comments

1 on jane kim
3 on daniel chang

Entry #5

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.

There was one setting in the novel that I found beautiful. It was the farm. I chose the farm for two reasons.

I chose the farm as a beautiful setting because of three reasons. When I think about a farm, I think of hills, dogs chasing each other, and animals. I mentioned hills because when I was young I always rolled down them and had a very nice time. I wrote dogs chasing each other because it reminds me of how happy life can be. When dogs chase each other, I always tend to think that they have no worries. The third thing I mentioned was animals. I mentioned animals because I love to play with animals. If there weren't animals in a farm I don't think it would have been as beautiful as it is.

My second and last reason I chose the farm was because it seemed peaceful. I think if I go to a farm, I forget everything that happened that day. It is just so peaceful to lie down on a hill and look at the animals. It is also just so refreshing to lie down on the hills and sleep with a weak but cool breeze. Just going to a farm is peaceful because you are away from everything else. There is nothing to bother you.

Entry #4

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

The major theme in this novel is that knowledge brings equality and control over the ignorance. Throughout the novel, the pigs who are the most intelligent, have control over other animals. Among the pigs, Napoleon was the smart leader that manipulated all the other animals with the help of Squealer. Napoleon shows this manipulation by consistently changing the seven laws 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 agree to Squealer, who justifies every action Napoleon makes. Therefore, knowledge bringing power to oneself is one of the major themes in the novel.


This theme is extraordinarily important and relevant to a teenager living in 2007 because this shows that having knowledge and understanding is the key to success. I mean success as in the ultimate "goal" of every human being's life. For example, one goal is money. To make money you have to be smart. The reason is because if you are smart, you will go to a good college. Then, there is a high possibility that you will get a good job. Just like this example, having a lot of knowledge leads to your goal.

Entry #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? There are four main characters in the novel. They are Snowball, Napoleon, Old Major, and Boxer.

Out of these four characters, I only like one. The one and only character I like is Boxer. Boxer was the horse whose incredible strength, dedication, and loyalty play a key role in Animal Farm. He helped build the windmill. Boxer was quick to help but stupid. He shows much devotion to Animal Farm’s ideals but lacks the ability to think about them independently. He ignorantly trusts the pigs to make all his decisions for him. Even though Boxer was a bit stupid, I liked how he kept on working hard, especially his mottoes that was “I will work harder.”

I hate the other three characters because they are like the "villains" in this novel. Out of those three, I hate Napoleon the most.

There is one reason I hate Napoleon. The reason is because of his trickery. He tricks all the other animals. First of all, he changes the seven commandments every single time for his own benefit. In the beginning, when the commandments were made, animals weren't allowed to sleep on human beds. Then later Napoleon starts sleeping in beds. He then changes the commandment to "All animals shall not sleep in beds with sheets." The second trickery he does is about the supply of food. He says that he will take care of it but the pigs and he eat it all. Napoleon gives the other animals very little food. Third and lastly, he betrays the other farm animals. When the commandments were made, there was a commandment that said “Four legs good, two legs bad.” This made all the farm animals safe, but later Napoleon became friends with humans and changed the commandment to “Four legs good, two legs better!"
Overall, I hate Napoleon because of his trickery.

There is one reason why I hate Old Major. The reason is that he gave false hope. He gave the animals hope that they would be free. He was wrong. This led the animals to misery. This made them lose trust. The reason is because of Old Major, only the pigs became treated fairly by humans. The other animals were treated the same way they were in the beginning.

I also hate Snowball because of his greed. He was like a miniature Napoleon. He tried to gain more power than Napoleon but failed. He should had controlled his greediness and stayed under Napoleon. It would have been better than being chased of Animal Farm by the dogs Napoleon raised.

These characters reveal that there are many people out in the world that are greedy, give false hope, untrustworthy, and hard working.

Entry #6

What was the reason of the rebellion? Who caused it? Do you think it was a good idea?

