[HPFGU-OTChatter] Animal Farm (spoilers to those who have not read it)

[Przemyslaw Plaskowicki]

On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 23:26:32 -0000, Melody <malady579 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Now, this is way off topic from HP, but at least it is a book.  :)
> 
> [...]
> I guess I just don't see how the animals are stuck "forever" in
> misery.  I mean England and America got out of the slums of
> Industrialization and cleaned up their faults.  Is the story more
> about distracting reality by believing you are free?  Is the story
> saying you are controlled by your fears?  Or is the story about how
> the smartest can always find ways to arrange things to his favor?

Well, this is a story about Soviet Russia, which was at that time
viewed by some deluged western people as heaven on Earth.
Most major characters are based on real people: Napoleon on Stalin,
Major on Lenin, Snowball on Trotsky.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm). As such it was banned in
Poland and all countries under Soviet influence till 1989. For
acquainted with the Soviet system of oppressions at that time, it is a
very bitter satire about corruption of high ideas of socialism.

I never consider it conveying some high thoughts. But perhaps I am wrong.

-- 
Przemyslaw 'Pshemekan' Plaskowicki