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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.912
EAN num: 9780451526342
ISBN number: 0451526341
Label: Signet Classics
Manufacturer: Signet Classics
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 176
Printing Date: April 01, 1996
Publishing house: Signet Classics
Release Date: January 06, 2004
Sale Popularity Level: 327
Studio: Signet Classics
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Since its publication in 1946, George Orwell's fable of a workers' revolution gone wrong has rivaled Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea as the Shortest Serious Novel It's OK to Write a Book Report About. (The latter is three pages longer and less fun to read.) Fueled by Orwell's intense disillusionment with Soviet Communism, Animal Farm is a nearly perfect piece of writing, both an engaging story and an allegory that actually works. When the downtrodden beasts of Manor Farm oust their drunken human master and take over management of the land, all are awash in collectivist zeal. Everyone willingly works overtime, productivity soars, and for one brief, glorious season, every belly is full. The animals' Seven Commandment credo is painted in big white letters on the barn. All animals are equal. No animal shall drink alcohol, wear clothes, sleep in a bed, or kill a fellow four-footed creature. Those that go upon four legs or wings are friends and the two-legged are, by definition, the enemy. Too soon, however, the pigs, who have styled themselves leaders by virtue of their intelligence, succumb to the temptations of privilege and power. 'We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of the farm depend on us. Day and night, we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.' While this swinish brotherhood sells out the revolution, cynically editing the Seven Commandments to excuse their violence and greed, the common animals are once again left hungry and exhausted, no better off than in the days when humans ran the farm. Satire Animal Farm may be, but it's a stony reader who remains unmoved when the stalwart workhorse, Boxer, having given his all to his comrades, is sold to the glue factory to buy booze for the pigs. Orwell's view of Communism is bleak indeed, but given the history of the Russian people since 1917, his pessimism has an air of prophecy. --Joyce Thompson
Product Description:
Orwell's brilliant 1946 satire, chronicling a revolution staged by the animals on Mr. Jones's farm.
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Rated by buyers 
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The story is well described in the other reviews, especially in the very first one above from the professional reviewer, but I do find it necessary to point out a few observations:
First: George Orwell is a literary genius. There's a reason why he graces the cover of the book: Don't Weep for Me, America: How Democracy in America Became the Prince (While We Slept). If you liked "Animal Farm", "1984" is going to knock you into another thought paradigm.
Secondly, and more important: Whether you read about "Animal Farm" from the professional reviewers, Cliff Notes, or in the introduction to the book itself, there is one self-imposed "limitation" that stays consistent throughout, and that is the sovereign state Orwell has in mind when he wrote "Animal Farm" (or "1984" for that matter)is the Soviet Union. While this may be true, the bigger and more relevant point is getting missed. This bigger and more relevant point is that for ANY sovereign nation, when there is a change of power in its governance (for its betterment), it is ALWAYS the case, I repeat, it is ALWAYS the case that the new governance will gradually become the same as the one it replaced. Look no further than the United States of America. The 1776 rebels overthrew the British tyrant, King George III, mostly due to oppressive business practices, taxes and lack of representation. And look where we are today, in 2008! Corporations rule. Taxes, which we already fought one war over, are exorbitant, and Congress is simply a millionaires club representing the wealthy.
How do we know that George Orwell saw this happening? Because he worked in the BBC and the BBC was spewing the SAME propaganda that the Soviet Union was using. How do we know this? Because writer Martin Esslin worked at the BBC at the same time as Orwell and he wrote that this was the case! For further reference, see my review of the book: U.S. Television News and Cold War Propaganda, 1947-1960 (Cambridge Studies in the History of Mass Communication).
So the point, as is the point with ALL my reviews is this: Become a CRITICAL THINKER!