The reason for the rebellion was because of equality. Old Major (the boar) mentions that the animals are not treated equally. He talks about how they weren't being treated equally. Major talks about how the animals were being the slaves of the humans. He also talks about how he had a dream. He dreamed of a world without the humans. Life for the animals would have been without tyranny. The animals would be well fed, happy, and treated well. Major then starts trying to persuade them saying that four legs are good and two legs are bad. Then the animals are finally persuaded. They rebel with surprise and Mr. Jones is kicked out of the farm.

The animal that caused this rebellion was a boar. The boar's name was Old Major.

I don't think this rebellion was a good idea. The reason is because the animals weren't prepared for it. Out of all the animals, Boxer was the only one prepared. The animals were just like African colonies. They couldn't think for themselves. They always listened to the pigs.

Entry #2

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
When I first read this quote, I was surprised at how strong and powerful it was. I just kept on repeating the quote in my head. This was the first quote that made me want feel really impressed at the writer. This quote was meaningful to me because it talks about equality. I was always curious why people don't treat other ethnics equally. This quote explains why. Different ethnics believe that other ethnics are not as equal as them.

This quote was meaningful in the book for one reason. The reason is because this quote 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. There was a sudden change in the book after this. The animals' hope was to become equal with the human beings. But after this quote you can tell what is going to happen after the pigs start editing the seven commandments. The pigs would be the only ones that are equal with the humans. When I first read this quote, I felt really sorry for the other animals. The reason was because some animals being more “equal” means that some animals are more important than other animals. This breaks 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.

Entry #1

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

The climax of this novel is when Napoleon kicks Snowball off the farm with his the dogs that he raised and declares that the power to make decisions for the farm will be made by the pigs only. Napoleon kicked Snowball off the farm because Napoleon feared that Snowball will become the leader instead of him.

Throughout the events in the novel, I felt special, annoyed, and confused

The event from this novel that made me feel very special was when the pigs mistreat other animals. This part of the novel indirectly talks about racism. This is a topic that I am really interested and wish it would stop. One example is that the pigs are like white people while the other animals are black. This may be changed though. It depends on where you live. For example, if a white is living in a black society, the blacks would be the pigs. I felt special throughout this part of the novel because no one is really racist in our school.

The event in the novel that made me feel annoyed was when the windmill, that the animals were making, is always broken down by something. The part of this event made me annoyed because the animals were working really hard to fix it but it was broken down again.

The selfishness of the pigs also made me annoyed. I can't believe how someone can be so unfair. I also learned, after reading the book, that the pigs were imitations of actual people living during the Russian Revolution.

The event in the novel that made me confused was the conclusion. I didn't understand the conclusion. It said that the animals couldn't tell the difference between the pigs and the people. Is this talking about the phisical appearance or mental appearance? For example, is this talking about how the pigs dressed up as human beings so it was hard to tell the difference or the pigs act like human beings so they can't tell the difference.

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 are meaningful to you.

Yes there is one setting for each category.

The setting in the novel that was found to be beautiful to me was space. As Ender goes to battle school, he goes through space. I think space would be wonderful. There is barely any pollution. You can see galaxies, stars, and other planets clearly and lively. You can even see the planet that you live on. Earth. Space is meaningful to me because it is the only place where it will be silent. You are away from everything else.

The setting that was disturbing was the planet of the buggers. Just imagining a lot of aliens living on a planet would be disgusting and nasty. The imagination of buggers surrounding the planet would be extremely scary. Imagine yourself in a place that is black with spots of light and you are surrounded by a lot of weird looking creatures. Creatures that want to kill you. Creatures that tried to destroy your planet. This setting is not at all meaningful to me. Who would think a place where you enemies are as meaningful?

The setting that was most memorable to me was just like the beautiful setting. Space. The reasons are the same. Space is the only place where you can see galaxies, stars, and other planets clearly. You can even see the place where you live. Earth. Space is meaningful to me just like I said above. It is silent and you are away from everything else. Away from your worries and everything that was a bad influence to you.

What is the mood of this novel? Does it sadden you in any way? How?

