Post Reading (part 3)

This being my last post, I really just want to touch on the quote that I loved in the book, the quote that really stuck with me and made me think.
Of course, it is the quote that was discussed in the preface, which was the commandment that was changed from "all animals are equal" to "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others". I have to be honest, I had some trouble really making sense out of this quote at first. So, believe it or not, I went on SparkNotes for explanation. I know, punch me in the face. But I just had to know. And handy dandy SparkNotes indeed confirmed my suspicions about this quote. I knew that when it was changed, it was somehow talking about certain animals being superior to others. And then I read an explanation, which reinforced that idea. This quote is basically saying that the pigs considered themselves 'more equal' or, essentially, better than other animals, considering themselves the 'some'. This commandment was pretty much followed out, as the pigs did dominate the farm and use the animals for their own benefit. But I also like how the quote kind of embodied the whole book, which was the pigs' slow transformation from comrade to ruler, and how that is really what changed the farm.

Post Reading (part 2)

So I was thinking the other day, what if there was a sequel to Animal Farm? One where justice did eventually win out. Well, I pondered that for a while and basically came up with a scenario and basic plot structure in my head that I just had to share with you Kyle.
The main plot point would be Snowball returning to the farm, accompanied by an army of animals that he has gathered from the other farms. All of these animals, plus the animals already on Manor Farm/Animal Farm, would be able to team up against the pigs and the dogs. This would not be done with an attack out of the blue, but by somehow sending small animals over to the farm and getting messages of rebellion to them. They would be able to devise plans to overthrow the pigs and take back Animal Farm, with Snowball and Clover at the head of a democratic government. The end would entail a showdown between Snowball and Napoleon, and then we would get to read about how they eventually enslave the pigs and the dogs that betrayed them, while the rest have the government that Major once dreamed about.
It might be a little out there, but I think a sequel would be great to read, and even though the idea of justice winning out in the end isn't exactly a page turner, it would provide me with some much needed closure on this issue. What do you think Kyle?

Post-Reading (part 1)

Now that I have finished the book, I just want to kind of give an overall review of my thoughts on it.
I definitely enjoyed the writing style. George Orwell's writing is to-the-point and informative without being overly dramatic or full of unnecessary text. Now, I love Shakespeare and Poe, but there was something about this style of writing that was just a breath of fresh air for me, a sweet release from a few of the older books I read last year. This was most likely because the book is just more modern, the language not as dated as some of the other things I have read in the past. This has me looking forward to reading 1984 soon in class.
I liked the way Orwell always kept an air of mystery around the different things that were happening. Such as earlier in the book, when the milk disappeared and he did not explain it right away, but waited until the next chapter. I like that kind of writing, because even though the suspense drives me crazy, it is like an Alfred Hitchcock-type of style that I love. It made the book difficult to put down, which was great.
Another thing that I really admire about this book is the character development over time. In each chapter we would learn a little about each of the central characters, which allowed us to make predictions about what might happen, which I found myself doing constantly while reading this story. The development of Boxer's character was especially interesting, because we saw his deterioration and what events led up to that, and you could really connect with the character. I know that when Boxer was hauled away in that glue truck, and he was too weak to kick out of it, I pretty much died inside. The same with Snowball and Napoleon. I was sad to see Snowball be expelled from the farm so early, because even though it was a necessary plot point, I liked his character and found myself thinking of what the farm would be like if he had stayed. And of course, we learned over time that Napoleon was just a scumball who was out for his own benefit.
So in summation, I guess I would give this book a 6 or 7 out of 10, just because it is pretty interesting and difficult to put down, which are the two common things that I myself look for in a book. I would definitely reccomend it to other kids who take Honors English next year, and I hope that they will feel the variety of emotions that I did as I read Animal Farm.

Chapter 10

Last chapter was the most depressing, by far, in the entire book. This chapter was just the most appalling, as well as disgusting, in the entire book. I am just disgusted, it's really the only way I can describe how I can feel right now.
Like I figured they would, the pigs took a turn for the worst. Walking on TWO LEGS, they have completed the transition from animal to human. They have completely adopted human tendencies and techniques, and are openly admitting it to other humans! I guess I can't say that I wasn't expecting this to happen, but to this degree is just terrible. They wear clothes, live in the house, get drunk, and walk on two legs. This isn't communism anymore; this is a full blown dictatorship, run by Napoleon. But not only have the animals completed the transition from animal to human, but they have expanded on things and have done what the humans never could, such as building the windmill for more production, trading and associating with other farms, and working the animals to death. I think that this is because the pigs were able to earn their trust in a way that Jones was never able to do, because he was human.
Though I had tremendous difficulty putting this book down to write each entry, I still feel a lot of hatred towards it. The writing is wonderful and the plot is well paced, I just hate the story and how it turns out. I am so used to at least one good thing happening, to justice making a presence somewhere in the story in some small way, but that just doesn't happen in this story, and I think that even though it is a very honest, well-written ending, it is just sickening.

Chapter 9

This was probably the most depressing chapter in the book by far. When I read what happened to Boxer, a small part of me died inside because I could see something like this happening. I have injected myself into this story so much that I was so upset when this happened. It reminds me of The Giver, of how when the elderly are close to the end of their lives, they are seemingly sent out of society to someplace, and I if I can remember correctly, are actually given some sort of injection that kills them. I feel like this is what was happening to Boxer, his being tossed out of the farm now that he could no longer work. The pigs probably thought that because he could do no work, they would be wasting food feeding him, but that they definitely aren't wasting food when they take it for themselves.
That the pigs did this doesn't really surprise me, because we have read and seen what they are capable of doing, for instance the near starvation they have forced the other animals too, and the expulsion of Snowball. They only way I can really describe this as is MESSED UP. It might not be the most scholarly term, but it is what I feel to be truly honest. I think the pigs have reached the point of no return, and that there will be no upside after the only light that had remained on the farm has now been extinguished.

