After finding myself answering some quite involved political discussion with JE (6), promised I'd read Animal Farm with him over Christmas. Finished today.
A great book. Sobering & depressing but thoroughly insightful. Amazing how such a simple allegory (...'allegory' is the right word isn't it?!) can pack so much depth. Bit like the parables I suppose.
Whilst specifically an allegory of the Soviet regime, it was interesting reading it this time for me (aprox 20 years after the first time) how much of it was simply about the corrupting influence of any power - not just communism. The danger of becoming the thing we set out to change.
JE grasped more than I thought but it was interesting how his innate trust of authority kept blinding him to some of the deviousness of the pigs. He believed the pigs explanation that Boxer was taken to the vets in a knackers van! He did pick up on how they kept changing the rules and breaking them. He enjoyed it as an animal story and hopefully the allegorical stuff will dawn on him in years to come.
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