I posted my comments on
Daniel.C, Vincent Kim, Young Jo Byun (2 comments), Peter Kim, and Jason Chas's blog.
I could not find one more person, so I posted one more on Young Jo's blog.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Entry #1
My thoughts on Animal Farm
I enjoyed reading Animal Farm, because it was fun to compare the character in the story and the real character. I felt scary reading this novel, because there might be some dictators like Napoleon in this world. Napoleon and Snowball in the story were very interesting pigs. Both pigs had leadership and had more abillity than other animals. It was interesting to see them trying to persuade animals as if they are humans (election).
Napoleon's dictatorship was just like any other human dictators in the world. He used his power for himself, and he exiled animals that goes against his words. He knew how to force other animals around. Although he was not smart enough to use his power to good purposes it was fun to watch a pig rulling other animals.
Snowball was a very smart character, however he did not have enough power to fight back. He knew how to use human knowledge for themselves, and he was the one who knew what to do for their future. It was also fun to watch a cute and smart pig trying to make a windmill.
Animal Farm was a very good allegory novel to read. Although it made me feel scary about pigs, I think it was more effective than just a novel about a human dictator. Pig dictator will be stay in my memory longer than human dictator.
Entry #2
Are there are any current situations in the world that relate to thenovel? What are they, and how do they relate? Does the novel shed anylight on how current situations could be resolved or “fixed”?
In animal farm, an animal dictator(Napoleon) uses power for his own benefit. He tries to follow what he tried to get rid of in the beginning. Other animals suffer, but they think they are happy, because they think that they got freedom.
In this world many stories like this are always happening. For example, North Koreans think that they are happy and they think they are living a fair life even though they are starving. Howver, the reality is diffefrent. While North Koreans are frozen to death, Kim Jung ill is spending his holidays in his villa in Phuket. We see this always happening in the news; foreign workers working without proper payment or people selling children as slaves.
Animal Farm's ending made me more scary, because the problem was not solve. Napoleon did not die or he did not lose his power, but became stronger. The problem does not seem to have a solution. Since animals have no power to revolt against Napoleon.
This story was originally written to criticize Soviet Union's communism, and Stalin's dictatorship.
So this novel was originally connected with situation of this world at that time.
So this novel was originally connected with situation of this world at that time.
Entry #3
Climax
Climax in Animal Farm is when Snowball gets kicked out of the farm by force. Napoleon attacks Snowball without telling anyone, and Snowball, at his speech about his windmill, has to run away for his life.
Snowball was always logical and fair, so animals always had a fair work time. However, when snowbal was gone, Napoleon had made animals over work. Napoleon always made sure that everyone has no complains by his power. His dogs were always with him, escorting him from harm. And snowball, who had was a very intelligent pig, was a big rival to him. So Napoleon uses his trained dogs to attack snowball, who can be harmful in the process of becoming a leader.
Napoleon argues that this was something that he had to go through, because Snowball was a traitor. However, in reality, snowball was the pig who tried to make rules for all the animals in the farm. As a evidence, Napoleon slowly chages rules for himself, telling animals that its required.
Snowball's exile did not sadden anyone in animal farm because Napoleon made it clear that Snow ball was a traitor. However, after Snoballs exile, the farms heads to a very dark future, because Napoleon has become a dictator of the farm
Entry #4
Mood
Animal farm is a very short novel, however, the change in mood through out the story is so great. In the beginning, the mood is uprising. With major's persuasion, animals' moods are very hyper. Then, their rebellion begins. The mood is at the peak, at this point of time.
When snowball and Napoleon idea does not match, the mood is just like a bomb ready to explode. Then when snowball runs away, chased by Napoleon, the mood is hyper and shocking again.When snowball runs away, Napoleon asks other animals to build the windmill again. The animals are curious, and the mood is ironic.Then the mood gets gloomy, because of Napoleon's rules.
Animals are suffering out of hard work, and Napoleon's greed is getting higher and higher. Whenever animals are starving to death, Napoleon's lies make them feel great while their hard work. Animals are being used, but the mood is happy again because the windmill is fininshed. In the last scene the mood is sad.
I think the animals realizes what Napoleon's been doing. Their leaders are playing and acting just like a human. This part saddens me because, it's too late for animals to realize the originality of Napoleon, since Napoleon's power grew so great now.
Entry #5
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?
