In George Orwell’s well known novel, Animal Farm, commonly recognized as a satire about the Russian Revolution has many interesting observations that are brought to the reader's attention about humanity and the many elements of government. However, reading any book in the context of a major historical event can become incredibly boring and overwhelming. That is why I would definitely suggest reading this book but without thinking about the Russian Revolution at all. Simple. This will not only make the novel much more interesting it will also make you, the reader, open to picking up unique observations on humanity without thinking about it in the context a certain event. Animal Farm is a seemingly simple story about farm animals who rebel against the owner of the farm in hopes of creating a society that is completely equal in which the animals make their own rules. As you probably guessed, this new system of letting animals run their own government doesn't work out so well for the many comrades involved. So, I believe any person should read Orwell's novel while thinking of how his messages could apply to their individual lives. Most importantly, I would recommend Animal Farm because of Orwell’s thought provoking commentary on a society’s ability to think critically and how critical thinking can be useless if not put into action as well as Orwell's ideas about the differences in attaining equality.

         Orwell observes the original idea that although critical thinking is beneficial and necessary to the working of a society it becomes useless if no action is taken as a result of thinking critically. Most of the animals have sensed the pigs are abusing their power and turning their democratic way of life into a dictatorship. Strong horse, Clover, looks back on how the animals’ community is burgeoning and changing drastically. She ponders what could have happened if she took action against the government. The narrator speaking about Clover says, “If she could have spoken her thoughts, it would have been to say that this was not what they had aimed at when they had set themselves years ago to work for the overthrow of the human race...she did not know why they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind”(62). Clearly, Clover isn’t lacking in critical thinking. However, she, as well as other animals, are lacking in their ability to take action in support of their critical thinking. Many people suppose that the biggest fault in society is when society lacks the ability to think critically and are therefore unable to subvert their government. Contrarily, Orwell introduces the idea that as a community, citizens are intelligent enough to know that they’re being manipulated by leadership but society is impacted most when action isn’t taken. In an essay Orwell later writes titled “Why I Write” the reader can further understand his thinking, he explains, “I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention to” (Orwell). I believe the lie that Orwell wishes to expose in this book is the lie that people are too unintelligent to think critically about the leadership in their lives. By this, he is saying that people can think critically it just can’t be seen until they take action, which many do not. It’s not an inability to think critically that holds a society back, what holds a society back is when no one takes action therefore making critical thinking meaningless. This idea inclines me to recommend this book because of its unique and interesting perspective. I have never seen an author comment on an idea like this before. I believe it makes readers think about more personal ways information like this can be used in their personal lives. Because of this, people should read Orwell’s novel specifically because he explains concepts that many other authors wouldn’t comment on. It is important to act on critical thinking by questioning what it is that you've thought about. Without taking this further step individuals and their community could suffer.

         Another way I would recommend reading Animal Farm is because Orwell uses the pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, to show how complete equality is nearly impossible to achieve. I believe this was one of the most compelling aspects of the book, as it makes people think about how they would personally define equality. Once the animal’s society becomes more developed, the animals gather in weekly meetings to discuss possible conflicts and resolutions to be made to their system of government. During these meetings the narrator comments, “It was always the pigs who put forward the resolutions...Snowball and Napoleon were by far the most active in the debates”(24). I believe Orwell includes this to show the slight imbalance of power within their society at this time in the book. Although no leaders have been selected and the animals society is purely based on equality. It is interesting to note that even in the preliminary stages of a government forming, there are still figures that the other animals look up to. I like how Orwell choses to incorporate this idea so early on in the book. This makes a reader think about what true equality is and if it’s even attainable. This is one of the most interesting aspects of the novel because of the way Orwell gets the reader to think about equality in a way they might not normally. Equality and how it’s defined is something not many people will think about but, the way Orwell uniquely displays the issue compels people to think about how equality plays a role in their society as well as how ambiguous the term is. As members of a society, we should reflect on equality to decide how we as community want equality to be defined. Orwell shows it’s not a simple concept but rather, something that is always changing and because it is our future it is something we should be educated about.

             In short, it is important to read Animal Farm because of what Orwell teaches us about how society functions. When reading, ask yourself what is this simple fable about animals truly saying and how can it be used to better me and my community?