This is way longer than the other review, it’s 3 chapters
Spoilers for animal farm

https://www.reddit.com/r/georgeorwell/s/Yvp4tR8WqL link for my chapter 1 review

Major actually died soon after I said I wouldn’t be surprised if there would be a turn around of his character but I wasn’t really off the rails!

The reason why I wanted to compact all these chapters in one review it’s because chapter 3 and 4 were shorter, and all these 3 chapters felt like a “joined episode” rather then 3 separate chapters, this isn’t a jab at these, simply my impression is that these 3 chapters blended together extremely well

Ch. 2
I really liked how the aftermath of the rebellion played out, and it feels quite dark even if there is nothing actually dark happening, this is how you recognize good writing, although nothing insane happened, there are many things that can still generate implications or conflict, the pigs for example, they are the only one who don’t work, they are the smartest and they rule, and snowball and napoleon painting the 7 commandments implying a level of superiority over them, again, as I said in the other review “all animals are equal” was a setup, and it’s already showing and the fact that snowball and napoleon are clearly opposed does hint at conflict

One thing this chapter does better compared to the others, is that there is a stinging cliffhanger at the end, that will come later, this is the chapter that made me more curious about what happens next out of the 4 I have read

Ch. 3

this reiterates a lot of what I said of ch. 2, for example, the pig calling out the horses by saying “Gee up, comrade!” And the “Whoa back, comrade!” Felt more like a slave-owner relationship, or at least, it felt like the pigs had an authority over them, a power dynamic and I really like this because it both progresses the story and builds up on the implications that you get from the statements “all animals are…” and boxer did make me kinda sad, he broke his back and always repeats “I will work harder!” And he is just happy but unable to properly choose, but simply face problems

And I know you were waiting for this, “Donkeys live for a long time, you have never seen a dead donkey.” This is a great quote, I feel like the meaning behind it is simple but effective

What this sentence may mean, is that donkeys aren’t usually slaughtered like other animals, they live all their life as slaves but never actually die, they all live long, for benjamin, before or after made no difference, the only reason why other animals were happier is because death was out of the question, but Benjamin had received no change, everything remained the same as he witnessed that everything was functioning as before for him, he always and still needed to work till he was gone, it’s very understandable why it’s so cynical, and I think that Benjamin does represent the concept of slavery in a way, as many people may consider themselves trapped and feel like slaves in a “normal” life, because they need to work, they have no choice, and never had, others never did, but lost the one thing they were afraid of but donkeys like him who live longer never had a weight dropped from their backs, only the same problem but in a different light this would also explain why all the other animals didn’t understand what he meant, some may be downright dumb but most grew fearing death and unaware of the system’s bigger problem which is power, and Benjamin represents inability if there was a word I would say that would describe Benjamin would be inability.

The alphabet and education here feel more like indoctrination, expecially because of the sheep repeating “two legs bad, four legs good!” And I really liked the detail of the pigs taking all the milk and apples, showing the first time that they used excuses to get more resources for themselves, the first act of actual disparity and it’s one of my favourite scenes till now

Then the flag being painted on the cloth by snowball, I think this book criticises communism, but it honestly feels like this book can be used to critique the power of the governments over people in general, whether it’s totalitarian or communist, it can work
It was shorter but this chapter had a ton to say, and it’s my favorite chapter for now

Ch. 4

This is what it feels like the closure of this stage of the story, it felt like a mini arc
What I really like about this chapter is the progression of the animal farm, sending pidgeon to spread their ideology on the country
But notice a parallel, there is a parallel between pilkington and frederick, being both owners of a farm being at wits/arguments against each other exactly like napoleon and snowball are, further highlighting the fact that napoleon and snowballs are becoming hypocrites (I thought major was going to, but it still goes by that direction, in the same way) I liked the fight and I found it to be quite dark at the end, not the battle itself, boxer that accidentally killed somebody and tearing up while snowball gets pissed and tells him to accept it because this is “war” a “war” people or in this case animals, didn’t sign off their own, it’s the pigs who dictated what the animals should have always done, not they themselves and animals have even less free will then before
I actually like the burial scene

Final considerations
Again, I think that George at most drags out a bit sometimes, and an issue I have noticed is that he does tend to be a bit on the nose (the flag being painted, heavily similarly to communism’s flag, like come on, it looks like a parody) but I really like his dialogue and how he writes anyways, how he develops a story and how he can actually get to the point and narrate a lot in a little pages

Ch. 2 is an 8/10
Ch. 3 is probably my favorite till now, 8.7/10
Ch. 4 was less denser fun, but was a closing act, I don’t have many things to add, 7/10

