Dear Mr.

Orwell:

The first chapters of Animal Farm are wonderfully subversive. They eliminated any
assumptions I had made upon picking up a copy of the book. The drunken farmer, the talk of
rebellion, the farm animals creating a philosophy and a form of government (called Animalism
in the story), and all the other seemingly absurd occurrences all contribute to that. The prose
itself is written elegantly, but simply, allowing the various witticisms and real-world criticisms to
shine through.
The characters are especially well-written. I personally enjoyed the character of Mollie.
Her shallow, aesthetic demeanor, as well as her desire to remain in servitude to the humans,
provides an excellent contrast to the revolutionary actions that occur later in the story.
The only problem I have is that some of the characters are decidedly one-dimensional;
their personalities lack depth beyond what we see in the chapters. That is excusable, though, as
it is only the first two chapters, and they are used to introduce characters and set the stage for
what follows. All in all, this was a good section of the story. Not necessarily the best, in my
opinion (my favorite part is Chapter 4), but a good couple of chapters nonetheless.
Sincerely,
Oumar

Dear Mr. Orwell:

This, by far, was my favorite part. The allegory was clearly visible here; the pigs
overseeing the other farm animals exactly as Jones once did, mixing the pilfered milk into their
mash and taking the crop of apples for themselves, Napoleon and Snowball's constant disputes (a
reference to Stalin and Trotsky), Snowball's numerous labor and re-education committees (most
of which failed), and the rumors being spread about Animal Farm itself by Frederick and
Pilkington were all obvious allusions to Stalinist Russia.
This time around, my favorite character was Boxer the horse, with his determination and
dedication. All of the characters in this section seemed to have much more depth and were more
personified, compared to the previous chapters. Everything else was mostly unchanged. The
writing was still very good, and the story kept moving along quickly without having many
stumbles and falls along the way.
This section, however, did seem a little out of place. There was quite a bit of violence,
and it started to feel a bit unnecessary and gratuitous at times. Not that I'm complaining: Chapter
4 was definitely the most enjoyable part of the book, largely because of all the drama that
occurred within it.
Yours truly,
Oumar

Dear Mr. Orwell:

This was a pretty good couple of chapters. Once again, the allegory is plain as day.
Snowball and Napoleon's . The writing, as usual, was good, if a bit tedious at times, the
characters were well-written, and the pacing was decent. As I stated previously, I liked Mollie's
character, although I am starting to appreciate Benjamin's sentiments a little more now. The
building of the windmill was what I liked the most. The way it is described in all of its sluggish
and repetitive detail really immerses you in the story. I also liked the subtle details placed
throughout the chapters. They remind you that, yes, these are actual (albeit talking) farm animals,
not just humans with beaks and snouts. Overall, I liked this one, even if it was a bit repetitive.
-Oumar

Dear Mr. Orwell:

The story of Animal Farm has become disturbingly grim and pessimistic. Animal Farm
has slowly and gradually shifted into an authoritarian regime under Napoleon's rule, echoing the
Soviet Union, and the animals are almost as oppressed as they were under Jones' ownership.
The long, drawn out, and eventually futile fight between the animals and Frederick's men
over the matter of the forged banknotes was surprisingly graphic, even when compared to
Chapter 4 and Jones' attempt to retake the farm from the animals after being "removed from the
premises", as it were. In that case, the violence helped to add some much needed tension to the
story. Here, it was just depressing, plain and simple.
That's probably the reaction that you intended your readers to have when you were
writing Animal Farm, but it still just didn't sit very well with me. I play violent video games,
used to collect G.I. Joe figures, and all that other horribly stereotypical stuff, and even I got tired
of reading this segment after a while. Thankfully, it only lasted for a couple of paragraphs. I just
hope that the situation doesn't get any worse... (That's probably just tempting fate, isn't it?)
-Oumar

Dear Mr. Orwell:

In a completely unexpected
1
plot twist, it got worse! Hooray!
2

I didn't think the situation at Animal Farm could get any more depressing, but it did. Boxer died
an (implied) horrible death at the hands of a butcher just so the pigs could buy whiskey, not to
mention many of the main characters who are long gone by the end of the novel. The animals are
definitely worse off than they were before the rebellion, and most of them seem to be completely
oblivious to it. Still, it was a welcome change of pace from the usual "happy ending" featured in
this kind of story. The entire book was excellent. Something of an emotional rollercoaster,
Animal Farm was depressing and exciting at times, and almost humorous occasionally. Actually,
if you think about it, the whole premise of Animal Farm is somewhat comical: A bunch of farm
animals overthrow their owners and then proceed to establish a working (albeit totalitarian)
government. It would almost seem like an actual children's book if it weren't for the Stalinism
analogies.
-Oumar

1
That's not sarcasm. I legitimately was hoping it would get better.
2
That, however, is sarcasm.