Parable written by George Orwell that describes the perils of forced equality and how the principles of revolution can easily be subverted by the power hungry. Most of Orwell's work is profound on different levels. I've read and re-read both 1984 and Animal Farm various times and come out with different insights about the human condition.

At first, all animals are considered equal, then one morning the animals wake up to find a large sign in the barnyard proclaiming "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others". This sign was posted by a group of animals who believed that they were superior to other animals on the farm.

Orwell was exposing the injustices inherent in a totalitarian system, but over the years, his allegory has turned out to be a very accurate description of the damages created by inequalities in any system where the rules are based on one group having special status over another. It is a critique of all totalitarian systems that give special privileges to an elite at the expense of the common people: communism, fascism, oligarchy, etc all fit the bill here. It is a devastating depiction of how those in power can persuade others to go against their own self-interest. And it reminds us of the dangers of indifference and failure to act when faced with injustice.

A great parable.

I didn't read it but I saw the movie based on it. It was sad!

Mocking Soviet Communism has never been more interesting.  It's like a book version of Monty Python without the toilet humor.

i lurv it, kinda woerd thouhgg

I loved this book...lol

two legs bad

This book will trip you out and teach you a lesson about the corruption of absolute power

I do love a scary analogy.

I read this when I was in high school, I don't remember much, just the overall feel of the book. I think I kinda liked it.

Most certainly the most moving, powerful book I have ever read.

My school makes me read a ton of george orwell books and this is one of them. It is well put together, on its satire use towards the russian  revolution or something with  Russia. I wasn't really paying attention in class when they told us. But the book sucked and was to short. It didn't really give enough detail. I'm glad it was short from a being bord out of my mind read perspective though.

  A brilliant satire inspired by Orwell's experiences with Communists who joined with state socialists, capitalists and fascists in defeating the Spanish Revolution of 1936 to 1939.

Additional suggested reading:

http://tinyurl.com/39ewto

http://tinyurl.com/2xolvy

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Orwell wrote this classic work as a result of his harrowing experience in the Spanish Civil War. Orwell served with a POUM column in Catalonia fighting for the lefto Republicans.

 The POUM was a Communist Party that was opposed to Stalin. Regardless of the effect on the Republican cause, the Stalinist Communists spent much effort suppressing and killing the POUM and its members. POUM was probably more radical than the Moscow commies.

 Orwell was in danger of death during the suppression of the POUM. Of course, and this Orwell, conveniently overlooks, Animal Farm occurred hundreds of times in the rural collectives organized in Aragon by the Anarchist CNT and its allies. I refer you to Blood of Spain: An Oral History of the Spanish Civil War by Ronald Fraser. Fraser unconsciously, I feel, exposed the anarchist excesses in the collectives. Fraser was very sympathethic to the leftos, but the testimony he collects about the leaders of the collectives from the little people is eerily similar to what the pigs did in Animal Farm.

I also recommend the film, Land and Freedom (1995) directed by Len Loach. It deals with the suppression of the POUM and the anarchists by the Stalinists controlled Communists. The film deals with an English Communist who goes to Spain to fight in the war and joins the POUM much as did Orwell. Probably the climax scene, at least from the doctrinal standpoint of the director, I suppose, is the village scene where the townspeople seize all  the property in the village and collectivize it.

I had to read this in high school and it was one of the very few books that we were required to read that I enjoyed.  I liked Animal Farm it was a good book.  The ending is sad with what happens to the horse.  This book is a fast read, can easily be read in one day.

It has been years since I have read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I believe the term "Pigs" as used for the police was taken from this book. Last year a few of us at work were talking about the old horse in the book and how the pigs would always come around and say to him "You know, you are doing a really great job, but if you could just do a little bit more, just a litlle bit, it would be so much better" (I'm paraphrasing here) with the promise of great rewards at the end of his work life. If you have read the book, you know what his reward was. As we were talking the boss walked up to us and with a great big smile on his face, said, almost verbatim, "Hey you guys are doing a really great job, but if you could do just step it up a little it would really be great" (we are two planes above schedule as it is). We all just stared at him, the timing  was eerie.

A little pie in the face, but amusing nonethless. If I remember correclty, one pig is Trostky, one is Stalin (the pig that actually acquires power). Gotta love the Raven as religion talking about the "Big Sugar Mountain" they will all go when they die.
Takes about 2-3 hours to read.

We had to read this in high school way back when, I suppose now it would be too contriversial for school systems. It was a great book and a good look into politics. It is a required read in my oppinion.

This 1946 novel features brilliantsymbolism. The seven commandments is a classic scenario in the book. It is another one of my favorites from Orwell. I truly recommend it. It is written on a bit more juvenile terms than 1984. Even when you have the thought of utopia to start, it slowly deteriorates. It is a more brief portrayal of a totalitarian state with extreme symbolism. is the . After successfully completing a rebellion against human rule, the pig and volunteered leader of the farm is Napoleon. He establishes 7 commandments by which the animals must live by. As the book goes along, Napoleon starts stripping the rights of all the rest of the animals on the farm without any apparent reason because it is his thought that he is superior in intelligence to everyone else. It is this arrogance and superciliousness that, in his mind, gives Napoleon the authority to take away everyones freedoms. He even breaks his own rules and changes them to suit what he feels is appropriate at the given time, extremely similar to the changing of history in 1984. This is making a direct connection to what happens in Communist societies. By the time the book is brought to its cessation, Napoleon is the supreme and unmovable dictator over the entire farm and leave next to no rights for the rest of the farm and having the 7 Commandments horribly altered as well as becoming exact replicas of the people he had overthrown in the beginning, much like what happened in the real communist world. Also, in relation to 1984, a few animals become aware of the rulers underhanded actions. As far as the quote goes, Napoleon fails to recognize the individual power within each of the animals and runs an empire of corruption and dishonesty.

worst book i have ever read

worst book i have ever read

For the length of it, and the message it endeavours in the allegory of socialism is clever.

nice metaphor about totalitarian societies, especially the communism. but not world class literarure.

