#references to animal farm by george orwell

[trashyswitch]

The Ticklish Technician

Egon is fixing the computer while Janine is talking to him about books. When Egon finishes the computer, Janine's celebration ends up revealing something about Egon that she never thought could be possible. But...Did Janine go a little too far this time?

This fanfic was suggested by @shota18. I hope you enjoy! <3

Egon was sitting with Janine, listening to her talk about the book she was reading while adjusting the back of the computer. Though he knew what book she was talking about, Egon would likely admit that he wasn’t really listening to her. He was trying to rewire something in the computer, and didn’t feel like he could engage in the conversation when more interesting things were happening. 

“Have you ever read this book?” she asked him. 

Egon paused his movements, and looked up at Janine. “What?” 

Janine held up the book and looked at it. “Animal Farm.” She told him. 

Egon nodded his head. “Yes. I read it.” He told her. 

“What did you think?” She asked. 

Egon went back to rewiring. “I read it in school. It was an odd book.” He admitted. 

“But it’s a fascinating concept. Using the farm and the pigs as an allegory for Russia and the soviet union is an interesting idea.” She admitted. 

“I suppose.” Egon responded, putting the computer shell onto the computer before reaching his hand over the computer. “Screwdriver.” 

Janine handed him the correct screwdriver. “You weren’t listening to me, were you?” She asked, smirking slightly. 

Egon started spinning the screwdriver in his hand, tightening the screws. “A little bit.” He said back. 

“Yeah? Then how many rules did the animals have to follow on the farm?” She asked. 

Egon tightened the screw a little bit more. “Seven.” He said. 

“Alright, I’ll give you that one.” She smiled and fixed her glasses. “Can you tell me one of the rules?” She asked. 

Egon moved to the next screw. “Humans are enemies.” Egon replied. 

“Close. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.” She said. 

“That doesn’t sound like english.” Egon told her. 

Janine chuckled a little. “It’s old english.” She giggled and looked up at Egon. “I thought you would’ve known that!” She reacted. 

“I don’t read.” He admitted. 

“Well, you should’ve.” She pointed to him with her bookmark before using it to keep her spot in her book. 

Egon fell into silence as he finished screwing the computer case back together. 

“You almost done?” Janine asked. 

Egon took a couple seconds to answer. “There.” Egon stood up and walked to the side. “Let’s turn it on.” Egon clicked the button, and walked around to the other side of the desk. He looked at the computer, and watched as the ‘windows’ signal showed up on the screen. 

“Looks like it’s booting up!” She declared. 

“So far.” Egon muttered, leaning against the desk. 

“That’s better than it was!” Janine cheered. 

Egon watched carefully as the loading screen filled the meter, before changing to the blue sign-in screen with the classic ‘powering on’ sound ringing in their ears. 

“Yes!” Janine jumped onto her feet. 

“Sign in please.” Egon told her. 

“Oh, right!” She sat down and signed into the computer. After a good few minutes, the classic log-in sound filled their ears, followed by the automatic opening of the previous scheduling program. 

Quickly, Janine cheered again. “Yay!” She threw her arms around Egon. “My little technician.” She held him, holding her arms around his waist. 

Egon didn’t seem phased by this at first. He seemed…relatively fine with her physical affection. But it was only when her nails began to flutter down his back, that he quickly tried to end the hug. He had flinched and grasped her shoulders out of surprise. “Careful.” He told her. 

Janine opened her eyes and looked up. “What?” She asked.

“Your nails were…” He paused for a moment…before shaking his head. “Nevermind.” He concluded. This peaked Janine’s interest. “Well now you gotta tell me.” Janine told him. “Did I do something you didn’t like?” She asked him. 

“No.” Egon responded quickly…before shaking his head. “Uh- Yes…Well…” He looked stumped…almost like he didn’t want her to find out. 

Janine noticed this hesitation right away. “If I can recall…” She lifted her hands farther up his back. “I was scratching your back like this.” She gently scratched down his back with her nails. “Did it-” 

“Aah- That’s what-” He gasped and arched his back, lifting his head back slightly. “J-Janine?!” He jumped, before looking at her. “Don’t.” He warned with a slightly worried look on this face. 

Now, Janine is usually super good at reading anyone’s body language. Now, Egon posed a bit of an issue when trying to read his body language because…well…he didn’t show much emotion at all. But right now? Egon was showing the most amount of emotion that Janine had ever seen! He was practically an open book by this point! And Janine was loving it! 

Janine slowly narrowed her eyes and drew a sneaky little swirl on his back with her pointing finger. “Is this what I think it is?” She asked, a slight smirk filling her cheeks. 

Egon jumped and kept instinctively moving his back to get away from her evil fingers. “N-No! It’s not.” He tried to argue, to no avail. 

Janine let out a villainous little giggle that sent shivers up Egon’s spine. “I think someone…” She brought her fingers slowly down his back. “-Maybe a little…” She brought her fingers to his sides. “-Ticklish!” She playfully scratched and skittered her fingers on his now-vulnerable sides. 

“aaAAh- D-Dohon’t!” Egon yelped and covered his sides super quickly. “Janine!” He yelled. 

But Egon had to squeeze his eyes shut as he felt her little fingers wiggle through his arms and tickle his sides anyway. He was barely being tickled, and he could hardly hold it together! 

“What? Oh, does this tickle?” Janine teased, pretending to be innocent. 

Egon could already feel a crooked, nerdy grin filling his cheeks. “This ihis nohohot-” 

“Not what? What is this not, Spengie?” Janine asked, smirking a little bit. “Fair?” She asked. “Proper?” She described next. “Honorable?” She giggled a little. “I am a walking, talking thesaurus, Spengie. If you need help, I can surely help you find the words.” She teased. 

Egon let out a series of snickers as he hung his head. “U-unfahahahair!” He admitted. 

“Unfair, huh?” Janine teased. “I personally prefer the word ‘adorable’.” She told him. 

Egon shook his head as he tried his hardest to hide his laughter. But it was difficult. He wasn’t used to being tickled…especially now that he’s an adult. And now the new secretary, who seems to be taking a liking to him, is tickling him for fun! And based on where her fingers were headed, his laughter may get stronger. 

Janine’s hands slowly moved up his ribs. “How about here?” She asked, gently scraping his ribs with her evil nails. “How ticklish are these poor little ribs or yours?” She asked rather villainously. 

Egon squeezed his eyes shut and increased his wiggling slightly to try and get away. “J-Janihine?! Dohon’t youdare!” He warned. 

“Ooooh…but I dare, Spengie~” She scratched one of his right ribs. “I wasn’t aware your ribs would be this sensitive.” She teased, scratching the left side of his ribs as well. 

“J-Jahahaha-” Egon gasped and doubled over, guffawing. “GAHA! NOhohoho!”  He yelled out. 

“Well isn’t this just a fun little fact!” She teased. “It’d be a shame if the other ghostbusters found out about this~” She teased next. 

“Dohohon’t tehell! Ihihi swehehehear!” He warned. 

“Okay, okay. I won’t tell.” She told him, poking up his ribs a little more. “But I just might let the others find out for themselves~” She teased, seeing the shadows of the fellow ghostbusters in the back room nearby. 

“Nohoho plehehehehease!” Egon tried to back himself away, which surprisingly did work at first!

...Only for Janine to run after him and tickle higher on his ribs again. “Nice try~ But I know all your little secrets now.” She teased, getting closer and closer to his armpits. 

“Dohohon’t! Plehehease dohohohohon’t!” He begged. 

“Don’t what, Spengie? Don’t what?” She asked, giggling a bit. 

“Nohoho ahaharmpihits!” Egon ordered. 

“Oh, your armpits?” She asked, pretending like she didn’t know. “Now that’s a spot I never thought of! What a great idea!” She immediately shoved her little hands into his armpits. 

And just as she expected, Egon twisted himself around and wheezed as he tried to run away from her. “STAHAHAhahahap! Hahahahaha!” Egon cackled, practically losing his footing as he struggled in her arms. “Oh, but I just can’t! It’s too much fun just to stop now!” she reacted. “This is quite entertaining for me…more entertaining than my book, actually!” She added. “So why in the world, would I stop tickling you and read my book, when I could have even more fun listening to your laughter?” She asked rather playfully. 

Egon hung his head, and squirmed around somewhat helplessly in her arms. He could feel a small blush filling his cheeks as he tried to wiggle himself out of her grip. 

As much as he wanted to get her off him, her nails were forcefully stuck to him until he worked up the courage to open his armpits! And everyone knows not to do that! Cause if you do, then you may risk getting even MORE of your armpits tickled! And no one wants that! “Behehecause ihihihit’s uhuhunprofessionahahal!” Egon tried to get out. 

“Oh, I’m sorry…I couldn’t hear you over the sound of your rare, rather adorable laughter. Can you please repeat that?” She asked him. 

Egon laughed a bit more. “Ihihit’s uhuhunprofehessional! Vehehery uhuhuhunprofessionahahal!” He tried to get out. 

“Unprofessional?!” Janine gasped and turned to one of the ghostbusters. “We’ll see about that. Hey Winston?” Janine spoke up. 

“Hm?” Winston got up. “Yeah?” 

“Would you say tickling one of the ghostbusters is considered ‘unprofessional’?” Janine asked him. 

Winston widened his eyes as he finally took in the sight: Egon, the most quiet and nerdiest of the ghostbusters, was being tickled by the secretary! “W-Well…” Winston cleared his throat. “Usually, yes.” He spoke up. 

Egon let out a mental sigh of relief. Thank god…He agrees with him! 

“But since it’s Egon of all people…Who never smiles or laughs…” Winston spoke up next. “I’d say it’s perfectly fine.” Winston declared rather proudly. 

Wait, WHAT?! 

Egon looked at Winston with shock and betrayal. “Whahat!? WINSTON-!” Egon reached his arms out towards Winston, hoping desperately that Winston would change his mind and help him. But Egon quickly shrieked and pulled his hands back as his upper ribs were now being dug into by Janine’s swift little fingers. “Well, would you look at that? Someone who finally agrees with me!” She reacted. “Now what do you say we make you laugh for a little while longer?” Janine teased, sounding somewhat eager. 

“JANIHIHINE! PLEHEHEHEASE!” Egon shouted for the first time that day. 

“Oh goodness! So loud for such a silent man!” Janine teased, giggling. 

Egon shook his head. “SHUHUHUT UHUP!” Egon yelled. 

Winston widened his eyes. “I’m sorry, did Egon Spengler just tell a girl to shut up?!” He asked, surprised. 

“I believe he did!” Janine reacted. “What should we do about this?” 

Winston smirked slightly. “Would you like me to help?” Winston asked. 

“Really?” Janine widened her eyes brightly. 

“Yeah! I’ll help! Anything to get Egon to laugh more.” Winston walked closer. “Egon’s such a deadpan guy…He needs to let loose sometimes.” He poked his side, seeing how he’d react. 

Sure enough, Egon jumped and guffawed, not expecting such a strong poke. 

“Oh wow…” Winston smirked and scratched his side a little bit. 

“nO!” Egon shot him the best glare he could, considering Janine was still tickling him. 

Winston laughed. “Was that supposed to scare me?!” Winston squeezed his side. 

Egon’s glare quickly dropped as he threw his head back with cackles. “GAHAHAhahahahaha! Stohohohop ihihit!” 

