Blog #19 - Angie Mohamed - Period 9 - 4/22/2020

Blog #19

Angie Mohamed 

Period 9

April 22, 2020

Aim: 

-How is Stalin’s failed Five-Year-Plan illustrated through the symbolism of the windmill?

-How is the psychology of memory and authority portrayed in Chapter 7 of Animal Farm?

-How does the author’s use of language reveal historical relevance?

Answers to Aim (In addition to my class notes):

-The windmill presented in the story is a symbol for Stalin’s Five-Year-Plan and displays the conditions of living in Russia under Stalin. Stalin’s plans had the intentions of industrializing Russia, just as the windmill was intended to modernize the farm, and produce electricity and further advance agricultural productivity. However, industrialization under Stalin was not without cost. Stalin’s plans led to very slow growth and were very controversial. Working conditions were not equal and there were disparities with workers, wanting equality, better living conditions, and higher wages. The setbacks that evolved through the execution of Stalin’s plans led to situations such as collectivization, which ultimately led to death and famine. Like Stalin, Napoleon had a vision that hurt the animals, more than it was beneficial. Animal Farm was experiencing food shortages, leading Napoleon to start trading with the other human farmers, breaking the Seven Commandments and forced the hens to give up their eggs. The hens protested, but were unsuccessful. Napoleon stopped the revolt by taking away the hens’ rations and threatened he would kill any animal who helped the hens’.  Nine hens had died, just as the farmers who protested against Stalin. Ultimately, the Five-Year-Plan was unsuccessful. 

-In Chapter 7, the psychology of memory and authority is portrayed in the actions of Squealer and Napoleon. Squealer manipulates the farm animals and twists the memories of important events, to portray Snowball as the enemy and use him as a scapegoat, and uses the animals’ ignorance to control society. Additionally, Squealer is an eloquent speaker and his use of language is convincing and he describes events so vividly it’s as if the memories he is falsifying were an actual reality. The authority of Napoleon is portrayed in chapter 7 through the eyes of the animals and Squealer. We learn that Napoleon rarely shows his face in public and he uses Squealer to talk to the animals and we see Napoleon as a totalitarian leader in this chapter. The authority of Napoleon allows the animals to justify the rationale that Snowball was working for Mr. Jones and it allows them to blindly follow Napoleon’s orders and work tirelessly to build the windmill. By changing the role Snowball played, by lying to the animals about the Seven Commandments, and by using Napoleon authority as a means to control the animals it has created this facade of living and an illusionment, as the propaganda and fear has instilled compliance in the animals. Also, by telling the animals that Snowball destroyed the windmill and is a traitor, it displays Napoleon as a responsible leader, as Snowball has been discredited and by manipulation, the animals not only believe Squealer and Napoleon, but it prevents the animals from doubting the pigs’ abilities and pits them against the enemy (Snowball). 

-Orwell’s language reveal’s historical relevance as he displays how rhetoric and the psychology of memory and authority can be used for manipulation. His language is clear and simple and his message is very transparent. Through the different techniques Orwell uses he portrays Russian history and the corrupt nature of power. He also displays how propaganda is found in society and through the allegorical structure of Animal Farm he shows how ignorance can lead to a society full of fear and the power of words. The nature of people and their willingness to follow others and blind obedience is also another message portrayed through Orwell’s language and is still historically relevant today, as people tend to have this misconceived notion of authority and put their trust in corrupt leaders.  

Class notes:

Do now:

1. What makes for a good leader?

There are several aspects to what makes a good leader and it heavily depends on what someone classifies as good, nonetheless I believe a good leader has integrity and is honest. I believe a good leader must also use clear communication and take pride in the people he/she is leading and is supportive, rather than themselves. 

2. What qualities or attributes are associated with a good leader?

Characteristics of a leader include: having clear goals, setting a good example, encouraging, trustworthy, displays confidence, and charismatic.

3. Is there a point/degree in which a leader must forge ahead through their vision; despite the cost(s)?

There is a point where a leader might have to forge past their vision, however a leader should not harm the people by doing so. There is a point where one must do what they must, but if they go too far, then the supposed leader has lost their vision. If it is for the greater good, then there is a debate if their actions were morally right, but if the intentions behind the actions were not selfish, then I believe they are justified to an extent and must accept the costs. 

