Animal Farm is a fictional book by a man named George Orwell, based on the events that happened during the Russian Revolution. The book starts off with the animals on Manor Farm, where they get tortured and starved by Mr. Jones, the owner. One night, a boar named Old Major tells all the animals that they must revolt against mankind and take over the farm. A few days later, Old Major dies, and the animals successfully rebel. They rename the farm to Animal Farm to celebrate their victory. Since the pigs are the cleverest animals, they take over, ruling over the others. However, soon, the power that the pigs have begins to corrupt them. The first way that power corrupts the pigs is that they end up going against the ten commandments that they created themselves. First, they kill other animals. The ten commandments clearly state how the animals cannot kill each other, but the pigs bypass this and kill some of the other animals for betraying them and not following the rules that they had created. The pigs also begin to act like humans more by walking on two legs and sleeping on beds, which is also against the ten commandments. How do the pigs not get punished for doing such things? The pigs do not get punished because they constantly change the ten commandments so that they can have their way, which is not right. The second way that power corrupts the pigs is that they take advantage of the animals’ lack of intelligence and education so that they can get their way. Throughout the story, the pigs constantly change the ten commandments so that they can break the rules without being noticed or punished for it. However, since the animals cannot read or write very well, they do not notice this happening. Another instance is Boxer’s death. When Boxer was about to die, the pigs told the animals that they would take him to the hospital so that he could live and heal. However, they instead send him into the truck that will take him to the horse slaughterer, where he gets killed. Since the animals cannot read things very well, they do not notice the logo on the truck that takes Boxer away. Benjamin the donkey is the only one who notices. He tells all the animals what is actually happening, but the pigs manage to deceive the animals once again by telling them that the truck used to be used to slaughter horses, but is now an ambulance. The last example is when the pigs tell the animals that the cows’ milk would be mixed with apples for the pigs to eat. The pigs say that they are doing this to benefit their health, but they are actually eating it because it is better than all the food that the others eat. The third way that power corrupts the pigs is that they start to become more and more human-like. A good example of this is how they changed and tweaked the ten commandments so that they could do things like sleep in beds, walk on their legs, wear clothes, and also interact with humans. The pigs say that they are allowed to sleep in beds without the blankets, as an excuse for sleeping in beds. The pigs say that they are talking to the humans for trading and business purposes as an excuse for interacting with the humans. Towards the end, the pigs get rid of all of the ten commandments and replace it with one commandment, “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others,” to make up for the fact that they are now wearing clothes and also walking on two legs. The most significant example is the ending of Animal Farm. The book ends with the pigs holding a ceremony to celebrate with the humans and then changing the name of the farm back to “Manor Farm.” After that, the pigs and the humans play a game of cards together. As Clover, the old horse, looks at the pigs and the humans, the book states that she could not tell the difference between them. This signifies that the pigs have become so much like the humans that there is no difference between the two anymore. After the pigs gain a lot of power, it starts to slowly corrupt them. They start to go against and break their own rules and commandments; they take advantage of the animal’s lack of intelligence and knowledge to manipulate them and use them like slaves; and finally, they turn into humans, acting like them and also changing the ten commandments so that they can get away with everything. Animal Farm does not have a very happy ending, as the pigs stay as the “rulers” of Animal Farm, continuing to use the animals and trick them. The main lesson of this story is that power can corrupt the people who have it. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend that you read it if you have not already. Animal Farm by George Orwell. Signet Books, 1945. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Book Reviews
Restart, Reviewed by Emily, 10
Have you ever wanted to have a fresh start in your life? Erase your past and create a new future for yourself? In the book Restart by Gordan Korman, an eighth grader named Chase Ambrose is given the opportunity to restart his life after he accidentally falls off his roof. He wakes up in the hospital surrounded by unknown people staring at him with worry. The strangers were really his friends and family but he doesn’t remember them. The doctor explains that the fall caused him to have amnesia which means he had lost his memory. In the book, Chase has almost two minds: one from the past, and one from the present. His friends and family started by telling him everything good about his past. Then they strike him with examples of bad things he did before he fell off his roof. In his past, he was a popular athlete but he bullied unpopular kids at his school, was rude to teachers and was even sent to juvenile court for his destructive behavior. He is shocked to hear that he was this kind of person before because he doesn’t feel like he is that person anymore. Throughout the story, Chase struggles to figure out how to create a new life for himself. He is being pulled by his friends and his teammates who want the old athletic Chase back versus his family and everybody at his school who wants to keep the new nicer version. Beyond the question of whether Chase would restart his life or would be pulled back to his old one, the book explores the idea of starting over. I can’t imagine not remembering any of my friends and family or anything I did in the past. I would not want to know if I had behaved poorly or if I hurt people. Before the accident, Chase’s number one priority was to be athletic and popular even if he had to be rude to everyone else. Even though people tell Chase about his life in the past, he still wants to be kinder as he is creating his new future. I recommend this book to all people because it is about more than just a random teenage boy who plays sports. What makes it unique is the way that it explores the question of who you are and if your mind is revealing your true self or if it is just someone being possessed by their own memories. That is a question that Chase has to figure out on his own in the inspiring story Restart. Restart by Gordon Korman. Scholastic, 2020. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
When You Trap A Tiger, Reviewed by Pragnya, 12
When you Trap A Tiger by Tae Keller is a story of family, relationships and the magic in everyday life in which, Lily, the Korean-American main character, discovers a secret about her family’s heritage. It all starts when she, along with her sister Sam and her mother Joan, go to visit her halmoni (grandmother in Korean) in Sunview. But when she comes across a tiger that looks like it is straight from one of her Korean folktales, something inside her starts to wonder how normal her family heritage actually is. Unfortunately for Lily, trying to solve the mystery of a tiger straight from mythology isn’t easy, especially when the harshness of reality starts to show itself. Naturally introverted, Lily finds it difficult to make friends and fit in amongst people until she meets Ricky, a lighthearted rich kid from the other side of town who has more to him than his humorous outside. Together, the two of them set plans to trap the tiger and save her halmoni. But what if the tiger isn’t the villain of the story? What if there’s more to the tale than what Lily understands? Will she be able to conquer her fears and figure out what’s going on before it is too late? One of my favorite elements of the book was its character development. I loved all the characters with their quirks and emotions and vivid personalities. I also really liked some of the character arcs and the extremely meaningful lessons that came out of it. The best kind of books are those books which make you feel something. When I first started reading Tae Keller’s Newbery Winning Novel, I didn’t have too many expectations. I entered this book expecting adventure, mythology and an engaging character dynamic. But when I finished the book, I was left in a whirl. I felt as though I’d been following the thread of Lily’s adventures and emotions and thoughts until the very end of the story and then I was left with all the pieces left behind that made me feel a lot of this and helped me form an opinion on the novel. When You Trap a Tiger is filled with all sorts of moments, both heartbreaking and heart racing, but this spellbinding novel will keep you hooked until the very end. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2020. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
