Animal Farm #8

How does this book relate to the Russian Revolution?

George Orwell wrote his book, Animal Farm, to criticize Communism, especially the Russian Revolution. He actually was part of the communist members when the Russian Revolution had happened. The interesting fact that I found while I was reading this book is that each characters and events represent the people and events that were involved in Russian Revolution. To be honest, I heard a little about this book from a long time ago, that it signifies the Russian Revolution; however, by reading it through, I could organize the characters and refer to the people in the history of Russia. For instance, Jones Manor, who was the farm keeper of the Manor Farm, was a very harsh man who treated his animals with no respect and love. He always beat them up and didn’t give them food when he didn’t want to; this man can be referred to the last Czar of Russia named Nicholas 2, who was poor and cruel to his citizens. The Old Major, who died very fast in the beginning of the book, was the main person who actually came up with the idea, “Animalism”, which refers to Communism in the Russian Revolution. He insisted the animals in the farm that they should all be equal and work very hard. Nevertheless, a funny thing is that he didn’t even get to see the revolution of his farm because he died before the revolution. As I have explained above, the book definitely describes and signifies the Russian Revolution and its communist leaders and people. Overall, I was pretty impressed and surprised at how a story in a book can criticize or just tell about one historical event that happened in the past. Just like how the revolution of Russia did not work out very well, the whole idea of Animalism and the animals’ farm gets destroyed and humans come back to control over them again. Even though this book didn’t really have a happy ending to make me feel good, I felt like it taught and reminded me of lot of things. As I have heard in the past from Ms. Simpson, Communism works out fine on a paper logically, however, if this kind of idea is applied to our real life, it does not work very well and rips apart the good relationships and lives of people. Even though the whole story of Animal Farm was about these animals and humans fighting against each other and the pigs trying to rule over the others, it definitely made me think again of what Communism does to people and about the Russian Revolution that we have learned a little in Geography class.

Animal Farm #7

Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful?or disturbing?or memorable?Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.

The most memorable setting that I could not forget from this book is when the first fight between humans(Jones and his men) and animals of the Animal Farm happened. This happened after the animals attacked Mr. Jones Manor and his men and kicked them out the farm. The animals worked and fed themselves all on their own without any help from the humans, and they wanted no men to come back to their farm again. However, they have thought of Jones and his men coming back to find their farm back and kill all of the animals inside. Therefore, the animals already had plans to prepare to defend themselves from the humans who would have guns, knives, and all the other equipments to fight against the animals. When the humans attacked the farm, animals acted out just like they had planned and fought very bravely. Unfortunately, even thought they has bravery and courage, they could not just basically fight over the humans who has guns and other dangerous things with them. Some animals including Snowball got injured and hurt. This was when I felt so sad and depressed. I could not tolerate the humans who tried to fight over and kill animals who they have owned and lived with in the past. I myself personally own two dogs who are so adorable to me, and they are just like my sisters. This is why I felt so angry and mad, and I could not forget that setting even after I finished my book. I could tell that humans are very selfish and fool. I am not saying that humans attack animals like this all the time, but we kill, betray, and abuse animals whenever and however we want just because they cannot speak and protect themselves from us. We people should be more respectful and nice to the animals because as God said in the Bible, every single one of us in the universe is different and that is why we should help and care about each other especially the weak people who have no power. Animals suffer and die just to satisfy and comfort our lives just like fur coats and hunting. We should try to think of the animals just like us and imagine what it would be if we were treated like how we treat animals. Moreover, not just the animals, but just the weak and powerless people around us should be protected and loved, not ruled and betrayed by people.

Animal Farm #6

Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful?

