Animal Farm by Orwell
Ref: George Orwell (1945). Animal Farm. Secker & Warburg.
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Summary
Animal Farm tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human, Farmer Jones, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. For a while, life on the farm is good, until the pigs, Napoleon and Snowball fight for the hearts and minds of the other animals on the farm. Napoleon takes power by force and ends up exploiting the animals just as Farmer Jones had done. The book is an allegory of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and details the ideas of freedom, rebellion, and the corrupting nature of power.
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The Seven Commandments
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.
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Misc Quotes
“These two disliked each other so much that it was difficult for them to come to any agreement, even in defense of their own interests.”
“Indeed, they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment.”
“The truest happiness lay in working hard and living frugally.”-Napoleon the Pig.
“There was nothing with which they could compare their present lives: they had nothing to go upon except Squealer’s lists of figures, which invariably demonstrated that everything was getting better and better.”
‘Comrade, those ribbons that you are so devoted to are the badge of slavery. Can you not understand that liberty is worth more than ribbons?’-Snowball the Pig.
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