Dear Comrades
A review of Animal Farm by George Orwell
By Julia A. Keirns
Animal Farm published in 1945 and written by George Orwell is definitely not about animals. But yes, it is. The animals stage a revolution and the story follows along that path as two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon fight over the power of who shall run things. And even though, certain animals are definitely more privileged than others, none of the animals ever give up hope that their society will prevail and be the best animal society ever.
In the beginning of the book commandment number seven is that all animals are created equal, but before long the commandment is interpreted that “all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Along the way there are always good excuses as to why things change, and blame is always placed on some unexpecting animal. There is no moral really in the book. The bad animals are never punished, and the good animals are never rewarded. It just simply is. This book needs to be read for what it is. It is a farce about the rulers of certain countries at the time of its writing and the way the people are treated and just ignorantly followed whatever propaganda they were fed.
As the years pass, no animals are left who even remember the original rebellion. All the animals only know the way things are now, and just accept what they are told about the rebellion and the ways things are now. (As Americans, maybe we have forgotten where we came from and how we got here.)
The book is a great read, it is fun and intriguing and held my attention all the way through. It is short, and the language is simple. It is interesting to see how the privileged animals and unprivileged animals work things out. There are all kinds of hidden meanings and morals in this book, but they are never mentioned. It is for us the reader to interpret. It is a great classic that will probably be read by youth in schools for years to come and if not youth, then adults. If you haven’t read it yet, please do.