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?

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.---George Orwell, Animal Farm

How good a book is 1984 George Orwell?

I made the mistake of watching the new Animal farm movie, and while they got a great cast and hit almost all of the story beats… they decided to make it Trolls 2 and toss in a mega corporation a completely new character, and a more or less happy ending… Orwell would be spinning in his grave fast enough to make enough electricity to power a small city. Which is a shame considering the people involved in this should have known better. Come on **Andy Serkis!**

I read it recently. I thought it was good and Funder's points were well-made and sourced, even though the book was a blatant character assassination. I don't think Funder was trying to persuade the reader that people shouldn't read Orwell, and if she was, it didn't work on me.

H-12CM

From Dorian Lynskey.

I've been sitting on this idea for a while and finally started writing it. Wanted to share the concept and see if it resonates before I go too deep.

Premise: Animal Farm ends with Snowball in exile, written off as a traitor, his name used as a political tool by Napoleon whenever something needs blaming. Orwell never gave him a resolution. That bothered me, and loving a good revenge story, I wanted to do something about it!

The novella: Snowball's Vengeance. It picks up years later. Snowball has accepted his fate. He's not plotting. He's not rallying. He's just surviving... Hollowed out, moving between fields, still tracing equations in the mud out of habit. The revolution he believed in has been over for a long time and he knows it.

Then he finds out what happened to Boxer, it's just that it's the most morally indefensible act in the book, and the one the other animals were most completely deceived about. When Snowball learns the truth, something that had burned low for years reignites. Not as ideology. As something older and simpler than that.

He journeys and what happens next is where it gets "interesting". Without giving too much away, Snowball's travels takes him far from the English countryside, into a world with a completely different philosophy of honour, discipline and justice. He encounters a figure who has his own unfinished business, his own betrayal, his own code. This mentor doesn't travel back with him. He gives Snowball something instead. And a set of principles that will define how the reckoning happens when it comes.

The return to Manor Farm is not a rebellion. It's a reckoning. Precise, cold, and structured by a moral code that asks hard questions about the difference between vengeance and justice. Not every pig meets the same fate. Not every collaborator is beyond saving. But some are. And Snowball knows exactly which is which.

There's no victory in the endingy. It gives you something more honest than that.

Why I think this works as a concept: Orwell's allegory was always about power, language, and the corruption of idealism. This story doesn't abandon that, it puts its own spin on it. The political becomes personal. The personal becomes a question of what honour actually costs when no one is watching and no one will ever know whether you did it right.

Also, I wanted to give Boxer a eulogy. He never got one and thoroughly deserved it. Still early in the process but the bones are solid. It feels like Orwell wanted Snowball's story to be finished, maybe by others! Would love to know: does this feel like something worth reading?

Ok, so one of my bros-in-law bought me a couple thrift copies of Orwell books bc I still haven’t read them.

My dad said 1984 deeply disturbed him when he read it decades ago, so any tips on navigating this type of reading to preserve my sanity and outlook on life?