Animal Farm

by John Shuttleworth (Adaptor), George Orwell (Creator)

New Longman Literature titles provide an excellent selection of popular modern fiction and are suitable for 14-18 year olds of all abilities.
*Notes and questions are provided at the beginning of each chapter to help guide the student's understanding of the key themes and language.
* A programme of study provides practise in skills required at GCSE.
* Other new features include an introduction, ideas of further reading and a comprehensive glossary.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Classics, School, Literature, Read For School, Satire

120 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Jojo · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://devaneiosdajojo.blogspot.pt/20...

Animal Farm é uma alegoria ou fábula criada com génio e mestria por George Orwell! É um pequeno e inesperado livro: de uma mensagem inteligente e sofisticada no entanto, opta por linguagem simples e quase infantil para a transmitir.
É uma crítica sarcástica e velada ao regime da União Soviética! A comunhão e igualdade entre todos é o motivo para a rebelião dos animais face aos humanos. Querem livrar-se do tirano de duas pernas e almejam pela sua independência mas, no seu "reinado" imperará a comunhão e a partilha contrariamente ao do humano. É o Animalismo. Esta ideia é o reflexo ficcional do Comunismo. Em Napoleão, o porco líder, Orwell recria o seu Estaline e nos seus companheiros porcos, os seus leais seguidores. É notável como o escritor retrata a ambição pelo poder, independentemente das suas crenças ou ideologias políticas. O poder corrompe e para o manter, são capazes de estilhaçar a utopia original. O sonho transforma-se numa distorção pálida que é manipulada a seu belo prazer. É ainda espantoso ver como os animais mais ingénuos e sem erudição caiem nas patranhas e mentiras inventadas para encobrir o rasto de podridão que os ditadores vão deixando. É uma mudança gradual mas, eficaz nos seus objectivos. É aterrorizador verificar o quão actual esta noção e realidade ainda é. Embora Estaline/Napoleão já tenha morrido ainda há muitos ditadores que se guiam pelas suas escrituras e a sua principal arma é a (des)informação!
Animal Farm é uma história que será sempre controversa porém, é inegável a sua veracidade e a sua actualidade! O truque está em procurar as mensagens nas entrelinhas de uma "história infantil".

[Rohan Bendre · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant book!

The idea of depicting the Russian Revolution through a drama involving farm animals, it's simple and elegant execution and the strong flavor of irony in Orwell's writing make this story so powerful. Throughout, he writes in a way that makes the narrator seem innocent and unaware of the manipulation happening while at the same time, the reader is painfully aware of what's actually happening. Orwell manages that duplicity so beautifully. Also, the language is so easy to follow.

While reading it, feelings of exasperation and annoyance at the farm animals swelled in me - for their ignorance and their gullibility. The fact that something akin to this has actually happened in human history multiple times is just amazing and bewildering.

Ok bye.

[Donald Six · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and timeless. This book should make you mad.

[Mickey Dubs · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Orwell's farmyard fable remains as potent and relevant as it was in 1945 with its central message that strong, uncompromising leadership is vital for creating a better society. At the beginning of the novella, the Farm is under the yoke of the parasitical tyranny of Farmer Jones. With great gusto and strength of character, Napoleon leads the animals to salvation and constructs a new, idyllic society centred around the unchanging, irrefutable Tenets of Animalism.

Orwell of course names this brave, admirable leader after Napoleon Bonaparte who famously did not betray the principles of the French Revolution. Napoleon, like his namesake, is a great military leader having singlehandedly organised the front against the humans at the Battle of the Cowshed. Apologists for Snowball drive themselves into fits of rage over such inane hogswash like the suggestion that it was in fact Snowball who led the October Defensive. And yet, if Snowball was on the side of the fledgling Animal Farm, why did he fight alongside the humans?

Curious.

In Snowball, Orwell has created a villain for the ages. The Snowball menace haunts the entire novella. From the destruction of the Windmill to the Pinchfield Conspiracy against the Farm, Snowball's treachery and cunning knows no bounds. Thankfully, Orwell offers the reader a hope for reprieve from the nerve-shattering evil of Snowball. Napoleon bravely and courageously defends the Farm from the clutches of Snowball. In perhaps the most terrifying chapter, some of the Farm's animals confess to being agents in the employ of Snowball. This moment of horror as we realise that there had been saboteurs among the ranks of the animals all along is mercifully cut short as Napoleon has the traitors swiftly executed for their crimes. For this, we must thank Comrade Napoleon for his keen judgement and genius of faculty for rooting out the enemy within.

