Entry 8

8. Entry of your choice…

George Orwell Biography

The British novelist and essayist George Orwell (1903-1950) is best known for his satirical novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-four. George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair at Motihari, Bengal, India. His father, Richard Walmesley Blair, was a minor customs official in the opium department of the Indian Civil Service. When George Orwell was four years old, his family returned to England where they settled at Henley, a village near London. His father soon returned to India. When Orwell was eight years old, he was sent to a private preparatory school in Sussex. He later claimed that his experiences there determined his views on the English class system. From there he went by scholarship to two private secondary schools: Wellington for one term and Eton for four and a half years. Orwell then joined the Indian Imperial Police, receiving his training in Burma, where he served from 1922 to 1927. While home on leave in England, Orwell made the important decision not to return to Burma. His resignation from the Indian Imperial Police became effective on Jan. 1, 1928. He had wanted to become a writer since his adolescence, and he had come to believe that the Imperial Police was in this respect an unsuitable profession. Later evidence also suggests that he had come to understand the imperialism which he was serving and had rejected it.

Entry 7

7. 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.

Animal Farm was the setting that I have found beautiful and memorable. It takes place at an unspecified time on a British farm near Willington, a town that is mentioned only in passing. The farm is first called Manor Farm, later renamed Animal Farm and, finally, Manor Farm once more. The farm lends a perfect rural, pastoral, and nostalgic backdrop for Old Major's dream. The animals planned to make a windmill for better living. The windmill if the grand project that Snowball proposes for supplying the farm with electricity. Napoleon adopts this project himself after he chases Snowball off the farm. The animals spend years building the windmill out of stone, and it is destroyed twice, but when they do eventually get it working it is used to thresh corn rather than to give them electricity.

Entry 6

6. 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 (p.81).”

This passage to me. I didn’t really understand this passage. I was wondering how could some animals are more equal than others? And like how animals are equal? What do you mean to be equal? Then I kind of understood it is equal by communism and democracy. This passage shows that everything is back to the beginning because by the goal for the animals to live without human.

Entry 5

5. What is the mood of this novel? Do you find this novel saddens you in any way? Why?

The mood varies from the comic to the tragic, with the overall mood being one of tension. The whole story is filled with irony and bitter sarcasm. In chapter two, the animals were very happy over the Rebellion because they just have made that they can’t believe it when it was over. In chapter tree, they were still happy in their work on Animal Farm even though it was hard because they made things successfully. If they felt unhappy, they wouldn’t work so hard (p. 17 "HOW THEY TOILED AND SWEATED to get hay in! But their efforts were rewarded, for the harvest was an even bigger success than they had hoped”). In chapter 7, the mood is pretty good even though the season was winter and they were starving because Squealer told the animals that they are free so they felt better. The animals have started the work again on the windmill. In chapter nine, the animals were hungry but when they listened to Squealer, who told them that they are getting more food than they got under Mr. Jones, they felt better. Many years passed by. The animals were dead and new ones were born. A lot of the past were forgotten (p.85 "Years passed...........and a number of the pigs."). The animals are having better now, because the farm was going very well. The animals felt upset and amazed because the pigs were walking out from the farmhouse on two legs. The story shows that everything is back to the beginning and it tells me that bad things are always following good things which are depressing and people get punishments for all bad things they have done. It also shows that people always end up with failing.

Entry 4

4. What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The climax is the day when all the animals will gather in the big barn to vote. The farm is divided into two factions at this stage, the “Vote for Snowball and the three-day week” faction, and the “Vote for Napoleon and the full manger” faction. Snowball has convinced his faction that the windmill will lead to increased leisure time for everybody, while Napoleon has convinced his faction that the distraction of the windmill will cause the animals to lose time on the harvest and starve. The sheep heckle Snowball as he explains his plans for the windmill, and why it will be good for the farm. Napoleon then rises and gives a very brief and curt address, advising everyone to vote against the windmill. Snowball then speaks again. He talks passionately and eloquently, and creates a vision of a mechanized farm with heat and light, with electrical threshers and ploughs and reapers, where the animals do little or no work, and all the labor is carried out by the electricity generated by the windmill. It is clear that Snowball will win the vote. Just then, Napoleon stands and emits a queer sound, a kind of whimper. At this signal, nine huge dogs, the dogs that Napoleon took away as puppies months before, rush into the barn and charge at Snowball. They chase him from the barn and off the farm. He is never seen again.

