Animal Farm by George Orwell is a satirical representation about the rise of Bolshevism in Russia in the early 20th century. Many characters/animals in the novel provide equivalents between real-life figures, representing their ideologies and motives. Orwell sought to simultaneously attack totalitarian and more restrictive forms of capitalism, by comparing them to each other; he points out their similar forms of oppression over the lower classes. The rise of Russian communist thought, with an originally positive message for all, is encapsulated by the character of Old Major, while the twisted continuation of that viewpoint is shown in Napoleon’s government and the transition from ideals of a communist utopia to a totalitarian communist government.
Drawing large parallels between the occurrences in Russia in the early 20th century and the events in Animal Farm, Orwell hides his intent to criticize certain forms of governments, while revealing satirical commentary about those forms of government. Orwell thus displays his political ideology through these forms of criticism. The controversy of this novel around the world represents a time of erratic panic and fervor, with events like the Red Scare in the United States during the mid-20th century.

Animal Farm is a very unexpected story. A little fairy tale about talking creatures spirals into one of the most interesting allegories ever written. It starts with one boar, Old Major, having a dream where all animals were equal and free of human oppression. When he dies, two pigs take control over the farm: Snowball, an optimistic hog who believes that the farm can stay true to its original motives and improve the lives of animals everywhere, and Napoleon, who constantly disagrees with Snowball. Seven commandments are written that dictate the animals’ lives. Gradually, as the rivalry of the pigs escalates and conflicts arise between the animals, more and more issues start to become apparent in the animal society, culminating in a very sobering ending with clear parallels to the Soviet Union. This novel shows themes of power and corruption, the value of life, and displays small changes adding up - and all of this started with a single pig who was tired of being oppressed.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, this novel is also just the right length. Any shorter and it would have felt sparse, and any longer it would have dragged on. This book is also very satirical, parodying corruption, dictatorships, bureaucracy and other elements of societies that persist even to the modern day. It will be sure to provoke some thought in a reader’s head, and all the while it remains entertaining to go through.

A good book that’s humorous, allegorical and just plain fun to read, I give it 4.5/5 stars.

In Jones’s Manor Farm, a boar named Old Major gathers all the farm animals and recites to them a prophetic dream: a society where all animals live together in total harmony, without any humans to oppress them. Agreeing with this idea, the animals get to work, overseen by three pigs. As the animals learn to read, they also defeat Farmer Jones. One of the pigs, Napoleon, begins to assume total control over the animals, overworking them each day. As the pigs begin to become more elite in their rankings, the common animals can no longer tell which are humans and which are pigs. This novel reflects the 1907 Russian Revolution, as a criticizing allegory of politics. It is also a tell-tale classic that everyone should read once in their life.

In this brilliant satire about the horrors of Stalinism, Orwell displays the perfect combination of comedy and utter irony. By redirecting the Russian communist revolution through the ensemble of hardworking animals on a farm, he takes a seemingly complicated revolution and reduces it to a simple story while preserving its absurdity. Powerful animals on "The Animal Farm" portray the Russian power dynamic while also representing real-life actors in the Russian revolution. For example, Napoleon, the "authoritarian pig," represents Joseph Stalin and his totalitarian method of leadership. His henchman, Squealer, represents Vyacheslav Molotov, an amazing speaker and protégé of Stalin himself.

Loved the story and how it shows how power can change someone drastically. The allegory is done amazingly with how the characters are portrayed. It definitely made me feel empathy for Snowball and the other farm animals, just as it made me despise others. In summary, a bunch of farm animals decide to take over the farm they have lived on (Manor Farm) after they are fed up with their owner, Farmer Jones. After they begin to gain more power some of the animals begin to change and become evil.

A neat little book (96 pages in length) that strongly conveys the message through irony: no matter the ideology, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The ideologies we saw in the 20th century are made humourous in this story, while also expressed chillingly. Most of it is obviously a comic slap to the Russian Revolution and Communism, but Orwell targets other ideologies as well, like capitalism.

The characters were written very well, portraying the faults of human obedience and stupidity, I felt frustrated with the Animals decisions at times.

George Orwell, is a well-known English novelist, journalist, and critic. His writing style is typically short and gets straight to the point. He was a man of strong opinions who addressed some of the major political movements in his novels. Animal Farm, his most popular book, is based on a group of animals who take control of their owner’s farm. The owner of Manor Farm, Mr. Jones, treats the animals poorly; that’s when Old Major, a wise pig, encourages the neglected animals to rebel and run the farm themselves with one important qualification: that everyone should be equal. But… there is a major plot twist. Personally, I recommend this book to people who enjoy fiction imaginative novels that have an important moral. This book is appropriate for older kids; hence, little kids might see it as a fairy tale, whereas older teens would understand the true message that Orwell portrays. Although the book is only 100 pages, I enjoyed reading it! 3.5/5 stars - SAPL Read It & Review Contributor

Animal Farm, an allegorical novella by George Orwell, shows us barn animals in England attempting to seek peace. Eventually, things get worse when a corrupted leader, Napoleon the pig, takes over the kingdom. I truly loved reading this short story because it is an allegory reflecting on the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, which informs us about the history and makes it more enjoyable to read. Also, this book shows us the damaging effects of corrupt leaders, which is an important piece of knowledge for people to know, especially in today’s age.

Old Major is a prize-winning boar and the leader of the animals on Animal Farm. He calls a meeting and teaches him a song called “Beasts of England”. He dies a couple of days later and 3 pigs Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer take over and use the principles he gave them. They scare off the owner of the farm, Mr. Jones, and take the farm over for themselves. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when Napoleon and Snowball start having some conflicts. I like this book because it may seem to be all sunshine and rainbows but it really surprised me on how it illustrates real-world events and has an overall deeper meaning than what appears on the surface.

This book was so good, George Orwell was a man ahead of his time. I can only imagine the uproar of when this book was first published.