It's a little bland (which should be expected of Orwell), but is still a wonderful book and deeply symbolic. I just recommended it to someone yesterday.

I hate those pigs! I mean those men! I mean those pigs! I mean those men...

Like 1984, this novel had an interesting premise and used a creative method of getting a rather important point across. It was much more entertaining to read than 1984, and definitely more imaginative.

It was an interesting fable but it was really odd. I don't think I could ever bring myself to read a book like that again. It is a well written book. Just not the type of book I enjoy. It is a really, odd, book.

An amusing enough fable, but like all Orwell's fiction (as opposed to his non-fiction) rather preachy.

this was an awesome book, the metaphors in this book were intriguing. I read it because it was on a reading list that i got points for, but now it is a permanent book in my collection and in my mind.

This is a political commentary based in the fictional world of a farm where the animals take over. Definately bizarre, it is a satire of communism with an interesting twist. I had to read it for school many years ago, and I think it would have been nicer to have a better background of the actual things that Orwell was commenting on (from school); now that I do have a better knowledge, it is much more interesting.

A fascinating little book that is appealing in both its simplicity as well as its profound commentary about social utopia.

Communism just doesn't work... Orwell is a genius.

A well written, rather disturbing, and darkly humous novel. It was a really pleasant short read, and packed punch despite the lack of length. I'm not normally one who enjoys political books, but this one was incredibly well done, and so gets my five star vote!

Not very good. Of copurse I don't like satire novels, but his one seemed amazingly boring. Of course, this is coming from a modern Jurassic Park-Congo-Tolkien- reader.

Propoganda for children. How could you not love this guy? he is ruthless. An incredibe story so very well disguised in a child friendly farm setting where animals talk. the revolution begins and so does the fun.

An easier read than "1984" and more fun for me because it was put in simpler terms. I still get the chills when I think about pigs walking on two feet. Quite a story. Orwell's writing is amazing.

This 1946 novel features brilliantsymbolism. The seven commandments is a classic scenario in the book. It is another one of my favorites from Orwell. I truly recommend it. It is written on a bit more juvenile terms than 1984. Even when you have the thought of utopia to start, it slowly deteriorates. It is a more brief portrayal of a totalitarian state with extreme symbolism. is the . After successfully completing a rebellion against human rule, the pig and volunteered leader of the farm is Napoleon. He establishes 7 commandments by which the animals must live by. As the book goes along, Napoleon starts stripping the rights of all the rest of the animals on the farm without any apparent reason because it is his thought that he is superior in intelligence to everyone else. It is this arrogance and superciliousness that, in his mind, gives Napoleon the authority to take away everyone’s freedoms. He even breaks his own rules and changes them to suit what he feels is appropriate at the given time, extremely similar to the changing of history in 1984. This is making a direct connection to what happens in Communist societies. By the time the book is brought to its cessation, Napoleon is the supreme and unmovable dictator over the entire farm and leave next to no rights for the rest of the farm and having the 7 Commandments horribly altered as well as becoming exact replicas of the people he had overthrown in the beginning, much like what happened in the real communist world. Also, in relation to 1984, a few animals become aware of the ruler’s underhanded actions. As far as the quote goes, Napoleon fails to recognize the individual power within each of the animals and runs an empire of corruption and dishonesty.

I was in a Virginia bookstore on vacation and didn't see anything interesting, but I saw this book on the shelf, so I thought, what the heck, I'll read it. I read it WITHOUT reading the foreward and introduction. It's more fun for me to try to GUESS what the symbolism means instead of having it explained beforehand. Anyway, I liked it. I laughed and chuckled quite a bit at this extremely clever political satire. I wish I could write something this clever and meaningful.

I have nothing to say that hasn't been said. Just wanted to add it brought me exquisite pleasure to read a book which was forbidden in communist Hungary.

This is a really good look at totalitarianism and is very entertaining too

A pretty good book.

Animal Farm is a very special political commentary because it isolates the central problem of (communism in history) dictatorship in animals. Removing actual human beings from the issue and replacing hierarchal relationships with animals created a gruesome and effective atmosphere for self reflection and honor.

I first read this when I was 12 but hated it. Four years later, I loved it. It reflected socialism and society values (of some countries) very well and I enjoyed the relationship. It was deep and perhaps morbid in a sense and the feeling I has was utter enjoyment.

I hated this book. I couldn't get into it or understand it. It was confusing. The "characters" were hard to get into and I would see the movie "Babe" instead.

Excellent personification, animals are a good choice for representing politicians. Defines the ideas behind socialism through a story.

Good reference to culture and society with interesting play of turning government into farm animals. A very sucky, boring read. This book is dull and a long read. Much better job writing 1984.

George Orwell masterfully weaves together a protrait of American Society through the simple working metaphor of a farm. It is through the differing, even warring factions of animals that we are able to step back and view those some factions within our society and even predict the end of those wars within.

Another classical piece by a red blooded communist. Although the US could never produce an Orwell, it is rightly required reading for many junior high schools. The revolution is coming....

The Orwell imagination is usually attributed to the future, i.e., what could possibly occur a la "1984." In "Animal Farm," Orwell succinctly and creatively tackles the plague of totalitarianism. Using a varied connection of typical barnyard animals, Orwell, in a work of deceptively simple brilliance, illustrates that which happens and will happen when leadership goes unchecked.

Very interesting, was a page turner for me. I found it easy to read. Kinda retarded at times but I guess a book about talking animals would be that way. Not a masterpiece; though, good for all ages.