Entry 3

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?

All animals in the novel are the main character. My dislike animal is Benjamin, a donkey, who is the oldest animal on the farm, and the worst tempered. He is a sad cynic who believes that whatever the animals do, conditions on the farm will remain equally as bad. Although he usually refuses to read (one who reads the side of the truck that comes to take Boxer away and realizes it belongs to the horse slaughterer). In this novel, Benjamin is moved to action, but he was too late to save his friend. Benjamin represents the cynical intellectual who refuses to get involved in politics and so fails to affect meaningful change. I think Benjamin’s cynicism is much like George Orwell’s own attitude toward life.

Entry 2

2. Are there are 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 some current situations in the world that relate to the novel. The world is related to this book by power. People fall into corrupted government’s leading and the communist countries have turned toward to democracy. The author wrote the book to criticize the communism of Russia Rebellion and he blamed Soviet Union society. This story is also related to North Korea situation. The poor people in North Korea are having hard time to live. They are really poor that they can't eat proper meals. The president of North Korea, Kim Jung Ill, is commanding over North Korean people just like Napoleon. The quote, “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others,” is come from their greedy and selfish mind.

Entry 1

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

The themes are corruption of socialist ideals in the Soviet Union, the societal tendency toward class stratification, the danger of a naive working class, and the abuse of language as instrumental to the abuse of power. In Animal Farm, his allegory of the Soviet Revolution, author examines the use of language and the subversion of the meaning of words by showing how the powerful manipulate words for their own benefit. As a journalist, author knew the power of words to serve whichever side the writer backed. In the novel, Snowball is a quick talker who can always explain his way out of any situation. When the birds object to the maxim, "Four legs good, two legs bad," that the pig teaches the sheep, he explains that the bird's wing "is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulation. It should therefore be regarded as a leg." The birds do not really understand this explanation, but they accept it. The author particularly comments on the abuse of language with his character Squealer, "a brilliant talker," who acts as an unofficial head of propaganda for the pigs like Joseph Goebbels, whose bore the title of Nazi party minister of prop.

Questions & Entries

1. Entry) What is the major theme of this novel? Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?
The major theme of the book called, “Ender’s Game” is that Ender was going to Battle School and train and work to become a leader and protect other people from the 3rd invasion.The theme of the book called, “Ender’s Game” is that Albert Ender Wiggin became a world's most famous and talented kid, who was taken into "Battle School" to supply commanders for the coming Third Invasion even though he was very young. Andrew Ender Wiggin is an intelligent six-year-old main boy who was a third child which means it is very unusual and bad in the book. All family don't examine that third child is their family, but Ender's family cared him except his older brother, Peter. Peter is also brilliant, but not as Ender. Ender also had an older sister called Valentine. Valentine is as intelligent as Peter, but opposite of Peter. Another theme is that being third child. It tells us that don’t be despair and incertitude. Even though you are youngest, you are also lover to your family.

2. Entry) Are there are 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"?
Yes there were current situations in the world that relate to “Ender’s Game.” In the story of a book, Ender needed to respect to his family because they are older than him. It is similar to Korea that we need to show our respect to elders. If we don’t it means that we are acting very rude. Ender respected his older brother Peter even though he tease, kick, and annoyed Ender. To me if younger kids don’t respect me that might feel bad but I won’t kick or annoyed them. Sometimes my brother just calls my name which was okay. It didn’t made me really bad but my mom were scolded my brother. Many countries have their own countries’ respect but not an America. It made me comfortable and friendlier than Korea. The current situations could be resolved and fixed like changing their reverence.

3. Entry) 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?
Main Characters in the novel are Ender, Peter, and Valentine. I like Valentine because she had warm, tender, and really cares Ender even though he was third child. She didn’t discriminate like Peter. I hate Peter because he always annoys and acts bad things to Ender. If I am Peter I will take care Ender because I think I am similar to Valentine. My mom said I am good at taking care of my brother. If I have a brother like Peter, I wouldn’t endure. I feel sorry that Ender has a brother like Peter. The special about them is that they are all intelligent. I think Ender is the most genius because he is smart even though he is the youngest. They are all grown up already.