“Eeeh, don’t want to.” Winston admitted. “Besides:” Winston squeezed both his sides this time. “This is surprisingly kinda fun.” He admitted. 

“I know, right?! I’d say this is the best new fact since sliced bread!” Janine joked. 

“Shuhuhut ihihihit!” Egon shot at them. 

“Sorry, Spengler. Not gonna happen.” Winston told him. “We’re a little busy tickling your ghostbusting ass.” 

Egon shook his head as both Janine AND Winston completely destroyed him with tickles. The poor man’s laughter was loud enough to earn himself an audience! Naturally, that audience quickly revealed itself to be the other Ghostbusters. And they appeared to be watching with shock, and endless amusement at Egon’s funny little situation. 

And telling by their faces, Egon knew the whole crew would vow to NEVER let Egon live this down until the day he dies. And that…was either going to be a curse, or a blessing. Which one for sure? 

Not even Egon knows yet. 

[aimnerual]

Hello!

For anyone who needs to go into 2025 with some book suggestions, here is a list of all the books I finished this year! Some of them are fantastic, and some of them are kinda caca! You can check them out for yourself on your own, or here's the link to my goodreads so you can read the reviews in your own time ^^

Happy Reading my fellow book nerds!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Rejection

Rejection is part of a writer's life. Anyone who wants to make it as a writer needs to learn to face rejection bravely, gracefully, and frequently.

3 tips for coping with rejection

Laugh at your rejections.

Learn from your rejections.

Always have a new project underway, something that will give you hope no matter how many rejections come your way for the previous project.

You may take some consolation in knowing the rejection history of these writers and works:

Dune by Frank Herbert �� 13 rejections

Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis – 17 rejections

Jonathan Livingston Seagull – 18 rejections

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle – 29 rejections

Carrie by Stephen King – over 30 rejections

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – 38 rejections

A Time to Kill by John Grisham – 45 rejections

Louis L'Amour, author of over 100 western novels – over 300 rejections before publishing his first book

John Creasy, author of 564 mystery novels – 743 rejections before publishing his first book

Ray Bradbury, author of over 100 science fiction novels and stories – around 800 rejections before selling his first story

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter – rejected so universally the author decided to self-publish the book

From rejection slip for George Orwell's Animal Farm:

“It is impossible to sell animal stories in the U.S.A."

From rejection slip for Norman MacLean's A River Runs Through It:

“These stories have trees in them."

From rejection slip for article sent to the San Francisco Examiner to Rudyard Kipling:

“I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how to use the English language."

From rejection slip for The Diary of Anne Frank:

“The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the curiosity level."

Rejection slip for Dr. Seuss's And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street:

“Too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling."

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[cherrysolo]

hi my love again hehe!! in one of your posts you were asking about luigi's goodreads!! and i made an analysis about the books he's read that ive read here it is if u want to read it :))

sapiens - also part of luigi's favorite's list!! this is by yuval noah harrari my GOAT guys.. i cannot STOP yapping about this book!! if u guys dont like reading very bulky texts and js want to get the main point there's a graphic history version and it's ive read it spits out points very concisely !! so either book it's all good :)) it's veryvery interesting it talks about evolution and why humans act like humans!! i love history and yuval noah harrari made me love evolution so much!! this book was rated a 5/5 by luigi (deserved hehe) girl honestly anyone ANYONE who gave sapiens a chance would also rate it 5/5 or a high rating it's a timeless lighthouse on the fog of defining humanity so since luigi is a very left brained man this deff fits his character all in all (oh js wanted to mention he rated sapiens: graphic history a 4/5)

harry potter - he rated 1st-3rd book a 5/5 def deserved !! ofc it's a classic ive had my harry potter phase die out and live again MULTIPLE times harry potter is probably apart of many people including luigi's first books ive read and loved list

the little prince - 4/5 (by luigi) it still freaks me out that he read the same books as a lot of us, watched the same movies as a lot of us, and that he's js a regular human but his actions moved society to forward him to transcend into the status of being "it is hell on earth to be heavenly - ts", almost even myth-like anyways back to the little prince it's rlly an AMAZING book !! it's a short read and it speaks so much about taking the truth of growing up and adulthood and making it alien through a child's eyes def made a lot of people relive an innocence that once was

animal farm - he rated this a 4/5 and i agree with that i read animal farm for school and it is a classic, so typical and so true i reference it all the time for me i gave it a 3/5 on my goodreads too because halfway through the book PLSDONT FLAME ME FOR THIS i kind ofalready picked up what george orwell was putting down - especially for the ending it was a bit obvious for me PLS DONT GET MAD IM SORRY anw it talks about the oppressive effects of a dictatorship (specifically communist government) and basically talks about how EVERYTHING gets political and even a revolution that looks toward freedom can get blurred when u lose ur ideals that's the main message i got out of this!!

the art of war - i havent finished the art of war yet..sigh.. he rated this a 4/5 and it's fitting since from the reviews ive read it's very strategic and calculated js like luigi so the rating matches with his personality

so sorry that's all the book titles that ive recognized in his roster.. I FEEL SO BEHIND but on a serious note i feel rlly inspired to read more books!! school has been so draining :(( and ive been lacking time to read im trying to light the spark again this year

i saw a lot of philosophy and psychology and self help books (including health about back pain) he's so avid about self-improvement it's stunning

i remember in luigi's reddit too he was very staunch about the fact that when he wanted to bring a book in his backpack it had to be physical and not kindle and he enumerated like 4 points to justify it it was so cute and made me so happy coz i shared the same views as him

oh and i also wanted to mention that luigi is an absolute culture absorber !! so inspiring he reads books about the places he goes to eg. hawaii and based on pictures he's a very openminded social butterfly hehe

luigi is a walking pursuit of wonder. like he read elon musk and the unabomber for specific reasons and i think it's because he was curious to find out the mindset of these people that yk he doesnt exactly idolize to euphonize it at least.. so if we wanna find out what type of person luigi is i think itd be good to judge that based on the books he's read def since it's what he's been exposed to/chosen to be exposed to so if anyone who has read the same books as he has u can always anon message me/make a post hehe i find his mind so interesting!! i love u so much!! i hope you're doing amazing!! good luck at uni!! (not that ur gonna need it hehe) sending so much love and admiration!! i mean poli sci??? now we need a standing ovulation for that. love u so much!!

OMFG I LOVE THIS SM!!!! I find it so interesting the array of books he’s read! he definitely doesn’t conform to one genre of books. especially in his tbr goodreads shelf he had a book about female pleasure….. we love a man who can read! haha

his post about not having a kindle and rather a physical book makes me giggle! I previously shared the same views, because nothing compares to holding the actual real book! But I now have a kindle and it has changed my reading habits completely! he would definitely be a lil suspicious if his so read on a kindle, because why choose a device over real writing on a page???

I definitely agree with you that reading can be so draining and book slumps are inevitable! I always try to set reading goals but I rarely accomplish them lol. do you think that luigi always set a goodreads yearly reading goal too? I wonder what his goal was set to!

I genuinely have such a smile on my face reading these replies ahhh!!!! ily <3

[marzipanlvr]

Please yesss 👀👀 post about his books you found and your thoughts

hello anon!! hope ur good!! OMG HELLO? HELP ME ARE U GIVING ME A WARRANT TO YAP... here's the real thing i don't want to disclose my age but im a teenager and i havent read all the books he's read (it's impending doom laying upon me ALWAYS :(( feeling so behind rn) but ill talk about the books ive read that he's read!!

sapiens - also part of luigi's favorite's list!! this is by yuval noah harrari my GOAT guys.. i cannot STOP yapping about this book!! if u guys dont like reading very bulky texts and js want to get the main point there's a graphic history version and it's ive read it spits out points very concisely !! so either book it's all good :)) it's veryvery interesting it talks about evolution and why humans act like humans!! i love history and yuval noah harrari made me love evolution so much!! this book was rated a 5/5 by luigi (deserved hehe) girl honestly anyone ANYONE who gave sapiens a chance would also rate it 5/5 or a high rating it's a timeless lighthouse on the fog of defining humanity so since luigi is a very left brained man this deff fits his character all in all (oh js wanted to mention he rated sapiens: graphic history a 4/5)

harry potter - he rated 1st-3rd book a 5/5 def deserved !! ofc it's a classic ive had my harry potter phase die out and live again MULTIPLE times harry potter is probably apart of many people including luigi's first books ive read and loved list

the little prince - 4/5 (by luigi) it still freaks me out that he read the same books as a lot of us, watched the same movies as a lot of us, and that he's js a regular human but his actions moved society to forward him to transcend into the status of being "it is hell on earth to be heavenly - ts", almost even myth-like anyways back to the little prince it's rlly an AMAZING book !! it's a short read and it speaks so much about taking the truth of growing up and adulthood and making it alien through a child's eyes def made a lot of people relive an innocence that once was

animal farm - he rated this a 4/5 and i agree with that i read animal farm for school and it is a classic, so typical and so true i reference it all the time for me i gave it a 3/5 on my goodreads too because halfway through the book PLSDONT FLAME ME FOR THIS i kind ofalready picked up what george orwell was putting down - especially for the ending it was a bit obvious for me PLS DONT GET MAD IM SORRY anw it talks about the oppressive effects of a dictatorship (specifically communist government) and basically talks about how EVERYTHING gets political and even a revolution that looks toward freedom can get blurred when u lose ur ideals that's the main message i got out of this!!

the art of war - i havent finished the art of war yet..sigh.. he rated this a 4/5 and it's fitting since from the reviews ive read it's very strategic and calculated js like luigi so the rating matches with his personality

so sorry that's all the book titles that ive recognized in his roster.. I FEEL SO BEHIND but on a serious note i feel rlly inspired to read more books!! school has been so draining :(( and ive been lacking time to read im trying to light the spark again this year

i saw a lot of philosophy and psychology and self help books (including health about back pain) he's so avid about self-improvement it's stunning

i remember in luigi's reddit too he was very staunch about the fact that when he wanted to bring a book in his backpack it had to be physical and not kindle and he enumerated like 4 points to justify it it was so cute and made me so happy coz i shared the same views as him

oh and i also wanted to mention that luigi is an absolute culture absorber !! so inspiring he reads books about the places he goes to eg. hawaii and based on pictures he's a very openminded social butterfly hehe

luigi is a walking pursuit of wonder. like he read elon musk and the unabomber for specific reasons and i think it's because he was curious to find out the mindset of these people that yk he doesnt exactly idolize to euphonize it at least.. so if we wanna find out what type of person luigi is i think itd be good to judge that based on the books he's read def since it's what he's been exposed to/chosen to be exposed to so if anyone who has read the same books as he has u can always anon message me/make a post hehe i find his mind so interesting!!

i want to say thank you to the anon who send me this message!! i love books SO MUCHRWEDHBS and i had NO ONE to talk to about the books he's read. the minute i stalked his goodreads my jaw kept on dropping till it reached the floorwax. i was so happy that he read the same books as me and i was so excited an intrigued. that marked my crush on luigi i guess.. free nerds love nerds !! thank you anon i love u and ur sweet soul :(( please stay safe anon hoping rainbows ALWAYS find ur way!! <33 u sweetiepie

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

[art: Allan McDonalds l quote: George Orwell "Animal Farm"]

Corruption vs. Democracy 2024

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." +

The aftermath.

