambar kuku/cakar dan tanduk (palu & arit) dan tentu saja memiliki lagu kebangsaan sendiri (The Beasts of England) Hehehe...
Ketenangan negeri Animal Farm menjadi kacau ketika para babi yang digambarkan sebagai binatang yang pandai mulai serakah. Diawali dengan "kudeta militer" yang dilakukan Napoleon, seekor babi yang haus kekuasaan. Ia menjadi seorang diktator di AF. Memata-matai para penduduk dan menghukum binatang2 yang dianggap sebagai mata2 dan penghianat. Dan seperti biasa, para diktator (entah itu binatang atau manusia) sepertinya memiliki penyakit yang sama yaitu semakin lama ia berkuasa maka semakin narsislah dia! Napoleon mulai mendirikan patung dan gambar dirinya di AF, menciptakan lagu dan puisi yang memuja mereka habis2an, memperingati ultah secara nasional dan tentu saja menganugerahi diri sendiri dengan berbagai medali kepahlawanan. Para pemimpin AF mulai memutar balikan fakta sejarah (sejarah selalu ditulis oleh para pemenang), memodifikasi, membengkokan dan bahkan melanggar Seven Commandment yang telah mereka sepakati diawal revolusi. Membodohi rakyat yang tambah lama tambah bego dan sengsara aja. Aku bener2 sedih melihat nasib si Boxer.

Denger2 sih dulu Stalin jadi keki berat dan melarang buku ini beredar di Uni Soviet (kesindir kali dia) Hehehe... Soalnya kelakuan si Napoleon tambah lama emang tambah mirip dia sih.
Akankah AF akan mengalami keruntuhan seperti halnya komunisme dan Uni Soviet?
Atau malah akan menemukan kejayaannya? Baca sendiri deh... kalo penasaran itu juga :)
Gileee... bukunya tipis abis tp review-nya panjang amaaaat... Ampun deh. Heu...

Next destination! Another Orwell's... 1984
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Jul 16, 2008

Reza rated it

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مزرعه حيوانات از آن دسته كتابهائيست كه هميشه مي توان خواندش. ايده هايي كه از يك دغدغه ناب انساني سر چشمه مي گيرند ، چيزاهايي نيستند كه تاريخ مصرف داشته باشند. هرچند بيش از چندين دهه از عمر آن مي گذرد اما ، داستاني كه جرج اورول با روايتي جذاب و در عين حال ساده بيان مي كند ، در همه دوران تازه خواهد ماند چرا كه به نوعي روايت وجهي مهم از وجود انساني ماست:قدرت
داستان مزرعه حيوانات ،‌ ماجراي حيواناتيست كه براي رهايي از جور و ستم انسان دو پا ، بر عليه مالك مزرعه با شعار " همه حيوانات برابرن...moreمزرعه حيوانات از آن دسته كتابهائيست كه هميشه مي توان خواندش. ايده هايي كه از يك دغدغه ناب انساني سر چشمه مي گيرند ، چيزاهايي نيستند كه تاريخ مصرف داشته باشند. هرچند بيش از چندين دهه از عمر آن مي گذرد اما ، داستاني كه جرج اورول با روايتي جذاب و در عين حال ساده بيان مي كند ، در همه دوران تازه خواهد ماند چرا كه به نوعي روايت وجهي مهم از وجود انساني ماست:قدرت
داستان مزرعه حيوانات ،‌ ماجراي حيواناتيست كه براي رهايي از جور و ستم انسان دو پا ، بر عليه مالك مزرعه با شعار " همه حيوانات برابرند " دست به انقلاب مي زنند و كش و قوس هاي وقايع اين انقلاب ، خط روايت داستان را شكل مي دهد.رويكرد فكري و نگاه بسيار عميق اورول به مسئله قدرت و آرمانگرايي انساني در كنار داستانپردازي بديع و نثر بسيار زيباي اورول - اگر متن انگليسي آن را بخوانيد - اثر ماندگار و تامل برانگيزي را شكل مي دهند كه هيچگاه غبار تاريخ از درخشش آن نمي كاهد. گذشته از همه اينها ، "مزرعه حيوانات " مانيفست بسياري از انقلابات تاريخ است. سرگذشت آرمانهاي بازيچه شده در دستان قدرت ، حماقت معصومانه و يا شايد معصوميت احمقانه توده ها و پاياني طنز آلود كه اورول با گزاره اي متناقض نما و به تعبيري سو رئال - اين شايد ماهيت همه انقلاب هاست كه در آن كراهت چهره واقعيت ما را به گذار از آن وا مي دارد - رقم مي زند:
همه حيوانات برابرند ولي بعضي برابرترند...

