Two of George Orwell's books

I had to study Orwell's Animal Farm for an English literature exam at school. It can be read on different levels, but has many parallels with the Russian Revolution. With the aid of a study guide we could find out which animals in the story represented historical figures such as Trotsky. The animals on the farm took power but then things went wrong as the pigs became dominant. A slogan appeared on a wall: "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others".

Although Animal Farm seems to refer mainly to the Russian Revolution the book is also a warning about how power can be abused in other times and places.  The name of one of the leading pigs, Napoleon, recalls another dictator. 

My teacher suggested that we should also read another of the author's works, 1984. I found that easy and exciting to read. It gave a frightening picture of the iron grip of an authoritarian government. It was first published 8 June 1949 but is still relevant today, 57 years later. I am going to read the book again soon.

There is plenty about 1984 and other books by George Orwell on the internet.

Somewhere I saw a joke about Burma, that Orwell had written three books about that country: Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984. I know that the human rights abuses in Burma are far from amusing, but the joke made me smile.