December 23, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

The news cycle over the last 48 hours was driven by Trump's effort to deal with the aftermath of his defeat on Friday. Not only did he fail to secure debt limit relief, 176 Republicans defied his threats of primary challenges to vote in favor of a bill opposed by Trump. Worse, Speaker-in-Name-Only (SPINO) Mike Johnson spoke to the press after the continuing resolution was passed and described his conversations with Elon Musk about the bill—not Donald Trump.

The central (but unsuccessful) role played by Elon Musk in the effort to force a government shutdown overshadowed Trump's status as president-elect—much to Trump's displeasure. Trump's spokesperson issued a statement last week saying, “President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.”

Then, in remarks on Sunday before a conservative conference, Trump said,

No, [Musk] is not gonna be president, that I can tell you. And I’m safe, you know why? He can’t be, he wasn’t born in this country.

Trump's statement oozes insecurity. Trump is so worried about Musk that he is comforting himself by referring to the constitutional prohibition against foreign-born citizens becoming president. Trump has thought through the defenses to an incipient Musk presidency.

Jen Psaki noted on Sunday that Trump's need to remind people that he is the head of the Republican Party is a bad sign. See Raw Story, 'Not exactly a statement you want to have to make': Jen Psaki points to Trump problem.

Per Psaki, Musk took to his vanity social media platform to claim that it was the media that was trying to drive a wedge between the two man-child egos.

To be clear, it is not the media that is trying to drive a wedge between Musk and Trump—it is members of the Republican and Democratic parties who are doing so.

On a Sunday talk-show, GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales said,

It's kind of interesting, we have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It feels like Elon Musk is our prime minister.

While some Republicans may view “Prime Minister Musk” as a positive development, Democrats are taunting Trump over Musk’s status. See Real Clear Politics, CNN Panel: Democrats Mock Trump, Joke About "President Musk" On Social Media.

Does any of this matter? And, if so, will it help Democrats?

I think the answers are “Yes,” and “Yes”—over time.

As Musk insinuates himself into the negative agenda of the Trump administration, he will become a soft target for the blame associated with the heartless, greedy, mean-spirited cuts that will be recommended by Musk and Ramaswamy.

Musk is already being blamed for removing two provisions from the bi-partisan continuing resolution negotiated between House Democrats and Republicans. Those provisions relate to (a) restrictions on investments in China and (b) compensation for victims of “deep-fake” pornography on social media sites, like Twitter. The elimination of both of those provisions will make conducting business easier for Musk and his companies.

While Musk probably did not base his opposition to the original CR on the two grounds noted above, his businesses will benefit from the absence of those restrictions, nonetheless. And it is difficult to think of two more opprobrious victories to inure to Musk’s benefit from the continuing resolution debacle.

Media commentators are portraying last week’s drama as a grand plan by Musk to allow Tesla to make unlimited investments in China and Twitter to avoid liability for deep-fake porn on its platform. See, e.g., NBC, House Democrats say GOP caved to Musk in funding bill, protecting his China interests, and NYTimes, The spending deal Musk helped kill included an X-backed bill to help victims of deepfake porn.

It does not matter why Musk opposed the bipartisan continuing resolution. The fact that his opposition makes it easier for Tesla to invest in China and Twitter to avoid liability to victims of deepfake porn are the only two talking points that matter.

And Democrats are making the most of those talking points—as they should. Weakening Musk weakens Trump which weakens the Project 2025 agenda.

Because he has not been elected, Musk is pathologically insensitive to the political blowback from his actions—which means he will continue to promote unpopular initiatives regardless of the political cost. That will hurt Trump and the GOP.

The American public is rightfully skeptical of Musk. See MSNBC, Maddow Blog | Poll: Much of the public disapproves of Elon Musk’s role on Trump’s team.

And, in a hellish feedback loop, Trump will be driven to ever greater heights of outrageousness to draw the spotlight away from Musk and back to Trump.

We may have seen a smidgen of that feedback loop this weekend—when Trump suggested that the US would seize the Panama Canal. See The Intelligencer, Trump Is Threatening to Invade Panama, Take Back Canal.

Trump's initial ridiculous post drew a reprimand from Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino who noted that every inch of Panama is part of a sovereign nation.

Trump then upped his lunacy by posting a photo of the Panama Canal under a US flag with the caption, “Welcome to the US Canal.”

It is difficult to describe the idiocy of Trump's proposal to invade Panama in order to take back control of the canal. The most rational explanation for Trump's ridiculous suggestion is that he is pulling a PR stunt to draw attention away from the fact that he is losing control of the GOP to Musk.

It is tricky to ascribe rational motivations to Trump's actions, so I acknowledge that I could be completely wrong. But we have seen similar behavior from Trump during his first term.

In short, if insecurity over Musk drives Trump to ever more ridiculous antics to regain the spotlight, that is a lose-lose proposition for Trump and a winning proposition for Democrats—if they are aggressive in their messaging.

If my view is correct, then the chaotic battle of egos that we are watching unfold in horror and disbelief contains the seeds of the GOP’s downfall.

But even when viewed through that lens of optimism, the path to victory will be dark, difficult, and painful. The good news is that we have been here before and prevailed. We can do so again.

In candor, our task today is more challenging than in 2017 because of the collapse of legacy media and the surrender of the billionaire class and business leaders. But we are also more organized and experienced than we were in 2017.

We are equal to the task, and we have no choice. Given those facts, there is little benefit to complaining and great advantage to acting.

Further reading.

As I glide into the holiday (family has arrived), I will briefly recommend additional articles to your attention.

Marc Elias in Democracy Docket, We Are on Our Own. As I mentioned before, Marc Elias is stepping up in a big way to become a leading voice in the opposition to Trump. This essay recognizes the cold reality of our present situation but is also affirming in identifying “us” as the solution. Read it or tuck it away for a moment when you need a boost.

The scandal at the US Supreme Court is worse than we thought—because the justices continue to withhold relevant information. I will circle back to this topic after the holidays. For now, see Senate Review Of Supreme Court Ethics Finds More Luxury Trips, Urges Code Of Conduct | HuffPost Latest News.

Something worrisome appears to be going on with Senator John Fetterman. He is meeting with Trump's nominees—which is admirable. But he seems to be transforming into an apologist (or worse, defender) for the inexcusable actions and statements of those nominees. Let’s hope that this does not foreshadow Joe Manchin 2.0. See The Hill, John Fetterman: Kash Patel said he wouldn't go after Trump's enemies.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[gabbykinneysupremacy]

So… I’ve watched the original X-Men tas probably five or six times, and I was so excited for the new episodes today!!

So I broke down all the Easter eggs I saw in the first episode! I hope to do this with every episode and I’m going to start the second one tonight. This probably isn’t all of them, so comment if I missed something.

If you want a really good analysis of this episode, you should watch the YouTube channel New Rockstars. They do amazing breakdowns of everything nerdy and have the coolest merch!!

Obviously, spoilers for episode one of X-Men ‘97’

Logo update on title card

1:16: The panning of the city shows signs that advertise Ashida, Stark industries, VistaCorp and Da Costa. Noriko Ashida is mutant Surge, who was introduced in New Mutants in January of 2008. Stark industries is obviously Tony Stark. The original show featured a story with both Wolverine and Captain America, so we know the avengers exist in some form. And Da Costa: Roberto Da Costa AKA sunspot appears in the opening of the show, captured by the FOH. Sunspot made his appearance as a member of the original New Mutants.

1:20 Anti mutant graffiti and X logo spray painted over “Report Mutants” flyer on pole.

2:00 FOH has same arm bands and military style berets. They also appear to have sentinal technology as wearable weapons.

2:47 There’s a missing poster for a woman who appears to be Marrow, another frequent X-Men character and Morlock.

4:55 Daily Bugle, the news paper known to Spider-Man fans, flashes by. Again, spider man was in an episode of the original X-men animated series, confirming the universes are one. This paper advertises “Benetton’s Mutant Fashion Show”, the cover notably features four mutants, two of which are resubmit recognized and Banshee and Dust.

5:03 Gambit is rocking a crop top that says “Rock.” From the design, it looks like he cropped the shirt himself. He’s also sporting a necklace with a blue/ white gem. Here, he’s making Begets, a traditional Cajun treat, reflecting on Gambit’s own roots in the French quarter of New Orleans.

5:18 Rogue is back in her pink dress, the same dress she wore in the pilot of the original animated series.

6:54 Beasts’s book collection features Animal
Farm by George Orwell, the book he read in prison in the original series.

7:37 Both Beast and Jubilee mention that Bishop is a time traveler, but neither mention why he’s staying in their time with the X-Men.

8:52 The Danger Room simulation features the rubble of the UN, Magneto flying above it. This foreshadows later in the second episode where he does use his powers at the UN.

9:20 Jubilee lists off powers to Sunspot, asking which are his. She mentions shooting gold balls from his body, saying that would be weird. This references Goldballs, a very real and very weird X-Men.

9:57 Scott stares at a picture of the original X-Men with Xavier. In the comics, the original five are Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Ice Man and Beast. In the show, we’ve seen all five but never all together. And Angel never acknowledges being in the original X-men.

10:00 Scott and Jean talk to Dr. Cooper; aka Valerie Cooper. In comics, she’s an assistant to the president on the context of superhumans.

10:54 The team play basketball outside, just like Wolverine, Gambit and Jubilee did in the original show.

11:08 Charles’ death certificate reveals that the date of his death is 11/11/1996, and that his middle name is Francis.

12:13 Jean confirms for the first time that her and Cyclops’ baby is a boy, most likely Nathan Summers.

18:42 Jean sees a child’s hand drawing a picture when she uses cerebro. Is this a flash to the future of her son?

19:04 The baby jean holds is wrapped in a yellow X-Men blanket.

19:35 The rocks behind Jean turn into gravestones.

23:28 The sentinels call out an omega level threat. This refers to Storm’s Omega level status, one of the first times we’ve talked about power rankings in tas.

23:42 Where Storms’s lightening hits the sand, it turns into glass. This is a natural phenomenon and the glass structures are called fulgurites.

24:50 The soldiers and helicopters that come to take Trask are labeled as UN forces. They’re accompanied by Valerie Cooper, her second appearance this episode.

28:12 When Magneto moves the book, only the metal corners light up as being manipulated by his powers, just a fun detail.