"It was a pig walking on his hind legs."(p.188)

This passage was the most significant passage throughout the whole book to me. The reason was because the pigs who started all the ideas and conflicts that are against humans stood on two legs and wore clothes. Their seven commandaments for Animal Farm was to not wear any clothes, not drink, smoke, or walk on two legs. However, they started to depend on the help of humans as they started to realize that they are going to be going through hard times. They began to rely and trust on humans, and that led them to wear fine clothes and have ribbons on their necks. Morevoer, they started to walk on two legs which is kind of impossible for them. It was both funny and shocking to me. How could pigs, who usually walk on four legs, just start to walk on two legs just because they want to be like humans and adjust to humans? Weren't they the ones who told all the animals that they should be free from humans and that they should never act or live like humans? It was just ridiculous to me to see how those foolish pigs just do silly things to be more close to humans. Well, it was all because for their own sake and survival, however, I do not understand how they changed their minds so quickly like that. Also, I was very disappointed even though I didn't like them from the beginning because they looked more evil and vicious to me while I was reading this passage. In our real lives, we sometimes tend to try to be like someone who are popular or powerful among the others. This means that you don't have your individuality and personality of your own because you are doing what the world tells you to do, not what you choose and want to do.

Animal Farm #5

What is the mood of this novel?Do you find this novel saddens you in any way?Why?

The mood of this novel is pretty gloomy and serious. In some ways, it may look funny because humans and animals fight, and animals talk and do everything on their own. Well, if it’s funny to someone, he or she must have not read the book with serious attitude because this book was written to give us lessons and criticize Communism and Russian Revolution. Personally, to me, it was a good opportunity to think about the Communism and the history of Russia. Moreover, it helped me think of people who are under communist powers like North Koreans and Chinese. Even before I read Animal Farm, I have heard a little bit about people under communism. Communist rulers always think of their profits and nothing about the people that they rule over. That is why communism definitely does not work over people in our reality. Well, some honest rulers might follow true communism and govern and rule their country with righteousness and justice, but that is a very rare case. South Korean campaign associations send rice and other food to eat for North Koreans who starve to death because their dictator does not provide them good food and homes to live in. I feel so sorry for them all the time when I hear about them. After reading this book, I was reminded that there are still those kinds of people right next to our country. I felt very ashamed because I have been complaining and being depressed and negative about my days and how I have so many things to do lately. The novel taught me great lessons and chances to think over my daily lives and other people around me. I think this is why reading is so important to us especially teenagers like me.

Animal Farm #4

What is the climax of this novel?What happens?How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The climax of this story is when Boxer, the hard-working horse gets killed by the pigs. He and all the other animals were fooled that he was going to the hospital to get better, but the pigs had planned for this to kill Boxer, who was smart and righteous enough to step over the evil pigs. The reason why they killed him without any notice or warning was because Boxer was smart and also very obedient to them. He never complained and always did everything that they command the animals. However, as time goes by, smart Boxer realized that the pigs are not being fair and right, so pigs got intimidated by him and decided to kill him secretly. The pigs tell everyone, even Boxer, that he’s going to a hospital to strengthen his body however Boxer never comes back afterwards. Rumors start to spread out that Boxer was killed by the pigs, and things start to go wrong little by little from that climax. I was very sad at this climax, when Boxer got killed. Well, the book never directly said that the pigs killed Boxer, but it was kind of obvious. I felt so sorry for him, and I was very angry as well. At this part, I was one hundred percent sure that communism is definitely not fair and unjust. Most of the times, all the things by the dictators are done secretly, usually in a bad way to only have their profits, just like this book. Boxer was such a great worker and had wonderful personality and character, and how could they kill him just like that? They are such servile creatures I have ever seen. I was pretty sure that all the communists in our world are like this, and told myself that we as free citizens should do something for the people who are victims of communism.

