Choice *Animal Farm*

Are there any changes or different thoughts after reading the book? What are they?
-I have learned very much through ‘Animal Farm’. After reading this book, I have decided to be less selfish. If my friend is in trouble, I do worry about her, but I do not worry as much as when I am in trouble. I would like to change that behavior for I do not want to become a person like Napoleon, who only wants more power.
Another different thought I have received reading this book is about humans. I have always thought that without humans, the world would not be balanced. But it is actually the opposite! The humans are making the world unbalanced, and we are the ones who change this world negatively. We shouldn’t be fighting each other for more power, but open our eyes and look out at the world.

Setting *Animal Farm*

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 were no settings that I have thought to be beautiful in this novel. But the most memorable scene of the novel is when Napoleon sells Boxer to the butchery. The naive horse thought that he would have a peaceful life, for he had been working very hard. But Napoleon sold him to the butchery, because Boxer was not useful anymore. At first I thought, “How can an animal kill another animal on its side?” But humans do act like that in every day life. There are rivals everywhere around this world. The fact that humans are so selfish is very depressing. If someone has lost their precious ring for example, the people around this person do not care very much. But if THEY are the ones who lost their rings, they start to panic.
The other scene I thought was memorable was the ending, where others cannot recognize which one the humans are and the pigs are. The awkward it would feel if an animal was talking to a human? It is amazing if you compare the pigs from the beginning and the conclusion. They totally have changed!

Passage *Animal Farm*

Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful?

"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself."

-This passage was very significant to me. It tells me how humans are weak and simultaneously wicked. Through this passage, I have known how selfish, we, humans are. Humans claim for power. They need power, because they are weak. But once they have the power, they do not use it for the others, but only for themselves. Although one might think that they won’t treat people like Stalin, there are leaders who are still not working for their people. Once they become the leaders, they forget about the past, when they used to be weak. Power is a great temptation for people, and I think that one who overcomes with this is a great leader, for he/she does not work for more power and control, but for the others.
I think that this passage is not only meaningful to me, but to all. If one wants to become a leader, he/she must remember that power is not everything that makes a leader outstanding. A leader is called outstanding if he/she works for the others and can serve others.

Mood *Animal Farm*

What is the mood of this novel? Do you find this novel saddens you in any way?
-The mood of ‘Animal Farm’ in the beginning is quite comic and ironic, but as it goes through, the story becomes tragic. There is akso some sarcasm in the story. I enjoyed the story when I read this novel for the first time, thinking it was just a story about the animals acting like humans. But I changed my mind when I read it once more and people around me told about the real theme inside the book. With the hidden theme, the mood of the novel also changed. The fact that people are tempted by power/control made me very sad. Didn’t Napoleon rebel against Mr. Jones with his comrades to gain freedom? But when Mr. Jones disappeared, he began to act the same way or even worse than Mr. Jones. The only difference to the farm is that the leader is now a pig, one of their comrades, not a human.

Also, it was very tragic to read about Napoleon selling Boxer to the butchery. Poor Boxer! Boxer was one of the best workers, but instead of the freedom he wanted, he had to die in the butchery because of his comrade Napoleon. It was especially doleful, because the animals (pigs) were fighting against each other for more power, while they should’ve been taken care of the others and fight against Mr. Jones, the humans not the animals.

