Banned Books: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell



It all started with an emotional and moving speech by the old boar Major. A rebellion was necessary. The animals of the Manor Farm needed to rebel against the humans and work for themselves. Major believed that animals should benefit from their labor not humans. Man was the root of all their problems. The animals could work together, oust the humans and run the farm themselves. Major died, but leaders emerged in two boars, Snowball and Napoleon. Through meetings in the barn they created Animalism, based off Major’s teachings, and eventually the animals banded together and rebelled against the humans taking the farm as their own. The pigs, who learned how to read and write, created seven commandments for the animals to live by. All animals were equal. All decisions were to put to a vote. The farm was prosperous. Then greed and opportunity stepped in and those who could take power did. The commandments slowly began to change. Accusations and fear ran rapid throughout the farm. What was a democracy became a dictatorship.
                Animal Farm is an amazing, well written novel that examines how decisions made under the most honorable conditions can eventually lead to destruction. The first phrase that came to mind while reading this book was “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” and I can not find one more fitting. When the idea was originally formed for the animals to rebel, Major imagined a world where animals were self sufficient and in no way were dependent on man. After his death, Snowball and Napoleon took those ideas and created a system that would benefit the animals. They worked together to make the farm work to provide for all. They were successful. All of the animals trusted each other and worked together. Then one animal stepped forward and took power. He manipulated the other animals, playing on their fears and capitalizing on their ignorance. Eventually he held all the qualities that the animals rebelled against in the first place, Man.
                This is an incredibly thought provoking novel that reflects, in more ways than can be measured, the downfall of society. It is all too easy to imagine the events described in this novel, taking place today in our own society. When ignorant we forget what it is was we were fighting for. When uneducated we have no means to defend ourselves. When too trusting we can be neglected and led into harms way. Animal Farm elegantly, but simply, put into words how society loses its strength when it trust too much in the leaders whose greed have taken them away from caring about society.
                Animal Farm, according to the American Library Association, has been banned numerous times for reasons ranging from George Orwell being a communist, to the political theories in the novel. I believe that because of its political theory and the style used to deliver its message that we should encourage more people to read this book. Many high schools have this book on their required reading list and its obvious why. We should want to teach our youth to examine their world and think for themselves! I applaud George Orwell for writing such a wonderful and yet solemn novel that reflects many societies so vividly.



Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century. Retrieved January 31, 2014 from http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/classics/reasons

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