The mood of the novel is usually sadness. The reason is because Ender is separated away from his family at a young age. He couldn't even meet his parents after going to battle school. The only person he met was Valentine, his sister. My second reason is because Ender was forced to do many things he wasn't supposed to do. For example, he fought with a guy because the teacher sort of made him to. Another example is that Ender killed a guy. He didn't mean to. If the teachers didn't leave him alone there wouldn't have been a fight and that guy would have still been alive. The teachers made Ender's life miserable. That is the main reason the novel's mood is sadness. If the teachers didn't help Ender and give him pressure, other people wouldn't look at him weird. The other people at the battle school hated him because the teachers compared him with others.

The second reason the mood of the novel is sadness is because of the games. As Ender played the games in battle school, there were many conflicts. The first was his first commander getting angry at him for not listening to his commands. The commander looked down at Ender because he was small. The second conflict was when people bigger than Ender tried to hurt him. They were angry because they lost a game because of him. The third conflict is when Ender becomes a commander and beats another team. The opponent commander got mad so there was a fight. Ender won. He actually killed the opponent.

My third reason is that Ender was tricked by the teachers. Whenever the teachers thought that Ender was weak, they would ask his sister for help. His sister refused but they forced her so she had no choice. Ender knew that Valentine was being forced. This is what makes it sadder. This shows Ender that he cannot give up. If he does they will use his family again, especially Valentine.

Yes, the novel saddens me in two ways.

The first reason is because of Ender. Ender is isolated from earth. He cannot return to earth on his own. He can only return when there is a certain reason. The only time he returned to earth was because he had to go to command school. He later on couldn't return to earth at all. He is also separated from his family. He is especially separated from the one and only person that cares about him. Valentine.

My second and last reason is because of Valentine. Valentine is separated from the one and only person that she cares about. Her younger brother, Ender. She also tries to help Ender but it doesn't work out. Also later on she is forced to do things that the people of the battle school ask her to do. They all got something to do with Ender.

What is the major theme of this novel? Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2008?

The major theme of this novel is that age is not an obstacle. I chose this as my theme because of Ender. Ender, at a young age went to battle school, beat up and killed people, became a commander, and destroyed the buggers.
This theme is important to living teenagers in 2008 for various reasons. The first is that teenagers these days tend to think that they are not capable of doing certain things. For example, these days teenagers are wanting to change. They start heading towards smoking and drinking. They want to but they can't. They are not old enough to buy those things.Teenagers always wish they were a bit older. Teenagers think that when they are old they can do everything. They are wrong. Just li9ake the novel, teenagers can be like Ender. They can be smart and athletic. Teenagers just need to try. If they become older, they will know that when they were young it was way better. Once they are old they cannot return to their young state. They become less active and cannot exercise that much. This theme doesn't go for only teenagers. It goes for everyone.

Another reason this theme is important for teenagers is because some think that the teen years are the part where you enjoy life the most. That is wrong. As you get older, you get to know more people. You get promoted to higher positions in jobs. You get married and raised a family. Almost all of these things happen after the teen years. Teenagers shouldn't just live the way they are. They shouldn't just look at their present and regret their past. They have a lot of years to live. They should look foward to their future. Life isn't just about the beginning. It is also about the middle and the end.

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 anylight on how current situations could be resolved or “fixed”?

Yes, there are current situations in the world that relate to the novel. The situation that I want to talk about is the war in Iraq. This war occurred because there was a terrorist attack in America. Four planes were hijacked by nineteen terrorists. After the planes were hijacked, two planes headed towards the World Trade Centers. Both of those planes intentionally crashed into each of the World Trade Centers. One of the other two left crashed into the pentagon. The remaining, last plane crashed into a field because the passengers on the plane tried to take control of the airplane again. Because of the damage caused by the planes, President Bush declared war on Iraq. America knew it was Iraq who caused the terrorizing because pictures of those nineteen terrorists were sent by Osama bin Ladin (the leader).This situation relates to the book in one way. In the novel, Earth was invaded by buggers. After the invasion, Earth decided to attack back so they invaded the buggers too. Just like that, America was invaded by Iraq. As a result, America decided to also invade Iraq.
I do not think this novel shows a way to resolve the conflict. The reason is that America's reason of staying in Iraq changed. The president of America decided that America needed oil. Now America's main reason of staying in Iraq is because of oil. Iraq is abundant of oil. Still, even though the reason of staying in Iraq didn't change, America cannot use the way the novel used to stop. The reason is because this would cause genocide. In the novel, Ender completely destroyed the buggers. In real life, America wouldn't think of killing all the people in Iraq. That would sort of cause a world war.