Animal Farm #3

Who are the main characters in the novel?Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them?What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

The main characters in the novel are Napoleon and Boxer. Boxer was a hard-working and honest horse who did everything that was commanded by the pigs. I really liked him, but the mean, cruel pigs killed him! I was really angry. Napoleon is one of those mean pigs who ruled over all the animals unequally. I really do not like this pig. Napoleon is not very good at talking in front of people, and he could not do anything without the help of the pigs and dogs who work for him. He is such a selfish and evil creature I have ever seen. The reason why so many weak people get suffered and hurt in our real world is because of people like Napoleon who only knows how to think of himself and not others, especially those in need. I think the writer was trying to reveal the different kinds of people in our world through this book. As I have just said, Napoleon is a kind of man who is really insatiable. After tasting the goodness and happiness of having everything you want and power to rule over others, he became really greedy and started to be unfair and unjust. There are a few people who are just like Napoleon; they are self-centered and all they care about is money. They betray and ignore those who are weak and poor. Instead, if we have more power, money, or abilities than others, we should try to help others who need our help. For example, the LASA trips that our school is carrying on are a very good example of having servant leadership and helping out those who are in need. Like this, more and more people should get involved in activities and programs to help people who are not able to eat three meals a day or sleep in a home with their family. Overall, George Orwell was revealing our human insatiability and the sad results that some people get because of that. We definitely should learn and practice how to share things with each other and love and care for each other.

Animal Farm #2

Are there any current situations in the world that relate to the novel?What are they, and how do they relate?Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or fixed?

There are some current situations in the world today that is related to the novel. They are insatiability, poverty, discrimination, and communism. As it is pretty obvious, the “Animalism” is referred to communism and how it does not work very well when it is applied to real world. When it does not work very well, it leads to discrimination, poverty, and much more conflicts and problems among different people. However, the most important problem that we are facing today is insatiability, which means people are always being greedy, craving for more and more, ravenous over many things, like money and power. The novel, Animal Farm, is talking about conflicts that should be fixed and resolved for us to have better and peaceful life. Because of all the current conflicts today, people are having relationships that are not trustworthy and deep. The people are becoming to have no generosity, sympathy, or love. Moreover, communism is a big part of this story as well. Communism is known as an idea of justice and fairness, but most of the leaders that have the dictatorship over the citizens take all their profits first before they distribute everything including money, food, and housings. Therefore, it is pretty obvious that the things that are left for the citizens would be poor in condition and little in amount. Now, this reminded of North Koreans who are right beside us. They are ruled by Dictator Kim, and I predicted that he probably, too, gather all his profits first secretly, then pretend like he is being really equal and just. Overall, the book, Animal Farm relates to many different kinds of current issues today, and we should try to find out what they are and resolve them in possible ways.

Animal Farm #1

What is the major theme of this novel?Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

There are several themes for Animal Farm. We could devide the themes in two basic parts and they are themes that are related to Russian Revolution and the themes that are related to our real daily lives. First of all, Russian Revolution was a fight between people against communism and commuists. Napoleon and all the other pigs are signifying the communists who have the most power over the animals in the farm, and Boxer, who dies at the end, is signifying innocent and obedient people who insist that communism is wrong and unfair. Throughout the book, there are many conflicts happening, which shows that communism brings lots of problems and sadness in people's life. On the other hand, there is a more important theme than just Russian Revolution. It is about the human's natural insatiability. People are naturally always greedy and crave for things that they don't have. They become jealous and suspicious about others easily especially these days, and all they think about is themselves; people became very self-centered. This kind of situation happened because of several reasons, but mostly, the gap between different levels of people had affected this situation the most. In our world, there are people who are so rich that they throw a dish of good meats that are not even half way done. They can do whatever they want with their money, and most of the time, these kind of people do not know how to share and distribute what they have with others. On the other side, there are people who are so poor and powerless that they can barely eat three meals in a day and get education. Because they can't wear fine clothes and get education, they automatically are not able to earn money for their lives. They obviously then are treated with no respect by other people, and this is what George Orwell was trying to talk about in his book, in my opinion. After reading the story, I thought back of the theme of the book and my life, and felt ashamed of my attitudes and acts upon other people. I told myself that I should be more humble and sharing just like treating my own family and friends. I also realized that I should love others more than just myself.