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Jun 06, 2007

Douglas Teixeira rated it

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Recommends it for: nobody

The book "Animal Farm" I hated so much. I have never read a book that bored me as much as this one. I only read this because I was required to as a class. This book made me want to sleep after every single word. But to not be so harsh I believe I disliked this book so much because it was something I would normally never read. Its one of those books that teaches you lessons as you go along reading others. One lesson i learned from the book was if I know something and i'm not planning...more The book "Animal Farm" I hated so much. I have never read a book that bored me as much as this one. I only read this because I was required to as a class. This book made me want to sleep after every single word. But to not be so harsh I believe I disliked this book so much because it was something I would normally never read. Its one of those books that teaches you lessons as you go along reading others. One lesson i learned from the book was if I know something and i'm not planning to help anyone then there is no point in learning it. I personally would not recommend it because i didn't like it. But if you like these types go for it. This book is based on a true event that happened in this world but the strange things are is the characters are all animals. This book talks about how the animals are tired of being overworked and underappreciated. So they rebel against their leader and create their own type of ruling. But things take a turn for the worse when 2 out 3 characters begin to get greedy with the powers that they are given. They begin to use their intelect and wity conversation skills to either brainwash the other animals or enforce their will on the animals. One scene that I remember is when the 2 pigs that b egan to get greedy run the only good pig out of the farm. They consfiscated a couple puppies at a young age from their mother in order to train them to become bodyguards for both the two pigs. After the puppies grow Napolean, one of the greedy pigs. uses them to run the only decent pig out of the farm. After this everything begins to go downhill. The animals unwitingly believe things will sort themselves out by themselves but they come to a horid conclusion. The farm goes back to being the way it was when they had there human owner but know with animals. Napolean ends up treating the animals worse than they were treated before. Anyone opposes him would be executed. So the animals begin to regret what they have done but its too late for them to do anything about it. (less)

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Jan 23, 2012

مهند rated it

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Shelves: ادب-literature

رواية شهيرة للاديب الانكليزي جورج اورويل
بالرغم من يساريته الا ان الرواية كانت ضد النظام الستاليني الاستبدادي آنذاك
رواية في غاية الروعة والدقة في التعبير والوصف
انصح بقرائتها وأقتنائها
كما وانصح برؤية الفيلم اذا وجد فهو بالرغم من انه كارتوني الا انه موصل للفكرة لمن يرغب في رؤيتها على الشاشة

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Oct 31, 2008

Jim rated it

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Shelves: classics

Allegories & anti-communist literature often leave me cold. This is both & could easily have been done poorly. Instead, it was perfect. Orwell manages to fit a farm seamlessly to communism in a way that makes me want to laugh & cry at the same time. It's short, sweet & to the point. Wow! What wonderful points he makes, too. He pokes holes in the theories of collectivism until it's leaking like a sieve & wraps up in style. It's been years since I last read it, but I still have images in my...more

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Sep 26, 2009

Anoud rated it

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Shelves: fiction

As I just finished reading the novella, I found myself incredibly wearing an air of extreme excitement!! And I couldn't help it but to run towards the computer to write a review about it!

Animal Farm is one of the most spectacular literary works of all the time, not only during the 20th century. However, in order to get it right and enjoy its brilliance, you ought to go back in time and look at the conditions and events where this stunning novella was born. Orwell's novella is about ...moreAs I just finished reading the novella, I found myself incredibly wearing an air of extreme excitement!! And I couldn't help it but to run towards the computer to write a review about it!

Animal Farm is one of the most spectacular literary works of all the time, not only during the 20th century. However, in order to get it right and enjoy its brilliance, you ought to go back in time and look at the conditions and events where this stunning novella was born. Orwell's novella is about a group of animals who live in a farm called "Manor Farm", owned by their master, Jones. The animals grow enthusiastic to get their freedom, and be the masters of themselves. They seek nothing but breaking away from tyranny, enjoy equality and fair living that have been demonstrated to be achieved by one way only; Jones's and all other human race's expulsion. Eventually, the rebellion, of the animals, succeeds. Nonetheless, things turn to be worse than before. Those animals who promised for freedom, dignity and better living turned to be as cruel as the humans they once hated- or even worse!

In my opinion, this story can be read in two different levels. The first one is the real purpose and motive of the author in which he wrote this novella. It was a sharp criticism of Stalin's and his government corruption rather than criticism of communism-as a system- as some may think. Tyranny of the Leader, corruption of government and absolute ignorance of people, were the fundamental blocks, I believe, in which Orwell built his novella upon. The kind of symbolism used and the way of description draw clearly a political allusion. In addition to this, the nature of the characters and the way they were depicted can tell you a great deal about the author's main purpose. For instance, you would know the dogs, in the novella, represent police, military or something like that! Also Squealer he would clearly be seen something like a Minister or so!