Climax *Animal Farm*

What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?
-The climax of ‘Animal Farm’ is when Napoleon seizes control of the farm. He makes lies that lead Snowball to banishment. When Napoleon gains full control over the farm, he acts like a tyrant with his dogs at his sides as bodyguards. When his rival Snowball has totally disappeared from the farm, he commands to the other animals like Mr. Jones. Then, he sells Boxer, the naive worker, to butchery.
I was surprised when I read the part about Napoleon selling Boxer to the butchery. How can he sell one of his comrades for not being able to work anymore? I could understand Napoleon when he banished Snowball from the farm because of the sense of rivalry. But I couldn't’t accept his behavior toward Boxer. He was acting the same way as Mr. Jones! I thought he was even worse than Mr. Jones. In the beginning, all the animals said that they are not going to use any objects that people have used, including Napoleon. But how come Napoleon sold his comrade to a HUMAN? Napoleon was one of the one character that made me furious while reading. His different behavior toward his comrade was very displeasing. In this climax, I was not only mad at Napoleon, but also at other animals. I couldn't’t understand why they didn’t have a single sense that Napoleon was going to do something to Boxer. They were too naive! If I were one of the animals, I would have complained about Napoleon's act with other animals.
This climax was very powerful, controlling the readers’ mind. I, personally was very mad when I read it.

Characters *Animal Farm*

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?
Mr. Jones is the first oppressor, who is the farmer of the farm. He is abhorred by animals. I do not favor him, because he is very selfish. Mr. Jones does not think about his animals, but only about himself. I especially do not like the fact that he didn’t change his thoughts after he was banished from the farm.

Napoleon (pig) can be said to be the main character. He is the second oppressor, the tyrant after Mr. Jones. He is the leader of the farm, and he expels Snowball to gain more control over the farm. I personally do not like Napoleon, because he acts the same way as Mr. Jones. He doesn’t have the right to be a leader if he does not work for the others, but only for himself. Napoleon in real life is Joseph Trotsky.

Snowball (pig) is Napoleon’s rival. He is very smart and has most of the ideas for the wealthy farm. He has more favor and loyality from the animals than Napoleon. I do like Sonwball, because I think he is a good leader. He has ideas that could improve the farm, not just please his life. In real life, Snowball is Leon Trotsky.

Boxer (horse) is very naïve. Because he didn’t want the situation to get confusing, he works diligently as Napoleon orders him to. He is later sold to butchery by Napoleon. I do not like Boxer, because I think that he is a fool. He should have at least spoken about his real thoughts, not just work.

Major (pig) started with the story. He tells everyone about the discrimination against animals and freedom they don’t have. But, because his words were not clear, Napoleon and Snowball misunderstood his idea of freedom and unity.

World Relation *Animal Farm*

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”?
-As said before on the first entry, there are many current situations in the world that relates to the novel. Kim Jeong-Il, the president of North Korea has control over the people. People who follow him have totally different lifestyles from the ones who disobey him. He does not listen to his people. If this was compared to the story, Kim Jeong-Il would be Mr. Jones, the oppressor. The people who are on his sides are the other farmers, who have comfortable lifestyles. The people who disobey him would be his animals. But they do not have much power to argue or even say anything against Kim Jeong-Il, Mr. Jones. Soon, there will be a person who will take over Kim Jeong-Il like the pigs; Napoleon and Snowball. But soon, they will also be tempted by the great power they have, and will forget about the freedom and unity they have wanted.
Another simpler example would be a school president. If the school president from the year before did not do a good job, the majority of students will vote for a different school president. But the problem that is occurring every year is that the school president does not listen carefully to other students. They change after they become school presidents, forgetting what they have said to change on the Election Day. This cycle continues on and on.
‘Animal Farm’ specifically talks about the temptation of power of Napoleon. This tells that in order to become a fair leader, one must endure the temptation of power. If one does not endure the temptation, this cycle of the argument and struggle between commoners and leaders will continue.

