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Animal Farm Free Write

For my free write, I just want to write random stuff that I thought about when I read this book.

First of all, the frustration.
All the animals in this book, except for the pigs, are all dumb. They are so dumb that I practically yelled and cursed at George Orwell for making the characters so dumb. I don't mind when a character decieves one another. It's a battle of wits. But in this book, one could be mentally retarded and could still run that joint. I'm just thankful that Orwell didn't make the animals dumber.

Secondly, I couldn't help but to make some historical references in this book. I read somewhere (I forget where) that Orwell wrote this book during WWII and it was degradeing Soviet Union. One could think that the Foxwood Farm as the United States, the Pinchfield Farm as Germany and the Manor Farm as Soviet Union. The Pinchfield Farm falls near the end of the book, and towards the end, a fight breaks out when the Foxwood Farm and the Manor Farm meet together. In WWII, Germany fell and the United States and the Soviet Union had the Cold War afterwards.

Last, I couldn't help but to compare this book to 1984. To me, this book is like a prequel to 1984. Animal Farm, when we replace the animals with people, clearly shows us how the government in 1984 got into power. The Big Brother is Napoleon, Emmanuel Goldstein is Snowball, the pigs as the Inner and Outer Party, the dogs as the Thought Police and the paroles are the rest of the animals. Interesting...

Animal Farm Mood

The mood for Animal Farm mainly shifts between two completely different emotions. Even though we know we are reading about a dystopian novel, we can't help but to feel happy in the beginning. The animals' rebellion had gone smoothly and there seemed to be and great leader (Snowball) who just might beat Napoleon. There are some times when we feel a bit ticked off at the stupidity of the animals, but we just laugh it off. However, almost as soon as Snowball is chased off the land, we can start to feel despair. From that point on, we don't feel any hope for the future of the animals. The paradise that was planned out for all of the farm now only applied to the pigs only. The Animal Farm, created by the animals, was originally supposed to be a democracy, but fell to the jaws of communism.

Apart from the main shift from a bright hope to a dark future, there are many times in the book when you, as a reader, can't help but to feel frustration at the stupidity of the animals.

Animal Farm Passage

"Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." - Pg. 139:Last Paragraph

I personally will remember this passage from the entire book of Animal Farm. In this last part, we finally understand what Mr. George Orwell was trying to say. We are all evolved from pigs...

Just Kidding...

No, the last paragraph does not give the entire message; we have to think for ourselves. However, this is what I think.
I think that this last passage is describing the world nowadays. We as humanity are getting more and more corrupt. We may not feel like it, but we are becoming more and more like the pigs. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening. The rich are the pigs, the poor are the other animals. And the world is going corrupt. We cannot trust the media these days, even the newspaper. Especially the newspaper. Even though they are printing out news, they are only telling one side of the story; therefore, creating bias, whether unintentionally or intentionally. There are corrupt governments and corrupt politicians who take bribes from shady corporations just for money. After they receive the cash, they governments and politicians turn a blind eye on the evil caused. Now thats corrupt.
So I think that this passage speaks the truth. If we don't stop thinking about ourselves, we may end up as pigs.

Animal Farm Characters

In my opinion, there are four main characters in Animal Farm. They are Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer.

• Snowball was one of the two leaders of the Manor Farm. He was a democratic leader, who really wanted what was best for the animals. He was the first to come up with the windmill for the farm so the animals could work less and live in comfort. Very outspoken, he would be able to captivate the animals' hearts. He is chased out of the farm by Napoleon's dogs.
• Napoleon was the other pig who was a leader alongside Snowball. He is a huge boar, and is not very spoken. There seems to be a dark aura around him that any reader could feel once he gets on the page. He takes away several puppies, which we later find out that he trained them to be his secret police. He doesn't enforce the windmill; he, in fact, goes against it. He uses his dogs to chase Snowball out of the farm. A ruthless dictator, Napoleon will stop at nothing in his way.
• Squealer is what is known as a herald. A very twisted and corrupt herald. He was originally for both Snowball and Napoleon, but after Snowball was kicked out, Squealer worked for Napoleon. He would be the pig that would go tell the other animals all sorts of data, and how Napoleon is leading the animals to paradise. In reality, he is spreading false propaganda to the animals. However, the animals trust him, and in the end, they know nothing else except the things he says.

These characters show the depth of a human's heart. In there, there is always compassion, apathy and deceit.