I was never an avid book reader, I watch movies, games, and read comics (and even with these I struggle due to audhd) but I bought audible that allows me for multitasking and keeps me focused

I personally really liked the first chapter of this story, it instantly established empathy through the animals POV and made it very understandable, it’s a unique thing I have not seen much in media, and that would make Major which I would assume is the protagonist, a freedom fighter for the oppressed

That can turn out to be extremely interesting, as usually the oppressed can become oppressors, and I won’t be surprised but PLEASANTLY accepting if major becomes a hypocrite, with all the discourse of no animal having any kind of “man-like” behaviour or becoming a tyrant towards its own kind, because it’s also set up well
“All animals are equal”
“All animals are friends”
“All animals are brothers”
That can be a very good setup and foreshadowing, if I were to be the writer, I would have twisted these words, using these words to mean something else, and to highlight how (if it becomes a hypocrite/becomes close to the thing he hates) he distanced himself from even animals and fell into the same pitfalls he once hated

This can also introduce several themes regarding morality, nature vs nurture, the world’s cycle (possibly even in a somewhat deterministic way)

I really liked how the book was grammatically written and expressed
“He fired number 6 shots…” I don’t know what’s about that kind of expression, but I love it, it’s extremely smooth, and it reminds me of how my Italian grandpa writes, he doesn’t write English or uses the same expressions, but the way he uses descriptions and these kind of details remind me of him, it hits close to home and is somewhat charismatic, the way he writes and talks gives me a “vintage” vibe, I am 20 but I really like these kinds of things

The only con I found (but that’s my taste, I think) is that the book tends to hammer a lot on the same concept and kinda drags it out a bit, but that could actually be intentional/a way to set up the story for later

I give this chapter a solid 8.1/10 it’s great, and a MASSIVE step up from what people say it’s a masterpiece in media (I have no mouth and I must scream) COUGH COUGH

Also, I know that this is probably not that well written as a review, as never read books so many things and technical terms might not be known by me, simply wanted to share my thoughts and my review, I usually have a problem with the “critic” approach, as you can do similarly by tackling the overall story, even if it’s not intentional, I don’t like watching or reading things with the predisposition of “criticizing” because I may nitpick and have fallbacks on my own approach

Made this video all the way back in 2019. Finally I am releasing it to the world. Hope it does respect to the story.

I didn’t buy it

Bronze cast and signed by me.

Scottish highlands resident, John Keay, talks about living near where George Orwell wrote 1984.

There’s currently a vote for the best book between Animal farm and Lord if the flies. Animal farm is currently losing!!

June hit, and the hay was basically ready to be cut. On Midsummer's Eve, which was a Saturday, Mr. Jones slid into Willingdon and got so lit at the Red Lion that he didn't bounce back till noon on Sunday. The guys milked the cows early morning, then went out rabbit hunting, totally ghosting the animals. When Mr. Jones got back, he immediately crashed on the couch with the News of the World over his face, so when evening came, the animals were still unfed. Finally, they couldn't take it anymore. One of the cows broke the store-shed door with her horn, and all the animals started helping themselves to the bins. Just then, Mr. Jones woke up. Next thing, he and his four guys were in the store-shed with whips, going off in all directions. That was too much for the hungry animals. Without planning, they all jumped their tormentors. Jones and his guys suddenly got butted and kicked from all sides. They had zero control. They'd never seen animals act like this before, and this sudden uprising of creatures they used to beat up for fun scared them almost out of their wits. After a few seconds, they gave up trying to defend themselves and bounced. A minute later, all five were full-on sprinting down the cart-track to the main road, with the animals chasing them in victory. Mrs. Jones peeked out the bedroom window, saw what was up, quickly threw some stuff into a carpet bag, and dipped out of the farm another way.

Moses yeeted off his perch and flapped after her, squawking loud. Meanwhile the animals had clapped Jones and his goons out to the road and slammed the gate on them. So, before they knew it, the W was theirs: Jones got expelled, and the Manor Farm was their vibe.

For the first few mins the animals could not even believe their luck. They first zoomed around the farm borders to make sure no human was hiding. Then they raced back to the buildings to delete all traces of Jones's toxic reign. They broke into the harness room and yeeted the bits, nose-rings, dog-chains, and cruel knives down the well. Reins, halters, blinkers, and humiliating nosebags got thrown into the fire. Whips too. All animals were vibing hard seeing those whips get roasted. Snowball also tossed in the ribbons used on horses' manes and tails at market.

 'Ribbons are like clothes, which are a human thing,' he said. 'All animals should be naked.'

 When Boxer heard this, he grabbed his summer hat (to keep flies away) and threw it into the fire too.