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Rated by buyers 
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George Orwell's classic novel, Animal Farm, is basically a book that shows the reader all of the problems with communism. Animal Farm very first addresses the problem of how tempting communism sounds to the uninformed, and in some cases uneducated, ear. Doesn't it sound nice that everyone pulls their own weight and everyone reaps the benefits? It did to the animals of Manor Farm. At very first it was great without those pesky humans around; the animals ate all of the food and got to keep their children. However, it quickly became very obvious that this system wasn't working. The pigs, the smartest of all the farm animals, began to take over led by Napoleon and Snowball. Soon after the establishment of Animal Farm (formerly known as Manor Farm) seven commandments were set forth such as "no animal shall sleep in a bed", "no animal shall kill any other animal", "all animals are equal", etc. After Napoleon ran Snowball off the farm with vicious dogs, Napoleon claimed full leadership of the farm and its animals. One by one, Napoleon modified each of the seven commandments to fit his liking such as "no animal shall drink alcohol to excess." In the end of the book it is impossible for Clover, a horse of Manor Farm (formerly known as Animal Farm and more formerly known as Manor Farm), to tell the difference between the pigs and humans while they are playing a card game.
I would recommend this book to the reader that loves irony. Throughout the story I kept wondering who was going to be the very first animal to figure out that in order get rid a tyrant (Mr. Jones the farm owner) they acquired another ("Comrade" Napoleon). Alas I was relieved when a horse realized that Napoleon was changing the commandments for his own benefit. However, when the horse kept this knowledge to himself I was angry at him. I asked myself, "Why wouldn't he show the animals who Napoleon really is?" I never figured it out but for the reader who loves character analysis, this is the book for you! However, this book isn't written for the people who want everything spoon-fed to them. But for the reader that feels the need to read between the lines Animal Farm is full of mysteries for you to figure out.
Rated by buyers -
Animal Farm begins as a tale of triumph over the human race for animals. Yet as it continues you realize the humans never really left. The pigs take over and become the one thing they swore they hated. The worst part is the other animals don't do anything about it and suffer, and whether they do in the future or not we never find out. If happy endings are your thing, forget about this book, because it only represents the cruelest and hardest parts of life, from where there is no rescue. It is disappointing in happiness, yet you cant leave the book unsatisfied, for it does contain a powerful message,we all need to learn whether we like to hear it or not. Life is not all sugar and gumdrops, it also contains Brussels sprouts and tripe, and some people only get the sprouts and tripe, when most of us have the sugar and gumdrops. Orwell is an amazing author and the book is amazing, but for a mature audience( such as myself).
Rated by buyers -
Deemed a classic by modern day scholars, George Orwell's Animal Farm is a must read. It is a humorous yet realistic satire on Soviet Russia. Although never specifically named as the target of Orwell's story, much controversy has come about from Animal Farm's similarities to the Russian Revolution. Telling the story of animals who are tired of suffering under the oppression of humans, it brilliantly illuminates the struggle of the common man against tyranny. Old Major, a prize winning boar who has the revolutionary spirit of Karl Marx, tells the animals of a dream he has had of a utopian farm where animals have the power. After winning over the emotions of most of the farm animals, Old Major dies and the pigs (Napoleon and Snowball) take over the revolution. Napoleon forces his way into unquestioned power using underhanded tactics and clever slogans like "Napoleon is always right" and "Four legs good, two legs bad." Addressing his fellow animals as "comrades" Napoleon is reminiscent of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, covering up the corruption of the farm by saying it's all "for the good of the animals." As conditions worsen and support for the revolution dwindles, the power is questioned and the animals wonder what happened to their dream of equality.
The allusions pour out of this seemingly elementary story, every action was masterfully planned by Orwell to emulate history. For readers who enjoy history and contextual significance, Animal Farm is perfect. Even readers with no knowledge of the political importance behind this book would still find delight in this whimsical story of animals that kick the humans off their farm and try to set up their own government. It is an extremely simple concept, yet is speaks volumes about revolution gone wrong. George Orwell's progressive eccentricity mixed with his classy criticism makes Animal Farm perfectly poignant. This reader would recommend it to all ages!
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