I personally like Squealer because even though he lies about what he says, I think he will be the one who can change this situation if he turns good. He is able to persuade people so well, that if he could persuade them to the darkness, then he can also turn them back to the light as well.

Animal Farm Climax

"It was a pig walking on his hind legs... He carried a whip in his tropper." - Pg. 131-132


I think the climax of Animal Farm is when the pigs come out of the house on two legs, wearing clothes and carrying whips. The pigs had come up with the Seven Commandments, and yet, it is they who break them in the end. They were the upper class in this society, with all the power, wealth and luxury, while the rest of the animals were the peasants, who lived on meager provisions. From that point on, the rest of the book's mood had changed. The way Mr. Orwell writes it, there is no hope for the animals. Again, I think the author is trying to say that no matter how much we try to strive for equality, we will, someday, have corrupt people taking over and turning the utopia into dystopia.

Animal Farm Setting

"They worked diligently, hardly raising their faces from the ground, and not knowing whether to be more frightened of the pigs or of the human visitors." - Pg. 134



I think the most impressionable setting in Animal Farm is the farm itself. The animals in Manor Farm originally intended to farm to be a beautiful place with freedom and beauty all around. However, as time progressed, the farm became gloomy, with oppression everywhere and Napolean with total control over the animals. I find this disturbing and interesting at the same time. To me, this shows that when we sometimes want paradise, we end up making hell instead.

I would probably guess that the time period in either late 1800's or early 1900's, as it is Orwell's time. However, even if it was present-day, Orwell would change enough things to make the story the same.

Citations

Info/Picture for Athena and info for for Cerberus



http://www.wikipedia.org/



Picture for Cerberus/Wings



http://www.amosink.com/Publication/Cerberus.jpg
http://www.gifttrap.com/images/Wings_05.jpg

A New God in Olympus

Let's start with my appearance. Obviously, I don't want one eye or a head full of snakes. Just a normal teenage human being with wings. One of my abilities would be flight. I think that everyone born on Earth had dreamt about flight some time or another. Just to be alone in the sky, alone with all your thoughts and dreams...
Anyways, my powers. I would like to have the power of omnipotence, and would like to be known as the god of mischief. Omnipotence means all-knowing, btw. So by knowing everything, no secret would be safe from me. I could, let's say, slip some info to the right people in order for me to earn my title. If I had to take a test(Greek god and test?), all I have to do is excersize my power.

Greek Monster

You are probably looking at that picture and wondering what that is. This is Cerberus, the three-headed demonic dog who guards that gate to Hades, or Hell, your pick. Because he is the watch dog, Cerberus doesn't go out much to wreck havoc in human race. Possibly, the only time he went out was when Hercules had to get him out for his Twelve Tasks. Hades keeps Cerberus to keep the living out, to keep the dead in and to permit more dead from Charon, the ferryman. Hey if you don't know, look it up for yourself.
Cerberus is supposedly the offspring of two Titans, Echidna and Typhon, both monsters. Some of Cerberus's siblings are the Nemean Lion, Chimera, the Lernaean Hydra and the Scylla.
There are several times when mortal living humans passed by Cerberus in order to get into Hades for various reasons. For example, Orpheus put Cerberus to sleep with his music, and Psyche used honeycakes(...) go get by. And there is Hercules, as mentioned before.

Greek God(dess)

Who is Athena? Athena, or Minerva in the Roman myths, is the goddess of wisdom and war. She was born, fully armed, in the head of Zeus. Because Athena was born out of Zeus' head, she shares some of his things, like his thunderbolts or the Aegis.
The way she was born is very interesting. Athena is the daughter of Metis, the Titan of wisdom. After Zeus impregnated her, he worried about the consequences(that the offspring would be greater [from Zeus] and smarter [from Metis]) and swallowed Metis. Soon afterwards, Zeus began to sufferfrom headaches, so another god (usually Hephaestus from most myths) split his head open with an axe. Out comes Athena.
Gods and godesses have favorites, so you could say the Athena favored Hercules, not to mention that they were sort of siblings. However, Hercules had been mortal in his life, and according to the myths (not the movie) Hercules only became a god after he died, while Athena was 100% goddess, plus, she was smarter.
There aren't many myths about Athena, however, she does play roles in other hero stories, such as the Battle of Troy, and the story of Perseus.

