Animal Farm: Q8

• Put entry of your choice.

After reading “Animal Farm”

When I just grabbed this book, the thickness of the book drew my attention. I had only three weeks to finish my book and my ‘bloggings’, which I thought that this book would be perfect for it. As I was reading through the novel, I found it very funny of what the animals thought of the humans. I will have to say that I was disappointed by the animals, but I was more disappointed to the humans. This novel has two leaders: the human leader and the animal leader. They all lack successful skills to become the right leader.

First of all, the human leader, Mr. Jones, could’ve been more responsible for what he was doing and what he was supposed to do. If he was just more cautious about the security of the farm, he wouldn’t have lost everything. One of the themes of this novel is that irresponsible acts bring to ‘lost of success’. If Mr. Jones had the right amount of dictatorship, not too little but not too much, since he was the one ruling over them, this Manor Farm would’ve worked peacefully. However, this incautious act of human lead to the lost of everything.

Secondly, the animal leader, Napoleon also lost his “people”, even though the windmill was built and everything looked successful. The dictatorship later disappointed the animals and brought them to have rebellious minds. The main reason that brought Napoleon into extreme selfishness and failure was because of his over-powered dictatorship. He only thought of himself and was self-centered about everything he decided. If he was more democratic and thought more about the society he was responsible for, I surely guarantee the readers that the animals would’ve taken over the human possession.

This book gives some advices that leaders that would lead the world next generation should be aware of these things, because this is a human nature that we were innately born with it. By reading this novel, I started thinking more about the “right and wrong” leadership. I think this is a very good book, using symbolism, trying to reveal the wrongness of leadership these days.

Animal Farm: Q7

• 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.

I found the part where human and animals fight very disturbing. Usually when we think of farms, we could picture it as a peaceful and serene piece. However, when the animals decided to start the “Rebellion” and defeat the farmer, Mr. Jones, the violent acts of the animals just spoiled the whole scene of the tranquil and peaceful farm. I think everybody has the violence inside themselves, and when the rebellious and insubordinate feeling comes to our mind, that violence actually comes to the act. I thought that the violent and bloody behaviors of the animals didn’t harmonize with the background scene. The first novel that I read also didn’t match the background with what they were acting like. These kind of dystopia-related novels all have dark and negative side, reversing to the settings, whether it is beautiful or not.

The part where the animals gathered together to listen for Old Major’s speech was memorable, too. They all came to the assembly, gathered around with each of them in the finest position they could feel, and listened to what the older one said. Gathering around together represent a ‘group’ and harmony of the people, enabling to be one as a team. It reminded me of my family gathering during prayer time; each of us thinking and caring for others so much that we just can’t express it fully. It always looks to peaceful to gather around and listen to one certain person. Just picture it: animals listening quietly to the speech of their old ones. Isn’t it just so peaceful and relaxing by just picturing it in your mind? Discussing together also amazed me, because it’s so beautiful, even though it later leads to the democratic world.

Animal Farm: Q6

• Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you.


• Why is this passage meaningful?


• Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.
  

“For once Benjamin consented to break his rule, and he read out to her what was written on the wall. There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. It ran:
ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS” (Animal Farm, Chapter X, pg.147).

This is almost at the last part of the novel, where the ‘resolution’ of the novel happens. It’s describing the discrimination of animals themselves and what is it like to have more power than others. This passage is very meaningful to me, because it is well related to the human rights. There are many human discriminations going on these days. For example, White people (I’m not going against the White people, but…) discriminated the Black people in the 80’s and early 90’s. This is a very daring and presuming thing to do to God, because it’s insulting God’s special creation. God made us to be equal and have all of the rights to enjoy His creation of this beautiful earth. In the novel, while all of the other animals were suffering and tired of building the Windmill, the pigs-who first made the rule of “Four legs good, Two legs bad”-were enjoying their mealtime in the house, in the kitchen. They think that they are higher than the rest of the animals just because of the intelligence they have.

This relates to the theme again that over dictatorship can make our self grow more to the sinful and self-centered nature of our selves. Sometimes even I unconsciously act like I’m ignoring someone, or looking down at them when I’m feeling like I’m better than that person. However, we all should be reminded every time that all human are equal, and we all are special in God’s eyes.

Animal Farm: Q5

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

The mood of this novel is very opinionated, intense, and strict. The novel starts out with Mr. Jones, the owner of the Manor Farm, being careless about the security of the farm. Old Major, the old pig who had a severe speech about rebellion, begins to convince the animals about the plan of rebelling. The speech was very opinionating and fierce about the plan. By the first taste of the novel, I could feel that this novel is going to be about two opinions, fighting over the power and authority. Even though they made strict rules to follow and started off intensely, later on, the rules didn’t seem like it mattered because of the change the pigs made for their benefit. The reason why I thought that this is a strict-toned novel is because this novel was all about being under one’s control and power. Having the ‘Seven Commandments’ also symbolizes the holding of society between the animals. When Napoleon orders them to make the windmill, even though he doesn’t do it, Napoleon makes harsh commands that eventually bring to failure of no food and destruction of windmill.

These made me think that rule is not the only thing to hold us as a society. In the novel that I read for my first book, I just thought that rules are the ones that hold us as a society and bring us together. However, by reading this novel, I felt that rule is important, but the value we have in each other and our cooperative minds bring us together. I think the reason why the animals couldn’t make a good society even with the rules was because they were too simple-minded. They were dragged off to Napoleon’s idea and thinking that the failure of Napoleon itself brought the whole society to become ruined.

Animal Farm: Q4

• What is the climax of this novel? What happens?