Post-Reading Entry #3 (by Kyle)

Well, here it is--my final entry. I hope you enjoy!

Characters are obviously very important in a story, so I'm going to take the time to briefly analyze some of the characters in Animal Farm.

Napoleon- He was my least favorite character out of all of the characters, obviously because he was the antagonist. I do give him credit for doing a great job at being a leader who gets his way with things. The way he led the farm was absolutely absurd, and I can't believe that he is supposed to represent an actual historical figure from the Soviet Union (who happens to be Joseph Stalin). If Stalin actually governed in that style, I find it hard to believe he was as successful at doing what he did as he was, considering humans wouldn't really put up with all that he did. He is a great example of how Orwell used real life people and put them into the story in order to convey his opinion toward that person in real life.

Boxer- Boxer was my favorite character because he had such a great personality and was so dedicated to what he did. He was a lot like the average worker in a society where work was important because he was very committed and loyal. I feel like Orwell put him in the book because he wanted to show what the Soviet Union was doing with its working class. Boxer was obviously oblivious to what all the pigs were doing, including what they did to him in the end by killing him when he didn't have to die. Many workers during the Russian Revolution probably were a lot like Boxer in that they didn't realize all that was going on.

Snowball- I think Snowball represents the hope and help that the animals never got. He could have led the Animal Farm in the right direction, just like Old Major would have wanted, but instead Napoleon was too controlling and cruel to scare off the only hope the farm had, just like Stalin likely did to all the people who were against what him and his regime did. At the point Snowball was scared off, all hope for Animal Farm was gone as well. One question I still have about Snowball was if he was the one who was lurking around the farm secretly at night, where he was at all along, and why he never did attempt to help the innocent animals on the farm.

This is my final post! I would like to thank you, reader, for taking the time to read all of the entries that I put a lot of work in to. And thank you, Vicki, for being a great partner to read and blog with. I loved reading your entries and discussing the book with you. I hope we'll be able to do a project like this again in the near future! I really hope you enjoyed the book as much as I did. And to you, Mrs. Sanders, thanks for being an awesome English teacher.

In conclusion, I would like to say I loved Animal Farm. This was honestly one of the best books I've ever read, and definitely one of my favorites in recent memory. I would recommend this book to anyone because of its interesting plot, its shocking conclusion and its deep message. So if you haven't read this book, READ IT!
Well, this is Kyle Baker, signing off for good. (:

-The End-

Post-Reading Entry #2 (by Kyle)

Animal Farm had a lot of quotes that really spoke volumes to me as I read this book. I want to take the time to look at these different quotes and attempt to analyze them (there were a few quotes I've already talked about in earlier entrees so I won't look at those again):

1. "Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself."
-I thought this quote was very true, but there is a reasoning behind things being this way; in real life, animals are not as intelligent as they are in Animal Farm. As Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection says, it's about the "survival of the fittest."

2. "'I have no wish to take life, not even human life,' repeated Boxer, and his eyes were full of tears."
-This quote seemed important when I read it because it showed that some of the animals were leaning toward being sympathetic for the humans despite what their newly created society was all about.

3. "Old Benjamin, the donkey, seemed quite unchanged since the Rebellion. He did his work in the same slow obstinate way as he had done it in Jones's time, never shirking and never volunteering for extra work either. About the Rebellion and its results he would express no opinion. When asked whether he was not happier now that Jones was gone, he would say only 'Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey,' and the others had to be content with this cryptic answer."
-The irony behind this quote is that Benjamin was still alive at the end of the novel, even though he was one of the older animals on the farm. He seemed to be one of the few innocent animals who knew all about what the pigs were doing, but he didn't seem to care about it most of the time.

4. "Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure. On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
-This was a big moment where Squealer was able to work his speaking skills to persuade the animals about why the changes that were being made were being made in the first place. Squealer may be one of the most deceiving characters I've ever read about in literature just because of his excellent persuasiveness.

5. "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."
-This quote was one of my favorites (it was the last line in the whole novel). This was because it represented the hypocrisy of the pigs, considering when the society was first started, they were completely against human ideas. They only became what they didn't want to be.

Post-Reading Entry #1 (by Kyle)

One thing to look at after reading a novel is what you took away from the text. When I first chose to read this book, I was a little bit "iffy" about choosing it because it seemed a bit corny and not entertaining. But boy, was I wrong. This book had a very deep meaning to it that I couldn't believe could be incorporated into such a simple text. This book was a very simple and quick read for me, but it didn't change the complexity of the messages George Orwell attempted to convey (and was successful at, I must say). When I began reading, I felt like I was reading some sort of children's story. But as I got more involved in the plot, I contradicted my original feelings immediately. The plot had a lot of parts to it that made me want to go mad because of the insanity of the pigs, in particular Napoleon and his assistant, Squealer. The meanings behind what Orwell was saying continued to get more and more complex as the novel came closer and closer to the climax, and then everything just went haywire from there. There were some philosophical concepts that left me deep in thought, just as the author probably intended. The biggest thing I took away from this novel was the concept of how "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." When I think of that statement, I would say, even in our society, that is the way it works in many cases, not just because of race, but things such as social class as well. Even what part of the world you live in can effect how fair your are treated. Although this statement is true, I do not necessarily agree with it; I believe the animals had a good foundation at the beginning when they lived by the phrase, "all animals are equal." One question I came up with about this novel was, could this be considered a part of the satire genre? I'm not sure myself because it does seem to be calling for reform, however I'm not sure if I would consider it "poking fun" at the Soviet Union.