Soon the animals had destroyed everything that reminded them of Mr. Jones. Napoleon led them to the store-shed and gave everyone double corn and two biscuits for each dog. They sang Beasts of England seven times, then crashed for the night like never before.

 But they woke at dawn as usual, remembered the epic W, and raced to the pasture. There was a hill that overlooked the farm. They rushed to the top and gazed around in the clear morning light.

Bruh, that was theirs fr fr—everything they could see was theirs! They were so hyped they started zooming around like crazy, doing mad jumps. They rolled in the dew, munched on grass, kicked dirt, and sniffed that rich scent. Then they did a whole farm tour, shook at the fields, orchard, pool, and woods like they never saw 'em before, couldn't believe it was all theirs. They bounced to the farmhouse and paused outside, scared to enter. But Snowball and Napoleon pushed the door open and they all walked in single file, being super careful not to disturb anything. They tip-toed from room to room, whispering in awe at the flex: feather beds, mirrors, horsehair sofa, Brussels carpet, Queen Victoria pic. Then they heard Mollie was missing and found her in the best bedroom, holding a blue ribbon and gazing at herself in the mirror like a total simp.

The others roasted her hard, then dipped outside. They grabbed some hams from the kitchen to yeet into the grave, and Boxer clapped the beer barrel's stove in with a kick, but otherwise the house was left untouched. They deadass passed a resolution on the spot to keep the farmhouse as a museum. Everyone agreed no animal should ever live there. The animals grubbed, then Snowball and Napoleon called them back. "Comrades," Snowball said, "it's half past six and we got a long day ahead. Today we start the hay harvest. But first, there's another thing." The pigs revealed they'd been learning to read and write from an old spelling book that belonged to Mr. Jones's kids, which they found in the trash. Napoleon sent for black and white paint and led them to the five-bar gate on the main road. Snowball (since he was the best writer) grabbed a brush with his trotter, painted over "Manor Farm" on the gate's top bar, and wrote "Animal Farm" instead. That's the new name for the farm from now on. Then they went back to the barn, got a ladder, and set it against the end wall. The pigs explained they'd boiled down Animalism to Seven Commandments, which they'd write on the wall as an unbreakable law for all animals on Animal Farm forever. Snowball climbed up (hard for a pig to balance on a ladder) and started writing, with Squealer a few rungs down holding the paint. The Commandments were in big white letters readable from 30 yards away. They went like:

THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS

1. Anything on two legs? That's an opp.
2. Four legs or wings? That's a vibe, friend.
3. No animal shall drip in clothes.
4. No animal shall catch Z's in a bed.
5. No animal shall sip that alc.
6. No animal shall yeet another animal.
7. All animals are equal, no cap.

 It was written hella clean, except "friend" got spelled "freind" and one of the "S's" was like, backwards. Snowball read it out loud for the squad. All the animals nodded, fully based, and the smart ones started grinding to memorize the commandments.

"Aight, comrades," Snowball cried, throwing down the paintbrush, "let's hit the hayfield! Let's make it a flex to grind the harvest faster than Jones and his goons."

But then the three cows, who were feeling sus for a while, started going b\(`o`)/b. They hadn't been milked for 24 hours, and their udders were about to explode. After a sec, the pigs called for buckets and milked the cows pretty well—their trotters were built different for this. Soon there were five buckets of frothy milk, and many animals were like, "Ooh, that's interesting."

"What's gonna happen to all that milk?" someone asked.

"Jones sometimes used to mix some in our feed," said one hen.

"Don't even worry about the milk, comrades!" Napoleon said, stepping in front of the buckets. "That's taken care of. The harvest is more important. Comrade Snowball will lead. I'll follow in a few mins. Let's go, comrades! The hay is waiting."

So the animals trooped to the hayfield to start the harvest, and when they came back in the evening, the milk had noped out.

Despite what everyone has been saying online, I still went to see the new “Animal Farm” animated movie, thinking, “It’s “Animal Farm”, it’ll still be worth seeing, as that’s one of my favourites of all classic literature…”
Load of crap! Absolute disgrace to Orwell and “Animal Farm”! That being said, the second half/three quarters was better… Still though…
1. They gender-swapped Snowball! Snowball is supposed to be male, not female (a boar/gilt, not a sow)! If they wanted to just show more female characters, they could’ve just given us more of Molly, Clover, the hens, the cows and Mr Jones’ wife.
2. ⁠Boxer mentioned being the only horse on the farm. Seriously? Molly and Clover?
3. ⁠They made into a goofy, children’s comedy. The real “Animal Farm” is supposed to be, and always will be, a brutal political satire/allegory.
4. ⁠No Mr Pilkington, just Mrs Pilkington (Glenn Close’s character).
5. ⁠No Old Major! Why?! 😭 😩 😫
6. ⁠WAY too much tech, pop culture and childish comedy! Pigs with headphones/smartphones?! I know the pigs are smart, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t invented when Orwell wrote the book…
7. ⁠Not even a single mentioning of the words “rebellion” or “revolution”, as far as I can recall…
8. ⁠No battles with Mr Jones or the other men. No actual revolution shown.
9. ⁠No destruction of the windmill.
10. ⁠As far as I can recall, they didn’t actually show the pigs drinking alcohol. Also, “naughty juice”? Do they really think that kids (at least older kids) are that stupid that they don’t even know what alcohol is?