Theme *Animal Farm*

*What is the major theme of this novel? Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?
-Animal Farm has an amazing theme hidden. It is a retold story of the development of Soviet communism. The pigs, which represent commoners, want to receive freedom from Mr. Jones, the tyrant. Napoleon, which represents Stalin, tries to gain more power than Snowball, Leon Trotsky. Napoleon becomes selfish as he gains more power. Eventually, he acts tyrannically like the other oppressors in the beginning, such as Mr. Jones.
The theme of ‘Animal Farm’ is that there always are different classes in a society, and humans are born to have different powers. Although the different classes in society have unified after they have banished Mr. Jones from their farm, the different classes appear again although their enemy, Mr. Jones has disappeared. There always is a tendency toward class stratification in many communities. Simultaneously, there are people, usually people in lower classes, who want freedom. The high class has control over the lower class that longs for freedom in society. The low class represents Boxer. To make everything clear, Boxer repeats to himself that Napoleon is the right one in the story. Once they lower class receives freedom, there will be a new leader created, who will eventually take control over the others. This will keep repeating on and on.
The other theme of ‘Animal Farm’ is that language can be very powerful and dangerous. The animals in the farm have gained the idea of rebellion and freedom from Major, but once Major dies, the pigs have changed the meaning of what he has said. Because of such slight change in some words, the whole story changes! Instead of gaining freedom and unity, the pigs have gained freedom from Mr. Jones and they have taken Mr. Jones’ place.
The two themes are important to teenagers in 2007. The theme seems to be not related to year 2007 at all, but in reality, competition is always present. For example, if there is a president who does not listen to others’ opinions, then there will be a brave person who will lead the commoners to rebel against the president. When the president is gone, the person who had taken control over the commoners will eventually become the new president. But he/she will act the same way as the president before, forgetting what they had wanted, once he/she has the overall control. So, I think that teenagers have to understand that they need to get over the temptation of power in order to become a fair leader. If a student becomes the school president, he/she has to remember to listen to others’ thoughts and not give commands to others because of the power he/she has.
Currently, teenagers use bad languages. Sometimes, they say without thinking. This leads to many fights and misunderstandings. One word can change the whole sentence, and it is very important for not only teenagers, but everyone to think before they say something.

Choice *Fahrenheit 451*

* How would you rate the novel (From 1-10)? Why? Are there any changes or different thoughts after reading the book? What are they?
-I would rate this book as 8. 'Fahrenheit 451' is very interesting and has a deep thinking. It is a novel that can be read after many generations. It is an important book for today and future to let people, especially teenagers realize that they should not depend on electrical devices. The setting and the mood of the novel grabbed my full attention. But the reason I did not rate the book as 10, is because there were no very much thrills as I expected. Also, there were some settings where I wanted some more descriptions, such as Clarisse's death or Montag's wife's suicide. Also, I would have liked it more if the climax was more detailed.
The book definitely has changed me. After reading this book, I also realized the importance and the value of books like Montag. In my leisure time, I’m trying to read books rather than playing games on computer or watch television. I'm spending less time on computer, cell phone, mp3, etc. (electrical devices) in my freetime. The television entertanis you surely; it makes you laugh or cry, but I realized this time that books can also control your mind. Sometimes books can control your mind much more than televisions or computers. My goal this holiday is to read more dramatic books!

Setting *Fahrenheit 451*

* 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.
-One setting that disturbs me still after finishing the book is Clarisse’s death. Montag’s new neighbor, Clarisse disappears for few days. Later, Montag hears from his wife that she (Clarisse) had a car accident and was dead. It is very inconvenient to have her killed in the rising action of the story. Clarisse’s opening description gave me the thought that she must be an important character in the story. I was very disappointed to read that she was killed. At least I predicted that she would die later to save books or nature!
A different setting that disturbs me is Mildred, Montag's wife betraying him. After witnessing Montag hiding a book, Mildred turns him in as a criminal! How can she betray her OWN husband? I cannot understand her attitude. Although having books is illegal, If I was Mildred, I would not have said anything. If I was one of the characters in the book, I'd like to ask Montag why he married such a fool who does not have any emotions or thoughts. She definitely does NOT love Montag.
The other setting I found it memorable was Montag killing Beatty (which is the climax of the story). Montag shoots the flame with a fire thrower at Beatty and he dies. The climax grabbed my full attention and it had suspense. After every sentence I read, I predicted what was going to happen next. But the more interesting fact was that my predictions were all wrong!

Passage *Fahrenheit 451*

* 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.

The captain continues by defending the moral aims of the ideal of censorship: “Not everyone born free "and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against.”

I read this passage over and over. I think this passage is very meaningful. It tells a large amount of Beatty’s personal thoughts. He thinks that there should be no minorities (such as cat lovers and dog lovers), and everyone should be happy. Here, he is actually thinking in a positive perspective trying to make the world peaceful. But then, he takes a different rout, saying that the only way to make this world peaceful is to burn books and our knowledge.
Also, it tells how dangerous it is to chase after the idea of equalism. It neglects each persons characteristics and minorities. If all the people are equal as Beatty says, there will be no individuality and no different thoughts. How boring it will be! Example, there is a class discussion about a book. Everyone will say the same thought of the book and there will be no other interesting thoughts or other opinions! Another example would be in a restaurant. Everyone will order the same menu if they do not have different opinions!

Mood *Fahrenheit 451*

* What is the mood of this novel? Do you find this novel saddens you in any way? Why?
-The overall mood of ‘Fahrenheit 451’ is gloomy, depressing and disorienting. The future is portrayed as a world full of strange technology and people who act like robots. First, I think that there are two major parts in the story that have utterly different type of moods. The exposition, when Montag meets Clarisse is quite calm and peaceful. But later after Clarisse disappears (Montag’s wife tells him that Clarisse died of a car accident) and Montag realizes the importance of books, the story becomes mysterious. From the rising action to the climax, the mood becomes more and more gloomy and depressing. There are certain events that make ‘Fahrenheit 451’ very gloomy: Clarisse’s death, Montag’s wife trying to suicide and people killed by atomic bombs.
As I mentioned before, the other mood in the story is disorientation. Through the story, I began to think, “Is Beatty the right one, or Montag?” Beatty is definitely the antagonist, but I frequently thought that Beatty’s thoughts were also correct. Books INDEED give different thoughts and sometimes irritate us. I felt that I was between Montag and Beatty, since I thought they both were saying the right thing.
This novel does not sadden me very much. I think there needs to be some killing to make the story more serious. If there was no such big event, there would be less tension and thrill. Although the events involve huge violence and leads to people’s death, I think that if there were no such events happening, the reader could not have grabbed my full attention.

Climax *Fahrenheit 451*

* What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?
-The climax of ‘Fahrenheit 451’ is Montag killing Beatty. Montag's wife, Mildred saw a book Montag has hidden. She betrays her husband and turns him in as criminal. On the other hand, Beatty is very suspicious of Montag; he knew that Montag has books hidden in his house. Therefore, Beatty goes to Montag, pretending as if he came to check Montag’s condition. Montag confronts Beatty. Montag would not easily give up. Instead he imposes that he does not have any books hidden. However, Beatty decides to arrest Montag, and Montag shoots a flame with a fire thrower at Beatty and kills him. Montag fights the Mechanical Hound too, and runs away.
I personally think that the climax makes the story more enthusiastic. There is a small amount of thrill, and the ‘killing’ makes the theme about ‘books’ more important. At first, I thought it was not a good idea of the author to let the protagonist kill the antagonist, because taking risk of several pages of paper does not seem to be a smart idea. But after I finished reading ‘Fahrenheit 451’, I changed my thought. If the author did not write a big event for the climax, I would not have thought about the importance of the value of books carefully again. Also, if there was not a climax such as killing, there would have been a little disappointment and it would not have grabbed my full attention. If I was the author, I would have made the climax more brutal.

Characters *Fahrenheit 451*

* 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?
-Montag is the main character in the story. His occupation is to burn books as a fireman. He has had no thoughts about his occupation and the value of books until he met Clarisse. Through her, Montag learns the nature and the reality. Later he learns more about books and its knowledge from Faber. He realizes that there is no reason to oppose against reading books. He is the protagonist who tries to save books later.