Chapter 10 (by Kyle)

Even though I somewhat expected the book to end the way it did, I was still shocked at some of the events that occured. I couldn't believe that after all those years that the animals were okay with putting up with how the pigs had changed the aspects of their society (like a revolution). What got me the most was how the pigs learned to walk and how they then decided to change their motto to "Four legs good, two legs better", rather than "four legs good, two legs bad". Why would they all of a sudden change the most basic part of their foundation? The whole reason Animal Farm began in the first place was because all animals wanted to be independent from humans. They hated human ideas and they avoided them originally. I just don't see the reasoning behind them deciding to switch to a society that had exactly opposite ideas. One specific part of the chapter left me deep in thought, and that is when Clover and Benjamin read the new commandment: "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." This idea was mentioned in the preface and introduction, and it really makes me wonder how this applies to human society. If some animals are more equal than others, than why consider them all animals? I believe that equality plays a major part in identity, so looking at the animals as a whole rather than the different types of animals is a very strange idea. I found it hard to believe that the pigs decided to form a truce with the humans, and take on their ideas completely. They even changed the name of Animal Farm back to the original name, Manor Farm. I believe that there are two possibilities for the changes in what the Animal Farm was all about. First, the pigs were planning to change back to human ideas all along, they just wanted to do it over a long period of time so the animals wouldn't be able to realize what was going on and so that they could be equal to humans since they liked their lifestyle. Animal Farm went from being a place where humans were more equal than both pigs and other animals, to being a place where pigs and other animals were as equal as humans, to being a place where humans became more equal than pigs who became more equal than other animals, to a place where humans and pigs became more equal than other animals. In other words, pigs flipped which sides of the equation they were on:
Beginning: humans > pigs + other animals
End: humans + pigs > other animals
The way I watched the Animal Farm society unfold just blew me away. I couldn't believe how they got away with what they did, but they did a very good job at doing the job swiftly and correctly so that they could get their way. This is the first book in recent memory that I've read where evil won. The reason George Orwell did that was to get his point across about the negativity of Stalin's regime in our society. We built up a sensitivity for the animals, and a hatred for the pigs, and Orwell intended for us to take that idea and apply it to real life. Orwell did an excellent job and getting his ultimate message across. This book actually may be one of my new favorites because of how interesting it is and how different it is from other stories. Better yet, it teaches you about history (if you read between the lines) in a different, but entertaining way. I love books like this that leave the reader deep in thought because of its complex concepts. I never would have guessed such a simple, short story would have such a powerful message. But it is worth the read. I LOVE ANIMAL FARM!!!

Chapter 8

This was a pretty eventful chapter, as it included another battle, the repeated destruction of the windmill, and the influence that Napoleon has over the other animals increases.
I am just disgusted with the pigs. It is like one thing after another, they keep changing the commandments and bending them in their favor. And their experimentation with alcohol will obviously lead to them spending more and more money on it. Also, Napoleon being called 'Leader' and being treated like a king sickens me, because even though he is a lying scoundrel, there is nothing anyone can do without getting their throats ripped out by his dogs. This infuriates me so much, and it is very difficult to put the book down as it is getting nearer the end and the pigs participate in more and more treacherous deeds for their own benefit. They just use the animals as the humans did, and I think they know this, which is why they keep adopting more human techniques and habits.
I can definitely see a resemblance between this book and the World Wars. You have your terrible dictators that do whatever they want with no consequences, Napoleon being a perfect imitation of Stalin and his labor regime. The killing of the animals that confessed to working with Snowball mirrors the exiling and killing of any of those in Russia who were suspected of being traitors or disloyal to the government. The only difference is that Stalin's regime resulted in some economic success, whereas Animal Farm is in poorer conditions than ever as they struggle to rebuild the windmill for the third time. Also, though Stalin and other dictators of the World Wars met justice at one point or another, I know from the preface and introduction that Napoleon will most likely not meet justice, and continue to become more and more corrupt as he gains more power.

Chapter 7

Things are getting increasingly worse, just as I pictured. This chapter was particularly horrible, because not only is there a dramatic food shortage that the animals are trying desperately to cover up, but Napoleon was able to convince a number of animals to 'confess' to being in cahoots with Snowball secretly, and they are killed by the dogs. The pigs tell even more lies, especially about the Battle of Cowshed. This leads to more suspicion amongst the animals, but no one besides Boxer would speak up against it. His only attempt was easily shot down by Squealer, who told lie after lie to make Snowball look like a traitor and Napoleon look like a hero.
Boxer is working harder and harder, thinking that the food shortage must be because of the animals themselves. I have a really strong feeling that something terrible is going to happen to him that will really paralyze the farm.
Also, as the pigs gain more power, they become more cruel and harsh towards the other animals, taking what they can salvage for themselves to eat or sell. The animals are near starvation, and have to perform back breaking labor in order to finish the windmill.
I feel like they might never finish the windmill, that things will keep happening to it. I think this is definitely the pigs' way to keep tabs on the animals, by keeping them going towards this cause in order to instill in them a feeling of unity. It seems to me like the pigs are beginning to be more and more like humans with every passing development. The trading, the selling of the eggs, and the dictatorship of Napoleon is just too human to overlook.