Major: He is not a main character, but he started this revolution, so he is a very important character in this novel. He was old and wise enough to get animals' attention and tell animals basic rules. Even though he dies first, he planted this idea in animals' brain; humans made animals miserble.
I did not like this character, because he chose the whole animals' future just by his dream. He
was not responsible with this idea, and did not even know what would happen.
He represents Lenin in Russia, who first brought communism. Communism was succesful in the beginning, until Lenin's death.
Snowball: He is the smart leader of animals. He knew that animals needed to learn human technmology to develop their farm, and he always had a solution to a problem. Although he was not strong enough to defend his power against Napoleon, but his ideas were always logical unlike Napoleon. He was a smart pig, but he falls to Napoleon's trap, and gets kicked out of the from the farm.
I like this character, because he at least tried to make the life better for animals. Unlike Napoleon what he tried to do was all for animals, and he did not fear to fight at the front in the war between Mr.Jones.
Snowball represents in Russia, who started with Stalin in the beginning, but he gets kicked out by stalin
Napoleon: He is the violent leader who starts the rebellion with snowball. He follows the rule that Lenin started, but as time went, he changed. He kicked Snowball out, because snowball was a strong rival to him, and he changed rules secretly from other animals.
At the end of the story, he acts like human and becomes friend with human.
I hate this character because I think he is the true traitor of animal farm. He was the leader for the whole farm, but he only made good rules for pigs, and became acted like a human, which is totally against their rule. He broke up the purpose of animals' revolution, and he just used animals as workers, forcing them with his power
Napoleon represents stalin, who was the communist leader in Soviet Union. He use Lenin's idea of politics, but he added violence in it.
Major: He is not a main character, but he started this revolution, so he is a very important character in this novel. He was old and wise enough to get animals' attention and tell animals basic rules. Even though he dies first, he planted this idea in animals' brain; humans made animals miserble.
I did not like this character, because he chose the whole animals' future just by his dream. He
was not responsible with this idea, and did not even know what would happen.
He represents Lenin in Russia, who first brought communism. Communism was succesful in the beginning, until Lenin's death.
Snowball: He is the smart leader of animals. He knew that animals needed to learn human technmology to develop their farm, and he always had a solution to a problem. Although he was not strong enough to defend his power against Napoleon, but his ideas were always logical unlike Napoleon. He was a smart pig, but he falls to Napoleon's trap, and gets kicked out of the from the farm.
I like this character, because he at least tried to make the life better for animals. Unlike Napoleon what he tried to do was all for animals, and he did not fear to fight at the front in the war between Mr.Jones.
Snowball represents in Russia, who started with Stalin in the beginning, but he gets kicked out by stalin
Napoleon: He is the violent leader who starts the rebellion with snowball. He follows the rule that Lenin started, but as time went, he changed. He kicked Snowball out, because snowball was a strong rival to him, and he changed rules secretly from other animals.
At the end of the story, he acts like human and becomes friend with human.
I hate this character because I think he is the true traitor of animal farm. He was the leader for the whole farm, but he only made good rules for pigs, and became acted like a human, which is totally against their rule. He broke up the purpose of animals' revolution, and he just used animals as workers, forcing them with his power
Napoleon represents stalin, who was the communist leader in Soviet Union. He use Lenin's idea of politics, but he added violence in it.
Entry #6
Most disturbing scene in the story
The first scene that was most disturbing was when Mr. Jones got kicked out of “his” farm. Mr. Jones was those animals master, and angry animals just kicked him out. Of course in this first rebellion, animals were lucky. I thought this would end soon.
However, at the second fight between Mr. Jones, animals fight as hard as they could and protected their farm and themselves.
As a human being, this scene really disturbed me a lot. I know that this novel is a fiction and I know that pigs also represent humans in real life, but still it was disturbing to see animals’ tactics beating up humans’ technology .
The last scene I hated the most was the last scene of the story, where Mr.Philkington and Napoleon tries to persuade other animals. In the beginning, animals revolution started under the slogan of “all the human related activities are bad”, but in this last scene, Napoleon is now a friend of a human and he plays like a human. To other animals, this looks weird, because Napoleon is supposed to lead them to fight against those humans, but now his behavior and everything looks like a human. This scene was disturbing because I felt sorry for other animals that were believing in Napoleon. When Napoleon’s power is un beatable, animals realize that he is no different from Mr. Jones.
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