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ravenclawgrl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars.
W. O. W
This story scared me from the very beginning. The pigs were a red flag from the start. I appreciate the way that this book makes you think in regards to politics and economics on a simple farm setting and it's a great introduction for anyone who wants to learn more about that but I recommend knowing the basics of the USSR before reading this.
The death of certain animal towards the end destroyed me. I appreciate the way that George Orwell does not glorify Mr Jones or what I can assume Mr Jones stands for, which is capitalism. It is made clear that the animals suffer tremendously under Mr Jones as well as under the regime of the pigs.
It's easy to think that the animals were stupid or naive or not strong enough to prevent the pigs from exploiting them and the farm but if you think about it, this is a reflection of the world we currently live in.
The abuse of power, the deliberate spread of misinformation, the manipulation and the gaslighting are used by governments and individuals in every country. The animals starting to doubt themselves and allowing themselves to be manipulated is something that our own media facilitates quite frequently.
I appreciated the fact that this novella, despite being a classic, had quite accessible language compared to *cough cough* Dickens (who wrote much earlier than Orwell, I know). There is none of the typical frustrating writing style of classic novels like extremely long sentences or outdated cultural references that modern readers cannot understand.
The inclusion of the apathetic animals like Benjamin and the cat was a good reflection of those who show indifference in the face of harmful events or corrupt leaders. To me, Benjamin represents those who have lost faith that things will ever change and so refrain from engaging in politics or protests and the like.
Muriel betraying 'Animal Farm' for insubstantial things like ribbons and sugar and presumably being re-enslaved by humans can represent those who support leaders or figures who are harmful overall to their very own lives but are easily won over or manipulated by empty gestures or less important promises that political figures promise to give them.
It's easy to forget and think towards the end of the book that Snowball would have kept his promises and provided a better life for the animals than Napoleon did, but I think he would have turned out more or less the same exploitative and corrupt leader that Napoleon was.
The sheep, to me, were quite annoying characters especially when they would start chanting pro-Napoleon phrases and drown out the discussion of anyone who opposed Napoleon. In my opinion the sheep represent ignorant people who do not take the time to think out the things that they hear or question the actions of those that they admire. This is especially harmful when "the sheep" in real life undermine or drown out actually useful discussions/debates that people have when questioning their leaders or the way things are run. Without this discussion things cannot change, as shown by the fact that the animals are stopped from protesting after the pigs walk out on two feet.
We can clearly see that the ignorance of the animals and their inability to read is a huge weakness that the pigs take advantage of. We can apply this to our own lives, where education, knowledge and critical thinking can be a protection from manipulation and exploitation from other humans, the media or dishonest politicians.
The slow progression of the pigs' abuses of power and manipulation of the animals felt realistic in the story. The pigs slowly becoming more like the previous human exploiters they despised was jarring especially when they began walking on two feet and when the novella ends with the animals no longer being able to tell the difference between humans and the pigs.
This is clearly shown in the cyclical nature of the story where the pigs treat the other animals worse than Mr Jones did, eventually renaming the farm 'The Manor Farm', symbolising a return to the old ideals upon which the farm was run.
"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. "
W. O. W
This story scared me from the very beginning. The pigs were a red flag from the start. I appreciate the way that this book makes you think in regards to politics and economics on a simple farm setting and it's a great introduction for anyone who wants to learn more about that but I recommend knowing the basics of the USSR before reading this.
The death of certain animal towards the end destroyed me. I appreciate the way that George Orwell does not glorify Mr Jones or what I can assume Mr Jones stands for, which is capitalism. It is made clear that the animals suffer tremendously under Mr Jones as well as under the regime of the pigs.
It's easy to think that the animals were stupid or naive or not strong enough to prevent the pigs from exploiting them and the farm but if you think about it, this is a reflection of the world we currently live in.
The abuse of power, the deliberate spread of misinformation, the manipulation and the gaslighting are used by governments and individuals in every country. The animals starting to doubt themselves and allowing themselves to be manipulated is something that our own media facilitates quite frequently.
I appreciated the fact that this novella, despite being a classic, had quite accessible language compared to *cough cough* Dickens (who wrote much earlier than Orwell, I know). There is none of the typical frustrating writing style of classic novels like extremely long sentences or outdated cultural references that modern readers cannot understand.