Chapter 6

In this chapter the work gets a lot harder, becoming a lot more stressful for all of the animals besides the pigs, who again do no real work, but instead give out orders under the direction of Napoleon. Napoleon also hires a man to manage trading and other affairs with Animal Farm and other farms in the area. The animals are wary of this, but once again, the pigs have changed the rules so that they adhere to what they are currently doing. Snowball is still being used as the scapegoat in the scenarios that relate to their rule-bending. The accusations get even worse when Animal Farm experiences a large storm that seemingly tears down the windmill. Napoleon and the pigs use this as a another chance to completely turn the animals against Snowball and in their favor, and blame the destruction of the windmill completely on Snowball. They decided to rebuild the windmill as well.
So it is very obvious as this point that the pigs have completely taken over the farm and have the ability to manipulate and control the animals in any way they like. They use Snowball as their excuse for any failures, and the pigs still continue to live a comfortable lifestyle while the rest of the animals toil away. There is a lot of dramatic irony going on, because we can pretty much infer what the pigs are up to, but many of the animals remained brain washed, or if they do realize what is happening, they are too scared to retaliate. I think the situation can only get worse from here.

Chapter 9 (by Kyle)

This chapter made me very angry because of a major event that occurred. Obviously Boxer, the most loyal and hardest working animal on the farm aged and was ready for retirement, especially after going through a major injury. At this point in the chapter, Napoleon has promised all of the animals that he would get someone to come and take the weary Boxer to a hospital, and when the people from the "hospital" come, the animals all notice that the truck actually says they slaughter horses and use the parts of the body to make different products. That's when the animals realize Boxer is to be intentionally killed. They tried to save Boxer, but he was too weak to escape. Once again, the pigs were very convincing by saying that the hospital got the trailer from a place that used to slaughter horses. What made me even more frustrated is that, as the reader had to infer, the money the pigs made from Boxer's body was used to buy alcohol for the pigs. By the end of the chapter, the remaining animals seem very suspicious of the activity that is going on behind their backs. With one chapter remaining, I can see there being a lot of conflict that will eventually lead to the demise of the Animal Farm. Just as Orwell intended, this will send a message across about how he feels about the Russian society during the time period it was written. I can tell the author has taken real life aspects and events of the Soviet Union and put them in this simpler, fictional society so the reader could see what was wrong with the Soviet Union and the reasoning for that belief (obviously this is an example of an allegory, as I have mentioned in some of my earlier posts). I really would like to see this book end happily, and I would like to see justice served with the pigs in the conclusion of this novel, however if the author wants to get his message across correctly, I highly doubt he would do anything of that sort. Although, the fact that the pigs have strayed away from the foundations the Animal Farm was built upon is the thing that troubles me the most. I am still surprised at how good of a job the pigs are doing at keeping the changes they are making discrete, but I guess we could credit that reasoning to the fact they are working with other animals who, in general are not as intelligent, especially since the pigs are keeping them from becoming educated.

Chapter 8 (by Kyle)

The reader got a lot of information from this chapter about numerous events that occur on the Animal Farm. First and foremost, another battle takes place after one of the farms pays the animals in fake money for a large pile of timber. Several humans then take numerous guns and stage a large attack on the animals. Many are either injured or killed, and the newly completed windmill was blown up after it took two years of hard labor to make. In fact, it was their second attempt at making a windmill! One thing I have noticed is that so far in the novel, no humans have actually been killed, yet multiple animals have been killed. In fact, more animals have been killed on Animal Farm than there have been humans injured. I think this is yet another example of where Napoleon goes against the original foundations that Animal Farm was built upon because they originally were completely against the humans and were for all animals deserving to live equally. Although the animals are dying (which they are not supposed to), the humans haven't even lost anyone on their side of this ongoing battle, which to me seems a little messed up. There were also a few times in the chapter where the reader had to make inferences about the story. For example, when Squealer was caught on a ladder by the Seven Commandments with paint in the middle of the night, we can infer that he was changing the rules that Animal Farm was originally built upon. Also, when Napoleon was ill, we can infer it was because he got drunk. It happened after the fact that the pigs got a hold of some alcohol in the Jones' house and after a night they were said to be partying. Also, like many people who get drunk, he was very ill but then got better. We can also tell he likely has become an alcoholic because he alters one of the Commandments so that it says no one should drink in excess, rather than what it had said earlier about no one being allowed to drink at all. He also purchases barley to grow on the farm for beer and obtains information about brewing and distilling. My prediction is that because of Napoleon's discovery of alcohol, the Animal Farm will collapse even quicker under a completely unstable leader rather than a somewhat unstable leader.

Chapter 7 (by Kyle)

This chapter was the beginning of great tragedy on the farm. Many of the animals were executed after admitting they were secretly helping Snowball in overthrowing Napoleon and the farm. All of the survivors are picking up on the fact that what Napoleon and the pigs are doing is completely wrong, but they have been brainwashed to remain loyal to the farm and to keep working toward maintaining their freedom from the humans. One thing I want to know is why so many of the animals were willing to admit their "wrongdoings". None of the animals that admitted to helping Snowball had to do what they did, especially since they knew they were going to be killed for it. Even if Napoleon and his followers found out about which animals were working behind their back on their own, they still would have been killed all the same. I don't see why they didn't at least attempt to hide it for the sake of living longer. In fact, what if the accusations were false? What if they admitted to doing things they never did? Perhaps they hated the farm so much, they would have been better off dead. Maybe they were trying to prove a point by standing up for what was right, or maybe they wanted to die along with the other animals that had died before them. Whatever the case may have been, I still feel like they could have done things in a different manner. All of those animals could have remained alive and worked together in an attempt to make a positive change on Animal Farm. The sad part is that the animals that survived know nothing of what they can do to fix the wrongdoing in their society, and cannot find the words to express their thoughts and feelings. However, their doubts of how the farm is being run get even more doubtful when their old anthem, The Beasts of England, is banned. This marks even more evolution in the foundation Animal Farm was built upon, and is almost a completely Communist-like society. I hope we will be able to find out why all those animals were willing to end their lives, if the accusations were true, and most of all, how the Animal Farm will fall (since by now we know this story is not going to end well at all).