There is a common misconception - no doubt spread by Snowball and his acolytes - that Orwell's point at the end of the novella when the Pigs become indistinguishable from the Humans is that the principles of the revolution have been utterly betrayed by the ruling class so that life is practically indistinguishable from what it was under Jones. Any independently minded piglet can see that this is total balderdash. Obviously, as is apparent to anyone who takes a moment to think about 'analogies' and 'allegories', the Pigs are compared to the Humans because Napoleon's organisational nous and his dedication to the Immortal Science of Animalism-Napoleonism has raised the standing of the farm in line with its Pinchfield and Foxwood rivals. In fact, as Squealer - that fount of truth and wisdom - makes absolutely clear, farm production has rocketed under Napoleon's wise tutelage racking up Figures and Numbers whole Percentages above those of Jones's time.

Animal Farm's most moving passage is obviously the death of Boxer. Orwell shows that not only is Napoleon a distinguished planner whose intellect has allowed the Farm to take a Great Leap Forward, but he is also a kind-hearted, sensitive soul. Surely there is no reader whose eyes did not well up during the passage where Squealer describes how the Great Leader sat by Boxer's bedside as he passed on to Sugarcandy Mountain. No doubt, all readers took solace in Boxer's final words. Orwell's authorial intent here is crystal clear. Boxer as the most revered, industrious, and kindly animal - bar Napoleon of course - is a fine candidate to carry Orwell's central message:

'Napoleon is Always Right'

Thank you, George Orwell, for this important and relevant message that will hold weight for generations to come.

[WALAA ALHAMEEDI · Rating 5 out of 5]

In order to understand the animal farm you have to be familiar with Russian revolution or the rise of Bolshevik revolution Russia 🇷🇺.
In 1917 Russia was ruled by Czar Nicholas ii he created dismal living condition for the people and millions of people lives in hunger and feared of speaking out due to violent retaliation of activists during the time.
However, world war one of the incredible and greatest lost of military men that Russia had ever seen forced and inspired people to be more vocal about their discontent with Czar which this created a condition for the Bolshevik revolution which wad run by a revolutionary member of communism Lenin.
Lenin was an advocate for Karl Marx.
Now despite the unfortunate perversion of communism that we have seen throughout history which is in In fact paints a social and political utopia where the average man also known as the worker.
Another historical name involved was Leon Trotsky another marxist revolutionary who aided Lenin in promoting their shared communist idea. Lenin eventually died and Trotsky was exiled and killed by the current leader of what became the USSR Joseph stalin who was interested in power than the beautiful idea of communism on paper.
Stalin used mass propaganda to mislead and misuse and abuse his people and became the most powerful and one of the most feared totalitarian dictators of all time purging Russia of anyone that stood up to time.
After a certain period of time Adolf Hitler entered the scene and became first as friends and then a foe of Joseph Stalin word war ii.
All of the major characters of animal farm represent these people and these historical event.

[Omneya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, straightforward, extremely smart metaphors that can always make you smile at the almost-childish cunning of Mr Orwell, and of course, just like everything he ever wrote, timeless.

[Aaron Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A veritable magnum opus.

[Naveen Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the starting the book seemed to be normal. But as it goes on the plot deepens and after you have read the book you will be clear of what happened in Russia.

[Mohamed Adel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant novel, it left me astonished by describing our reality today after decades from its release ,and specially after we witnessed all those acts in our real life after the revolution.

[Tan Ayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read! As always, Orwell is careful in his use of words, creating certain subtleties that are difficult to unpack but nevertheless interesting to do so. While it might be slightly difficult for young teenagers to grasp the implications, I think it is still possible for them to appreciate the subtleties if one reads carefully enough.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book even better the second time around.

P.s it is quite alarming the amount of parallels that can be drawn from the tactics used to most governments.

