Background
George Orwell made such a splash with this book it is still used as required reading in schools across the nation. Animal Farm is the bedrock of anti-totalitarian books and was published during the second world war.
The book is a story of the animals on a farm who throw off their oppressive masters and start living their lives as equals. As time passes, many things change and very quickly the animals learn that some are “more equal”.
My Thoughts
I’m so glad my daughter was given the assignment to read this book as it had been far too long since I had even thought of it. I remember the phrase “more equal” being quoted to me while I lived in Bulgaria and was being told about where the “party members” lived. The Bulgarians were very familiar with the concepts of communism and much of the story rung true their experience.
I think the story does a great job of showing even how the best of intentions can go astray. How the best of us can be corrupted and misused if we are simply given something we can believe in. The horse Boxer’s mottos of, “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right” are good examples of this. He had the ability to stop what was happening but he clung to the ideals and ended up working himself to death.
Recommendation
A good quick read. No one has put it better than Orwell.