Title: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Recommended by: Melody Liang
Summary and Comment:
Animal Farm is a simple fable written by George Orwell. It is about the
history of a revolution. It tells readers the causes of the failure of communism.
You can also see it as a mere fairy-tale which aims to prove that human nature
and diversity prevent people from being equal and happy.
The story was set in a farm. The main characters were the farmer, Mr. Jones
and his animals. The farm animals drove out Mr. Jones and attempted to rule the
farm themselves on an equal basis. They wanted a utopian where each of them
would work according to his capacity and respect each other. However, they
failed to achieve their goal. Their dream home ended up being a dictatorship of
pigs who were the cleverest.
Orwell describes how power turned the pigs from simple "comrades" to
ruthless dictators who managed to walk on two legs, and carry whips. The story
may be seen as a warning against political power games of an absolute nature
and totalitarianism in general.
I like Animal Farm because it is skillfully organized with a clear theme. It
makes me have a better understanding of the Soviet Regime. If you do not know
much about history, you will still find it enjoyable to see how those animals
work.