Reading has been a cherished pastime throughout the history of time. But due to social media and new advances in technology, reading is well on track to becoming a thing of the past. Personally I have never enjoyed reading and always dreaded the moments that I’ve had to. But George Orwell’s Animal Farm truly opened my eyes and mind to a whole new level.
Animal Farm is an allegorical novel written by George Orwell released on August 17th 1945. In this novel a group of farm animals rebel against their owner hoping to create their own society where all animals can live equally, free, and happy. This novel displays a cartoon depiction of the real life event known as the Russian Revolution. Orwell successfully portrays the abuse of power and corruptions led by ideals introduced through Stalinism. Most characters and events taken place in this book can be seen as symbolic representations of major figures and real life problems that were seen during the heat of the Russian Revolution. In more specific terms the character Napoleon is portrayed as Stalin and Snowball as Trotsky.
Reading serves many purposes for kids and adults alike. Mainly reading is used for entertainment and a pastime activity. But for kids and teens reading is a main source of education. Due to this knowledge it is known that books hold much crucial information that needs to be released to kids and teens in order to prepare them for the real world. Animal farm crosses between teaching real life historical events along with turning these same lessons into a fun and entertaining story. With this story being turned into a fable tale it sparks imagination allowing people to learn history while also using their imagination to make it fun. Animal Farm teaches crucial lessons like the dangers of authoritarianism, the importance of critical thinking and questioning authority, and the human condition. Orwell writes “[i]f a window was broken or a drain was blocked up, someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it, and when the key of the store-shed was lost, the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. Curiously enough, they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal” (Orwell 78). This quote is a prime example of Orwell noting the dangers of authority. As the conditions and state of the farm worsen tensions begin to rise, Snowball is being put to blame for the farm’s decline. Due to Napoleon and his mastermind manipulative skills he has managed to turn the farm against its wisest member. All of the farm began to turn against snowball due to the allegations that were spread. Leaving the readers to understand that Napoleon is abusing his power and poses danger to the community due to his evil leadership tactics. This is powerful for children and teens to learn, showing them that poor leadership is bad and a very real thing that is floating around in the real world. By showing teens how it works and how easily it can be pulled off it prepares them for the future which is needed.
Upon further research about my topic I asked my English teacher Ms. Hodge to share her thoughts on Animal Farm and the importance of reading. She says “I think that it’s good for teenagers to read because it was written like a lot of allegories that we read in high school. It was written during the red scare which was post-Cold War and there are similarities between the world of the author and what he was living through and the world we live in today.” Lastly I asked her what her thoughts were on the future of reading. She stated “I think reading will continue to be popular as long as the authors are putting out good work. I think that there will be people to read it, but I do worry about literacy when I think about the world my daughter is growing up in. Is she ever going to read a novel in high school? Are they going to read it on a screen? So if she grows up and that’s normal for her, I worry about somebody, like her, falling in love with reading if all she ever knows is reading it on a screen” (Hodge).
To polish things off, reading is a crucial component of education and everyday life. We read every day, at work, at school, at home, for fun, or for our jobs. Books are a necessity for children and teens to prepare them for childhood. George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a book that I think everyone should read. Due to the historical and educational aspect of it all it is by far my most impactful book that I have ever read.