Chapter 6 (by Kyle)

This chapter talks mostly about how hard the animals work in their society. I was absolutely astounded when I read that the animals had to work sixty hour weeks during all seven days of the week. What's worse is that the animals were as willing as they were, and it was because the pigs were brainwashing everyone into thinking they need to work this hard for independence from the humans. A good example of this would be Boxer the horse because he works harder than everyone else, and longer than everyone else for that matter. I also find it hard to believe that the pigs were able to convince the animals that rules that were thought to be in existence were not ever in existence. For example, the pigs had originally said that no one was aloud to sleep in a bed, but the pigs managed to convince everyone that the rule was always that no one could sleep in a bed without sheets. The pigs are really breaking their own rule that all animals are to be treated equally, because with all of the laws evolving so that the pigs are favored over every other animal is breaking that very commandment that there society was originally built upon. Because they are destroying the foundation, there will be nothing for their society to even be built on in the end, so it will all end up collapsing. Like they mentioned in the preface and the introduction, this story will end not happily at all, and I'm beginning to see why that may be. Another thing I think may cause issues later on is the fact that the animals are beginning to interact with the humans in the outside world. They are desperate for money so they can get the supplies they need for the windmill project, and the only way they can get that money is through the humans, so they begin to have a human solicitor sell the chicken's eggs for money to go towards the Animal Farm. I think what may end up happening will be that the pigs will attempt to use most of the money to benefit themselves later on in the novel, which will cause a lot of issues. I am also interested to see what other instances there will be where the pigs will be able to convince the animals of something that isn't true, like how they told them that Snowball was the one who destroyed the windmill project, when in fact it was a storm that destroyed it. They did this so that they could be sure that all of their threats are eliminated.

Chapter 5 (by Kyle)

This chapter left me in shock and with the desire to not put the book down. We see the Animal Farm go from having an aristocracy-like society with two main rulers to having an autocracy-like society with one main ruler due to the fact that Napoleon overthrows Snowball with his army of dogs. It is now clear that Napoleon will be the the antagonist in the remainder of this story once we think about the message Orwell is trying to send across to the reader about his opinion of the Soviet Union's government during the period this book was written. The fact that Napoleon was the one who would turn end up turning bad may have been surprising, but it does take us back to an example of possible foreshadowing that Vicki mentioned in one of her earlier posts. She did take notice to the fact that Napoleon was secretly raising the puppies he had taken away from the pregnant dogs and doing it without Snowball's knowledge of it. She did take this into account and was therefore able to predict what was going to happen later on, and I give her kudos for that. I think Napoleon is very much like a Lenin of some sort since he kind of led the Russian Revolution. Napoleon did end up using Snowball's windmill idea that they supposedly "disagreed on" and which led to Napoleon to get rid of Snowball, which made me realize how evil he truly is. I wonder if we will ever see Snowball again in the book even though he ran away. Could he act as a protagonist? If not him, then who will be the protagonist? Will there even have to be a protagonist? I always thought that if a story had an antagonist (like Napoleon), they would have to have a protagonist as well.

Chapter 4 (by Kyle)

In this chapter the first "war" breaks out between the animals of the Animal Farm and the humans, which happen to include Mr. Jones and a few other men from two other farms nearby. In the end, the humans lose, and there is only one casualty, which happens to be a sheep. I believe this is symbolism is a sense, because a sheep stands for peace and calmness. Because it is killed, I think that may represent the fact that the peace on the farm has come to an end. Another example of symbolism I picked up on involved the gun used in the Battle of the Cowshed by Mr. Jones. They decided that it would be shot twice, once on the day the Rebellion occurred and once on the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed. I think that each time the gun is shot will represent a time when the Animal Farm became less peaceful than they were before because the Rebellion and the Battle of the Cowshed both happened to be the most violent days in the society of the Animal Farm. Another big thing I picked up on was a Communist idea expressed in Animal Farm and that was propaganda. The birds act as messengers for the farm, going around to farms everywhere and telling the animals about the wonders of the Animal Farm. Propaganda is used to promote a society, and in many cases alters the truth. What the other animals are hearing is how great the farm is, when in reality, it is a disaster waiting to happen. More and more of the farms are wanting to be like the Animal Farm because of the fact they are promoting their own ideas.

Chapter 3 (by Kyle)

