Freedom, equality and democracy are mainstays of the developing human world and, as George Orwell depicts, it is the same in the animal world. In the book Animal Farm, Orwell demonstrates how freedom, equality and democracy are badly damaged. During my reading, the growth and decline of such social freedoms are easily recognizable.

The book’s setting is on a farm where animals can no longer tolerate the evilness of the farmers so they expelled the farmers in a rebellion and run their own farm called Animal Farm. At first, Animal Farm is a great success when it is led by the pig Snowball. He sets the rules of the Seven Commandments and animals work hard but happily. However, the events of their lives topple over after Snowball is expelled by another pig Napoleon and his followers. They at first seem to care about the citizens of Animal Farm but, in reality, they were only interested in their own business and force everyone to work as slaves. Napoleon also contact the humans and slander the truth by cheating animals by telling them it was just a trade transaction. In the end, the seven commandments only collapse and freedom, equality and democracy cease to exist at all on the farm.

Full of criticism, the book’s talented author Orwell, creates a fable-like fiction al world to reflect the loss of freedom, equality and democracy in Russia by describing the authoritarian rule of Napoleon who classed the animals and orders his followers to change the Seven Commandments to satisfy their own personal needs.
In my view, this novel is similar to the the book All Men Are Brothers by Shi Nai ’an. Each piece encapsulates one theme: they tell us to keep the heart which we once had amidst turmoil. Animal Farm’s rulers did not, in fact, keep their hearts to keep revolting and fighting against oppression. Similarly, heroes Nai’an’s book fail to keep the heart of being against the dark governance of the Song Dynasty and finally, they are ruined.

Back to today, many people do not keep what is in their hearts, either. Their aims at first may be great, but after they get a large sum of money, reputation and authority, they may no longer do good deeds such as helping people in need, respecting the poor and they are just like apples that turn rotten. Therefore, the lesson for me is: stick to your heart and prevent it from going bad. Generally speaking, I recommend Animal Farm, which is suitable for people of all ages, and the one that full of life lessons dealing with freedom and power.