My review of the book “Animal Farm” by George Orwell

This week I picked up a book Titled “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. Now this book, as reviews on Goodreads reviews suggest, was a big hit of its time. In 1945, when it was first published, it gained a lot of popularity, mainly because of how it mocked Stalin’s regime in Russia at that time, which no other publisher or a writer had dared to even think of.

The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Now, as you might have already got the hint that this is a pure work of fiction, however, the incidents that take place in the book are inspired by the events that took place in Russia.

A short glance at the storyline

The book tells us how strikingly similar our world had become or is becoming to an animal farm. There are various animals in the book which I think resemble the different types of people we have today.

• The book had pigs ( Napolean (leader), Snowball, and Squealer), who were the most clever ones and shortly became the rulers from leaders.
• There were dogs who basically were less intelligent but were most loyal to the pigs and worked as their security guards.
• There were Horses, which represented the working class and who just knew two things that “Napolean is always right” and “ I will work hard”. Even though they knew there was chaos all around them, they just believed that their leader is always right and continued to serve their masters, the pigs, without questioning.
• Then there were sheep, hens, and birds which basically served animal farms with their produce. I think they represented the farmers in a nation.
• There were also donkeys, which I guess resemble the old generation of society. There was a character called Benjamin who was a donkey and stayed quiet almost every time. He just used to say one thing, “Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey”. This actually is very cryptic and you won't understand this unless you read the whole book. Basically, donkeys were the only ones who remembered even the tiniest details of the past. They knew what had happed, what is happening, and what is going to happen before everyone but were not given much importance.

3 learnings from the book

1. Blind obedience can be the main cause of brainwashing.

In several instances, the book has provided examples of how pigs tricked into believing that they are the ones who think best for the farm and what they do was in the best interest of the farm. This plan of theirs became successful when they saw the horses worked without questioning the leadership.

2. Rewriting history and lying are the first steps to brainwashing and dictatorship.

Pigs who were the leaders, after coming into power, soon changed the rules one by one according to what was best for them instead of what was best for the farm. Although the animals noticed that rules are being changed, they could not do much about it because they were not sure.

3. It is easier to control ignorant people rather than educated ones.

Well, this is apparent in the modern world as we see people all around us who are like this. As Albert Einstein once said, “The world is dangerous not because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything”.

2 Quotes that I liked from the book

1. “Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
2. Here I would just like you to see the seven commandments that every animal had to follow in animal farms and later how they got changed.

THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS (ORIGINAL):

• Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
• Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
• No animal shall wear clothes.
• No animal shall sleep in a bed.
• No animal shall drink alcohol.
• No animal shall kill any other animal.
• All animals are equal.

THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS (CHANGED):

• Once the pigs start walking on two legs, two legs become better than four.
• Whatever walks on four legs or has wings in inferior.
• Only pigs shall wear clothes.
• No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.
• No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.
• No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.
• All animals are equal, but some (the pigs) are more equal than others.

1 Question for you to ponder

What kind of animal do you believe you are now that you have read the review?

I hope you liked my review of the book, thanks for reading this and please let me know your reaction and comments.