Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Animal Farm

It was an okay book. I had to read it for a class, but it did have me interested at some parts. Wish the ending was more exciting, but the ending makes sense for the story. Boxer deserved better.

Content Warnings

moudi's review against another edition

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dark inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

القراءة الثانية ومختلفة للرواية ، ففي المرة الأولى كنت أنظر إلى أنها تجسيد للسوفيت خاصة فترة حكم ستالين مما جعل العمل متوقع وجعل انتباهي أضعف ، لذلك أنصح القارئ أن يسمح لاورويل أن يرسم على ورقة بيضاء دون توقع منك ، ولا تقارن رسمته إلا حين ينتهي فلا تقف لتبحث مثلا هل فعلا أقام جلسة اعدامات بعد إجبار المتهمين على الكذب .. لأنك ستقيم المشهد بمعيار المصداقية لا بمعيار الخيال الأدبي، و أنصح أيضا أن تقرأ بلغتها الإنجليزية فاورويل لا يملك قلم شاعري وصفي يدخل مفردات و تراكيب مختلفة ورفيعة لهذا ليست صعبة ولا معقدة.
<blockquote>The pigs did not actually work but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge, it was natural that they should assume the leadership. </blockquote>

النقد المنحاز منذ العنوان !
<blockquote>None of the other animals on the farm could get further than the letter A. It was also found that the stupider animals, such as the sheep, hens, and ducks, were unable to learn the Seven Commandments by heart. After much thought, Snowball declared that the Seven Commandments could, in effect, be reduced to a single maxim, namely: " Four legs good, two legs bad." This, he said, contained the essential principle of Animalism.</blockquote>
هل رأيت حيوانات تدير مزرعة ؟ الترميز للشعب بالحيوان كانت خطوة حادة فالمؤلف منذ البداية يرى هرطقة الفكرة ، يكتب اورويل تحت خطة مسبقة يرسم محطاتها و ينتقي ما يسلط الضوء عليه وكيف يتحرك ، تأتي بعض التعليقات بأن المؤلف منحاز وأعتقد صحة ذلك لكونه قد جعل الفصل بين الحكام و المحكوم أمراً طبيعي .. كالفاصل بين الإنسان و الحيوان على اعتبار أن المزرعة دولة، يؤكد هذا تصورات المزارعين المجاورين حين سمعوا خبر تمرد الحيوانات فقالوا جازمين ستصبح غابة .

ربط الشيوعية بالاتحاد السوفيتي
<blockquote>"We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night, we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if We Pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades" cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, "surely there is no one among .you who wants to see Jones come back?"
Now, if there was one thing that the animals were completely certain of, it was that they did not want Jones back.</blockquote>
لا تحتاج لعظيم معرفة فقراءة مقال في ويكيبيديا يكفي لتدرك أن اورويل بدأ حديثه بأفكار المنظومة الشيوعية لينتهي بها بالنهاية السوفيتية مؤكداً حتمية المسار في طريق الشيوعية، وهذا الربط جاء كفرصة لذم حكومة ستالين و فضح زيفها وخيانتها لكنه لم يكن موضوعياً ، فقد كان بالإمكان وضع نهاية تساءل بموضوعية الفكر الشيوعي .. ماذا كان سيحدث لو التزمت الحيوانات بالوصايا السبع؟ لو استمرت الديمقراطية؟ ، ليس بعيداً القول بأن الرواية مزايدة سياسية لأنها قطعا ليست نقدا موضوعياً.

وضع الدواء مع الداء
<blockquote>The animals listened first to Napoleon, then to Snowball, and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed, they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment.</blockquote>
يضع اورويل في الرواية بذور الشر منذ البداية إشارة لكون الفكرة من أساسها مسمومة ، فهناك في الوصايا الأصلية - قبل تحريف الخنازير لها- نرى عنصرية و رجعية و تطرف ، وصايا لم تكتب وموضوعها راحة الحيوان بل عداءاً للبشر ، كذلك قيمة الذاكرة في ردع الأكاذيب السياسية ودور الترفية و الاحتفالات التي تشتت انتباه الشعب

الشخصيات ترمز لأشخاص و معاني
<blockquote>"What is that gun firing for?" said Boxer.
"To celebrate our victory!" cried Squealer.
"What victory?" said Boxer. His knees were bleeding. He had lost a shoe and split his hoof, and a dozen pellets had lodged themselves in his hind leg.
"What victory, comrade? Have we not driven the enemy off our soil,the sacred soil of Animal Farm?"
"But they have destroyed the windmill. And we had worked on it for two years!"
"What matter? We will build another windmill. We will build six windmills
if we feel like it. You do not appreciate, comrade, the mighty thing that we
have done. The enemy was in occupation of this very ground that we stand upon. And now, thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, we have won every inch of it back again!" "Then we have won back what we had before," said Boxer.
"That is our victory," said Squealer.</blockquote>
تميز الشخصيات كان واضحاً ، فكما أن نابليون هو ستالين يمكنك أن ترى بأن الغراب يمثل الكنيسة التي تنفي السعادة الحيوانية في الحياة و يخبرهم بأن جبال السكر في السماء فقط ، وحده الحمار بنيامين جعلني اتفكر.. هل أراده التاريخ؟ ما معنى أن ينطق التاريخ مرتين فقط؟

كتابة اورويل ليست أدبية
<blockquote>"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUALBUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS" </blockquote>
اورويل لا يملك قلم أدبي.. الرجل لا يتذوق المعاني و الحروف ولا يستمتع في الوصف الحسي ولا الشاعري ، اسلوبه مباشر و جاف يعتمد في تأثيره على الأحداث و الحوارات .