And of course, updated title cards in the end credits

[mapplesand]

Every chapters name in Morbid Minds and their explanation

Chapter 1 - Cruz (nickname used by people who bully Marco, reference to the school shooter Nikolas Cruz)

Chapter 2 - Tristan (first introduction of Tristan and first time we get his pov)

Chapter 3 - We need to talk about Marco (reference to the movie/book We need to talk about Kevin, the plot is about a mother struggling with the fact that her son is a school shooter)

Chapter 4 - Closer (name to a Nine Inch Nails song, Marco plays it to Tristan during their first time actually talking to each others, he asks Tristan if he would let him "desecrate him" (lyric from the song) because that's apparently what you say to people)

Chapter 5 - Animal Farm (book by George Orwell, both Tristan and Marco have to study for a test about the book)

Chapter 6 - Level of Concern (song by Twenty One Pilots, Tristan listens to it during a panic attacks)

Chapter 7 - Listen up, it's the Rapture (lyrics from The Rapture (but it's pink) by Scene Queen, referencing a nightmare sequence Marco has where he's both struggling with shooting intrusive thoughts and religious thoughts)

Chapter 8 - Les Fleurs du Mal ("Flowers of Evil" title of a poetry book by Charles Baudelaire but also the name of a manga, I chose it because Marco has the manga and Tristan points out that it's also french poetry)

Chapter 9 - Bang bang, you're dead (ref to a book/movie about school shooting, also because Josh gets threatened with a gun twice in here)

Chapter 10 - Platonic Handjob (song by Meth Wax, there is no handjob in this chapter for anyone wondering, but yes there is still a reason for that chapter and it's gay tension)

Chapter 11 - Blödmann ("Dumbass" in german, targeted towards Marco because he really is a dumbass in this one but not in a good way)

Chapter 12 - I wish I was Special (lyrics from the song Creep by Radiohead, Tristan and his father listens to the song during a car ride)

Chapter 13 - You're so Fucking Special (follow up to the previous lyrics, this is the chapter where Tristan and Marco get together)

Chapter 14 - We're going to Superhell (Supernatural meme lol Tristan infodump about Supernatural to Marco's mom, some kind of joke with the meme, the fact that his mother is heavily catholic and the fact that they're gay)

Chapter 15 - I'm your problem now (song by Mindless Self Indulgence, Tristan realizes that being with Marco means he also has to stop him from being a jackass)

Chapter 16 - The Kids aren't Alright (song by both The Offsprings and Fall out Boys, refers to the fact that there's a bunch of new characters introduced and the kids aren't alright, that's for sure)

Chapter 17 - Empty Generation (song by Rotten Minds, chose this one because we both get a Dalisay pov (Marco's mom) and Michae pov (Tristan's dad))

Chapter 18 - Lovely Bastards (song by Yatashigang, lovely bastards being both Marco and Tyler in this)

Chapter 19 - But you and me, we're just crazy (lyrics from the song "When I'm with you" by Best Coast, it's one of the soundtrack of the movie The Dirties a movie about school shooting)

Chapter 20 - Take a Slice (song by Glass Animals, one of Tyler's theme because it's the first time we get his pov)

Do you guys have a favorite title ? Mine is Platonic Handjob because it's so fucking random i'm glad I put it in there lol

also idk if you guys noticed but i think there's a running theme in the pop culture i'm chosing for this story... truly is a mystery what theme is it (yes the school shooting theme represent Marco while the song titles represent Tristan, it's linked to both of their major special interests)

[jakeonao3]

hold me while you wait

royjamie, >1k words, rated M

Jamie gets beaten up by his father and his minions, calling Roy afterwards. Roy takes care of him and they're bothe soft for each other.

tags under the cut

Additional Tags: Warning: James Tartt Sr. - mentioned, Hurt Jamie Tartt, Protective Roy Kent, Roy Kent Takes Care of Jamie Tartt, Animal Farm - George Orwell References, Post-Episode: s02e08 Man City (Ted Lasso), James Tartt Sr. Bashing, Getting Together, Roy Kent loves Jamie Tartt, First Kiss, Jamie Tartt Needs a Hug

[mightyflamethrower]

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

― George Orwell, Animal Farm

Newspeak Dictionary Updates From Airstrip One

Do not subject yourself to cancelation by inadvertently committing thoughtcrime. Stay abreast of the incessant updates to the Newspeak Dictionary. From Airstrip One:

The new Staffordshire Police inclusive language guide discourages using the word “policeman”. “In general,” it urges, “we word our content to avoid masculine and feminine pronouns (“he” or “she”)”. Gender-neutral language is always preferable, even when talking about a police officer who is a man.

The gender-neutral push is in compliance with the LGBT agenda.

Other terms stricken from the Newspeak Dictionary by the Staffordshire Police tellingly include “mentally ill.”

Moonbats demand not merely euphemisms but euphemisms for euphemisms. For example, we are no longer to refer to people as “disadvantaged,” but rather as “under-resourced,” regardless of the unexploited resources going to waste due to their dysfunction. “Migration challenge” has been canceled in favor of “migration as a complex phenomenon.”

According to Cathy Hastie, an HR expert and lecturer at the University of Derby, the documents are an acknowledgement by organisations that striving for diversity among its workforce isn’t enough; more important is the culture within it.

It does no good for employees to represent preferred identity groups unless they comply with the assigned ideology. Marginalizing and eventually eradicating whites are long-term objectives to be achieved through immigration and welfare policy. The immediate goal is to fundamentally transform the culture into something unrecognizable.

English language and linguistics lecturer Laura Bailey of University of Kent confirms:

“By changing our language, we can try to change the culture.”

As George Orwell explained, the main purpose of progressively reducing our vocabulary is to “narrow the range of thought.” But as with all things left-wing, sheer malice plays a roll. Moonbats don’t like the English language:

The Oxfam Inclusive Language Guide, published in March this year … apologis[es] in its introduction for being written in and about the English language, “the language of a colonising nation”. It goes on: “We acknowledge the Anglo-supremacy of the sector as part of its coloniality,” adding: “We recognise that the dominance of English is one of the key issues that must be addressed in order to decolonise our ways of working and shift power.”

In utopia, no one will speak English — or any other language. The descendants of the human race will grunt like hogs as Big Government fills their troughs with free slop.

[wuchiyama]

Ensaio sobre o filme Animal Farm (1999) - Não basta ter boas intenções.

Boas intenções não são o suficiente. Animal Farm, adaptação cinematográfica do livro homônimo de George Orwell, se constrói em torno desta máxima. Aliás, antes de começarmos a aventura, vamos a uma nota preliminar: essa resenha se refere a adaptação de 1999, há uma outra da década de 50 com significativas diferenças narrativas que podem alterar a interpretação da obra em alguma medida.

A narrativa segue a lógica de uma fábula clássica. Dadas as devidas proporções, encontramos animais com características humanas e uma moral ao fundo, embora está seja muito mais complexa do que a moral da história de fábulas infantis. Não é para menos, apesar da linguagem infantil e da semelhança como a estrutura de desenho animado, só é possível captar o grosso do sentido da obra quando se tem uma mente mais madura.

O plot é simples, chega a ser didático. Depois de ser submetidos a fome, péssimas condições de trabalho e maus tratos, os animais de uma fazenda resolvem fazer uma revolução, só para descobrir, tardiamente, que o problema nem sempre é o sistema político, mas a ambição desenfreada dos indivíduos.

Como toda forma de arte, a linguagem do cinema se constrói como uma metáfora do real. Nada é gratuito na construção do filme. Cada escolha de cena e personagens traz a tona uma série de interpretações possíveis, muitas delas, obviamente, herdadas do texto de Orwell.

Contudo, os sentidos da adaptação do livro podem não ser exatamente os mesmos do livro, é comum que na passagem da linguagem literária para a linguagem cinematográfica haja algum ruído, uma mudança nas intenções e nos horizontes de interpretação, sempre relacionado a cosmovisão de quem a executa.

Leve em conta que o livro foi escrito em 1954, como uma crítica a União Soviética, que na visão de Orwell havia se desviado dos ideais do comunismo e que o filme, produzido na década de 90, embora ainda contenha muito dessa crítica, acontece sob circunstâncias socioculturais bem diferentes.

Vejamos alguns personagens:

O Senhor e Senhora Jones: Na interpretação do filme de 99, o casal de fazendeiros podem ser facilmente interpretados como proprietários de terra, detentores dos meios de produção, o pequeno burguês, numa linguagem mais marxista. Encarnam a figura de patrões irresponsáveis que prezam o lucro a qualquer custo, sem se importar com a saúde dos funcionários e de seu próprio negócio.

O senhor Pilkington: Nada melhor que um rico fazendeiro emprestador de dinheiro para encarnar a figura do mercado, sempre disposto a dar com uma mão para depois tomar com as duas. Trata-se da mão invisível da elite, endinheirada e sempre em busca de mais, não nutrindo nenhum amor pela pobreza e por qualquer coisa que possa interferir negativamente em seus interesses.

Velho Major: O velho porco é a imagem idealizada de todo precursor de revolução. Coloque aí, Lênin, Gramsci, Marx... Qualquer um que tenha lançado as fundações das bases ideológicas de qualquer movimento revolucionário. São as palavras dele que inflamam a revolta animal e são suas palavras que serão distorcidas, mais adiante, por causa dos interesses escusos de nosso próximo personagem.

Napoleão: Um porco Berkshire. É a figura do revolucionário brucutu, cuja principal linguagem é a violência. Ele encarna figuras como Stalin, Fidel, Guevara e companhia, na boca um belo discurso e na mão o fuzil.

Squealer: Um porco Tamworth. Até conseguiria conectar a personagem com alguma figura histórica, caberia ali facilmente Molotov e Goebbels, marketeiros de primeira mão, respectivamente da União Soviética e na Alemanha da Segunda Guerra. Contudo, o personagem é, sobretudo, uma personificação da propaganda e da engenharia social. Seus discursos, a distorção dos princípios do animalismo, são aquilo que dá condições para que a ditadura de Napoleão se perpetue.

Snowball: Um porco doméstico. Representa o revolucionário idealista, cheio de boas intenções e, como todo os mortais, disposto a pequenas corrupções em nome da causa. Sua principal linguagem é o convencimento intelectual, por meio de uma argumentação racional ele tenta estimular os animais da fazenda a buscar melhores condições de vida e trabalho, mas ainda assim faz usufruto da desigualdade ao aceitar que se reserve para os porcos a melhor parte da alimentação.

Boxer: Um cavalo. O gigante gentil da fazenda. Trabalhador e bondoso. Sempre pensando no bem estar da comunidade. Representa o proletariado que acredita piamente na revolução e que não poupa esforços para concretizar o ideal de sociedade que ela pretende. Infelizmente, Boxer é cego para as maquinações de Napoleão e Squealer, gastando até seu último suspiro de vida pela fazenda, sem poder usufruir da tranquilidade prometida na sociedade animalista.

As ovelhas: Representam o proletariado de massa de manobra, aqueles que são apanhados pela maré da revolução e apenas seguem com ela, sem realmente compreender o que ela é ou mesmo se ter uma opinião reflexiva sobre como está acontecendo. Elas repetem as palavras de Napoleão e cumprem suas ordens religiosamente.

Jessie: A cadela. É pelo seu ponto de vista que a história é apresentada a nós, parece ser o proletariado intelectual tardio, que aprendeu pela experiência dolorida que a revolução não é feita só de boas intenções. A personagem foi uma das primeiras a perceber que havia algo errado acontecendo e são suas as digressões que intercalam as cenas do filme.

Outros elementos da narrativa também tem muito a dizer, escolhi algumas para desenvolver aqui:

O termo Animalismo, cunhado pelo Velho Major, é uma clara referência ao Comunismo, a ideia de igualdade na distribuição do produto do trabalho coletivo. Na verdade, toda a estrutura da obra responde a lógica do materialismo histórico de Marx.

O Moinho é uma representação da evolução técnica, originalmente pensada para facilitar a vida da comunidade, porém utilizada para maximizar os lucros do ditador. O exército, representado pelos cães adestrados, como ferramenta de controle social, uma metáfora para o autoritarismo que busca sufocar qualquer tentativa de mudar a ordem social.

O Entretenimento e Propaganda também são apresentados como ferramenta de controle, usados para distrair a comunidade de animais dos seus problemas e das tendências autoritárias de Napoleão. Cá pra nós, os animais hipnotizados, são nada muito diferentes de um ser humano que fica sentado na frente da TV como um saco de batatas, ou que tem um viés político como único filtro de informações.