4. What cost is too great? How do you know?

If the cost is too great, then the leader has just become a tyrant or has lost their way. You know when the cost was too great when the leader cares for power more than lives hurt or lost. 

Questions:

1. How was memory portrayed in Animal Farm?

Memory plays a large role in Orwell’s allegory of history. In Animal Farm, the pigs are the most intelligent animals and less ignorant, making it convenient for the pigs to manipulate the other animals into believing their lies. Squealer is replacing the animal’s memories to fit into Napoleon's image and portray Snowball as the enemy and the animals start to believe Squealer. Squealer is creating memories for the animals and they use propaganda and fear to instill obedience from the animals. 

2. How about authority?

By changing the role Snowball played, by lying to the animals about the Seven Commandments, and by using Napoleon authority as a means to control the animals it has created this facade of living and an illusionment, as the propaganda and fear has instilled compliance in the animals. Also, by telling the animals that Snowball destroyed the windmill and is a traitor, it displays Napoleon as a responsible leader, as Snowball has been discredited and by manipulation, the animals not only believe Squealer and Napoleon, but it prevents the animals from doubting their abilities and pits them against the enemy (Snowball). Additionally, like Boxer is always saying, “Napoleon is always right,” Napoleon has created this sense of respect and obligation from the animals, beyond a degree. Napoleon used fear tactics, beyond just threatening, it has escalated and slaughtered animals (Great Purges).

3. Why were the things that happened possible?

These things were possible because the animals were blindly obedient and followed Napoleon without any questions asked. It is embedded within us to naturally follow, regardless of something being morally correct. 

More Questions:

1. What makes for a good leader (in Animal Farm)?

A good leader is someone who has passion and ambitions. They have plans to execute something, regardless of the outcomes. Additionally, someone who is responsible in the eyes of the animals, through manipulation. 

2. What qualities or attributes are associated with a good leader?

Some qualities associated with a good leader include: being able to protect the animals, someone who is logical, and has a great extent of knowledge. 

Blog Content:

Write about your thoughts regarding the reading.

Animal Farm is relatively a light read, the content is understandable and very applicable to history. Orwell’s language makes it easy to comprehend the message he is trying to display and I find the book enjoyable. However, in chapter 7 I found it hard to read, not because it was boring or the writing was of poor quality. In fact it’s for the opposite reason, chapter 7 was the most interesting and captured the true history of the Soviet Union and the language Orwell used was captivating. However, reading Orwell’s words of the animals getting slaughtered caused unease and discomfort, and the scene where Clover and the animals mourned by singing the Beast of England was heart-breaking. At the surface the book is a story about animals, however George Orwell portrayed history flawlessly in this chapter and was better than any John Green crash course video. I am anxious to see how the rest of the story plays out, knowing Russian history, the story will not play out well for characters such as Boxer.

What is it like working from home?

Working from home is not what I expected it to be, it is peculiar and different from the status quo prior to COVID-19. When I first found out school was cancelled and our learning experience was changing I thought that I would maintain a good routine and that I would no longer feel stressed. That is far from true, I am overwhelmed regardless of the environment I am in. My routine had changed immensely. Prior to remote learning I would wake up at 5:40 am and go to school, get home no later than 6 pm, do my homework and study, and then sleep- yet no day in my life looked the same. With remote learning, although I am in different classes every day, my days feel exactly the same. Some days I barely wake up at 9 and I fall asleep later than I have ever slept before. My sleep schedule is not the only thing that has changed, trying to get all my work done is hard for me, personally I sometimes struggle to find the motivation to do my work. However, whenever I am questioned about my work habits I avoid the question or I say I am fine. I am not sure why I am struggling. I don’t miss waking up at 5:40, riding the bus, or the anxiety I would feel walking in the school’s hallways. However, I miss the excitement of talking to my friends and engaging with others and the quiet walks I would take when getting home. I know each individual student has a very different experience and some students are flourishing in this new set-up, however I feel like I performed better when I was attending school not remotely. 

My attempt to write a poem about I feel about working from home and about what is happening right now:

Working from home 

is like 

going to Rome,

except the airlines are closed.

It is an adventure,

with no thrill.

There is a fear,

that things might not be okay.

I am watching the world move,

but I am standing still,

watching people line up at the 

grocery store from

my window.

I am watching the bags

under my eyes 

grow,

unlike my patience 

for things to go back to normal.

