NationStates Jolt Archive

I just finished this book by George Orwell and absolutely loved it. It's a satire about communism and its flaws. Anybody else have any opinions/ideas/comments about it?

Second greatest book ever!

Slightly OTT. And the way the sheep bleated and stopped debate was too obvious a metaphor. And I was saddened by the death of Boxer. Other than that, all good

I thought that, while the book illustrated its point well, it wasn't that accurate a parable of what happened in Soviet Russia.

Slightly OTT. And the way the sheep bleated and stopped debate was too obvious a metaphor. And I was saddened by the death of Boxer. Other than that, all good

Yeah, poor Boxer...=(

I just finished this book by George Orwell and absolutely loved it. It's a satire about communism and its flaws. Anybody else have any opinions/ideas/comments about it?
I can't say that it's about communism, just Soviet-style "Communism."

I thought that, while the book illustrated its point well, it wasn't that accurate a parable of what happened in Soviet Russia.
Well, it was written in the forties, when we were still friendly and knew nothing of Soviet practices...

1984 was better. Animal Farm was impressive though. It is amazing how he made different people animals. It was an amazing book.

Yeah, poor Boxer...=(
"I will work harder"

1985 was better. Animal Farm was impressive though. It is amazing how he made different people animals. It was an amazing book.
84. 1984. C'mon people :p

1985 was better. Animal Farm was impressive though. It is amazing how he made different people animals. It was an amazing book.

1984 perhaps?

1984 perhaps?
Screw me, yes. :p

84. 1984. C'mon people :p
Sorry. I always say '85. I do not know why.

I say '85 sometimes because of the song "1985"

Also, thats the name of the sequal Im giong to write to 1984...

I say '85 sometimes because of the song "1985"

That's my prob as well

The "1985" by "Bowling for soup" right?

animal farm was good, but i like 1984 and brave new world more, its about tied with farenheit 451

animal farm was good, but i like 1984 and brave new world more, its about tied with farenheit 451
Have you read any other Huxley?

animal farm was good, but i like 1984 and brave new world more, its about tied with farenheit 451
Hello Peter.

"I will work harder"

and "Napolean is always right".

and "Napolean is always right".
lol Yep...

:p

Hey jules, naww im meaning to though i loved brave new world

I just finished this book by George Orwell and absolutely loved it. It's a satire about communism and its flaws.
No, it's about the Soviet Union and its flaws. Orwell was an outspoken socialist, and supported communism. He opposed Stalinism and the Soviet way, and tried to show how different they were from true socialism and communism (hence "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others" - in other words, there was no real equality).

Some good quotes by Orwell:

"In my opinion, nothing has contributed so much to the corruption of the original idea of socialism as the belief that Russia is a socialist country and that every act of its rulers must be excused, if not imitated. And so for the last ten years, I have been convinced that the destruction of the Soviet myth was essential if we wanted a revival of the socialist movement."
- George Orwell, Preface to Animal Farm

"Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism."
- George Orwell

Have you read any other Huxley?
Along with The Psychedelic Experience (Leary, Alpert), The Doors of Perception and The Perennial Philosphy turned me on to hallucinogenic drugs as a teen. :D

Good stuff. Have yet to read anything else by Huxley though.

No, it's about the Soviet Union and its flaws. Orwell was an outspoken socialist, and supported communism.
Eric Blair was a socialist. Communism and socialism are seperate things.

Indeed, don't perceive Animal Farm to be completely anti-Socialist/Communist. Orwell was a Socialist through and through, don't mistake that. But he was also a rabid satirist and seeker of the truth, and said what had to be said, even when it was convenient not to say it - as it was inconvenient to speak about the Soviets badly when he had written Animal Farm.

Boxer makes me sad too. It is always the simple, hard-working characters that I sympathize with the most.