I finished 1984 a couple of days ago. It’s been on my reading list, but I still didn’t expect it to climb as high as it did in my personal ratings. Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed it as I am sure many others have. Naturally, whenever something is universally praised, you can always find a vocal minority who holds a deep dislike for it. I like looking up discussions and articles online after I am done with a book. Curious to see the counter-arguments, I read a few complaints online. What I found completely dumbfounded me. I came across numerous articles detailing how the book is inherently misogynistic and sexist, laying all the blame squarely on Orwell and the biases of his time.

Am I wrong to feel completely baffled by this line of thinking? Of course there is objectification and misogyny in the text, for it is a dystopian world ruled by a brutal totalitarian regime. The entire objective of the Party is to eradicate individual thought and strip away human dignity. Marriage has been weaponized into a tool used solely to reproduce for the state. Nothing more.

Because of this, the online complaints regarding Katherine’s disinterest in sex being proof of Orwell's "sexism" make absolutely no sense to me. I actually found a fascinating literary contrast in her character. Inherently, Katherine has no desire for intimacy, yet due to the Party’s severe conditioning, she forces herself to oblige because she views it as a duty for the greater good. Deep down, Winston recognizes this tragedy too. This isn't Orwell endorsing sexism or the like, it's Orwell showcasing the horrific success of state brainwashing on a human being.

The criticism gets even worse when people attack Julia’s character. I read several takes questioning the narrative logic of how quickly she falls in love, "gives up her body," and acts like a typical rebellious archetype. Look at Julia’s external life: she is heavily involved in community activities, participates in extra clubs, and is a prominent member of the Junior Anti-Sex League. She presents herself as the absolute gold standard and perfect image of a devout Party woman outwardly. Therefore, she besmirches the ideal party image expected of women, by besmirching the ideal image the party forced her to portray. It’s her own way of an active rebellion. Thoughts on this?

It feels as though some critics have an incredibly hard time putting themselves inside the actual universe of the story they are reading. If you have a visceral reaction to the defilement and rightlessness in the book, don't attack Orwell. Attack authoritarianism. Attack a party-led society. That was the entire point of the warning.

Am I wrong for looking at it this way? I’d love to hear your guys’ thoughts on how we interpret these characters today.

I won’t get into this here but I read others viewing that this should’ve been written as an essay and not a book as its value is only in its political views. Am I wrong to believe that every little moment added depth and weight to the ideas Orwell was trying to portray? Every moment added to the discussion. Here’s a link to a few of the articles I found https://bookaholicdreamer.wordpress.com/2018/11/09/unpopular-opinion-1984-by-george-orwell/ and https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2023/07/05/criticism-towards-the-portrayal-of-women-in-george-orwell%E2%80%99s-1984 and here’s a link to my YT video going into a lot more detail breaking down a handful of these articles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfyUzPXvRL4 if you want to see the exact quotes and my other points, but I’m looking to get a discussion going here.

Finally, after two months, the Ministry of Plenty has provided us with new razors and Victory Blades. I thank Big Brother for his efforts toward a happy life, and I thank the Party which always cares for the Oceanic people. Long live Big Brother!

newspeak:

Miniplenty give new razors and Victoryblades. Plusgood thanks BB for goodlife. Thanks Party for care Oceaniafolk. Long live BB

“It seems to me that when you take a man’s money away he’s fit for nothing more that moment.” p.147

Truly an eye-opener on what kind of system we’re living in and a small idea on what’s missing.

The spike system stuck with me most, the way the homeless are shuffled from one squalid lodging to the next, never allowed to rest or settle, treated as a problem to be moved along rather than people to be helped.

And Orwell is sharp on how beggars are looked down upon. As he points out, a beggar isn’t really so different from anyone else trying to earn a living, the only difference is that he fails to make money, and that alone is enough for society to hold him in contempt.

It feels like there’s so much wrong with the way things are that it all seems hopeless.

Anyone I mention this book to has told me they haven’t ever heard of it. I ended up reading it because I found it in a library. Has anyone else read this?