Muito bem, mas o que podemos depreender do filme partindo da Sociologia.

Para começar, a metáfora do filme aponta para o papel óbvio da mídia, do entretenimento e do medo como ferramentas de controle. A TV aparece, em um certo momento do filme como um meio para desarmar uma confusão em torno da injustiça na distribuição de alimento, também é na TV que aparecem programas de natureza ufanista e ultrapatrióticas, sempre com o senso de que a fazenda está sob ameaça e de que é preciso trabalhar mais.

Por falar em trabalho, até mesmo ele é usado como ferramenta de controle. Em seu plano de dominação, Napoleão entende que sufocar os animais com serviço, sugá-los até a exaustão, desestimularia qualquer vontade de questionamento e revolução. Animais ocupados não têm tempo para pensar.

E quando a propaganda e o trabalho não dão conta de tolher a mente do indivíduo, o medo surge como dispositivo de intimidação. Os cães adestrados pelos porcos, originalmente pensados para encarnar a KGB russa, podem tranquilamente também ser uma metáfora para aparelhamento das entidades de segurança pública. Quando a polícia passa a ser servidora de um viés ideológico, deixa de ser prestadora de serviços e se torna uma ferramenta de coerção social.

Contudo, como disse à princípio, a grande lição desta fábula moderna é que boas ideias não garantem bons resultados. Não há dúvidas que o velho Major, ao pensar nos princípios do Animalismo, tinha boas intenções e sonhava com um mundo melhor para seus companheiros animais. Entretanto, frequentemente é esquecido que ideais só sobrevivem enquanto há zelo por eles. Mais que isso, é comum que grandes ideias sejam mal interpretadas ou mesmo deturpadas, dando origem a coisas totalmente diferentes do pretendido. A fazenda deveria ser um paraíso da boa vida para os animais revolucionários, contudo se transformou em um cativeiro de pobreza e trabalhos forçados.

Isso nos leva a outra questão: a ingenuidade custa caro. Decerto Napoleão, Snowball e Squealer são culpados por seus atos, contudo, a dominação só se tornou possível pela ingenuidade dos demais animais. Sua leniência e submissão tornou possível a vida miserável a que foram submetidos. Não é errado esperar o melhor das pessoas que nos representam politicamente, entretanto é uma grandessíssima estupidez fechar os olhos para seus erros.

Bons ideais só sobrevivem alimentados pelo engajamento em torno dele. Como qualquer outra coisa na vida, o projeto de um mundo melhor exige um tipo de comprometimento que se materializa em ações práticas. Não é o momento de uma revolução que determina seu sucesso, é o dia seguinte, é o quanto as pessoas envolvidas estão dispostas a, ativamente, ajustar o ideal ao real, pouco a pouco, transitando da sociedade que temos e a que queremos.

Mas professor? No fim das contas, Animal Farm é uma crítica a esquerda? Sim. Evidentemente sim. Em um primeiro momento a obra foi construída tendo em mente os erros da União Soviética e o distanciamento entre o projeto político de Stalin e o ideal comunista. Contudo, esta adaptação atualiza o seu significado. Cá pra nós: propaganda, desinformação, sufocamento via trabalho, a criação de um estado de pânico e inimizade entre grupos divergentes não é uma estratégia exclusiva de regimes autoritários à esquerda. Todos estes elementos estão presentes e patentes no ocidente capitalista e também compuseram a estratégia de dominação de governos fascistas e, até mesmo, do nazismo.

Aliás, vamos relembrar a icônica cena do filme, quando a Jessie, a narradora desta história, olha pela janela e vê a reunião entre Napoleão e o senhor Pilkington. Em dado momento, não se podia mais ver a diferença entre homens e porcos. Isso nos diz algo importante: a deformação que a corrupção causa é igual na esquerda e na direita, não há mocinhos quando existe gente sendo esmagada por um projeto de poder.

Algumas coisas que eu deixei de fora desta análise:

 Há outras personagens significativas que também carregam suas metáforas, como o corvo e o burro.

 Em certa medida, a obra de Orwell foi usada como propaganda antisocialista, apesar de conter claras críticas ao modo de produção capitalista.

 Existe toda uma querela em torno do título da obra: algumas versões vem com o título “A revolução dos Bichos”, outras fazem opção por “A fazenda dos Animais”, está última mais fiel ao texto original.

[samwebsteruniblog]

Penguin Book Cover

Complete Process

-Research

To start this project I wanted to look at all the books in a bit more detail, I wanted to get a better understanding of their concepts and story to help me visualise potential art direction for each book. To start I went through the blurbs and meanings.

-To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee

‘Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice.’  ‘In this story of innocence destroyed by evil, the 'mockingbird' comes to represent the idea of innocence. Thus, to kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence."’

-Animal Farm, by George Orwell

‘When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master, Mr Jones, and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless elite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take control.’ ‘The grand theme of Animal Farm has to do with the capacity for ordinary individuals to continue to believe in a revolution that has been utterly betrayed. Orwell attempts to reveal how those in power—Napoleon and his fellow pigs—pervert the democratic promise of the revolution.’

-In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote

‘Controversial and compelling, In Cold Blood reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer, his wife and both their children. Truman Capote's comprehensive study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the effect it had on those involved.’ ‘In Cold Blood is a new form of journalism that is referred to as a “nonfiction novel,” which tells, as if it were a novel, the story of how Dick Hickock and Perry Smith conspired, prepared, and killed the Clutter family in rural Kansas in the fall of 1959′

-A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking

‘A landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking’s book explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends?’

-How to be a woman by Caitlin Moran

‘Caitlin Moran wrote How To Be a Woman with the goal of making feminism more approachable for every woman by telling stories of her own life's struggles. She wants women to stop seeing feminists as radical man-haters and to start seeing them as advocates for true equality.’

-James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl

‘When his parents are unceremoniously eaten by a rhinoceros that escapes from London Zoo, James is forced to go and live with his unpleasant aunts. Through a series of peculiar and magical happenings, James finds himself in a giant peach with a bunch of friendly giant insects for travelling companions.’

-Noughts & Crosses, by Malorie Blackman

‘They've been friends since they were children, and they both know that's as far as it can ever go. Noughts and Crosses are fated to be bitter enemies - love is out of the question. Then - in spite of a world that is fiercely against them - these star-crossed lovers choose each other.’

-The Outsiders ,by S. E. Hinton

The Outsiders is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs.

-Penguins Briefs 

This has given me a bit more information on each book I now will be looking into a few that catch my eye from content alone. I am interested in How to be a woman, Noughts and Crosses, The outsiders and Animal farm. I am now going to take a look at each brief for these books and see penguins guide on a successful cover to help me see if that can thin my choices.

‘The outsiders, The original teenage rebel story . . . The Socs’ idea of having a good time is beating up Greasers like Ponyboy. Ponyboy knows what to expect and knows he can count on his brothers and friends – until the night someone takes things too far. S.E. Hinton was only seventeen when she wrote The Outsiders. Told in a direct, first-person voice, it is a miracle of honesty with immediate appeal and is still every bit as powerful now as when it was first published in 1967. You are invited to design a whole new cover look for The Outsiders, in order to bring this classic to a new generation of readers, ensuring that this timeless story remains an integral part of every teenager’s bookshelf.’ This book sounds like a lot of fun with ideas of coming to age, rebellion and mistakes. I am also impressed by the age of the authour at the time when she wrote such a successful story. This brief needs to appeal to a new generation of readers.

‘Noughts and Crosses, So you are going to kill me... You set me up so your friends could capture me. You’re real good at letting others do your dirty work... First published in 2001 Noughts & Crosses deals with racism, terrorism, the class system and the artificial divides we always seem to put between ourselves and others. It is as relevant now as it was then.’ At first glance this seems to take inspiration from classic love stories like Romeo and Juliet but modernises them with newer first world problems, it deals with gritty often taboo topics so would be a really interesting task to visualise these issues.

‘Animal Farm, Orwell's chilling 'fairy story', is a timeless and devastating satire of idealism betrayed by power and corruption.When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master Mr Jones and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless élite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take control. Soon the other animals discover that they are not all as equal as they thought, and find themselves hopelessly ensnared as one form of tyranny is replaced with another. 'Animal Farm is a timeless satire on the central tragi-comedy of all politics—that is, the tragi-comedy of corruption by power' Timothy Garton Ash‘It is the book for everyone and Everyman, its brightness undimmed after fifty years’ - Ruth Rendell‘Remains our great satire of the darker face of modern history’ - Malcolm Bradbury’. Im drawn to this book for its visual identity that already exists in other covers, however the political aspect could be fairly difficult to represent without reading the book in full.

‘How to be a Woman, It’s a good time to be a woman: we have the vote and the Pill, and we haven’t been burnt as witches since 1727. However, a few nagging questions do remain. . . Why are we supposed to get Brazilians? Should we use Botox? Do men secretly hate us? And why does everyone ask you when you're going to have a baby?Part memoir, part rant, Caitlin answers the questions that every modern woman is asking.‘This might just be the funniest intelligent book ever written’ Stylist ‘Moran’s writing sparkles with wit and warmth. Like the confidences of your smartest friend’ Simon Pegg It would almost be unkind to call this an important book, because what it mostly is is engaging, brave and consistently, cleverly, naughtily funny, but actually it is important that we talk about this stuff’ Katy Guest Independent on Sunday’ This book seems like a lot of fun to create visually, I also think the topic is very important and it should be spoken about and expressed to a new generation.

-Penguins guide to a successful cover

The cover design should encapsulate the essence or key themes of the book in an imaginative, instant and engaging way.

The design should give the prospective reader a sense of the tone and content of the book, and appeal to the broadest possible audience for it.

Evoke an emotion in the reader similar to the emotion when reading.

Be an attractive piece of design.

Be an original and unexpected interpretation of the brief.

Stand out, whilst still appealing to readers in the target audience.

Have a strong use of typography.

Have executed the use of colour carefully. 

Use type, images and colour that work seamlessly together.

All elements of the cover (front, back and spine) need to work together.

The spine needs to be clear.

-Existing book covers

Here I wanted to look at existing book covers of the books I'm interested in redesigning, I wanted to get a feel for the visual work that represents and sells these books to help inspire me on picking a book but to also help me start to think of new ways to bring these stories to life in a new audience. I also looked at the authors other books and books with similar themes.

-Chosen Book, Animal Farm

I am going to pick Animal Farm I am interested in the concept and will try and listen to the book while I continue with this project, I was interested in How to be a woman however I don't think I could create it successfully or meaningfully without individual experience. So by picking a fiction book I feel like it could be a more successful project. So after this I then focused purely on this books story and message and researched this in more depth. I started by looking at the summary and drawing out points of interest that could be explored.

Quest for equality 

Russian Revolution 

Personified animals

Totalitarian Government

Animalism, 7 Commandments.

Soviet Union

George Orwell, Eric Arthur Blair

Corruption

Exploitation

Deception

Idealism

Apathy

Characters

Old Major, Boar, Carl Marks.

Snowball, Boar, Abstract of evil.

Napoleon, Boar, Communist Tyrant.

Squealer, Pig, Propaganda Machine.

Mr Jones, Man, Corrupt Government.

