5

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.
“ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL. BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.” Page 81
I thought this quote was very significant and outstanding out of other passages from the Animal Farm because it achieves the greatest irony in this novella. This was one of the seven commandments, initially being “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL.” The pigs have added a detail to this commandment to justify their actions of the following: pigs carrying whips, pigs installing a telephone, pigs wearing clothes, and pigs standing with two feet. I think this was an irony Eric Blaire was trying to gradually portray. Readers were able to predict this was going to happen as the pigs started editing the seven commandments and becoming like human beings. When I first read this quote, like I read other edited commandments, I burst into laughter because some animals being more “equal” tells me that some animals are more important than other animals, which break the law of equality. This quote, therefore, tells me that equality was not achieved at the end even through the hard labors and rebellion against human beings. Hence, I thought this quote was inspiring.

3

Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?
The main characters in this novella are the pigs, specifically Napoleon. Napoleon is one of the wisest pigs in the farm. Since knowledge equals power, he also gained the most power since the rebellion. I do not personally like the character of Napoleon; however, I do think that he is hilarious in times where he gradually becomes like a human. He is the leader of the Animal Farm. The reasons are because he is self-centered, greedy, and a dictator. Since he has the most power, he uses it only for his own goods. He manipulates the animals and do not care what happens to them. In the novella, he sells Boxer, the most loyal and hard-working horse just because he’s old, so that he could buy whiskey for his own pleasure. I thought this part of the novella was extremely crucial because Napoleon sold his own “comrade” just because he’s no use anymore. Napoleon ultimately expresses a universal human experience by displaying his greediness. Like humans doing anything to get what they desire, Napoleon even sold his comrade to have a little pleasure. Also, in times when the seven commandments are inconvenient for him to live, he slightly manipulates it to make it fit himself. Like this situation, humans always change rules so that it is more convenient. Therefore, Napoleon reveals greediness of the universal human experience.

2

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

There are current situations like this rebellion against the upper class in the Animal Farm. For example, Africa is struggling of the rebellion of the RUF and the government right now. They relate to the Animal Farm because like the smart pigs in the novella, the older and wiser men in Africa are in control of the RUF. Also, the less wise, the other animals are like children soldiers in Africa. As they are brainwashed to believe that their leaders are always right, consequently being ignorant of the actual situations and reasons they are fighting for. The novella introduces Boxer as an example of a worker who ignorantly believes in his leader until his death. Also, the reasons for both rebellions are equality in oneself. In the novella, the situation, however, does not resolve at the end. Instead, the situation only gets worse by the animals working harder with less income. I think it kind of tells the Africans that rebellion will not work at the end because even when the rebellion ends up victoriously, another greedy “leader” will come upon and take the seat of a dictator. Hence, the African rebellious people must find a different way to approach to acquire their equality, rather than using force.
In my opinion, I think they should gain knowledge and educate themselves to fight against the government because as it is showed in the novella, the dumb animals cannot do anything without the pigs because they are not smart enough to take care of themselves. However, if they had knowledge and their natural strengths, they wouldn’t have ended up in a worse condition than before. Therefore, I think the Africans should learn in order to gain what they desire of.

1

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

The major theme in this novella, in my opinion, is that knowledge brings equality and control over the ignorance. Throughout the novella, only the pigs, who are the most intelligent have control over everyone else. Among the pigs, Napoleon exemplifies greatly a smart and witty leader manipulating all the other animals with the help of Squealer. Napoleon shows this manipulation by consistently changing the seven commandments to his own benefits. For example, when he starts sleeping in a bed, he changed the commandment to "All animals shall not sleep in beds with sheets." The other animals, not being able to understand any of the strange behaviors of the pigs, simply agrees to Squealer, who justifies every action Napoleon makes. Therefore, knowledge bringing power to oneself is one of the major themes in the novella, Animal Farm.This theme is extraordinarily important and relevant to a teenager living in 2007 because this theme shows that people must aquire knowledge to gain social status and control over others. It is relevant because this shows that having knowledge and understanding situations is the key to success, as success is known as the ultimate "goal" of every human being's life. Consequently, the theme I have explained is crucial to a teenager living in 2007.