From the Bookshelf of Reading List Completists…

Animal Farm

George Orwell,

Russell Baker (Preface)

Start date: February 1, 2020

Finish date: February 29, 2020

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: February 2020 Completist Selection
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What Members Thought

Mar 31, 2015 Christine PNW rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Guitar Hero, my 14 year old son, is not an abstract thinker. In the first place, he is 14, and a boy. As well, he was diagnosed with autism when he was 3, which manifests itself in several ways, one of which is that he doesn’t really do well with abstraction.

So, when he was assigned Animal Farm as part of his social studies unit on the Russian/Chinese revolutions, it made sense that we would read and discuss it together. This turned out to be an awesome way to gain a deeper understanding of Orwe ...more

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Jun 26, 2016 Sue K H rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 000-classics-grp-read, modern-library-100

I try to stay away from overtly political books anymore but I'm glad I finally read this one. Reading this 60 years after the fact, the themes contained certainly don't seem groundbreaking, but it's great because of the context of when it was written combined with the political leanings of the author. The book was aimed squarely at the Soviet communism revolution, but Orwell being a socialist was criticized by many in his own socialist camp at the time because of the systems having some similar I try to stay away from overtly political books anymore but I'm glad I finally read this one. Reading this 60 years after the fact, the themes contained certainly don't seem groundbreaking, but it's great because of the context of when it was written combined with the political leanings of the author. The book was aimed squarely at the Soviet communism revolution, but Orwell being a socialist was criticized by many in his own socialist camp at the time because of the systems having some similar tenets. Had a capitalist wrote this book, it wouldn't have the same impact or value. The fact that now both sides can use it for criticism of the other is what makes it a great book.

Too often political books go about demonizing other systems and the people who believe in them when by and large, the majority of the people who believe in any system do so with the good of society at heart. Major, who was the leader of the animal revolution, gets it started on his death bed, so he couldn't have been interested in personal gain. All the animals agree to the lofty ideals of the revolution, the vast majority weren't thinking about how they could turn it to their own personal benefit.

For me, this book was more about people being swept up in the wave of revolution and not being vigilant and questioning and trying to keep their leaders honest. Every system with blind unquestioning followers will produce similar results because power is corrupting. It doesn't always become horrible overnight, it happens through slow ever increasing power grabs. The power grabs start with demonizing those with differing opinions as is what happens with Snowball. He is made to be seen as the cause for anything that goes wrong even though he clearly has no hand in it. The animals abandon their memories, their logic and their common sense because they believe so deeply in the cause and trust their leaders to execute it. They are so blind that even having been in a storm as it happened, they're able to believe that one of their comrades destroyed their windmill that was clearly destroyed by a storm. Their faith is so great that despite having fought next to a great war hero and personally witnessing his commitment and bravery, they are able to be convinced that he had been working for the humans.

The commandments born of the revolution turned out to be the living and breathing type that change not through the will of the people who initially collectively agreed on them, but through the whim of those in power with no type of ratification by the people. The "No animal shall sleep in a bed becomes "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets" so that the leaders can sleep in beds and use blankets. "No animal shall kill any other animal" becomes "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause" which allows the leaders to kill anyone who questions them.

Anyone who can't see these types of problems happening on their own side of political spectrum, is part of the problem. When your leaders demonize those who have different political views, that's the first warning sign. If the public skepticism becomes more aimed at those out of power than those who are in it, then power grabs can flourish. If the majority is so afraid of the minority, that they sit quietly while their "commandments" change by the arbitrary whim of their chosen leaders, then they lose control of their leaders and start the path to ruin. Orwell's book is extraordinary specifically because it criticizes the conditions that lead to power grabs more than it criticizes any specific political system.
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