Content Warnings

lethargicbat's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

cielosiluminado's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

comrade orwell is a genius with the metaphors in this. just wow.

Content Warnings

rory_john14's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Content Warnings

clavishorti's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

With blazing fervor and a heart pounding with anticipation, the moment has finally come for me to tear through the pages of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, a masterpiece long buried on my reading list. This fable, featuring animals who speak and act with human-like audacity, reflects us—arrogant, self-important humans—in ways that are disturbingly familiar. From the very first page, George Orwell’s brilliance in constructing a seemingly cheerful world that conceals a dark battleground of power and morality gripped me. It is clear that a storm of epic proportions is brewing beneath the surface of this story.

The story erupts with a prologue charged with tension and fiery anticipation. Old Major, a distinguished and wise 12-year-old Middle White Boar, gathers all the animals in a clandestine meeting pulsing with revolutionary energy. With a voice brimming with conviction, he lays out his vision of a future where animals are freed from the shackles of human tyranny. He names their greatest adversary: humans—parasites who exploit their labor and offer only meager scraps in return. Old Major’s speech isn’t merely a rallying cry; it is a blazing inferno that ignites the hearts of those who have long suffered.

Yet, shortly after his incendiary speech, old Major passes away, leaving behind a legacy of dreams and an unquenchable spirit of rebellion. In a matter of days, his prophecy takes shape as the animals, inspired by the words of their esteemed leader, rise up to overthrow the cruel Mr. Jones and take control of their own fate. Initially, they are swept up in a wave of euphoria—convinced that this new era will bring justice and equality. However, as time marches on, it becomes increasingly apparent that the justice they sought is far more elusive and fraught with complexity than they ever imagined.

Through each page of this book, we are confronted with a heartbreaking portrayal of how easily power can be corrupted, even by those with initially noble and sincere intentions. The spirit of freedom and equality, once built on pure hope, gradually drowns in a sea of selfishness and personal ambition. We watch with growing dismay as lofty ideals, once ablaze with hope and fervor, are slowly eroded by self-interest, ambition, and fear.

In this tale, as power consolidates in the hands of a few leaders, the principles once held high begin to crumble. The enticing rules and promises of the early days are gradually violated, morphing with the shifting interests and needs of those in charge. These leaders often hurriedly ‘reconfigure’ the rules—not for the welfare of the people or the common good, but to serve their own interests and to perpetuate the power and dynasty they’ve constructed. With every step deeper into the book, it becomes ever clearer that this story is not merely a fable but a mirror reflecting the reality we frequently see in contemporary news. It is as if each page reveals the lies and corruption that seep into a system meant to protect and uphold justice.

As we dig deeper into this narrative, it becomes strikingly clear that the new leaders, who were meant to bring about a wave of genuine reform, have instead embraced tactics of manipulation and propaganda to consolidate their power. In this arena, propaganda and manipulation are wielded as potent weapons to dominate and distort public perception. By twisting and falsifying information, they craft a narrative that their policies and decisions are in the best interest of all. In this process, the ability to think critically and objectively is often sacrificed.

The scenarios portrayed in this book resonate profoundly with our modern reality, where the term ‘buzzer’ has become synonymous with political maneuvering—an indication that dirty politics has evolved into more sophisticated and deceptive forms. Buzzers, adept in the art of deceit, are hired to shape, manipulate, or obscure issues on social media with a singular goal: to obfuscate the truth and manipulate public opinion.

In this web of political trickery, buzzers are the architects of misinformation, expertly weaving narratives to fragment society and sway public views. They transform social media into a stage for their performances, manipulating data and creating captivating yet deceptive illusions. As we navigate this intricate drama, it is essential to sharpen our analytical skills and rigorously verify the information we encounter. Only through this vigilance can we protect ourselves from the manipulative traps designed to cloud our judgment and divide us into easily controlled factions.

In the end, George Orwell’s Animal Farm serves as a razor-sharp mirror, exposing the ease with which those in power can spiral into cycles of greed and betrayal. As I delved into this masterpiece, I couldn’t help but question: how can leaders, who once championed noble visions, comfortably sleep and dine while flagrantly betraying the very principles and morals they claimed to uphold? Or perhaps, they were never truly moral to begin with, their veneer of virtue simply a façade that deceived us all?

George Orwell astutely illustrates how these corrupt leaders hide behind a veneer of charm and deceit, ensnaring us in a labyrinth of illusion. In Animal Farm, oppression often wears a disguise. It can emerge from those who are meant to be our guardians and guides. This serves as a stark reminder that ignoring injustice is tantamount to complicity in the crime. I urge everyone to read this book and absorb its profound message. In a world fraught with deception, awareness and the courage to seek out truth are our most powerful defenses. We must stay alert and discerning to avoid falling into the treacherous traps that undermine the very essence of justice.

Content Warnings

lagicrus19's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

smileymiley550's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

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