Political satire at its best
|
I first read George Orwell's Animal Farm in high school. And even though I was far more interested in Molly Ringwald films and boys, I quickly came to appreciate Orwell's subtle humor. Fast forward to 2008 and I'm reading Animal Farm to my almost 8 year-old daughter, who equally enjoyed it. This is political satire at its best. What's more, it's not condescending or judgmental. Orwell doesn't tell you what to think, he just sets the scene and allows you to reach whatever conclusion you come to.
And here's the real beauty of this classic tale.... scholars and politicos laud it, yet 8 year-old little girls can still comprehend and enjoy it. That, perhaps more than anything else, is its finest point.
|
|
It is clear that Orwell is sadly misinterpreted by many readers
|
Orwell was a socialist and fought with the POUM and was a member of the ILP. This quote is from the preface of the 1947 Ukrainian Edition of Animal Farm:
Indeed, in my opinion, nothing has contributed so much to the corruption of the original idea of Socialism as the belief that Russia is a Socialist country and that every act of its rulers must be excused, if not imitated.
And so for the past ten years I have been convinced that the destruction of the Soviet myth was essential if we wanted a revival of the Socialist movement.
The idea that Animal Farm is a critique of socialism, therefore, is complete corruption of what Orwell was arguing. What Orwell was criticising was the counter-revolution that took place in Russia under Stalin (Napoleon). This book should be read in its proper context to see the message that Orwell is trying to present. It is more subtle than simply 'socialism/communism is bad'.
|
|
|
Can be enjoyed at more than one level
|
|
Timeless classic that can be enjoyed at various levels: adults, especially those familiar with Soviet history, can appreciate the political allegory, while children could still appreciate this as an amusing and frightening tale of animals taking over from people. Orwell's original foreword, reproduced at the end of this edition, is also worth reading for its salutary lesson on how liberal intellectuals can sometimes fool themselves into supporting the most illiberal regimes.
|
|
Animal Farm
|
The book isn't bad. i ended up reading it to my daughter. she loved it. George's works are really quite dark. "Animal farm" is not a satire its more of a Dark drama. its good for a quick read but it lacks feeling.
read it if you haven't got anything better to do.
|
|
|
Aren't you all so very clever
|
Other reviewers choose to linger on the rather obvious allegory of the parallels between Napoleon and co. and Trotsky, Marx, Lenin and Stalin. This is not just supposition, it had been stated by many (author included) that this was his intent. I think too many people have been reading this at G.C.S.E and now think they're literary experts. Those same people are not so adept at drawing out themes from the likes of Hemingway and Dostoyevsky.
Look, the novel is interesting and concise, little over 100 pages. It tells of an uprising on a farm led by Napoleon and a brigade of pigs, under the teachings of an old pig (Marxism anyone?). They rouse the poplation of farm to throw off the shackles of human autocracy (i.e Russian Tsars) and establish themselves.
This is where the problems become apparent. The animals are set to gruelling tasks and must also repel the invading farmers (could represent any nations who favoured the Tsars at this time). It mirrors the failure of Communism and why it fails, that being that the leaders are prone to corruption and are capitalists at heart. So Napoleon re-writes the tenets of their rules (an interesting metaphor that is relevant in the spin obsessed politics of today), the pigs choose to shed the squalor of their comrades and begin to live in the same manner as those they deposed, and become worse dictators than those they deposed. They even have a secret police.
A good story, with strong characters, surprising for such a short book of such strong allegory. If you ignore the whole metaphor of Russia, you are left with a story that stands up in its own right. The villainous pigs will incite the anger due for any good antagonist, the touching loyalty of the horse who works himself to death because he has been brainwashed, and the treatment he receives.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada