Animal Farm and Related Readings

by George Orwell, Michael Kort (Contributor), Osip Mandelstam (Contributor)

Animal farm / novel by George Orwell --
From The rise and fall of the Soviet Union / history by Michael Kort --
The Stalin epigram / poem by Osip Mandelstam --
The rebellion of the magical rabbits / short story by Ariel Dorfman --
Crow song / poem by Margaret Atwood --
Harrison Bergeron / short story by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. --
The birds / short story by Daphne du Maurier.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Literature, School, Politics, Read For School, Fantasy

182 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1997

About the author

Eric Arthur Blair was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to all totalitarianism (both fascism and stalinism), and support of democratic socialism.

Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.

Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

How I've gotten to this point in my life never having read Animal Farm is anyone's guess. But now the deed is done. Definite suspension of disbelief is in order here. Animals that read and write and run the daily operations of a farm for years on end with no human intervention - a tad far fetched you might say. But it is an excellent portrayal of just what it is meant to portray, the Russian revolutions of the early 20th century. The copy I read has additional readings which were helpful to establish the finer points of the story and timeline. And just as all of the science fiction of Orwell's era continues to be relevant today, this book is no exception. Animal Farm, check.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see what the hype is about. Great writing rich with symbolism, I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Really makes you think

[Warwick Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent fable about leaders and followers and what happens when you don't question your leaders and their motives. I was a bit disappointed to have no definite resolution about what happened to both snowball and the cat. The cat suddenly never appeared again, and snowball was used as a patsy for spreading misinformation once he was run off the farm. On the other hand, as my friend just pointed out, that's the perfect example of what happens, or what happened, in the tyrannical clutches of communism when dissenters are driven out, if they aren't outright murdered - they may never be heard from again.

The extra reading in this edition ranges from interesting to average.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic Plot: The animals of Manor farm revolt and create their own Animalist utopia.

This book was a mind-blower. The version I read was actually a textbook version of Animal Farm, and included a few other readings at the end of the book that relate in one way or another to the larger novel, so I'll try to address a good amount of that in this review.

Animal Farm was written at the beginning of the Cold War, post WWII, and before Stalin had even actually died. Most of us know George Orwell as the writer of 1984, one of the most famous dystopian novels of all time. This book shows another, more pointed criticism. The story is short, only about 100 pages long, but that doesn't take away from its impact. I liked the way Orwell used animals' natural proclivities to place them into the society created by the animals at animal farm. The cat never can be relied on for anything, the dogs are guards, the horses work hard, the donkey is stubborn and contrary, the sheep follow, and the intelligent pigs rule all. Each character or group represents a different element of the Communist revolution in Russia, leading to the formation of the USSR. It is easy to see at the beginning why the animals want things to change. It's also easy to see why the proposed plan for the new Animal Farm was so attractive to all. However, it's also plainly obvious from moment one that the pigs have no intention of not taking advantage of their situation as the smartest on the farm, the leaders of the movement. The lies they spread, changing history, making the animals question their own memories- gaslighting them into thinking things had always been a certain way. It resonates today. The novel remains a powerful cautionary tale, even though the USSR has risen and fallen. Will it rise again?

The supplemental materials in this textbook included a brief history of the rise and fall of the USSR, beneficial to those who don't know the details or who may need a quick refresher. There was some poetry and a few stories. Harrison Bergeron is a story I've read before- where the American government undertakes to make everyone completely, truly equal in the worst possible way. It's a potent piece of literature. There was a potent Animal Fable in the book about a pet shop and what would happen if the animals all got out. The Birds by Daphne du Maurier also is included in the book. It's the only one that doesn't actually seem to fit. It's more of a simple horror piece, having nothing really to do with any societal criticism that I could identify.

In the current political climate of the USA, it's easy to see why old-school dystopian novels are hitting the top of best-seller lists. I would recommend this as one to add to the list.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I've read it twice now and it's even better now that I have more background information. The way Orwell wrote about Russia's political history from 1917 to 1943 using an allegory was great. Using Old Major as Karl Marx to incite the rebellion and how he spoke really solidified what the ideas of socialism really were. The whole story followed very closely to how the Communist revolution actually happened. It was such a great read.

[jc · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teacher of MS Humanities, I have to rate this classic allegory of the degradation of Marxist ideals into Communism as a five stars, right? Orwell, the classic author of my all-time favorite 1984, deserves it. Read this book, then do the research.

