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In
1936 he fought for the Republicans in the Spanish civil
war, and was wounded. He was admitted to a sanitorium in
1938. During World War II, Orwell served in the British
Home Guard, and subsequently (from 1941 to 1943) worked
for the BBC Eastern Service. He was the literary editor
of the Tribune, and contributed to the Observer and the
Manchester Evening News.
George
Orwell is most famous for his books Animal Farm (published
in 1945) and 1984
(published in 1949). He died in London, England in January
of 1950.
About
the Book
Written
as a "fairy story" (Orwell titled the book "Animal
Farm: A Fairy Story"), the subject of Animal Farm is
very much aimed at an adult audience. Orwell paints a vivid
picture of a violent political revolution of farm animals
against the farmer who owns all, works the animal population
hard, sends their offspring to slaughter, and feeds them
little. Arguably not critical of revolution itself, Orwell
describes an all-to-familiar corruption that undermines
the goal of the revolution: in which those leading the revolution
rally the masses not so much for the good of the masses,
but so that the leaders can assume the role of master, complete
with all of the oppressive conduct that goes with an authoritarian
regime.
The
characters in Animal Farm were inspired by the Russian Revolution
and the events that followed - the pig Napoleon is clearly
the farm's Josef Stalin - but Animal Farm was not simply
a satire on the Russion Revolution. Orwell's message was
intended to be broader. In his own words: "I meant
the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement
when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their
leaders as soon as the latter have done their job. The turning
point of the storey was supposed to be when the pigs kept
the milk and apples for themselves".
Food
for thought, no matter what may be the intended goal of
ones revolutionary plans.
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