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emma's Reviews > Animal Farm
Animal Farm
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emma's review
bookshelves: classics, non-ya, school, 4-stars, reviewed, recommend, project-review-everything, owned, reread, owned-multiple
Nov 25, 2014
bookshelves: classics, non-ya, school, 4-stars, reviewed, recommend, project-review-everything, owned, reread, owned-multiple
Read 2 times. Last read January 17, 2022 to January 18, 2022.
i'm sure this book was very good when it came out in 19whatever (i could check this but warning - i am going to spend this review being as annoying as possible to a certain group), but it's way, way better now.
in whatever time of the 20th century this came out during, this was thought to be written in opposition to stalinist russia. that's fine. whatever. not exactly a hot take for a white guy from the western world to be anti-USSR.
but now...now it's abundantly clear.
if it weren't already obvious that this book is written about how bad totalitarianism is (as opposed to being specifically about communism), take a look at the world around us, then check it against orwell's political views, then come back to me.
a certain political faction (of evil morons) in my certain country i live in (take a wild guess) likes to call certain things (the ones that are against them) "orwellian."
nonwhite people entering your country? orwellian. having to be nice to others and not call them slurs? orwellian. the idea of people not appreciating your opinions and thereby being "anti-free speech" (even though that is not what free speech is)? orwellian.
ignoring the fact that the very idea of their using the word orwellian to serve their purposes is far more, well, orwellian, i'll just come out and say it: because people on the right don't know how to read, they haven't ever actually really thought about or analyzed either this or 1984. so they assume that george orwell is on their side - the pro-rich getting richer and anti-poor not being poor side.
but, my dear conservative friends, orwell was an outspoken democratic socialist from top to bottom.
so maybe pick one of the copious number of far-right classic authors to support your dumbass point.
oh? there aren't really any to be found?
bummer. maybe next millennium.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago and either make myself or others angry
in whatever time of the 20th century this came out during, this was thought to be written in opposition to stalinist russia. that's fine. whatever. not exactly a hot take for a white guy from the western world to be anti-USSR.
but now...now it's abundantly clear.
if it weren't already obvious that this book is written about how bad totalitarianism is (as opposed to being specifically about communism), take a look at the world around us, then check it against orwell's political views, then come back to me.
a certain political faction (of evil morons) in my certain country i live in (take a wild guess) likes to call certain things (the ones that are against them) "orwellian."
nonwhite people entering your country? orwellian. having to be nice to others and not call them slurs? orwellian. the idea of people not appreciating your opinions and thereby being "anti-free speech" (even though that is not what free speech is)? orwellian.
ignoring the fact that the very idea of their using the word orwellian to serve their purposes is far more, well, orwellian, i'll just come out and say it: because people on the right don't know how to read, they haven't ever actually really thought about or analyzed either this or 1984. so they assume that george orwell is on their side - the pro-rich getting richer and anti-poor not being poor side.
but, my dear conservative friends, orwell was an outspoken democratic socialist from top to bottom.
so maybe pick one of the copious number of far-right classic authors to support your dumbass point.
oh? there aren't really any to be found?
bummer. maybe next millennium.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago and either make myself or others angry
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
November 25, 2014
– Shelved
January 17, 2022
–
Started Reading
January 18, 2022
–
Finished Reading
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by
lily
(new)
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rated it 2 stars
Dec 17, 2021 08:58AM
this sums up everything i have ever wanted to say. thank youuuuu.
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ugh, we had to read this book in middle school. i hated it and the endless analysis assignments sm, but love your review.
What kind of sorcery is this!!!! I literally came on Goodreads to mark Animal Farm as read and write my review. Are you stalking me
Yes! Love this. When I was reading 1984 I was so confused how that certain group of people found it to be anti-communist when it was clearly anti-fascism and anti-authoritarian. My guess is it’s because they think communism and fascism are the same thing, because they haven’t actually read Orwell, or both.
lily wrote: "this sums up everything i have ever wanted to say. thank youuuuu."<3
Emerson wrote: "ugh, we had to read this book in middle school. i hated it and the endless analysis assignments sm, but love your review."maybe try reading it for yourself!!! it's good!
Fez wrote: "What kind of sorcery is this!!!! I literally came on Goodreads to mark Animal Farm as read and write my review. Are you stalking me"yes
Michele wrote: "Spot on!":)
Sydney wrote: "Yes! Love this. When I was reading 1984 I was so confused how that certain group of people found it to be anti-communist when it was clearly anti-fascism and anti-authoritarian. My guess is it’s be..."completely agree!!! i think they get thrown off by the idea of the workers rising up in this book?