[Francesca Pia Magri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Animal Farm is a powerful allegorical novella that mirrors the events of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Soviet totalitarianism. Orwell uses a simple farm and its animal inhabitants to expose how revolutions can be corrupted by those who seize power. The pigs, led by Napoleon, represent the Bolsheviks—especially Stalin—while other animals symbolise various classes and social roles.

Initially, the animals overthrow their human oppressor, Mr. Jones, to establish a fair and equal society. However, as the pigs assume leadership, they begin to manipulate the others through propaganda (spread by Squealer), fear, and rewriting history. A key method of control is the gradual rewriting of the Seven Commandments of Animalism. For example, "No animal shall sleep in a bed" is changed to "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets," justifying the pigs' increasing luxury without appearing to violate their own rules.

This manipulation allows the ruling pigs to maintain the illusion of equality while benefiting more than the others. The famous final line—"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others"—perfectly encapsulates the hypocrisy and betrayal of the revolution’s original ideals.

Moreover, I believe that the core lesson is a warning: even well-intentioned revolutions can be twisted when power goes unchecked, and those in power often reshape truth and morality to protect their status. Orwell urges readers to remain sceptical of authority and vigilant against political manipulation and historical revisionism.

[Shashank Khandelwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story will make you laugh, sentimental and many times angry because of the situations used that are so relatable from our lives. Full of satires and ironies. Must read for all. Also, it is not quite long, just of 128 pages. I recommend it if you don't have time to read lengthy stories.

[Snoopyhusky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a masterpiece!!!

I don’t understand how George Orwell was able to think of something like this and I salute him so much.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book from the beginning till the end. Would love to read it again sometime!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this my freshman year of high school. Reread it this year to teach to a class of sophomore Spanish high schoolers. This time around, the commentary on Stalin + the USSR was clearer and at times funnier. Wish I could rate it 3.5 stars

[Riana · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[Carrie-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written over 70 years ago and still relevant, especially after this past week!

[Hanniah · Rating 4 out of 5]

not bad

[Shikha Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting tale on revolution, "all are equal but some are more than equal".

[Maja · Rating 1 out of 5]

read this in high school. worst experience of my life

[Yaren Yüksek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah Boxer, üzümlü kekim…

[aelius · Rating 3 out of 5]

ANIMAL FARM. The absolute catastrophy of leadership gone wrong, with reference to what happened on Earth, a century ago...

[Leticia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will haunt me for all my days. How did the Singapore education system think this is a good book for 13 year olds to read the moment they enter secondary school…I do not know.

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

We originally needed to study this book for English class as an example for an allegory (a kind of extended metaphor). To understand this book better, we also had to read about the history of the writer. George Orwell wrote this book during the Second World War and in that time, Russia had a change of leaders and Stalin was one of them. Orwell wrote this book as a parallel to the Russian Revolution. A series of events that happened in Animal Farm also happened similarly in Russia and certain attributes from people in the Russian Revolution were given to the animals. Like, pigs were the leaders (Stalin and Trotsky) and the rest of the animals were the followers.

The overall plot of this book is that the animals wanted to overthrow the humans and the animals wanted to run their own farm independently. The pigs founded the rules of Animalism and that every animal is equal. While reading this book I started getting more and more annoyed at the pigs. I especially disliked Squealer because he was always bringing the news to the animals and fooling them, telling lies. While he was talking I was always thinking that the pigs could always find some kind of excuse for doing something forbidden. I liked Boxer and Clover though because they are so innocent and only want the best to happen.

The writing style was easy to read. It was mostly straightforward expect for when the writer didn't want to say that someone did something wrong in the book. As an example, Napoleon was left behind with the milk and all the Orwell wrote, was that when the animals came back, the milk was gone. Also the wording in the last paragraph of this book was kind of sad.

Somehow the writing style improved my final rating because I just couldn't put the book down and finished it in a day. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

[Maurice Conchis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuck, jeg blev arrig, da jeg læste den her. Forp....., forb..... Napoleon, din dobbeltmoralske hykleriske magtgris. I spit on you. Og på dem, som accepterer ændringerne. Ih, altså.