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 the novel are Ender, Peter, and Valentine.

Through those four people I only like two. The first person is Ender. I like Ender because he is brave and courageous. He never gives up. He is everything I want to be. He's strong, fast, and smart. If I had those three things I wouldn't be in the state I am right now. The one thing special about Ender is that he loved someone from a young age. He loved his sister. Ender reveals that life can be hard but you need perseverance. Ender's life was a real nightmare. During his young age, he couldn't do anything like other young people. At his young age, he had to go to battle school. He was separated from his family. He couldn't go to amusement parks and other things with his parents. His birthday wasn't even celebrated. Even though Ender's life was like this he never gave up. He kept on going. He did everything he was asked to do and survived. He made it to the end and destroyed the buggers.

My second and last person I like is Valentine. The first reason I like her is because she is caring. She really cares about her young brother Ender. She always protected him, especially from their dangerous brother Peter. She also helped Ender indirectly. If she came out of his dream or when he thought of her he felt relieved. After hearing Ender cannot return to earth she became a colonist with Ender and they moved to a bugger planet. The second and last reason I like her is because she is smart. She is smart enough to make incredible thoughts and confuse adults. Her own father thought her writing was incredible. One thing special about Valentine is that she is the only one that cares about Ender in her family. Her parents don't even think about Ender and her brother only wants to hurt Ender. Valentine reveals that in the world there are people that care about you. In the story Ender thought that no one cared about him. He was wrong. Valentine always cared about him. Just like this example, there is someone no matter what caring about you. That person is God. God cares for everybody in this world.
The one and only person I hate after I read the book is Peter. My first reason is because he doesn't care about Ender. All he ever does is torture Ender. My second reason is that Peter has only one dream. Power. Throughout the story the only thing Peter was trying to get was power. He wanted to take over the world. He also wanted power in his family so he bullied his sister and brother. My third reason is because Peter is selfish. Just like above, all he wanted is Power. He didn't care about anything else. My last reason that I hate Peter is because he is violent. He always threatens Ender. When they play a game, he tries to kill him. One thing special about Peter is that he never gives up. His dream was to have control of earth, and he did. He became the Hegemon, which is the leader of the world. He also became the Hegemon at a young age too. He worked hard for this spot and he got it. He never gave up during the approach to his goal. Peter reveals that there are people who want to hurt you. I came to this conclusion because Peter always wanted to hurt Ender. If he had the chance he would always fight with him and threaten him. Later in the story, after Peter became the Hegemon, He wanted to use Ender as a weapon. He wanted to control him.

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 is when Ender plays the stimulator thinking it was a test, when it was actually was the Third Invasion. What happens here is, Ender invades the buggers and destroys their planet with Little Doctors (a type of weapon). Ender didn't know it was a test and sacrificed battleships. Not knowing this in the beginning he got angry because he led people to their deaths.

The events of the novel gave me the feeling of sadness, happiness, and anger. I felt sad because Ender was just a child when he went to Battle school. He was separated from his family, especially Valentine (his sister). Ender's life is also sad. He cannot return back to earth after he went to Eros. He can’t return to his family. He had to kill other people around his age to survive. The teachers put him into a position that was dangerous. The teachers made him an enemy from others. Another thing that makes me sad was that Ender is not free. He has to do everything he was told to do. I feel happy because I am not like Ender. I am not living in his world. I don't need to go through the life he has been through. I live a happy life. I felt myself getting angry as I read this book because they treated Ender badly. They weren't nice to him one bit. He wasn't treated like any other child. They made him a killing machine. His parents also sent him to battle school when he was seven. He couldn't have a life like other ordinary kids. Another reason I felt angry was because he was tricked all the time. The administrators of the battle school used Valentine to convince Ender. They use Ender's family to weaken him.