Animal Farm - a thought provoking read

Animal Farm is a book about the failure of human society and the issues of too much power in the hands of a few. It is set on a farm with each farm animal displaying certain characteristics of humans. I believe it demonstrates how society based on idealism is near unachievable as it is against human nature to be absolutely selfless. I think that the one major lesson I learnt after reading this book, is to look out for myself and to be able to question people on matters that affect me.

George Orwell (the author) has touched upon a number of complex topics concerning human societies and left me feeling quite sad about the tragic plight of ordinary people. Personally, I believe the book proves that an entirely equal society, in other words communism, cannot exist because it is against human nature to be completely selfless. In any society, or even everyday life, if someone gains power, you often see them abuse it. I also think that Orwell is trying to convey that for society to develop and to move forward you need different types of people, with different strengths, as well as honesty and truth.

Propaganda plays a big part in this book and I think that it was part of the downfall of a thriving society. If you continue giving out a distorted version of the facts, people will start believing it.

It is important to look out for yourself and ensure that you don’t blindly believe what you are presented with.

The book had characters who could be said to resemble some famous historical figures. It is well known that Orwell was targeting Josef Stalin and the Russian Communist state when writing the book. The pig Squealer, can be said to be similar to Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of propaganda.

A character who I thought played a great role in this book was a horse called Boxer. Boxer proved that it is not enough to be strong and hard working, intelligence and the ability to question is just as important. This book taught me a lot about the history of communism and fascism as well as about society as a whole. The human-like characters were a great way to make the point to the audience in an interesting and entertaining way.

After reading Animal Farm I have come to the sad conclusion that you cannot blindly trust others, you must see things for yourself. Even after reading this book I still feel like I’ve just scratched the surface of what can be learnt from this beauty of a classic. Long live Animal Farm!