Clarisse McCellan is a seventeen year old girl. She is the new neighbor of Montag, and the first person who told Montag about nature, firemen’s past, books, love, etc. Although she is young, Clarisse is very mature and thoughtful. Through her, Montag decides to start reading books later. She dies because of a car accident.

Mildred is Montag’s wife. She is obsessed with television and acts like a robot. She is thoughtless and immature without any emotions. She tried to suicide by taking many sleeping tablets, but turned out to unsuccessful.

Beatty is the antagonist and simultaneously Montag’s fire captain. He used to read books and has quite a large knowledge of books, but changed his mind to burn them because he could not understand and felt betrayed by the books. Beatty is one of the few who don’t act like robots. He is a human who tries to burn books. Later, he is killed by Montag.

Faber is a retired English professor, who teaches Montag about the value of books. He helps Montag to escape the city.

World Relation *Fahrenheit 451*

* 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"?
-The book ‘Fahrenheit’ seems to be telling a story of long future, but I think that we are already in the exposition of the future. The high technology of electrical devices, such as computers, cell phones, and mp3s are used in daily life.
We daily use computers at school. Most teachers teach students by showing them power points or by projectors. Students type reports or mails, and also research about a topic through Internet, etc. A good example to show the use of computer at school would be ‘edline’, that students AND teachers both use for many good reasons. Cell phones are also one of the very important electrical devices. People use cell phones to contact others, send messages, play games, or take pictures.
Most people listen to radio, send messages through cell phones or watch television in their leisure time. Many people do not think ‘reading’ as a pleasure anymore; ‘thinking’ itself is stress to teenagers. I think that each characters in ‘Fahrenheit 451’ represents people in this world. Milred, Montag’s wife who acts like a robot without any knowledge represents us, who have no thoughts and no emotions. Also, many people these days even suicide without thinking seriously like Mildred. I personally think that people who suicide or try to suicide are loosers. There always are ways to solve problems, and if they think 'suicide' is the only way to get rid of the problem, they are WRONG. There are plenty other ways to solve problems. The other important character, Clarisse, who cares about nature and has many thoughts, represents teachers and our parents. Beatty, the antagonist represents the society. Our parents and teachers are trying to convince us that books are valuable than electrical devices against the society. Today’s fight between humans and technology is definitely related to the novel.
Luckily, there are no firemen who are burning books yet, but if this situation continues and people are forgetting about books, the story of ‘Fahrenheit’ might become a true story sooner or later. I think that Bradbury is trying to warn us people loose their knowledge.

Theme *Fahrenheit 451*

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

-The major theme of ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury is censorship. It is a story the world in the future when firemen burn all the books as their occupations. There are some reasons the government banned to read books, such as: books are no good entertainments, books are harmful, books cause irritations, etc. The society’s focus is only on entertainments. The largest entertainment in the future is television. People are entertained by televisions instead of books. It is said that books are harmful to people, because they tell different thoughts and lead to fights (a common fight topic would be religions). One specific example Bradbury gives in the book is Betty mentioning about dog lovers offended by books about cats, and cat lovers offended by books about dogs.
This theme is very important to people, especially teenagers in 2007, because they are more interested in electrical devices (computers, televisions, mp3s, etc.) than books. The developed technology allows teenagers to use computers to type, chat with others, send mails and play games. Because of the different varieties of using computers, there is almost no time of people reading books. If students need to read a specific book for a class, most of them use computer to find a brief summary of the book or even find someone else’s work and copy it! One of the top reasons students are using the computers instead of reading the book is to save time. But is that helping them? No. If they copy and paste others people’s thoughts and works, that is definitely not their own thoughts and feelings. The assignment will be pointless, since the students did not think nor read the book. Computers are necessary in our lives for quick communications, or fast research, but it is not a good choice to depend on computers for everything because computers are just electrical devices that can be destroyed easily.

(picture link: http://www.ou.edu/worldlit/cover.gif)