I love this review so much! I haven't read Animal Farm but now I want to
Mia wrote: "I love this review so much! I haven't read Animal Farm but now I want to"you should!!!
Isaac wrote: "Your review is.. orwellian."yeah
Carmen wrote: "Nailed it"woo!
Haha dang, don’t hold back, tell us how you really feel. Accurate
haha please always be this honest
yes! i’m so happy you loved it, animal farm is one of my favorite classics and i might go back and reread it now
Lol! This review was great!
I’ll guess Australia is the country you live in? First time I run into you and I love your profile and snarky tone! You’re full of amigos so hope to run into you again
They have Ayn Rand and they can keep her.
Best review of this book I’ve seen yet
M(^-__-^)M_ken_M(^-__-^)M wrote: "don't hold back."i try to avoid it
Tym wrote: "Haha dang, don’t hold back, tell us how you really feel. Accurate"always do!
Amanda wrote: "haha please always be this honest"i try
tee wrote: "yes! i’m so happy you loved it, animal farm is one of my favorite classics and i might go back and reread it now"i just had a very enjoyable reread of it!
Mariko wrote: "Lol! This review was great!"thank you!
Karina wrote: "I’ll guess Australia is the country you live in? First time I run into you and I love your profile and snarky tone! You’re full of amigos so hope to run into you again"
lmao thank you but i am american!
Frances wrote: "They have Ayn Rand and they can keep her."actual lol
Thomas wrote: "Best review of this book I’ve seen yet"i'm blushing
emma wrote: "M(^-__-^)M_ken_M(^-__-^)M wrote: "don't hold back."i try to avoid it"
yeah, like the dishes
It’s sounds a lot like you going on about something and not really talking about the book but more of the author, but we are here for jt
so maybe pick one of the copious number of far-right classic authors to support your dumbass point.oh? there aren't really any to be found?
I dunno. Plato's Laws kinda fits the bill in a preindustrial Ancient Greek way. Admittedly it's incredibly boring and will probably enrage modern right-wing people as much as it comforts them, but you'll get a fair number of arguments for putting all the power in the hands of the elite.
You'd make a fine Squealer.
as someone from your special country, i adore your review, so real
Love your reviews as always. As your northern neighbour we get a few of those far rights up here too, especially with the “influx” of immigration from usually South Asia (I use quotes because I don’t know the actual stats, just the complaints by white people who literally were immigrants a few generations ago lol)
While it may not be unequivocally against communism , I think he portrayed how it could very easily devolve into totalitarianism.
Bing bang booooom!
Girl I'm actually so confused by this review
The best review I have read
The best review I have read
I think I love you.
STOP THIS REVIEW OMFG IM SCREAMING INTO MY PILLOW
Love love love your review. I remember reading Homage to Catalonia and thinking "this dude is supposed to be anti-Communist?!" Noooo way. Of course that doesn't stop those in power from willfully misrepresenting and warping reality. After all, reality doesn't suit what they want reality to be
It’s pretty clear your entire review is based on the theoretical, academic version of communism — the one that only exists in Western university seminars and online discourse. I can tell you from personal experience, as someone who actually lived in an ex-communist country, that Orwell wasn’t being dramatic. If anything, he was being polite.That’s why it’s funny to see you insist Animal Farm is somehow a right-wing fairy tale. Orwell was a democratic socialist who still had the clarity — and honesty — to call out the authoritarian rot he saw in supposedly “liberating” regimes. But sure, tell me again how he just didn’t understand things as well as someone who’s only encountered communism in theory.
And this idea that “there are no far-right classics”? Come on. That’s not an argument; that’s just pretending books don’t exist. Here are a few, since you asked:
• Mein Kampf — Adolf Hitler
• The Turner Diaries — William Pierce
• The Camp of the Saints — Jean Raspail
These are the actual ideological touchstones of the far right. Declaring them nonexistent doesn’t magically make Orwell’s work left-wing propaganda.
And yes, people misuse the word “Orwellian.” Shocking revelation: every political side misuses terms. Acting like only conservatives do it is just convenient selective vision.
You’re absolutely entitled to dislike Animal Farm. But rewriting history, ignoring real-world experience, and pretending that far-right literature doesn’t exist isn’t a brilliant political insight — it’s just a narrative you prefer.
