Animal Farm

The revolt on Manor Farm begins with Old Major’s vision: a world where animals live with dignity, plenty, and equality. The promise spreads in songs and slogans, fueling a successful uprising against Mr. Jones. But Orwell structures the fable with a reporter’s precision — he shows how every promise of liberty can be hollowed out from within.

As Napoleon maneuvers into control, the barn’s Seven Commandments are quietly amended, each change bending reality to match the new hierarchy. Snowball, once a leader, becomes the convenient scapegoat. Squealer, with polished phrases and invented statistics, turns lies into official truth. The dogs, bred for obedience, enforce fear as policy. Even the heroic labor of Boxer is exploited until his strength is spent, and his fate exposes the revolution’s betrayal.

Specifics give the story its force. The windmill — at first a project of hope, later a tool of control — consumes endless labor while masking scarcity. Songs are banned once they stir too much memory. Shortages are explained away with doctored reports. And through each stage, Orwell shows how language itself becomes the instrument of tyranny.

Animal Farm is not a tale locked in its century. Readers will recognize the patterns: propaganda framed as necessity, ideals traded for privilege, history revised to suit the powerful. This fable continues to serve as a warning for students of politics, members of book clubs seeking discussion, and anyone concerned with the link between words and freedom.

This 2020 edition includes a new introduction by Tea Obreht, offering contemporary perspective on why Orwell’s warning endures. (2020ed, 152pp, pb)