Except I no longer know what’s

normal.

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now. 

COVID-19 took me by surprise. Not in a million years would I have expected something like COVID-19 to exist and for me to be living through something this dire. Everyone seems to have their opinion on the issue. To be honest I am not sure how I feel. All I know is the government called a plan to action a little too late. Looking back, on March 13th my parents forced me to stay home from school and they have never forced me to stay home. I actually wanted to go, but my parents told me it was too dangerous and they didn’t want me to risk getting sick. I remember asking people who went to school that day how it was and it turns out only 54% of people went to school that day and it was the most relaxing day. Teachers couldn’t teach their classes when only 15 people were present. I remember feeling my heart sink because I came to the realization this wasn’t another country's problem, but this was a global issue we would have to fight together. Every nation seems to be doing their own thing, but I think the nations should come up with a global plan. Ideally all scientists worldwide should work together to develop a vaccine or cure and everyone should stay inside. I am disappointed and sad at how people continue to not social distance, regardless of the extremity of our situation. Some days I won’t read the news because  people are being affected with this virus at a rate that is too quick for me to understand. A couple days ago my dad showed me this video and it was of people lying on the floor dying in Egypt because there were no more hospital beds left. I don’t know about anyone else, but once this is over, I am going to run outside and just go to the park and never take a moment for granted. However, the reality of it is when this pandemic is over I am going to be scared to touch or come close to anyone. There is all this talk about what will happen when the pandemic is over and I don’t want to think about or talk about it, yet I still manage to search up coronavirus statistics hoping to see the numbers have stopped growing. I think things could be going better, but for now we just have to accept the reality that we need to stay home and just hope for the best.

Reflection: Today I learned about how someone’s memory can be used to manipulate individuals and how we blindly follow others. For example, in Animal Farm, Squealer changing the role Snowball played in the farm, and by lying to the animals about the Seven Commandments, and by using Napoleon’s authority as a means to control the animals has created this illusionment of who the enemy is. Additionally, the propaganda and fear used by Napoleon has instilled compliance in the animals, preventing the animals from questioning Napoleon's authority. Moreover, Squealer was manipulating the animals into believing his lies, by replacing the animal’s memories and creating new ones to fit into Napoleon's image as leader and portray Snowball as the enemy and the animals start to believe Squealer. Furthermore, today I also learned about the Milgram experiment, which was an experiment to see how obedient would “ordinary” people be if they had instructions to follow to harm another person. The results surprised me, as more people than not obeyed, regardless of the supposed victim pleading from them to stop. I learned about this experiment to understand why events, such as the Holocaust has happened. Obedience is ingrained in us and people tend to blindly obey others even to the extent of following instructions to harm others. Actions in the Milgram experiment are the topics we as a society tend to ignore, which only goes to show why it is so important that we are learning about it. Thus, I learned about the psychological aspect of memories and authority not only to apply it to Animal Farm, but to apply it to our society. Regardless of Animal Farm being published more than 60 years ago, Orwell’s message is still historically relevant today, as people, including me, tend to have this misconceived notion of equality and what evil really is. People have this idea that everyone is equal and society should revolve around the idea of equality, however we see in Animal Farm the idea that everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others. This idea presents itself through the pigs, as they are treated with a superior attitude and considered to be the most intelligent and are granted more privileges than the other animals. Thus, the idea of equality is blurred through the aspect of authority and from what I learned today manipulation through authority can cause individuals to be blindly obedient and allow themselves to lose sight of what equality means. This was significant to learn, as a society we value our rights, but we sometimes are in situations where we consider ourselves to be superior and need to remember that regardless of who we are, we are equal. Additionally, the acts of the Milgram experiment are what I would consider to be evil, committed out of cruelty. However, if the actions were so evil, then 65% of people shouldn’t have been able to go through with harming another person. Thus, I learned about this experiment to change what misconceived notions I have about the nature of human beings and enhance my understanding of the power of authority. With this new knowledge, I will apply it in my everyday life and allow myself to be aware of what I do and who I obey. I would like to think that if I was a participant in the Milgram experiment I would not follow instructions and refuse to harm anyone. It is hard to believe anyone would willingly hurt another, but thinking about the world at large, people hurt one another everyday. Ultimately, both memory and authority can be used to manipulate people in real world situations, as a result, as a society we should become aware of the decisions we make.