Animal Farm: My Pick for November

Animal Farm is a highly engaging novella. A real page-turner.

Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. Born in Bengal, British India in 1903, he was educated in the Eton College and served as a policeman in Burma from 1922 to 1927. He is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, both of which are considered among the greatest literary works of the 20th century. He was a supporter of democratic socialism and was critical of totalitarianism, and this is clearly reflected in his works.

George Orwell's Animal Farm is a satirical allegorical novella about a group of anthropomorphic (having human characteristics, traits and attributes) farm animals who rebel against their human farmer Mr. Jones and establish their own society. The farm animals are inspired by an old pig named Old Major to rebel against their human masters (poor Old Major dies shortly after his impassioned and stirring speech). After overthrowing the humans, the animals establish their own rule, with the pigs leading them, as they're apparently the smartest animals on the farm. The farm, formerly known as Manor Farm, is now named Animal Farm, and the animals adopt a set of rules known as the Seven Commandments, most of which rules are based on the urgings of Old Major; for example, the animals mustn't consume alcohol, touch money, engage in trade, wear clothes, live in houses, sleep in beds like the humans, etc., as all human habits were evil (according to Old Major). However, the pigs, led by Napoleon soon begin to take on more and more power. They change the Seven Commandments to suit their own needs and exploit the other animals. Snowball is deemed a traitor and driven off Animal Farm, a dictatorship is established, Napoleon makes use of propaganda and even violence to maintain his power, and the farm becomes just as oppressive as it was under Jones' rule. And throughout this the pigs manipulate and make the other animals believe that even though conditions are not really good, they're still better off than they were under Jones', and that no longer were they ruled by humans. So, what began with the principles of equality and freedom, and the last and perhaps the most important Commandment "All animals are equal;" ends with tyranny and oppression for all the farm animals save the pigs, and the iconic "All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others."

Animal Farm serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of totalitarianism. By the end of the novella, you will have read about and understood quite a lot about the Russian Revolution, without actually reading anything about it! Yes, that's right! The novella, as stated before, is allegorical. It is an allegory for the Russian Revolution and the rise of Joseph Stalin, who is represented by Napoleon in the novella.

Animal Farm is a powerful allegory for the dangers of totalitarianism and abuse of power. At the same time, George Orwell has done such a great job and made the novella such an interesting and gripping read, a page-turner.