[Chris Zull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Animal Farm lives up to its reputation as one of the greatest and most powerful allegories ever written. The "related readings" in this edition are of varying degrees of interest. Particularly good are the Atwood poem and the Vonnegut essay.

[مي عادل · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than a brilliant novel suitable for all times is the splendor of the projection, which is consistent with all societies throughout the ages

[Allison Berryhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it with my freshmen, first time teaching it. Some loved it. Some tolerated it. I look forward to making changes to get more students in the first group next year.

[Ethan FakeLastName · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best pieces of all time. A truly amazing feat. by Orwell to embody those ideals in paper form.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, draws you in from the very beginning.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

[Addison Kitchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was actually really good and one of my fav school books. i just wish it went slower bc soooooo much stuff was happening at once

[Taylor Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

LOLOLOLOL THIS BOOK
if you read this you probably know that it's a novel that plays with the ideology of the Russian Revolution and communism which is an interesting concept within itself.
I think the best part of this book for me was the analysis of the story. It wasn't a terrible book, it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but when I enjoy the analysis more than the reading I find it problematic.
The end of this novel has a very powerful truth, knowledge is power and power corrupts. I'm not giving this book 5/5 stars because I hated the read but the 2 stars I have given were for the research I enjoyed doing.

[Chanel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good allegory. And maybe this is just because I've read this book too many times, but this one doesn't really do much for me. Not enough nuance and subtlety. Too precise and in your face with the symbolism. I understand that the purpose was to get people to see it for the allegory that it was at the time, but I'm not sure that it holds up to the test of time. Quite frankly, I'd prefer to phase this title out of having to teach it at my school, to be replaced with something that calls for deeper critical thinking.

[Mei Xintong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Animals took over the farm and they were ready to build a paradise of progress and equality. but this is defintely not going to happened. Absolate power corrupt absolutely. After the pigs became the leader of farm. More horrify extremes happened then John's time. The revolution was nothing but a joke. This book criticized Stalin and the revolution, compare to Orwell's 1984, it is pretty mild-minded. I recommend all people above age ten to read Animal Farm.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1945 this is a chilling allegory for the communist rebellions in Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Chilling because I could see so many parallels to what is happening to our so called “modern” society now. Sociologically it seems like little has changed.
Man’s inhumanity to man…
There’s always going to be a ruling class…
It did not inspire hope for me.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book I have to say...read it now and you can relate it to our country. Very scary!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

animal farm is good !

[Amy S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Animal Farm. Really enjoyed the other related readings also, especially the excerpts of Russian/Soviet history.

[Zoe Rasor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book defineteley had many connections to the Russian Revolutions and it was written very well. I feel I might of enjoyed it more if I wasn't reading it for a school assignment.

[Ayla Streiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read classic!
I read this because my mentor is teaching it to her class. Oh my gosh! Sooo good. Rich with symbolism and I truly hope to teach it in my future English classroom. Not to mention it is only 10 chapters and has so much potential with assignments! The future teacher in me is squealing.
I need to go deep dive into Russian history to understand how that relates, I bet if I had more knowledge on it that, I would have given it 5 stars. Hopefully I come back after doing so!

[Alex Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Animal Farm is a great example of classic historical fiction. Through it's depection of the history of communism through easily relatable characters and ideas, it shows the reader the perceived dangers of communism. However, while reading the book I also caught a glimpse of what the perfect communist system could have been, and where it went so wrong. I think this book defenitely deserves it's place as a classic and as an example of communism gone wrong.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how this book warned people about the government indirectly. The pigs represent the people high in power that make the rules while the dogs represent the people that enforce the rules. The rest of the farm animals represented the everyday civilian, they go by the rules and give the pigs power in doing so.

[Jenn]

I like the metaphors...man itself can be pigs...we are animal-like in some way. we yearn for as much rebellion maybe even power as the dog who is sitting right next to us. I applaud George Orwell for making politics a little more imaginative and unconventional.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good because its from the prospective of the animals and that they riot because of the farmers and over take the farm. My favorite character in this story was Boxer and he was such a kind horse and the pig ended up sending him away to get killed.

[margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

5* for Animal Farm
3.5* for the related readings

[keepingtabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imperative

[Matthew Schiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highlighted by Animal Farm, this collection is a really great representative sample of dystopian/WW2 era storytelling. Animal Farm is the star and is a timeless tale.