4. Entry) What is the climax of this novel? what happens? how do the events of this novel make you feel?
The climax of Ender's Game starts off with meeting of Mazer Rackham, the man who had won battles against the buggers. Mazer has stayed alive by keeping in a sort of hyperspace which only lets a few years go by inside the ship while the Earth ages many years. Ender learns lots of things about the buggers and how they only have drones and a queen like a bee hive. Ender was also told about a new weapon called Dr. Device which would hit a ship and spread apart the atoms, then do the same to something that was close. Ender is put in a room where he will play a new game with ships and he is the leader. After a while, he is introduced to people: Alai, Petra, Bean, Tom, Shen, Molo and Carn Carby, that he will be playing with. They were all his friends that he had met at Battle School. During many months these children under the command of Ender fought and won every battle. When Ender woke up one day he was told that the last game. When he got there, many people were at his room where he commanded everybody. The odds like in his last game at Battle School were totally unfair. However, in Battle School, Ender used the all attack at once in a bullet shaped form. He then deployed the Dr. Device on the bugger's home planet, which caused a chain reaction which destroyed the planet and all the bugger ships around the planet. Those events of this novel made me so excited.

5. Entry) What is the mood of this novel? Do you find this novel saddens you in any way? Why?

The mood of Enders game is quiet depressing and whole life of Ender is miserable. He does fight back his pain and tears, but there are many suffering through the event. This novel did sadden me at the end. I really felt sorry for Ender and the Buggers. Ender, who learns that the Buggers' previous killings of humans had rested on the mistaken notion that humans were not sentient, and once the Buggers realized their mistake, they resolved not to attack humans again Buggers apologized to Ender for attacking the Earth. That part was really heartbreaking.

6. Entry) 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.

“Sometimes lies are more dependable than the truth.” This passage is meaningful to me because when it makes me to realize when I was young. In “Ender’s Game,” the monitor lady smiled and said, “Andrew, I suppose by now you’re just absolutely sick of having that horrid monitor. Well, I have good news for you. That monitor is going to come out today. We’re going to take it right out, and it won’t hurt a bit.” Ender knew it was a lie. When it is going to hurt, adults always said it won’t. My mom is same as the monitor lady, ling to come down me. So my opinion is same as Ender that lies are more dependable than the truth.

7. Entry) 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.

The setting of a planet in Ender’s Game made me so sorrowful and memorable because it’s the place where Ender and bugger fought and realize it is their mistake. Ender finds a queen pupa, left behind for him to find a place for the buggers to live again. Ender can think to the queen, and sees that the buggers did not truly wish to fight the humans and feels their sorrow for all that happens. Ender decides to make it his mission to find a place for the buggers to live.

8. Entry) Your choice: Article
A book called, “Ender’s Game,” by Orson Scott Card, is the funniest book I ever read. Unlike many hard-core science fiction titles, this book is particularly appropriate for a younger audience, for its protagonist, Andrew Ender Wiggin, is just six years old at the novel's beginning and still a pre-teen at its end. Ender's parents have received a special dispensation to have a third child in spite of strict population control laws. His brilliant older siblings, Peter and Valentine, have each showed great promise, but each falls just short of having "the right stuff." The International Fleet (I.F.) believes that Ender may be the commander they need to lead great armies against invasion by alien "buggers." When Ender does exhibit the desired combination of compassion and cruelty, the I.F. takes him to the distant Battle School, where brilliant children are trained in military strategy and tactics. The centerpiece of their education is a simulated battle game at which Ender quickly excels, eventually becoming the youngest commander in history. Life at Battle School, especially these battle games, is richly described. Ender is portrayed as just a pawn in the larger game being played by the I.F., and readers will alternately sympathize with his exploitation and cheer when he is able to make friends in spite of the tremendous forces working to isolate and dehumanize him. The political and philosophical material at the novel's end may get too heavy for some readers, but for the most part, this novel will deservedly reach a new generation through this new edition. This book far outweighed my expectations. Not only is it a great sci-fi story, but also a disturbingly honest look at the human psyche. (by Juhie Kim)

Ender's Game