Pilkington, Man, Allied Countries.

Frederick, Cruel Man, Hitler.

Boxer, Horse, Uneducated exploited working class.

Whimper, Lawyer, Profit of Dictators.

Sheep, Ignorant masses.

Benjamin, donkey, Ignorant complacent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFP1IMyKyy4&ab_channel=GradeSaver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4wze-K9G3A&t=29s&ab_channel=CourseHero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIZ8i9UUQMI&ab_channel=ClickView

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XMeoJbpL-k&ab_channel=Lisa%27sStudyGuides

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGqrR_UZGPs&ab_channel=FirstRateTutors

Further Research

As this story is an allegory it is important that the work represents and portrays these symbolisms successfully, for that I need to understand the context in as much detail as I can, these summaries have been very helpful so far. 

 ‘Radical leftist revolutionaries overthrew Russia's Czar Nicholas II, ending centuries of Romanov rule. The Bolsheviks established a socialist state in the territory that was once the Russian Empire. A long and bloody civil war followed.’ 

‘Most industries were owned by private industrialists. Though the government supervised factories’ working hours and wages of the workers, but still rules were broken.’

‘All political parties were illegal in Russia before 1914. ‘

‘Between 1928 and 1940, Stalin enforced the collectivization of the agricultural sector. Rural peasants were forced to join collective farms. Those that owned land or livestock were stripped of their holdings. Hundreds of thousands of higher-income farmers, called kulaks, were rounded up and executed, their property confiscated.’

‘The grand theme of Animal Farm has to do with the capacity for ordinary individuals to continue to believe in a revolution that has been utterly betrayed. Orwell attempts to reveal how those in power—Napoleon and his fellow pigs—pervert the democratic promise of the revolution. The emotional force of the novel comes from the author's depictions of those ordinary animals who unthinkingly give themselves in good faith to working for the very system by which they are ruthlessly exploited.’

‘Drawing on fable conventions, Orwell tells a farmyard story, casting revolutionary leaders Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924), Leon Trotsky (1879–1940), and Stalin as pigs, which—along with other common farm animals such as horses and hens—rebel against the tyranny of tsar-like farmer Mr. Jones. Set on a small English farm, the novel follows a collective of working animals that, as the pigs exploit them anew, toil pathetically day after day in the belief that they are remaking the farm as a republic.’

‘Napoleon later revises the history with contradictory details—announcing that Snowball actually fought alongside Jones against the animals. When the animals resist the new story, the pig Squealer (a master deceiver) convinces them that their memories are faulty. This pattern of firsthand experience superseded by revisionist propaganda underscores the tragedy, as Orwell sees it, of ordinary individuals who forego their better judgment in letting a totalitarian regime dictate a false reality.’

These sources and analysis will help me draw clear links to Orwell's fiction and reality, it will also help me continue with my research picking out specifics in both worlds to help me visualise the concepts of animal farm.

https://byjus.com/question-answer/what-are-the-main-causes-of-the-russian-revolution/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution

https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/history-of-the-soviet-union

https://www.gale.com/open-access/animal-farm#:~:text=In%20his%20short%20novel%20Animal,Stalin%20(1879%E2%80%931953).

Alongside this research I also wanted to look at existing art for Animal farm and then I will be looking at other relevant visual sources such as soviet era propaganda, George Orwell's other novels likes 1984 and more.

Visual Research

Looking at different book art and art inspired by the story,

Illustration art by Ralph Steadman’s,

Work on Behance,

Properganda Art,

Animal Farm theatre design,

Penguin Book Covers,

I know that to represent this book I want to create an original idea not just a design I want to create a cover that stands out from the existing covers but still heavily links to the novel, for this I will revisit the story’s connotations and look into these meanings and ideologies further. When I think of Russian Symbolism I think of vodka, cold weather and Russian nesting dolls. These don't link directly to soviet union Russia however if I was to experiment with these ideas Imo sure there could be links visually. I do quite like the idea of using Russian dolls as it fits nicely into the books story by having ideas and ideologies passed down, its also quite fitting with the links to Russia. 

Potential Ideas 

-Russian Nesting Dolls

‘Matryoshka dolls, otherwise known as Russian nesting dolls are one of Russia’s most iconic toys and vintage symbols. These stackable and nestable dolls resemble a vibrant babushka, or traditional Russian grandmother. The very first matryoshka doll came about thanks to Sergey Malyutin in the late 1800s. Just a decade or so later, the doll won the prestigious bronze medal at Paris’ World Fair.’ 

The way I would use them would be quite different than they are intended it would be almost opposite to the values these dolls share, however I think the visual representation of the ‘equality’ shown throughout the book could be really successful. I will have to learn more about these dolls before committing to the potential idea.

‘Matryoshka dolls are often designed to follow a particular theme; for instance, peasant girls in traditional dress. Originally, themes were often drawn from tradition or fairy tale characters, in keeping with the craft tradition—but since the late 20th century, they have embraced a larger range, including Russian leaders.’

‘In the late 1980s and early 1990s during Perestroika, freedom of expression allowed the leaders of the Soviet Union to become a common theme of the matryoshka, with the largest doll featuring then-current leader Mikhail Gorbachev. These became very popular at the time, affectionately earning the nickname of a Gorba or Gorby, the namesake of Gorbachev. With the periodic succession of Russian leadership after the collapse of the Soviet Union, newer versions would start to feature Russian presidents Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin, and Dmitry Medvedev.’

I think that using Russian dolls would be a really powerful way to show the ideas being passed along down the chain to the most innocent, I think that because Russian leaders have already been created as nesting dolls it adds a layer off my original worry which was the dolls aren't representing there usual fertility.

I don't want to commit to any idea just yet so I will continue to add to this research and think of other potential ways to show this story in a unique way.

Experimenting with Composition

Here I began to experiment with the layout, I didn't have a finalised idea but I knew I needed to roughly begin experimenting with the format of book covers and spine. I also thought that getting used to the space it could help me chose  an idea from my research based on the frame to work with. These are really quick experiments using squares to represent the use of Russian dolls, I found that a lot of these didn't look like they would work. I thought it was really hard to create a composition that clearly gives space to a back cover and titles etc. A few ideas were created that would be really cool to refine further to see if they could work, all of them being numbers 7, 8 and 9. These will be ones I will try out with some further experimentation. I also did a few rough drawings of the nesting dolls to see how they work with different shapes and stacked upon one another, again these are really quick and basic just to help me visualise the concept quickly.

Refining these composition ideas,

After experimenting with a few rough composition ideas I now I have an idea to use and to refine, I'm thinking of stacking up the dolls half open to show the ideologies being passed down through the animals. I am thinking of doing the main doll as the only animal as they will be the only full doll, the others will be a representation of their beliefs and who George Orwell based the characters on. So it's likely that these will be in uniforms/people clothes. I have a little template of 3 stacked up however I will also think about adding a fourth doll depending on the characters. I have done previous research into who the animals represent, I will take a closer look at the story to make sure that they stack in order of events or rumours like in the book.

Before going into the design I wanted to look at other illustration artists, to help me pick the style most fitting for this work. I am leaning towards water colour because I personally think it looks really well and means I don't have to be too realistic with the character designs. The artists I looked at where born or lived through the time of the Russian revolution, though they aren't Russian I found it unhelpful looking at artists way before the soviet union.

Water Colour Artists 

-Paul Klee, I really like Klee’s use of colour, creating unique shapes and patterns with only a handful of colours. His work feels minimalistic yet every time I look back at the paintings I see something new.

-Winslow Homer, the detail in these watercolours are completely different to Klee and shows the range of using watercolours as a median.

Charles Demuth, I am drawn to these surrealist almost collage like watercolours as they are an altered state of reality similar to the altered worlds characters on animal farm exist in.

Development

I then began to assign each layer to a character, the first layer being Old Majors, then snowball, Frederick or Squealer and then Napoleon. I started by doing rough sketches which I then was going to colour with water colour paints however when I started this they didn't turn out well at all and I instantly didn't like it so I decided to create them digitally but editing them and manipulating the design to look like it was water colours.

I then experimented with the fonts I wanted a messy font so I experimented and manipulated different punk and gothic fonts till I found something I liked.

I also created a spine I have a few different versions already and will continue to experiment with the composition until I find one I want to keep. However I wanted some mock ups to show in my tutorial so I am using the one I find the most successful though this could change as I still have to create the back cover for the book.

Mock ups for tutorial,

Changes after the tutorial,

I was told to change the font sizes and to experimenting with text to fill in the white space, as I was doing this even changing the colour and opacity it felt very busy and I much preferred the white space to draw attention to the illustration of the cover. I then made the back cover, as I was designing the back cover I had to redesign the spine and front cover to make everything match as the different colour font felt too harsh on its own when I looked at the overall net of the design.

Final Design, 

The design here is the most successful at first I didn't love the red text however now that it is equal amongst the covers and spine it works nicely, I think this cover is really successful and I think its eye catching and different to existing covers for the book.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Literary Terms

Allegory. A kind of story that has a meaning deeper than its obvious one, and it’s a sort of extended metaphor. A famous example is Bunyan’s "The Pilgrim’s Progress", which ostensibly tells the tale of the journey of its protagonist Christian, but has a symbolic meaning that describes the journey of a Christian from Earth to Heaven. In Medieval times, allegory was commonly used to communicate religious messages, but later it became a way of commenting on politics or society. "Gulliver’s Travels" by Jonathan Swift and "Animal Farm" by George Orwell are both examples of allegories that use bizarre stories as parallels for real political and social situations; Swift was commenting on everything from particular politicians to entire countries, while Orwell’s tale reflects events in the run-up to the 1917 Russian Revolution.

Aside. A device that has been used in plays for centuries, involving a character directly addressing the audience without the other characters being able to hear. It’s part of the story, usually kept brief and often used comically to gossip or make a comment about another character behind their back. Some films make use of this technique too, with a character looking directly into the camera to address viewers, known in this context as ‘breaking the fourth wall’. This is something "Amelie", the eponymous heroine of the French film that bears her name, does frequently by whispering conspiratorially to the audience.

Litotes. Understatement used for rhetorical effect, and usually makes use of double negatives for emphasis. For example, rather than stating overt enthusiasm for something, one might say that it was “not bad”. Another example might be “He’s not unintelligent”, as a means of saying that someone is intelligent (or even a genius). While understatement might at first seem a peculiarly British trait, the use of litotes is common in a number of European languages, and was a strong feature of Old English poems and Icelandic sagas. There are also instances of its use in the Bible, and even as far back as Homer’s epic "The Iliad", in which Achilles is described by Zeus as “neither unthinking, nor unseeing”.

Pathetic fallacy. A literary device in which human emotions are attributed to aspects of nature, such as the weather. For instance, the weather can be used to reflect a person’s mood, with dark clouds or rain present in a scene involving sorrow. It’s a form of personification. A novel that famously makes use of pathetic fallacy is Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, the stormy characters and tumultuous relationships of which are reflected in the novel’s setting: the bleak Yorkshire Moors. Ferocious thunderstorms mirror Heathcliff’s aggression, and elsewhere reflect the turmoil Cathy must go through in choosing between Edgar and Heathcliff. Pathetic fallacy is even present in the name of the novel, which is also the name of the farmhouse in which the story is set; the word “wuthering” refers to wind so strong that it makes a roaring sound, or to a place characterised by wind that roars. Such threatening weather is used to create a sense of foreboding, forming a menacing backdrop to a story populated by characters whose violent and jealous temperaments are hugely destructive to themselves and others.

