Animal Farm: 75th Anniversary Edition by George Orwell (English) Paperback Book

The Nile on eBay   Animal Farm by George Orwell, Russell Baker, Tea Obreht

In this controversial classic fairy tale, a farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality, setting the stage for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned. Illustrations and Orwell's proposed but unpublished preface are included in this anniversary edition. Reissue.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

NOW AVAILABLE: The 75th Anniversary Edition with a new introduction by Téa ObrehtGeorge Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel—a scathing satire on a downtrodden society's blind march towards totalitarianism.SOON TO BE A NETFLIX FILM!"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned—a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible. When Animal Farm was first published, Stalinist Russia was seen as its target. Today it is devastatingly clear that wherever and whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell's masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.

Author Biography

George Orwell (pseudonym for Eric Blair [1903-50]) was born in Bengal and educated at Eton; after service with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, he returned to Europe to earn his living penning novels and essays. He was essentially a political writer who focused his attention on his own times, a man of intense feelings and intense hates. An opponent of totalitarianism, he served in the Loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War. Besides his classic Animal Farm, his works include a novel based on his experiences as a colonial policeman, Burmese Days, two firsthand studies of poverty, Down and Out in Paris and London and The Road to Wigan Pier, an account of his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, Homage to Catalonia; and the extraordinary novel of political prophecy whose title became part of our language, 1984.

Review

"Animal Farm remains our great satire on the darker face of modern history." –Malcolm Bradbury"As lucid as glass and quite as sharp…[Animal Farm] has the double meaning, the sharp edge, and the lucidity of Swift." –Atlantic Monthly"A wise, compassionate, and illuminating fable for our times." –New York Times"Orwell has worked out his theme with a simplicity, a wit, and a dryness that are close to La Fontaine and Gay, and has written in a prose so plain and spare, so admirably proportioned to his purpose, that Animal Farm even seems very creditable if we compare it with Voltaire and Swift." –Edmund Wilson, The New Yorker"Orwell's satire here is amply broad, cleverly conceived, and delightfully written." –San Francisco Chronicle"The book for everyone and Everyman, its brightness undimmed after fifty years." –Ruth RendellWith an Introduction by Julian Symons

Review Quote

" Animal Farm remains our great satire on the darker face of modern history." Malcolm Bradbury "As lucid as glass and quite as sharp…[ Animal Farm ] has the double meaning, the sharp edge, and the lucidity of Swift." Atlantic Monthly "A wise, compassionate, and illuminating fable for our times." New York Times "Orwell has worked out his theme with a simplicity, a wit, and a dryness that are close to La Fontaine and Gay, and has written in a prose so plain and spare, so admirably proportioned to his purpose, that Animal Farm even seems very creditable if we compare it with Voltaire and Swift." Edmund Wilson, The New Yorker "Orwell's satire here is amply broad, cleverly conceived, and delightfully written." San Francisco Chronicle "The book for everyone and Everyman, its brightness undimmed after fifty years." Ruth Rendell With an Introduction by Julian Symons

Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide

INTRODUCTION ". . . remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. And remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him . . . All the habits of Man are evil. And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. No animal must ever kill any other animal. All animals are equal." -- Animal Farm , from Old Major''s speech It has been said that Animal Farm is a byproduct of George Orwell''s long-held hatred of totalitarianism. Clearly, in reading Animal Farm , those familiar with history will find pointed parallels to Stalin''s dictatorship and reign of terror. In this case, however, the principal characters are indeed animals who, possessed of human or near-human traits and abilities, set out to create a Utopian society devoid of human influence. In the novel''s opening scene, Old Major, the "prized Middle White Boar," and the oldest and wisest of all beasts on Manor Farm, gathers the animals and tells them of a vision that came to him in a dream. In essence, he has foreseen a world in which animals rule themselves, live among one another equally, and work only toward the betterment of their own. Inspired by these words, and chaffing under their human master, Mr. Jones, the animals gather secretly and plan rebellion. Led by two of the farm''s pigs, Napoleon and Snowball (for the pigs soon prove the cleverest of all the animals on the farm), the animals mount a successful attack, rid themselves of Jones and his human counterparts, and take control of the farm. With new found freedom and a sense of optimism toward the future, the animals set forth in re-establishing Manor Farm, now renamed Animal Farm , as their own. Under the leadership of the pigs, farm labor is organized and divided among the animals, and a list of seven commandments is established--deemed unalterable--under which all animals on the farm would adhere. Slowly, however, some of the animals become wary of the pigs, who don''t necessarily work, but supervise, and whose pronouncements become law despite little or no discussion. The pigs'' usurpation of power continues to the point where their rule is questioned only upon pain of death. Consequently, Old Major''s vision of a peaceful brotherhood of animals has mutated into a world where reality and truth are molded and disseminated to support the ruling class. With biting irony and sharp insight into human nature, Orwell illustrates the dangers inherent in a complacent citizenry and the consequences of unchecked power. To this day, Animal Farm remains a haunting vision--the lessons of which might be heeded by all concerned with issues of self-determination and political process. ABOUT GEORGE ORWELL Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell) was born in 1903 in India, where his father worked for the Civil Service. The family moved to England in 1907 and in 1917 Orwell entered Eton, where he contributed regularly to the various college magazines. From 1922 to 1927 he served with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, an experience that inspired his first novel, Burmese Days (1934). Several years of poverty followed. He lived in Paris for two years before returning to England, where he worked successively as a private tutor, schoolteacher and bookshop assistant, and contributed reviews and articles to a number of periodicals. Down and Out in Paris and London was published in 1933. In 1936, he was commissioned by Victor Gollancz to visit areas of mass unemployment in Lancashire and Yorkshire, and The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) is a powerful description of the poverty he saw there. At the end of 1936 Orwell went to Spain to fight for the Republicans and was wounded, and Homage to Catalonia is his account of the civil war. He was admitted to a sanatorium in 1938 and from then on was never fully fit. He spent six months in Morocco and there wrote Coming Up for Air . During the Second World War he served in the Home Guard and worked for the BBC Eastern Service from 1941 to 1943. As literary editor of the Tribune he contributed a regular page of political and literary commentary, and he also wrote for the Observer and later for the Manchester Evening News . His unique political allegory, Animal Farm , was published in 1945, and it was this novel, together with Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), which brought him world-wide fame. George Orwell died in London in January 1950. A few days before, Desmond MacCarthy had sent him a message of greeting in which he wrote: ''You have made an indelible mark on English literature . . . you are among the few memorable writers of your generation.'' DISCUSSION QUESTIONS "Surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?" Throughout the animals'' reign on the farm, Napoleon and Squealer dangle the possibility of Jones'' return as a constant danger, keeping most of the other animals in fear, and thus, submission. Do you think that this was a valid threat? Do you feel that, overall, the animals were better or worse off once they were in control of the farm? Throughout the novel, the natural characteristics of each animal figure heavily in their motives and pronouncements. How do the actions of Napoleon (a pig), Boxer (a horse), Benjamin (a donkey) and the dogs and sheep reflect the traits normally associated with the animal? Do your feel that Orwell purposely chose certain types of animals to assume certain roles? Repeatedly, the animals sacrifice themselves in order to complete the windmill, only to see it destroyed time and again. What, if any, symbolic role does the windmill play? How do you account for the pigs'' insistence that it be built and re-built? On pages 3 - 10 of the novel, Old Major expresses his vision of a society free of human influence and control. Compare and contrast this against what eventually plays out on Manor Farm once the animals have taken over. What, if any, concepts or goals remain the same? In one of the first scenes in the novel, Old Major sings Beasts of England, effectively bringing the animals together under a common purpose. Indeed, throughout the initial struggle against Man, it is a wildly popular and inspirational song. Yet later on, when the animals have successfully conquered the humans, Squealer, "attended by two dogs," announces that Beasts of England had been abolished and "was no longer needed." Why? Can you cite other examples where what was once held "sacred" and "necessary" to the common cause was later banished by decree? Following the massacre of "guilty" animals at the hands of Napoleon and the other pigs, Clover reflects sadly on what she thought life should have been like on Manor Farm: "If she herself had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip, all equal, each working according to his capacity, the strong protecting the weak, as she had protected the lost brood of ducklings with her foreleg on the night of Major''s speech." Is Clover overly idealistic in feeling this way? Do you feel that such a community can exist? Initially, the seven commandments issued by the animals were deemed unalterable, and symbolized a code by which the animals could live peacefully and equally among themselves. How and by what means were the commandments eventually changed? Choose and discuss one or two individual commandments. Who benefited in each instance and how? Animal Farm is replete with subtle and not so-subtle lessons on blind conformity and the misuse of power. What are some of the lessons you''ve personally taken away from the novel regarding education of the masses, knowledge of history, idealist thought and class structure? Has the novel changed your worldview in any way? Can you account for how the pigs ascended so quickly to power and dominion over all other animals? What key steps did they take, or more specifically, which elements did they make certain to control? Although Napoleon is considered the absolute Leader of Animal Farm , it is Squealer who is most adept at conveying the "party line" to the animals, often convincing them to disbelieve their own eyes. What methods does Squealer employ to deceive and/or placate the other animals? How does the concept of memory (or lack thereof) figure in Squealer''s pronouncements and dealings with them? The novel ends with a chilling passage, wherein Clover notices something odd about the humans and pigs meeting in the farmhouse: "Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. What is Orwell saying here? How do you interpret this final scene? Discuss Napoleon''s interaction with the humans after the animals have taken control of the farm. What does Napoleon''s dealings with Whymper say about the self-sufficiency of the animals? What is at the root of Napoleon''s interplay with Pilkington and Frederick? In reading Animal Farm , Lord Acton''s famous pronouncement "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" may come to mind. How and why is this statement applicable to the course of events in the novel? When first published, Animal Farm was

Details ISBN0452277507 Author Tea Obreht Short Title ANIMAL FARM ANNIV/E 50/E Edition Description Anniversary Language English Edition 50th ISBN-10 0452277507 ISBN-13 9780452277502 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY FIC Year 1996 Audience Age 12-18 Residence US Birth 1903 Death 1950 DOI 10.1604/9780452277502 Subtitle 75th Anniversary Edition Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 1996-06-01 NZ Release Date 1996-06-01 US Release Date 1996-06-01 UK Release Date 1996-06-01 Pages 128 Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Publication Date 1996-06-01 Imprint Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S. Replaces 9780452254282 Audience General We've got this

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