Animal Farm by George Orwell
My name is Elizabeth. I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.
Animal Farm is a dystopian novella. It takes place on Manor Farm, where a farmer lives and gets resources from his animals. These farm animals come to realize that they don’t like the way they’re being treated, so they plan a rebellion against Mr. Jones (the farmer). The animals chase Mr. Jones and his friends off the farm. The animals celebrate their victory in the rebellion, but they have to set up some sort of order. First, the animals create the principles of animalism, which states that to these farm animals, animals are friends, and humans are enemies, among other things. At the beginning of the animal society, everyone is pretty much equal, but the pigs gain more and more power and become more like the leaders. This means the pigs start prioritizing the pigs, and more power, instead of all the animals, as the original goal was. Throughout the story, the dynamic between the pigs and other animals changes a lot, and towards the end, the reader realizes the issues in the system of government throughout the farm.
Animal Farm is not just a story about farm animals. It was written by George Orwell as a commentary on political structures and social classes. I think that this is pretty obvious throughout the book, and the reader should have a clear understanding that the purpose of this book is not for the reader to learn about farm animals, but rather about the nature of political power. I enjoyed reading this book because it was a different way for me to think about social classes and equality, and I feel that I gained a greater understanding of both. I would also say that you need an understanding of what was happening at the time to gain perspective on why Orwell would write this. I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in learning more about equality and social structures, and who is looking for a short, but thought-provoking, read.
Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook, and graphic novel here.