This chapter introduced a lot of problems that were beginning to form in the new Animal Farm society. Some of the animals form suspicion towards some of the other animals, such as the cat or the donkey; the cat always goes off to some unknown place during work time, but always returns for meals, meetings, etc, while the donkey doesn't seem to be giving his full support to the farm. Another issue the animals come into contact with involves different opinions forming. Snowball and Napoleon, who are essentially the two leaders of Animal Farm do a lot of debating and have growing differences regarding their society. As time goes on, I'm predicting this will become a serious conflict for the novel's plot because it will be hard for two completely different characters to be able to control one society when they have different opinions about how to deal with certain aspects of their society. Finally, another issue the animals face is how to deal with accomplishing things the way humans were able to accomplish them. Physically, the animals are not as able at doing things as the humans were, putting aside the fact that many of them are stronger. This forming conflict seems like it is the most manageable of all the conflicts so far because in many cases they have been able to come up with a solution quite easily. This chapter seemed to possibly have a lot of foreshadowing because it gives the reader a general idea of what aspects of the animals' society will pose a problem for the "citizens" later on in the novel. We will have to read on and find out if it actually is foreshadowing! As I read this chapter, I picked up on a lot of Communist ideas on the Animal Farm because of how there seems to be a great deal of revolution in a short amount of time. There seems to be one (in this case two) absolute ruler(s). And also it seems like the citizens of the Animal Farm are focusing their society on work, much like what the Soviet Union did when they were Communist. They also focued a lot on education, making sure that the animals were as smart as can be. And the biggest one I noticed was how the pigs took all of the apples and milk for themselves because they felt like because they were in charge of the farm, they were the most important and needed the food the most. By looking at what constitutes a society as Communist and by looking at the issues the Animal Farm is having so far, I think George Orwell did an excellent job at beginning to show the reader his negative opinion about Communism by displaying Communist ideas in a fictional society and showing the negative effects that result.

Chapter 5

Chapter five starts out with Mollie leaving Animal Farm in order to be taken care of and return to her normal way of life on another human farm. She is basically viewed as a disgrace and the book says distinctly that she was never mentioned by the other animals again. I think that was a pretty obvious, that Mollie would eventually get tired of having to do work, and that she would miss getting sugar cubes and ribbons in her hair. It makes sense, as she was really the only animal who did no work when Jones was still in control.
And like I believed it would, the rivalry between Napoleon and Snowball has grown more and more intense, as they fail to agree on anything, especially the new windmill idea that Snowball has introduced to the farm. When everyone seemed to be in favor of the windmill, Napoleon just makes a sound and these vicious dogs, which are revealed to be the same puppies that he took into isolation and taught by himself, end up running Snowball off the farm.
I KNEW this was going to happen! It just makes me really angry that Napoleon can come in and do something like that, but no one can really stop him without becoming afraid of those insane dogs. Napoleon is becoming like a dictator, as he is now the one in control of the pigs, who preside over the rest of the farm. He is protected by the dogs, who follow his every command. AND he actually decides to go along with the windmill idea, the rest of the pigs trying to pass it off to the other animals as originally Napoleon's idea.
Squealer keeps telling the animals lies and convincing them that without Napoleon, Jones would return and their lives would become terrible. This book really is infuriating, because it is so obvious that Napoleon is becoming more and more like a human dictator with every passing day, and there is virtually nothing the animals can do without fear of being slaughtered by those dogs! I think that now Snowball is gone, Napoleon has no opposition, and is going to really take over the farm and make it suitable to his tastes. I have a feeling that Napoleon is going to turn into a more Jones-like character, putting the animals to work on the windmill and maintaining his position as complete ruler. I really hope that Boxer or someone else will do something to stop Napoleon, or that Snowball could possibly make a return and take the farm back over.

Chapter 4

So during this chapter we learn that news of the farm has spread across to many different farms, inspiring upheavals everywhere by animals. The humans are getting very anxious and feel threatened by Animal Farm, and though they try to spread rumors of the farm having internal issues, none of them are believed. They decide to stage an attack on the farm with Jones, which Snowball has been preparing for. The animals prove to defeat the humans in what they call 'The Battle of Cowshed' and only one sheep is killed. Snowball is recognized for showing outstanding bravery in the battle, getting wounded but still charging ahead of all the others and fighting. Mollie is becoming more and more of an issue, for she hid during the fight, and Boxer shows regret when he believed that he had killed a stable boy, when really he was only stunned.
Right now the farm seems to still be prosperous and going strong, but once again, I think the pigs are gaining too much power. The fact that they have more education and abilities than the other animals could prove to be a large problem in the future. Also, Boxer overworking all the time is probably going to end up with him becoming ill, dying, or getting injured very soon, which could seriously hurt the progress of the farm. I also wonder if the rivalry between Snowball and Napoleon will get even worse.

Chapter 2 (by Kyle)

This chapter was very important because it set up the majority of the plot and established some important key points. Obviously the animals decide to take on the ideas of Major, who died, and use those ideas to essentially create a powerful society, which leads me to my first argument. The animals all see humans as the enemy, and because of this, their mini-society was created with anti-human ideas in mind; they burnt everything that reminded them of the evilness of man, they created seven commandments that were against human ways, etc. The fact of the matter is, they are doing very human things; they haved organized their society almost exactly like humans would. Like humans, the animals created basic guidelines which every animal must follow. In our world, we have laws that every single citizen is to live by. The animals have picked up on the English language, which again, is a human language. They even have what could be considered a national anthem, "The Beasts of England". The animals may have chosen not to follow what the human do, but rather, they chose to follow how they do things. This is a concept I believe is important to understand as we go along reading this novel. After all, how else would the animals create a society? They unknowingly picked up on human ideas over the years and have applied them to their lives. Another thing I have noticed as I read this chapter is how the plot and the characters in Animal Farm relate to the real live events and people involved in the Soviet Union during the time period it was written (1946). It seems like certain animals such as Snowball and Napoleon are taking complete charge over everyone else and what they do, just like what would happen in a Communist country like the Soviet Union where Joseph Stalin ruled. As I get farther into the novel, I plan on doing some more research on the Soviet Union during this time period in order to get a better idea of the historical background of Animal Farm so it will be easier to connect it with the story. That way, it will be easier for me to comprehend the points Orwell is trying to get across to readers in this novel. I think Major may represent some Russian Revolution figure such as Vladimir Lenin because he was the one who created the ideas that Napoleon and Snowball would later use to organize the Animal Farm. One last thing I want to know is what happened to the milk mentioned at the end of the chapter? I can't wait to read and find out!