On the other level, one may look at the whole thing with totally different view; human beings, their nature and various innate desires. What may authority, power and control change in humans? How could they alter their beliefs and principles? And how harsh life would treat those who are powerless? Submission or rebellion? Many questions may arise while you read this book ………. despite its simplicity!
Definitely one of the greatest books ever!
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Aug 12, 2010

Louize rated it

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Recommended to Louize by: a book challenge

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century
My choice #1:

Animal Farm: A Fairy Tale
by George Orwell

The story tells of what happens after maltreated animals rebel and ousted their human farm owners. In their attempt of communism they aim to rule the farm on equal basis, doing their good share of hard work according to their capacity and respecting others’ needs and limitations. Unfortunately, thi...moreBanned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century
My choice #1:

Animal Farm: A Fairy Tale
by George Orwell

The story tells of what happens after maltreated animals rebel and ousted their human farm owners. In their attempt of communism they aim to rule the farm on equal basis, doing their good share of hard work according to their capacity and respecting others’ needs and limitations. Unfortunately, this attempt failed miserably in the dictatorship of the corrupt.

In subtle details, various causes indicate why communism failed. One of which is their diversity; not by their kind, but by their features and attitudes. Some are content with protecting others; some evicted themselves; some satisfied themselves with working hard; and most of them conformed to merely keeping their mouths shut. But there are those who intend to elevate their status – the pigs. Even though, the Seven Commandments were created to ensure equality among them, the pigs being natural leaders in the story, managed to reverse this commandments through terror and brainwashing for their advancement. They were able to change the rule from “all animals are equal” to “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others.” Now, I don’t know how that makes sense but the animals believe everything that Squealer says. He even convinced them that leadership is a huge responsibility and so the pigs deserve everything that is better in the farm. And to silence any further protests, he will add the “threat of Mr. Jones returning” if the leadership weakens.

Satire as it may seems, yet very effective; Orwell criticizes how the church slept through during the birth of communism. The church represented in the being of Moses, a tamed raven. He even went further into the narration that Moses was being bribed with a regular supply of barley brew by the dictators while he talk of Sugarcandy Mountain, where poor animals shall rest forever bountifully. So that, animals may dream of a better after-life; and abandon the attempt to have a better life while still living and able. What I hate most about this is the promise of a happy retirement which is but a ruse.

Taking the subtitle into account, you may read this story like any fable you’ve encountered before; or you may take Orwell’s words for it: “it is the history of a revolution that went wrong.” You see, for a mere fairy tale, it has great symbolic value. Orwell craftily illustrated that given a chance, human nature prevents us from living equal – taking advantage of those who are weaker. Simply put, Animal Farm describes how self–interest and the seat of power can turn a simple pig from a “comrade” into a very ruthless dictator. This is a warning to all humankind against absolute political power, and, of course from communism.
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Feb 23, 2010

Danielle rated it

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Shelves: fiction, classics-recommended-reading

I feel a little vindicated after reading this book that even though I may not have read a classic, I'm still familiar enough with it to judge it fairly. This book was exactly what I thought it was going to be. Which means I'm also right about what Lord of Flies is going to be, even though I haven't read it, right?
I seriously read this because it seems like you can't consider yourself a well-read person unless you have. Oh, and because it's super short.
But, as it turns out, it was a...more

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Aug 17, 2008

Ariyati rated it

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Shelves: classic-novel

... and the animals succeeded to free themselves from previous master Mr Jone <the owner of Manor Farm>
now the conquered farm called 'Animal Farm'....

Just like every revolution begins with: ideal in principle and for the good of all. Everyone has same dream of equality and welfare.

Somehow,distorsion happen here and there. History changed, hero become the filth, commandement changed solely without the people acknowledgement <I mean it to write 'the people' ...more

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Oct 18, 2007

Sara Lou rated it

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Shelves: read-and-reccommended, read-and-will-read-again

I was on holiday in Scotland and this was on the bookshelf in the chalet were staying in. Having read 1984 I was interested in reading other Orwell's classics and with Animal Farm being popular reading material, I didn't see why not to give it a chance.

I read it in a day.

