George Orwell's Animal Farm

This summer, I wanted to read a classic. I typically don’t enjoy reading classics for leisure, however, I wanted to step out of my “comfort zone”. As I began searching online for books, I stumbled on the popular Animal Farm. I had read this previously (in 6th grade), but I realized that I could not recall most of the plot and ideas, so I created a goal to go back and fill in the large gaps that stood in my memory.

One thing that surprised me right at the beginning is the length of the novel. It was way shorter than I had remembered it to be. In fact, I was able to finish the book in only two days. Despite the short length, due to Orwell’s outstanding writing skills, the story itself was very clear and detailed, and most importantly, enjoyable.

I was surprised at how much meaning and how many connections I was able to pull out of the novel. Themes that I recognized were corruption, ignorance in society leading to the degradation of equality, and how power can overpower sense and take control. These were very apparent throughout the novel, with the animals and events representing the

A paragraph later, “the milk had disappeared” mysteriously, implying that Napoleon had probably drunk the milk (Orwell 10). This foreshadowed Napoleon’s corruption and greed, (which the animals did not catch on to). Later it is revealed that Napoleon and the pigs used up the milk, and they used the excuse that their superior brain power deserves the best. This event, like many others in the book, can be compared to real world examples such as CEOs (the pigs) of many companies today (ex: coal companies). Their greed almost always leads to the workers (the animals) suffering in ways such as reduced safety, decreased wages, or poor working conditions. Meanwhile, the powerful “leaders” are bathing in