Dejlig længde, og meget meget letlæst. Utrolig præstation af Orwell at få så meget historie ind på en lille bondegård. For hver sætning dragede tankerne paralleler til Rusland, hvem er mon det? Gjorde han virkelig sådan?

Godt eksempel på, at børnebøger ikke behøver være simple. Selv i starten græmmedes jeg ved den forestående katastrofe, som vi som læsere, ved vil ramme, når dæmningen af gode forklaringer braser. Og jeg krummede tæer for hver indskrækning og regelændring og manipulation der konstant foregik.

Stakkels dumme Boxer - tankevækkende. En virkelig god bog til masser af eftertanke, faktisk tæt på max karakteren, men mangler en my. En my hvad? Det ved jeg faktisk ikke. Jeg elsker let fortalte historier, og den lever også gennem sit enkle sprog og banale handling - som stadigvæk har masser af tankegods spændt på vognen, men alligevel - noget siger mig, den mangler det sidste udefinerbare swung for at komme helt til tops.

[niina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to confess, I'm pretty bad when it comes to politics, I hardly know how countries operate, am hardly informed of communism, democracy or sosialism, all due to my own lack of interest - so for me, Animal Farm was not only compelling but also a highly informative read. It's rather easy to see why this is generally acknowledged as a classic, one often recommended and added the neverending list of to-reads when came across.

The author has well-knowingly decided to use simple, not too graphic or lyrical style in his writings, which sure made the book easy language-wise, too bad that this was probably the main point that made me easily lose interest and drop the reading and move on to doing something else. A good thing the characters were well-formed, introduced and portrayed through the book, the plot went on in its way smoothly, proceeding fast and efficiently. What might strike some readers as intriguing was the complete lack of fillers and usage of the paper simply to create a mood and stir up feels.

[laaibahhh :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

woah. i've been wanting to read orwell for ages, and last weekend i found a free copy of animal farm at the book exchange shelf; i ended up reading it on my flight so here i am! oh em gee the introduction blew me away because the political history and context just made me realise that this book was going to be so much more than just a story. i truly realised the extent of my ignorance of world history and politics; i thought i knew something, but clearly not 😔 i'm going to research more abt communism and everything after writing this review. anyways, the book was AMAZING. the way it explained the rise of a dictatorship through animals on a farm and the spreading of propaganda, brainwashing and censorship that comes along with it :O the breaking and modification of the 7 commandments -- "all animals are equal." to "all animals are equal but some are more equal than others." bro 🥀 oh my days.
"the creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this was the first time I read this classic it seemed quite familiar, maybe even too familiar. The story has been quoted in innumerable instances and has almost become “folklore”. In my mind the book is not among the best ones as a piece of literature. At the time of writing the plot was surely novel and ingenious. To a modern reader in his sixties it still is interesting, but I find the story maybe too obvious. The book’s message is of course just as important and relevant as it was at the time of writing, maybe even more so. Would it not be a good idea for someone to write a 21st century Animal Farm that would unveil the modern political lingo?

The copy I read was aimed at students of ages between 14 and 18 and contained notes, questions, tasks and discussion topics for group work at school. I sincerely hope that this book finds its ways to classrooms all over the world. For the youngsters the book should work perfectly as an eye opener to both history and the present.

[matilda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book I studied as part of my GCSE and so naturally, I may not have enjoyed the full experience of reading this book. However I feel it may be challenging book to read, as to fully understand the logic behind the characters and plot, you need to know a little about the history of the Russian Soviet Union and the rise and fall of Stalin.
Studying this book was surprisingly very enjoyable as historical based books are not my cup of tea. Orwell captured the events of the conflict involved during the Russian Revolution extremely well and I think this book would be lovely to read possibly after a large series, as it is not a large book.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about the way the dictatorship evolved. And the ending... wow! It left me utterly speechless.

To be honest I had quite high expectations for this book since I knew about Orwell being a famous author, despite the fact that almost everyone had told be that it was annoying due to it being similar to real historical events. The story wasn't what I expected it to be like, and it wasn't annoying at all (liars!).
Why 3 stars then? I guess this is not my type of genre. As to all the rest, I don't have anything to complain about :)

I wonder what would have happened if Snowball had stayed... perhaps life would have been easier for the animals.