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Free Blog

Ender's Game is a good book to read if you're not looking for a complex plot and into sci-fi. In my opinion, there isn't much of a dystopian theme in this book. According to Wikipedia, a dystopian society means "a state in which the conditions of life are extremely bad, characterized by human misery, poverty, oppression, violence, disease, and/or pollution."
In Ender's Game, people aren't unhappy. There are birth control laws, and some children are taken to become soldiers, but apart from that, no dystopia. In my opinion, Ender's Game is more towards psychology. It shows the mental aspects of a hero, and the strains it puts on the brain. In fact, some schools use this as a textbook of psychology on leadership, while others use this book for the sci-fi parts...

Setting

The lake was still; there was no breeze. The two men sat together in the chairson the floating dock; Graff hooked his foot in the rope and pulled the raft in, then let it drift out, then pulled it in again. - Pg. 305

To me, this discription is very peaceful. Two people on a deck next to a calm lake with no breeze. Considering the circumstances, this situation is pretty ironic. Ender had destroyed the buggers and these two men are now relaxing. To me, this scene says that there are places of peace even during turmoil.

Significant Passage

We are like you; the thought pressed into his mind. We did not mean to murder, and when we understood, we never came again. We thought we were the only thinking beings in the universe, until we met you, but never did we dream that thought could arise from the lonely animals who cannot dream each other's dreams. How were we to know? We could live with you in peace. Believe us, believe us, believe us. - Pg. 321

This quote come near the back of the book. Ender didn't destroy all the buggers as he thought. While playing the "game", the buggers read his mind to communicate with him. Just before they were destroyed, the buggers left behind a queen egg, so that when Ender found it, they could talk. Right now, the egg is telling Ender their reasons for attacking Earth in the first place. There are times when we mistake another person's intentions. We fight with them, and when we want to stop it, they want revenge. And so the cycle continues till one wears out.

Ender's Game

Question: What was the climax?



Answer: The climax of the book is when Ender goes to Command School and begins the "game" with all his other friends. Ender is the commander among his peers, and they are commanding star ships, battling against holographic enemies. What they don't realize is that they are really fighting a real war against the buggers themselves. I think I mentioned this before. Anyways, after Ender plays the final "game", he notices that several peopleare either crying or praying. Then his teacher comes up to him and tells him that all this wasn't a game, but it was real, and that he destroyed the buggers.
You could say that Ender is a pacifist. After realizing that he had been tricked and had been used as someone else's pawn taught him a lesson in life. No one is their own master.

Ender's Game

Question: 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 univeral human experience?

Answer: There are several main characters in the book Ender's Game. However, the main MAIN character is Andrew Wiggin, a.k.a. Ender. Before I start, you have to know somethings. Ender has an older sister named Valentine and an older brother named Peter. Earth was already attacked two times by an alien race called "Buggers". Therefore, the government is now looking for child prodigies to send to Battleschool, where they can become military commanders. Previously, there was a commander who had ended the Second Invasion, so they were looking for someone exactly like him. Peter is apathetic, Valentine is empathetic and Ender is somewhat in between, but is more like Valentine. However, when Ender gets to Battleschool, he believes that he is becoming more and more like Peter, as Ender begins to hurt people by accident. He wonders why people can't leave him alone.
--------------------------------Spoiler Warning-------------------------------
Towards the end of the book, Ender, along with his friends, believes that they are playing a game, where the enimies are the "Buggers". In reality, they are really commanding forces, and there is a war right now. When Ender found out, he was overcome with grief and believes that he is a killer. It wasn't until his sister came for him did Ender change.

Anyways, that's the story of Ender Wiggin. I like Ender. It shows that we, human beings, always have a kind side. Deep down, we care for someone or something. Even in the book, Peter has a good side in him. However, there are some times in our lives when our darkness shows. We then become mean, hateful and harm others.

Ender's Game

Question:

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"?

Answer:

For anyone in Miss Simpson's class, and to those who have read the book, this book deals with child soldiers. I'll just give away the beginning a bit so I can prove my point. At age 6, Ender is taken to Battle School, where kids are trained to be military commanders. Get the picture? Little children and military commanders do not go well with each other. Child soldiering is going on in parts of Africa, Asia and Europe. Children (like me) are being used to fight the "enemies". The book doesn't exactly state how to stop this situation. What I mean is, the book doesn't show that they are letting up Battle or the other types of Schools they have.