Stream of consciousness. This literary technique describes a character’s interior monologue (a continuous flow of thoughts going on in the character’s mind). It’s a technique that came to the fore in the 20th century, famously championed by Virginia Woolf in "To The Lighthouse" and, more bafflingly, by James Joyce in his groundbreaking novel "Ulysses", in which the idea of a stream of consciousness is taken to its extreme. Trying to represent the randomness of human thought processes literally, Joyce penned paragraphs like this: “My missus just got an. Reedy freckled soprano. Cheesparing nose. Nice enough in its way: for a little ballad.”

More: Word Lists

[olekskaftan]

Animation Skills "Audio Project" Part 3

This week I finished drawing the storyboard and threw out the first character design sketch for this project. I had to change the idea with the ghost a bit since I won't have time to realize it, so maybe it will be a hint. I'm trying my best to make it a psychological horror, so I plan to make thumbnails where you can see what the color palette will be for this project, of course I will continue to figure out how to do everything in the highest class even if the deadline is very short.

Next week I'm going to do some animations to see how far the project will go and try out sounds to them to see if they work or if I need to make more of them. And I should always make a full character design to know how they should look.

Research Element 08

Timing

Timing refers to the number of frames or amount of time that elapses between two key poses or actions in an animated sequence. It determines the speed and fluidity of the motion. 

Correct timing may seem invisible, but it's absolutely essential to making an animation look right. If it's off, the movements and actions may appear mechanical, rushed, sluggish, floaty, or simply unrealistic. The emotional expressiveness and individuality of the characters will also be lost.

Timing has a huge role to play in how your animation will look like.  Important aspects such as weight, physics, mood, emotion, and reaction. This ensures that movements have the right impact. For example, an action that happens too quickly can lose the sense of weight and gravity. An action that happens too slowly feels tedious. Timed movements will have an attractive flow and fluidity that will capture the viewer's attention.

Reference List:

Aminian, Parsa . “Timing: The Magical Art of Controlling Speed and Impact.” Pixune, 25 Oct. 2023, pixune.com/blog/timing-in-animation/.

“Timing and Its Important Role in the World of Animation.” Darvideo Animated Explainer Video Production Company | Animation Studio, 6 June 2021, darvideo.tv/dictionary/timing/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

John Halas (1912-1995)and Joy Batchelor (1914-1991)

They were a British couple of producers known for their influential animated films.

Galas was educated in Hungary and Paris, and studied with George Pal in 1936, when he moved to England as an animator. After art school, Batchelor became a commercial artist and met Halas in 1936 while working on the film The Music Man (1938). They later married and in 1940 founded Halas and Batchelor Animation, which became the largest animated film studio in the UK.

The collaborators directed and coproduced their greatest work in 1955, an animated version of the George Orwell novel Animal Farm, England’s first full-length colour feature cartoon.

By 1950 the studio had made over 100 films, two of which were features. Their unique ability to produce longer works, for an adult audience, created not only a new genre of animation, but gave them the necessary experience for making Animal Farm, their best-known work. Adapted from George Orwell's classic book, Animal Farm was released in 1954, and won critical acclaim worldwide.

Throughout their lives, they have received more than 200 awards for all their works.

After the death of Joy Batchelor in 1991, John Halas continued to produce films until his death in 1995. His last ever production was a projected series of 12 films about the European Union of which one stands out, Know Your Europeans UK 1995 which was made by Bob Godfrey.

Reference List:

Britannica, Encyclopaedia . “John Halas and Joy Batchelor | British Directors | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/John-Halas-and-Joy-Batchelor. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Halas, Vivien . “Timeline of Studio.” Halas & Batchelor, 2024, www.halasandbatchelor.co.uk/timeline-of-studio. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

[bookeysnewsletter]

The Book 1984: A Dystopian Tale of Oppression

Chapter 1 What's The Book 1984 by George Orwell

"1984" by George Orwell is a dystopian novel that explores the dangers of totalitarianism and government control. Set in a future society where the government, led by the oppressive Party, surveils and suppresses its citizens through propaganda and thought control. The protagonist, Winston Smith, rebels against the Party's oppressive regime and falls in love with Julia, despite the Party's strict laws against personal relationships. The novel delves into themes of censorship, surveillance, and the manipulation of truth, making it a haunting and thought-provoking read that continues to be relevant in today's political climate.

Chapter 2 Is The Book 1984 A Good Book

Yes, "1984" by George Orwell is considered to be a classic and thought-provoking novel. It explores themes of surveillance, government control, and the power of language, and it continues to be relevant in today's society. Many readers find it to be a gripping and unsettling portrayal of a dystopian future.

Chapter 3 The Book 1984 by George Orwell Summary

"1984" is a dystopian novel by George Orwell published in 1949. The story is set in a totalitarian society ruled by the Party, led by the enigmatic figure known as Big Brother. The novel follows the protagonist, Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the Party who secretly rebels against the oppressive regime.

Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he alters historical records to align with the Party's propaganda. He becomes disillusioned with the Party's control over every aspect of life and begins to question the reality of the world around him. Winston meets Julia, a fellow Party member, and they begin a forbidden love affair.

As Winston and Julia's relationship deepens, they are eventually caught by the Thought Police, the Party's secret police force. They are arrested and subjected to torture and brainwashing in the infamous Ministry of Love. Winston is ultimately broken and comes to love Big Brother, betraying Julia in the process.

The novel ends with Winston's complete submission to the Party, as he realizes that he can never escape the oppressive regime. "1984" explores themes of surveillance, government control, and the loss of personal freedom. It serves as a warning about the dangers of authoritarianism and the importance of individual freedom and critical thinking.

Chapter 4 The Book 1984 Author

George Orwell, whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic known for his literary works critiquing authoritarianism and totalitarianism. He was born in India in 1903 and died in London in 1950.

Orwell released his most famous novel, "Nineteen Eighty-Four" (commonly referred to as "1984"), in 1949. The book is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian regime where individualism and independent thinking are suppressed. It explores themes of surveillance, propaganda, and government control. "1984" has had a significant impact on popular culture and political thought, and phrases from the book, such as "Big Brother is watching you" and "thoughtcrime," have become part of the lexicon.

Apart from "1984," some of Orwell's other notable works include "Animal Farm," "Down and Out in Paris and London," "Homage to Catalonia," and "Shooting an Elephant." "Animal Farm" is another dystopian novel, which is an allegory of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalinism.

In terms of editions, the best-known editions of Orwell's works are typically published by major publishing houses like Penguin Books or Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Several deluxe editions of Orwell's works have been released over the years, which include new introductions, annotations, and supplementary material. "1984" has been translated into numerous languages and remains a popular and influential work of literature.

Chapter 5 The Book 1984 Meaning & Theme

The Book 1984 Meaning

"1984" by George Orwell is a dystopian novel that explores themes of totalitarianism, censorship, surveillance, and the loss of individual freedom. The story is set in a fictional oppressive regime known as Oceania, where the government, led by the all-powerful figure Big Brother, controls every aspect of its citizens' lives.

The novel follows the protagonist, Winston Smith, as he rebels against the Party and tries to maintain his individuality in a society where independent thinking is punished. Through Winston's experiences, Orwell raises important questions about the nature of power, the pervasiveness of propaganda, and the dangers of a society that prioritizes control over personal liberties.

Overall, "1984" serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked government authority and the importance of defending individual freedom and truth. It is a powerful critique of authoritarianism and serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of a society that sacrifices freedom for security.

The Book 1984 Theme

One of the main themes in George Orwell's 1984 is the dangers of totalitarianism and the abuse of power by a government. In the novel, the Party, led by Big Brother, has complete control over every aspect of society, using propaganda, surveillance, and manipulation to maintain their power. This theme serves as a warning about the potential consequences of a government that has unchecked authority and is able to oppress and control its citizens.

Another key theme in the novel is the importance of truth and reality. In the world of 1984, the Party manipulates information and history to suit their own agenda, creating a fictional version of reality that they force upon the people. This theme underscores the idea that seeking and defending the truth is crucial for preserving freedom and individual autonomy.

Additionally, Orwell explores the theme of individuality and the struggle to maintain one's sense of self in a society that seeks to erase individuality and independent thought. The protagonist, Winston Smith, rebels against the Party by starting a secret relationship with Julia and questioning the Party's control over his mind. His resistance represents the human desire for freedom and individual expression, even in the face of overwhelming oppression.

Overall, 1984 is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that delves into themes of power, control, truth, and individuality, offering a cautionary tale about the dangers of a totalitarian society.

Chapter 6 Other Accessible Resources

1. "1984" by George Orwell: A Study Guide - SparkNotes

2. "1984" by George Orwell: Summary, Characters, Themes, Analysis - CliffsNotes

3. 1984 by George Orwell - Goodreads

4. "1984" by George Orwell: Book Review - The New York Times

5. The Orwell Society - official website dedicated to George Orwell and his works

6. "1984" by George Orwell: Literary Analysis - Shmoop

7. The Legacy of "1984" by George Orwell - BBC Culture

8. "1984": A Dystopian Classic - The Guardian

9. "1984" by George Orwell: Discussion Questions - LitLovers

10. "1984" by George Orwell: Historical Context - History.com

Chapter 7 Quotes of The Book 1984

The Book 1984 quotes as follows:

1. "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."

2. "Big Brother is watching you."

3. "Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death."

4. "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows."

5. "The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power."

6. "Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship."

7. "If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself."

8. "Orthodoxy means not thinking--not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."

9. "But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought."

10. "In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Chapter 8 Similar Books Like The Book 1984

1. "Pedro Paramo" by Juan Rulfo - After reading "Pedro Paramo" by Juan Rulfo, I recommend exploring more Latin American literature. Rulfo's haunting and poetic exploration of the afterlife makes me think of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's magical realism in his masterpiece "One Hundred Years of Solitude."

2. "The House of the Spirits" by Isabel Allende - This epic family saga weaves together political turmoil and magical elements, reminiscent of the themes found in "Pedro Paramo." Allende's rich storytelling and lyrical prose will captivate readers who enjoyed Rulfo's novel.

3. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - This classic novel is a must-read for fans of Latin American literature. Marquez's tale of the Buendia family in the fictional town of Macondo is filled with magical realism and explores themes of isolation and legacy, similar to those found in "Pedro Paramo."

4. "The Death of Artemio Cruz" by Carlos Fuentes - Fuentes is another iconic Mexican author whose work delves into the complexities of Mexican society and history. "The Death of Artemio Cruz" follows the life of a wealthy and corrupt man on his deathbed, offering a powerful exploration of power, politics, and morality.

5. "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolpho Anaya - Set in rural New Mexico, this coming-of-age novel combines elements of magical realism with the harsh realities of life in a multicultural community. Anaya's lyrical prose and exploration of spirituality make this a compelling read for fans of "Pedro Paramo" seeking more literature with a magical touch.

