George Orwell wrote Animal Farm and the book’s first publication happened in England during 1945, 17th August. In 1954, they published it in an animated version using Psychological Warfare. After that, in 1999, the story transformed into a live telecasted version. In 2012, they announced a 3D version of the novel directed by Andy Serkis. They staged a theatrical version of the novel at the National Theatre of London in the year, 1984. It toured nine cities in 1985.
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Author: George Orwell
Genre: Political Satire
Page: 112
Good reads rating: 3.92 of 5
My Rating: 7.9 of 10
Published: 17th August 1945 (Standard Edition 2004)
Publisher: Signet Classics
Language: English
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***Warning Spoilers Below This Point***
George Orwell wrote the manuscript of the novel in 1943 and 1944, after his experience of the civil war in Spain. In the Ukrainian’s preface edition of the novel published in 1947, he explained how escaping the communist purges in Spain taught him about the totalitarian agenda and control of people opinion in a democratic country. This event motivated him to write about his experience of Stalinist corruption. Not only that, before writing this novel, but Orwell also quit the BBC as well.
The novel starts with the description of a poorly run Manor Farm, located near Willingdon, England. The farmer, Mr Jones, became an alcoholic and abuser of farm animals. So, the animals of the farm opposed him. One night a boar named Old Major organised a meeting in which he gave a speech over human behaviour and taught the animals a revolutionary song, “Beasts of England”. When the Old Major dies, two young pigs named Snowball and Napoleon took the command and drove Mr Jones away from the farm and named the property, “Animal Farm”. Not only that, they also accepted the seven commandments of animalism. The most important among those was, “All animals are equal”. They paint the decree on the barn. Snowball teaches the animals to read and write, and Napoleon started educating the puppies about Animalism. Food was sufficient, and the farm was running smoothly.
After some days, Mr Jones returned with some other humans to take back the farm, but the animals drove them away. Snowball announced his plan to make a windmill there to modernize the farm, but Napoleon was against the idea and he drove Snowball away from that farm and declared himself as the leader. After that, Napoleon started convincing his fellow animals that Snowball got the idea from him of making the windmill. Thus, they all started building the windmill. When it was over, Napoleon continue to conspire against Snowball and said he joined the humans and they started a revolt against them. Some animals opposed that, but Napoleon drove them all away from the farm.
The animals were under the strict rule of Napoleon, but they claimed that they feel happier than being under Mr Jones. Some day later the windmill broke down and all the animals started to re-build that. While doing so, an animal named Boxer died. And with that, all the animals started mourning and started a festival on the very next day. Many days passed. The farm progressed well, while the animals grew old, and Mr Jones died. Pigs of the farms started imitating the humans and thus they started wearing clothes, drinking alcohol, playing cards and so on. In the last part of the novel, the pigs and humans play cards together and no one could differentiate between them.
This novel offers a great political satire, in which the author explained the philosophy that animals learn civilization and people change into animals. Meaning there are no differences between them, and while humans are losing their humanity, animals try to adapt the same thing from the humans. I rate this novel, 7.9 out of 10. Would I re-read the novel? Yes. Am I glad I read it? Yes.
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