Chapter 3 (continued)

I think that Napoleon keeping the young secluded from the rest of the farm with claims of educating them is just some sort of scheme. I have a feeling that he is subliminally educating them against Snowball somehow, and trying to form his own base of followers with which he will attempt to gain complete tyranny of the farm with. This might be a little out there, but I could see it happening. And the pigs just seem like they are getting too comfortable, and gaining too much control. I think that they are hypocrites, saying that every animal is equal, but then taking things for themselves and saying that without them, the farm could not exist the way it does. I think that they view themselves above the other animals, and that though they might not notice it, they are becoming more and more like farm owners. I believe that this will not end well, and that some sort of rebellion against the pigs could form sometime in the future.

Chapter 3

In this chapter, it was revealed that the milk was actually mixed into the pigs' mash. So even though Napoleon did not take it all for himself, he did reserve it only for the pigs, and not for any of the other animals that might want it.
The way the farm typically runs is described in this chapter. We learn that Boxer has been doing incredible amounts of work, and that even though most of the animals do their share, some of them, such as the Mollie, the cat, and the rats and mice are useless and do not participate. We also learn that the harvest was finished two days earlier than when Jones and his men were in control of the farm, and that this time it was a greater harvest because the entirety of the food was available to the animals, the ones who produced it. The general response to this is described in the quote, "The animals were as happy as they had never conceived it possible to be. Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure, now that it was truly their own food, produced by themselves and for themselves, not doled out by a grudging master. With the worthless parasitical human beings gone, there was more for everyone to eat."
The big thing in this chapter is how the pigs are seemingly growing more superior to the other animals. The pigs do no actual work, but instead run and organize the farm, delegating tasks to the others, attempting to teach other animals how to read and write, and trying to educate the young. They have also set aside the harness-room for themselves to become further educated in different things. It seems to be understood that because they are the most clever, the pigs should be the ones that are in charge of and responsible for organizing the others.
But it can be seen that they have various ways of manipulating the other animals. They use their intelligence as an excuse for control. They convinced everyone that the apples that are grown on the farm should be reserved solely for the pigs, as is the same for the milk, saying that it is necessary for their health, and without them the farm could not run smoothly, and Jones would return. Even though the animals assumed that the apples would be shared equally amongst everyone, they have no choice but to surrender the apples to the pigs for fear of Jones' return.
Also, the rivalry between Snowball and Napoleon seems to have begun, their constant debating over issues and never being able to agree could serve as a potential catalyst for conflict further down the line.

Chapter 2

At this point, the animals have succeeded (and rather quickly, I might add) in overthrowing Jones and the rest of his men on the farm and now have it all to themselves. They immediately destroyed everything the humans used to torture and control them, and decided a list of commandments that the animals would live by. Two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, with some help from Squealer, are leading Animal Farm, the title farm that they renamed themselves. It is also revealed that Snowball and Napoleon have been learning to read and write for the past three months, so this enables them to have a little more control over the rest of the animals early on.
Now to the part that really intrigued me. After the pigs milked the cows, there was all of that milk, which Napoleon said would be tended to after a day of harvest work was completed. He then sent all of the animals to begin working on the harvest, saying that he would follow in a few minutes. But then, as anyone could pretty much predict, the milk was gone when the animals returned in the evening. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that either Napoleon drank all of the milk right there on the spot, or he stored it somewhere for his own use later on, with no intention of telling the other animals of it's location.
At the beginning of the chapter, we learned that Napoleon had a reputation for getting his own way, and not much of a talker. We also learned that, though not possessing the same depth of character as Napoleon, Snowball was more lively and energetic, and more inventive than Napoleon. I'm predicting that these two will definitely experience some sort of rivalry later on in the plot, as their personalities seem to be quite different. I feel like Napoleon will attempt manipulate the other animals and run the farm in a way that benefits himself, but that Snowball will catch on to his antics and a conflict and/or rivalry will erupt between the two.

Chapter 1

First off, I really liked this chapter, it was pretty interesting. I liked how it jumped right in, no long introduction or back-story needed. Also, the writing is very good, not long and drawn out, but to the point, while still providing an accurate image of what is happening.
This farm seems to be full of overworked, unhappy animals. One of these animals is Major, the prize-winning pig that everyone respects and kind of considers the head honcho. He basically tells the other animals about this dream he had, where he envisions a world without man and the animals rule. He explains how man is evil, and backs up his argument quite well, using a lot of different points that make us humans seem genuinely evil. I really liked a few things that Major said, especially, "But no animal escapes the knife in the end." I just thought this was a very strong statement, and I loved how he addressed the harsh reality that everyone already knew but that no one would confront. He describes how man is the only creature that consumes without producing, how he takes all of what the animals produce for himself, and that without man, life would be easy and harmonious for the animals.
I only partly agree with Major. His argument is strong, and you can tell he has a deeply rooted hatred and resentment for humans. But I think that he sets his sights too high in terms of quality of life if the human race actually were to be overthrown. He states in his speech, "Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labor would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free." I thought this was very much overreaching, a dream held by an animal that has probably been abused, over worked, and underfed throughout his entire life. Yes, without humans there to force animals into performing labor and producing resources for themselves, animals could have a higher quality of life. But man started out the same way as animals, unorganized and in need of food and other essential resources. They created a government and organized things so that the animals fell at the bottom of the chain. If animals rose to power, who says that the same thing won't happen, animals trying to put each other at the end of that chain?
After reading the intro and preface, I have a pretty strong assumption that if the animals overthrow the human race, they will fall into the same pattern as the humans. But instead of one species controlling another, like with humans controlling the animals, it will be a battle of animal against animal, and there we will see what equality really means.