It was really hard to find the climax of this novel, because every part of the novel was so exciting and surprising. The climax of this novel is in Chapter 5, where Napoleon orders the dogs to attack Snowball. Snowball, who was worshiped by the animals for making the Windmill plans, was chased by the dogs and barely maintained his life. On the assembly, where Snowball was going make a speech to announce that the plan is completed and the works has to be started, the dogs came from somewhere after Napoleon’s little sign, and started chasing after Snowball. It was so obvious that Napoleon had ordered them, because for one reason, there were increasingly lots of disagreements growing between them, and for another, the dogs were the ones who were especially trained by Napoleon since they were young. Without Snowball, Napoleon gained too much power and had dictatorship over the animals that the story ends with showing shameful destruction of the leadership.

• How do the events of this novel make you feel?

This event made me so surprised of the fact that they do such things because of the ambition of gaining power. It was so disappointing to see that even people nowadays try everything, regardless of the rules and society, to just gain that power. I think all humans have the self-centered mind, and we never can stop looking for our own benefit unless we are like Jesus, which we never can. Even though we try to avoid the temptation of gaining power, we can’t ignore the innate nature in our heart. Since this is a ‘fact’ that we have to admit, we should just straighten up our minds and look for the big picture of something.

Animal Farm: Q3

• 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 pigs-Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer, are the main characters in this novel. When the Rebellion first started, they were collaborating with the opinions and united in one. They were equally in power over the animals, just because of the reason that they are more intelligent than others. However, they fall into a great failure, when they start to divide by different opinions.

Napoleon: He is the worst character, and is the one who accuses others for his own good. He is cruel and evil with the ambition of gaining the power and eventually, he does, when most of the opinionated animals are dead. As we compare him to the Russian Revolution, Napoleon is Joseph Stalin, who tries to gain the highest power with military forces and cruelness. I am so against the people like Stalin or Napoleon, because they are just so self-seeking. They live for themselves, and rely on themselves too much. They reveal the evil greediness that all humans have.

Snowball: Snowball is the main opponent of Napoleon. He is like Leon Trotsky in the Russian Revolution, who is intelligent and supportive with his opinion. The reason why Snowball is my best character is because Snowball is a socialist. He works for the good of others, and even though he never got the highest power, I could anticipate that he would’ve made a better society. Even though he was the most intelligent one, he didn’t force himself to gain the highest power, because he knew that it didn’t really matter when they are all one. He reveals the innocent enthusiasm, only for the good of the society.

Squealer: Squealer is the one who works as the ‘loyal secretary’ of Napoleon. Even though he knows that Napoleon’s decision is not always right, he tries his best to persuade others. If we compare this novel as the world right now, he is one of those people who bribes and tries to live for the benefit of its own self. Squealer reveals the empty minds humans have, trying to look good in front of the higher people (even though they don’t really mean it) and gather things for their own benefit.

Animal Farm: Q2

• 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"?

The current situation in the world that relates to the novel is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is commonly known as North Korea. The reason why I emphasized the original, long name of the country was to show that the word ‘democratic’ is included. Animal Farm is a novel about fighting over the power and one character having dictatorship more than they need to. President Kim Jung Ill is like Napoleon, who has extreme dictatorship over the people they rule. Napoleon was living an abundant life while all of the other pigs were working for the Windmill, which generally was working for the pigs.

President Kim Jung Ill is known as a dictatorial leader, criticized by world governments and international NGOs for human rights abuses carried out under his rule. North Korea is also widely known as the production of nuclear weapons, which in the novel we can relate to the Windmill. There are also problems like deficiency of food, murdering babies, and gross violations of human rights when the government is only focusing on their good and their benefit. President Kim Jung Ill sets the first priority as himself and the nuclear weapons, not his people. These dictatorships eventually fall into failure, in both of the situations: the novel and in North Korea. The novel is vaguely giving the solution of these problems. Since it is saying that over-powered dictatorships eventually fall into failure, we should have a democratic system, considering of people’s opinions. Of course, the decision is made by the ‘leader’, but in able to make a government where everybody harmonizes and live peacefully, considering other’s opinions are necessary.

For my first book, Lord of the Flies, I also related the current situation to the war that separated Korea. I think the reason why this question always makes me think of the situation in Korea first is because all Koreans have the sorrow of one nation being divided into two. Dystopia-related books all have one common thing, coming to a failure. I think this is a consideration or a warning to the leaders living in 2007.

Animal Farm: Q1

• What is the major theme of this novel?

Nobody in this world would hate ‘power’. We all admire power, and people in this world nowadays worship the powerful ones. The theme of this novel much relates to power. Power can lead us to nowhere. Once we have it, we can’t let it go, because of the greediness that all human nature have. Even though people with power tend to go to the right path, they sometimes lose their ideals and relay too much on their power, because it’s the temptation of dictatorship that we all have. In the novel, Napoleon, the leader of the Animal Farm takes over and has dictatorship over the animals. First, it seemed like everything was better than they were when human were in charge, but later on, the pigs turn out to be worse than the humans. Eventually, they get to the point where the animals worship the pigs and work for them. The use of power in Napoleon’s situation was the worst, because Napoleon was too concentrating on the little detail, the windmill, that he couldn’t care about the whole society. The major theme in this novel is that power will eventually contaminate our minds, our values toward the society, and our ideals, because of the endless cupidity and greed we have in our inner side. Unless we put our first priority to God the most High, we all are to be declining toward the selfishness of our selves.

• Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

Teenagers living in 2007 are the ones who would lead this world in the next generation. The reason why this theme is so important to them is because we might fall into the same situation as the novel. They should realize that the ambition of self-seeking will eventually lead us to failure, because that’s how all human nature react to. We shouldn’t deny the fact that we have endless greed in our heart, but we should try to think about how to overcome this difficulties and mistakes that our ancestors made.