Book https://www.bookey.app/book/1984

Author https://www.bookey.app/quote-author/george-orwell

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MICE AND MAN: CARSTEN HÖLLER AND ROSEMARIE TROCKEL

MICE AND MAN: CARSTEN HÖLLER AND ROSEMARIE TROCKEL

By Daniel Birnbaum

The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

—George Orwell, Animal Farm

HIGH HEDGES SURROUND THE BUILDING, hiding it from view like a public toilet that the denizens of this little German city, Kassel, aren’t particularly proud of. From the outside it’s not very hospitable, its strangely minimal architecture making it look like a bunker. The door is ajar, as if to facilitate quick access when the need is pressing. But once you enter the building, an altogether unexpected atmosphere prevails. You have entered a place of calm reflection, meditation, even wonder. Groups of people, young and old, sit and lie on gray carpets arranged on a concrete incline. Everybody is looking in the same direction, as if silently scrutinizing a large painting in a museum. But what these people are marveling at is alive: a group of pink pigs with big black spots. Carsten Höller and Rosemarie Trockel’s Ein Haus für Schweine und Menschen (A house for pigs and people), presented in 1997 at Documenta X, was a pigpen complete with a sow feeding her enormous litter. The pig family, relaxing behind a large sheet of glass, was sometimes so still that it didn’t seem quite real. At times you had the feeling you were looking at a large photograph. Then, suddenly, one of the piglets would start moving, and the fiction of a still life disintegrated.

What is an animal? In a series of collaborations that began in 1996, Höller and Trockel have staged encounters between man and beast that make this question pressing. And in a second step that seems to follow on the heels of the first, one is led to inquire, And what precisely are we who ask this question? Höller and Trockel have realized ten projects together, the final one being their contribution to EXPO 2000 Hannover, Augapfel: Ein Haus für Tauben, Menschen und Ratten (Eyeball: A house for pigeons, people and rats), 1996/2000. Hens, pigs, mosquitoes, bees, silverfish, rats, and pigeons have all appeared in this series of works, which Höller referred to in a recent lecture as “monuments of incomprehensibility.” Both artists have produced works with zoological ingredients before (Höller is also a devoted ornithologist), but never has the hermeneutic problem been so evident as in this series of collaborations. “If a lion could talk, we could not understand him,” Wittgenstein wrote in the Philosophical Investigations, and Höller and Trockel appear to agree: We’re surrounded by animals, some of them we know well, some we even love, but they remain strangers to us. They’re inscrutable.

As an introduction to the book A House for Pigs and People (2000), Höller and Trockel pose a long series of questions—moral, epistemological, and political—concerning the relation between humans and animals: “Do races living on a vegetarian diet behave differently than meat-eaters when it comes to territorial expansion? Is there a link between Hider’s vegetarian eating habits and what he did? Why is it that worldwide many more men kill than women? How would it be if we ourselves had to kill the animals we eat and could no longer delegate the unpleasant side of it? How would it be, as proposed by Porphyrius, to eat but only without killing and thus to live on fruit and withered cabbage leaves?”

The Documenta piece, perhaps the best-known work in the artists’ collaborative series, emphasized the importance of the eye. Because of the glass, all the other senses are bracketed. The pigs cannot be touched, smelled, or heard. They’re reduced to visual phenomena. As it turns out, the glass separating the humans from the pigs was transparent only from one side: Seen from the pigs’ perspective, the glass was a mirror. The humans who, after visiting the house, wanted to get a pig’s-eye view of the setup—that is, watch the humans watching—soon realized that the people weren’t visible to the swine: The family of pigs was free to walk in and out of the house, which opened onto a muddy outdoor area, and one could thus get a glimpse of the pigs from around back if one walked around the hedges, but the human audience on the ramp would always remain out of view, behind the mirror.

There is something about a pane of glass that fictionalizes whatever is on the other side. Thus the pigpen became a kind of theater with animals onstage. One could even take the glass for a large screen; this cinematic quality was emphasized in a smaller version of the piece presented as part of the 1999 show “Maisons/Häuser” at ARC Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, where the artists displayed the whole series of animal projects, some in the form of models. The miniature version of the Documenta work was titled Ein Haus für Schweine und Kinder (A house for pigs and children), a replica so small that only little kids could enter. For an adult to find out what was going on in the house, he or she would have to ask the children, who would report that they’d seen a film (which, in this version, was indeed the case). A film about pigs.

“The brutality of a society, whose dominant trait can be clearly described as maximization of economic profit, is reflected in the fate of those without rights and of animals,” Höller and Trockel contend. So is this a political work about injustice and oppression, even an allegory of class struggle? When Kafka’s “A Report to an Academy,” the story about an ape that is transformed into a human being, was to be published in Martin Buber’s journal Der Jude in 1917, Buber wanted to call it a parable, but Kafka preferred the more neutral description “animal story.” Most readers, perhaps swayed by the site of publication, take the story to be about the plight of the assimilated Jew. But for Kafka it was clearly important to keep the possibilities of interpretation open. Similarly, the questions asked by Höller and Trockel in relation to their house for pigs and humans don’t confine the work to one specific reading but instead open up labyrinths of associations. In a recent essay about these animal projects, French critic Nicolas Bourriaud observes that they are not only about our relation to other living creatures, but just as much about our relation to ourselves. There are things in us that are other than us: “To come to terms with the pig, the mosquito, or the rat also means to make peace with the piggish, mosquito-like, and rat-like parts of ourselves, with a whole community of processes that inhabit and determine us.” The encounter with the otherness of the animal thus reminds us of the foreigner inside ourselves. The “becoming animal” in the short stories of Kafka has been interpreted by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari as a liberatory strategy, a radical way out of the oedipal structure of European bourgeois subjectivity. Asked about such fantastic transformations, Höller remarks, “Nevertheless, also after reading Kafka, I am no further along in knowing how to view the animal. Or how it might be to be an animal.”

Höller and Trockel’s first collaborative animal project was Mückenbus (Mosquito bus), 1996, in which humans were to encounter mosquitoes inside a Volkswagen van to test whether sheer willpower alone could influence the insects’ tendency to bite. Why is it that some people get bitten a lot, while others are completely spared? Does it have anything to do with the mind-set of the person in question? In the end, because of the risk of disease spreading from one visitor to the other, the project had to remain largely hypothetical.When the bus was finally exhibited, no mosquitoes could be seen, heard, or otherwise perceived (for the simple reason that there weren’t any). But in later projects, the visual qualities have been much more emphatic, as in A House for Pigs and People, where the pigs and piglets appeared as part of some hyperreal tableau vivant. Actually, the whole setup could be seen as a piece of optical machinery emphasizing the eye of the spectator and the completely objectified animals that are not even allowed the opportunity to meet the gaze of the observer. Addina, 1997, a closely related work that was originally presented in Palermo and takes its name from the Sicilian word for chicken, reversed the visual arrangement: Here it was the animal who played the role of spectator. Behind the polyester walls of a huge egg-shaped room, real eggs were being produced by forty-eight hens that could climb ramps up to a narrow wooden platform; from there, they were afforded a vantage on the oval room through egg-shaped windows that acted as mirrors when seen from the other side. This privileged perspective offered a view of the human visitors eating their eggs. The humans, on the other hand, saw nothing of the hens, hidden as they were behind the two-way mirror. Instead, other senses were activated: The visitors could hardly avoid the sound and odor of the chickens behind the walls.

In his 1997 catalogue essay “A House Divided,” Richard Shusterman gives a political interpretation of Höller and Trockel’s Documenta work: “There are also many human pigs in our social world: races and ethnicities that fail to gain our recognition because they are seen through the one-way glass of socio-cultural privilege. Very often such despised ethnicities are denigrated as swine, though Hegel, in denying the African’s humanity, compared him not to a pig but a dog.” All of this is no doubt true, but there are also millions of real pigs that live short and miserable lives in industrial confinement only to be sent to the slaughterhouse and made into cheap meals for the masses. One needn’t see the work as an allegory to see its political dimension. “Can domesticated animals protest against us in any other way than by diseases (swine fever, mad-cow disease, cardiac infarct)?” inquire the artists. These days, when militant vegans in Europe burn down burger joints and sausage factories, when apocalyptic minds declare that mad-cow disease is divine revenge, and less dogmatic souls like myself actively avoid certain meats, Höller and Trockel’s houses for humans and animals cannot be seen merely as amusing visual arrangements of various zoological specimens or as works about the incomprehensibility of animal behavior and nothing else. They’re also about power. Indeed, the philosophical underpinnings of humanism itself seem to be at stake. Do we humans need constantly to reassure ourselves of our supremacy over other species through the exclusion of that which is not us but looks, smells, and acts a bit like us—i.e., the animal?

In an interview conducted in 1989 by Jean-Luc Nancy for Confrontations (“Eating Well”), a speculative and outspoken Jacques Derrida delineated a theory of the Western subject as an essentially meat-eating creature. Western humanity has defined itself through a violent exclusion, and incorporation, of the animal: “The subject does not want just to master and possess nature actively. In our cultures, he accepts sacrifice and eats flesh.” The subject of power is essentially male and carnivorous, says Derrida, and he inquires, “I would ask you: In our countries, who would stand any chance of becoming a chef d’Etat (a head of State) . . . by publicly, and therefore exemplarily, declaring him- or herself to be a vegetarian? The chef must be an eater of flesh.”

Höller and Trockel’s houses for animals and humans do not try to blur the border between man and other species, nor do they actively renegotiate the traditional notion of humanism. But their untiring exposure of the very line of demarcation forces the viewer to ask the same questions over and over: What is an animal? What is Man? These works never suppose that humans could inhabit a house where other creatures were living on the same terms. It’s always an issue of a power structure already visible in the architecture and of who is the subject watching and who the object. In Eyeball: A House for Pigeons, People and Rats, the optical associations are stressed even more. In fact, everything takes place in a giant eye. Built on a hill in the EXPO park in Hannover, this pavilion takes the shape of an eyeball, the iris and pupil directed skyward. One sees the strange-looking building from far away. A wooden canopy covers a circular steel sphere ten meters in diameter, producing the visual effect of a utopian architectural construction reminiscent of Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome or Galeron’s Globe Céleste built for the Universal Exposition in Paris a century ago. The artists’ original plan was to keep living animals in the gigantic eye. The iris was supposed to open at certain hours, letting the pigeons fly out at the top. What the artists ended up presenting in Hannover was a mechanical model, albeit an impressive one. Visitors could enter the construction from four directions on ramps. Inside the sphere, a never-ending automatic ballet was performed by metal rats and pigeons, pneumatically controlled. The viewers, standing on a circular balcony inside the eye, could see rats shooting out of tubes at the bottom of the construction. The birds in the upper regions of the sphere would suddenly start to move. Some would even flutter their wings and “fly.”

Höller and Trockel’s Eyeball, their final collaborative work addressing our relationship with the animal kingdom, sums up the dominant themes of the previous projects, radicalizing the role of the human gaze, transforming it into an organizing principle that also manifests itself architecturally. This pavilion is not a construction about the power of the eye, like the panopticon. This pavilion is an eye. But since the pupil is turned toward the sky, there are things going on inside that remain unseen. Here it’s no longer a question of such delicious creatures as hens and pigs that, according to Derrida’s model, have to be incorporated for humanity to define itself as other than animal. In this work, rather, it’s a question of animals normally considered unworthy of our attention, let alone respect. Dirty and despicable animals. Vermin. Rats and pigeons. But, in an uncanny way, they have entered a space that is interiority itself. They’ve made themselves at home in a home that I thought was only mine. Unheimlich.

Daniel Bimbaum is a contributing editor of Artforum