Chapter 1 (by Kyle)

The beginning of this novel actually intrigued me and got me interested in the plot. It really gives you an idea of how animals would be if they had the mental capabilities and the emotional feelings of a human being. I quickly noticed a major theme developing that the Introduction/Preface took note of. The first chapter had a lot to do with one of the animals on the farm, a pig named Major, telling the other farm animals of his belief that they were being treated extremely unfairly by Man. Major is considered the leader of the farm, and is very well respected. He is also very old and near death and would like to share his vision with his fellow farm animals before he is gone. He mentions how Man is the root of all evil, and how there was never a reason for Man to ever be in control over the animals. This is where the theme mentioned before the book comes in; that all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. Considering that these animals are mentally and emotionally similar to humans, one could say they are equal in that aspect. However, in this case, the humans have made themselves more equal than the animals, who happen to think and feel no different than any human. Animal Farm's introduction of this theme makes me wonder how the animals will deal with this issue, and if they will ever fulfill Major's dream of animals overruling the humans. And in this story's case, are animals and humans equal, or should the humans still have more power?

the preface & introduction

I read the preface and introduction not expecting much, because to be honest, I have never read a preface or introduction that has 'captured my interest' in any way. Thankfully I was somewhat surprised and not totally bored while reading the intro and the preface, and I actually got something out of both. Normally I either a) skip the intro all together or b) pretend to read it while actually staring at each page for a few minutes, reading the same line over and over again because of how boring it is. But this one was surprisingly interesting, and it had a lot of important information and not just opinions from the author or from the person writing. I liked how it gave us background information about the communism in Russia, and the Spanish conflict that had been going on that basically fueled Orwell's dislike of communism and how it led to him writing Animal Farm. Those are things that the reader should know about and take into consideration when approaching this book, because without that knowledge they can't fully admire it and understand its message, in my opinion. The foreshadowing about the plot and the how the book was going to end was interesting as well. When the introduction and preface both told us that the book was not going to end like a normal fairy story but end on a more depressing note, it made me want to read it more. The debating about whether the novel was really a fairy story also intrigued me, because normally people wouldn't consider a novel about oppressed animals rising up against humans, but then ending up opressing each other, a fairy story. But I liked the argument that was included. So I'm going into this story with some new knowledge on my hands:

1) This story is basically an allegory about the communism, fascism, and totalitarianism of the world wars

2) The two head animals supposedly resemble Trotsky and Stalin

3)The animals start out miserable under human control, but then end up miserable under each others control

These two pre-readings make me excited for the book and now I can't wait to start reading and figure out exactly how everything will play out. Hopefully it will help to give me a more in depth look at communism and government in general, and how things can easily be corrupted.

Pre-Reading: The Introduction (by Kyle)

The "Introduction" to the novel brought up a few good questions and themes of Animal Farm. It talks a lot about how the novel was released in the same month as when the atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and how the two were related, and not related for that matter. It expressed the power of the bomb as a weapon as compared to the pen (as in for writing) as a weapon. George Orwell was very much able to write a piece powerful enough to have as great of an impact on the world as perhaps, the atomic bombs would have. Both the bombs and the novel had similar, yet different targets, and both of them greatly impacted the world and are still talked about in today's age. The "Introduction" also talks quite a bit about a recurring theme in Orwell's novels, especially Animal Farm; that "every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or inderectly, against totalitarianism. (xviii)" and "their failure to protest against the world they lived in. (xix)" The purpose of this novel was for Orwell to protest against the world he lived in, which involved his disagreement with totalitarianism. The big question that the "Introduction" also asks is if Animal Farm is truly a fairy-story like the original subtitle suggests; after all, the book doesn't have a happy ending and it doesn't have any sort of magic in it (besides the talking animals). The "Introduction" suggests that it may not have many of the elements that fairy-stories do, however, it must have a few in order for it to be categorized in such a way.

Pre-Reading: The Preface (by Kyle)

Reading the "Preface" for Animal Farm really gave me, as a reader, great insight into the novel even though I haven't begun reading it yet. The book was written after author George Orwell witnessed what Russia's Soviet communism was doing to the country. Orwell felt that the world needed to know about the negative impact Russia was having, and he decided to portray his message through a group of fictional, talking farm characters. This brings me to the first literary element expressed throughout Animal Farm; the preface tells the reader that it is an allegory, which is essentially a historical events portrayed in a fictional story. Animal Farm is perhaps one of the greatest and most well-known allegorical tales of all time. The book is also a fable, which is a story genre that often includes talking animals and a moral that the reader learns from the characters' actions. The main theme that the preface talks about is the concept that, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Animal Farm will more than likely explore this belief a lot throughout the book. I believe the statement is true in a sense when you apply it to our world, because it is obvious that all humans are equal, because we are all humans and physically/mentally alike. On the other hand, some humans are treated more equally than others, and unfortunately, the majority of the human race is treated by one another as if they are not human, and therefore they aren't equals. The perfect example of this in history would be looking at the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis treated the Jews like they were vermin, even though they were humans just like themselves. Like Russia, which Animal Farm is based upon, Nazi Germany was very much a communist country, so the concept of some animals being more equal than others can be easily defended by historical proof in other communist countries. I believe Orwell used this theme as a way to express his strong disaproval of communism because the reasoning behind the theme can be backed up with historical evidence.