The inclusion of the apathetic animals like Benjamin and the cat was a good reflection of those who show indifference in the face of harmful events or corrupt leaders. To me, Benjamin represents those who have lost faith that things will ever change and so refrain from engaging in politics or protests and the like.
Muriel betraying 'Animal Farm' for insubstantial things like ribbons and sugar and presumably being re-enslaved by humans can represent those who support leaders or figures who are harmful overall to their very own lives but are easily won over or manipulated by empty gestures or less important promises that political figures promise to give them.
It's easy to forget and think towards the end of the book that Snowball would have kept his promises and provided a better life for the animals than Napoleon did, but I think he would have turned out more or less the same exploitative and corrupt leader that Napoleon was.
The sheep, to me, were quite annoying characters especially when they would start chanting pro-Napoleon phrases and drown out the discussion of anyone who opposed Napoleon. In my opinion the sheep represent ignorant people who do not take the time to think out the things that they hear or question the actions of those that they admire. This is especially harmful when "the sheep" in real life undermine or drown out actually useful discussions/debates that people have when questioning their leaders or the way things are run. Without this discussion things cannot change, as shown by the fact that the animals are stopped from protesting after the pigs walk out on two feet.
We can clearly see that the ignorance of the animals and their inability to read is a huge weakness that the pigs take advantage of. We can apply this to our own lives, where education, knowledge and critical thinking can be a protection from manipulation and exploitation from other humans, the media or dishonest politicians.
The slow progression of the pigs' abuses of power and manipulation of the animals felt realistic in the story. The pigs slowly becoming more like the previous human exploiters they despised was jarring especially when they began walking on two feet and when the novella ends with the animals no longer being able to tell the difference between humans and the pigs.
This is clearly shown in the cyclical nature of the story where the pigs treat the other animals worse than Mr Jones did, eventually renaming the farm 'The Manor Farm', symbolising a return to the old ideals upon which the farm was run.
"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. "
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Classism, Confinement, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Violence
deadpoetsam's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Torture, Violence, War, and Alcoholism
Minor: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Confinement
lkbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Slavery, and Violence
bookishandjoyceful's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
TW: confinement, murder, violence, animal cruelty, manipulation, animal death, slavery, death, alcoholism,
This was the first time I have read this classic and the forward and introduction at the beginning definitely are worth reading to truly gain a perspective as to the importance that this piece of work was when it was written. Orwell took a major risk in writing and publishing Animal Farm at the state of our world at this time. He very well could have been punished for this. The themes and the way he created this world at the farm and the way the different animals and their roles paralleled some of the events that were occurring during this time were remarkable. This was a quick read that I am glad I have crossed off of my TBR as I enjoyed it and believe that it is an important work due to the relevancy in its political ramifications in history. While it was relevant then, it is something to be aware of and can show relevance at any time. 1984 has been on my TBR for a long time and it definitely moved up after reading this work!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Violence, Animal death, Slavery, Death, and Alcoholism
alannakitty97's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Slavery, and War
Minor: Misogyny, Torture, and War
foreverinastory's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Animal Farm is an allegory about farm animals that rise up and take over their farm. At first, the animals all work for themselves and to better their lives, but quickly things start to devolve.
I don't think I'd say this was an enjoyable story, but it is very interesting. It also has a good lesson and an anti-rich message. I also think it's fascinating how one can alter a story of a being after they have left like in the case of Snowball. Overall, this book is useful and can probably be a great teaching aid (though I don't remember what we did with it when I was in high school).
CWs: Animal Death, Animal cruelty, violence, gaslighting, death, murder, slavery, classism, blood, gun violence, alcohol consumption, injury/injury detail, alcoholism, confinement, emotional abuse, gore, bullying. Moderate: War.
I don't think I'd say this was an enjoyable story, but it is very interesting. It also has a good lesson and an anti-rich message. I also think it's fascinating how one can alter a story of a being after they have left like in the case of Snowball. Overall, this book is useful and can probably be a great teaching aid (though I don't remember what we did with it when I was in high school).
CWs: Animal Death, Animal cruelty, violence, gaslighting, death, murder, slavery, classism, blood, gun violence, alcohol consumption, injury/injury detail, alcoholism, confinement, emotional abuse, gore, bullying. Moderate: War.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Confinement, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Animal death, Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Bullying
Moderate: War
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