For the first time in a long time I picked up a book and couldn't put it down. That's what I enjoy about Orwell's writing. Its very easy to read and very addictive. I'm not a learned person when it com...more

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Jul 24, 2008

Amang Suramang rated it

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Recommends it for: Orwellian

Shelves: world-literature

Pernah diterbitkan dengan judul Binatangisme hasil terjemahan Mahmud Djunaedi, Animal Farm terbit lagi di bawah bendera Fresh Book pada tahun 2006. Buku ini sebelumnya diterbitkan juga oleh penerbit Sumbu (Yogyakarta) tahun 2001. Karya aslinya (bahasa Inggris) terbit 17 Agustus 1945 di Inggris. Buku dari penerbit Sumbu dicetak dengan paperback dan 109 halaman (edisi Indonesia).

“Kawan-kawan, sudah jelas bahwa sumber kesengsaraan hidup kita tak lain adalah tirani manusia. Maka hanya ...morePernah diterbitkan dengan judul Binatangisme hasil terjemahan Mahmud Djunaedi, Animal Farm terbit lagi di bawah bendera Fresh Book pada tahun 2006. Buku ini sebelumnya diterbitkan juga oleh penerbit Sumbu (Yogyakarta) tahun 2001. Karya aslinya (bahasa Inggris) terbit 17 Agustus 1945 di Inggris. Buku dari penerbit Sumbu dicetak dengan paperback dan 109 halaman (edisi Indonesia).

“Kawan-kawan, sudah jelas bahwa sumber kesengsaraan hidup kita tak lain adalah tirani manusia. Maka hanya dengan menyingkirkan manusia-lah kita bisa menikmati hasil keringat kita. Hanya dengan menyingkirkan manusia-lah kita menjadi merdeka.” -- Mayor Tua

Dikisahkan sebuah tanah pertanian bernama Manor Farm, dan di sana terjadi pemberontakan satwa di pertanian ini terhadap pemiliknya yang jahat dan pemabok, Jones. Dipimpin oleh dua babi bernama Napoleon dan Snowball, mereka mengusir Jones, mengambil alih pertanian dan menjalankannya tanpa campur tangan dari luar hanya untuk satwa di seluruh Inggris. Semua bekerja sesuai kemampuan masing-masing. Mereka punya lagu revolusioner sendiri berjudul "Beast of England":

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the golden future time...

Riches more than mind can picture,
Wheat and barley, oats and hay,
Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels
Shall be ours upon the day...

Setahun dua tahun kemudian masalah timbul: ada perpecahan di tingkat pemimpin, yang lalu meletupkan bentrokan keras di antara dua pemimpin paling vokal, Napoleon dan Snowball. Jargon persamaan di antara semua satwa menjadi tak jelas begitu satwa yang berkuasa menganugerahi diri mereka sendiri privilese baru. Akhirnya, sistem eksploitasi baru pun muncul.

Animal Farm saya baca pertama kali tahun 1997. Itu artinya, 52 tahun setelah diterbitkan oleh Eric Blair, si empunya nama George Orwell. Bagiku, semoga ini benar, Animal Farm merupakan sindiran halus terhadap revolusi Rusia dan Stalinisme yang tidak mampu membendung Kapitalisme. Suatu kritik yang bagus untuk gerakan kiri dan juga hantaman keras di pantat untuk kaum kapitalis.

Bila suka membaca karya George Orwell, silakan berkunjung ke link ini http://www.orwell.ru/library/index_en
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Feb 07, 2009

HaNaDy rated it

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Shelves: favorite, own

روعة روعة بجد جسد حقيقه موجوده فى عصور كتير بداية من رغبة الأفراد فى التخلص من الاستعمار لقيام الثورة وشعور الأفراد فى حاله انتصارهم وحب الزعامه ومايتم استبداله من أهداف قامت عليها الثورة إلى أهداف شخصية نزاجية وتوضح شىء هام جدا انقلاب النعمه إلى نقمه فى حالة أن ينسى الفرد أهدافه الأصليه ويسير مع أهواءه الشخصيه من هنا تحدث المتاعب

كمان فى حاجة مهمه أخدت بالى منها فى القصه بتحصل فى الواقع الزعيم أو الشخص الثائر بمجرد أنه يقعد على كرسى السلطة بيتغير تماماً

وأكتر حاجة كانت مض...more

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May 15, 2008

Tim rated it

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Shelves: blog, classics, politics

Someone (I think it was Christopher Hitchens?) once said that Orwell was one of the people who got everything right during the first half of the 20th century. Namely, he opposed both fascism and communism and advocated for a humanist, democratic socialism. In other words, capitalism is the disease, socialism is the cure ... but communism will kill the patient.

Anyway, I thought this book was pretty damn insightful and way more entertaining (i.e. less preachy) than I expected. In a ...more

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