Animal Farm. George Orwell.

[truth.ie]

I read this book, as a 12 year old, under the School curriculum in the North.
It's only now that I get it's depth,the theme of political betrayal, and get a sense of the turmoil that must have haunted Orwell in his adult life.
Obviously, everyone has their own political anology, and adaptation of Animal Farm. For Orwell, it was his former Communist beliefs being tested by Stalinism.
For me, I personally see the transformation of former Revolutionaries in the North to pro State bodies, as my Animal Farm.
Not starting a thread about the North, just refreshing my memory of a wonderful, yet sad book, and recommending it to all young politicos.
Heres a synopsis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm
From the summary,what political event is best summarised by Animal Farm?

[PaddyJoe]

I read this book, as a 12 year old, under the School curriculum in the North.
It's only now that I get it's depth,the theme of political betrayal, and get a sense of the turmoil that must have haunted Orwell in his adult life.
Obviously, everyone has their own political anology, and adaptation of Animal Farm. For Orwell, it was his former Communist beliefs being tested by Stalinism.
For me, I personally see the transformation of former Revolutionaries in the North to pro State bodies, as my Animal Farm.
Not starting a thread about the North, just refreshing my memory of a wonderful, yet sad book, and recommending it to all young politicos.
Heres a synopsis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm
From the summary,what political event is best summarised by Animal Farm?

I would say that a lot of one time Green supporters would look at Gormley and co. and what they have done in government as the ultimate political betrayal.

[Cáthasaigh]

I would say that a lot of one time Green supporters would look at Gormley and co. and what they have done in government as the ultimate political betrayal.

Those of us in the 6 can look a little closer to home for the pig metaphor but we're talking about the same people who would have and still would readily join FF or FG at the the trough were it not for them being as appealing as pig ***** to the 26C electorate.

[C. Flower]

This book was taught to us as children to beat us over the head with the idea that there is no point in trying to change things, because all leaders will always sell out, and that socialism - power in the hands of the majority is not possible.

It brings politics down to morality and corruptibility - I think politics is about a whole lot more than that. The level of economic development sets the limits on what we can achieve in terms of social organisation and governments.

[5intheface]

Politics aside, it made my English Lit 'O' level so much easier after several months at 'Pride and Prejudice'.

I'll say this for it, some of the books on that year, many of us just read the study notes and took our chances. Animal Farm, the whole class had it finished while the teacher was still studying chapter 1.

Can't remember now what breed the black bird was but that image is the one that sticks in my head, he's the bastard should have been taken out early doors.

[Sidewinder]

I remember doing Animal Farm for the GCSE, after finishing it in class we had to write an essay on what we thought of it, this was official GCSE coursework and worth something like 5% of the total exam. So off I go on an extended discourse about Stalin and Trotsky and the way revolutions tend to become corrupt, meet the new boss same as the old boss etc.

The English Lit teacher, a notorious drunk, throws the essay back at me shouting "Nonsense! It's a book about talking animals on a farm! Do it again, properly!" :eek:

[Cáthasaigh]

We did Animal Farm, Lord Of The Flies, The Power And The Glory and The Silent People for GCSE Eng Lit which led to a lot of coursework on the corruptive nature of power.

[5intheface]

I remember doing Animal Farm for the GCSE, after finishing it in class we had to write an essay on what we thought of it, this was official GCSE coursework and worth something like 5% of the total exam. So off I go on an extended discourse about Stalin and Trotsky and the way revolutions tend to become corrupt, meet the new boss same as the old boss etc.

The English Lit teacher, a notorious drunk, throws the essay back at me shouting "Nonsense! It's a book about talking animals on a farm! Do it again, properly!" :eek:

I went to a typical Catholic school in Co. Derry but I have to be honest, our English teacher was very open about the nature of Animal Farm. This was mid 80s, prior to GCSEs starting too. He even took us to see a production in the Opera house where as an aside, the star of the show was Snowball played by Rene fro 'Allo, 'Allo. :eek:

From the start, we were looking at revolutions (particularly but not exclusively the Russian one) at the same time. Never imagined any teacher would have been so narrow minded as to be in denial, what did he think Orwell was, a Jesuit?

[5intheface]

We did Animal Farm, Lord Of The Flies, The Power And The Glory and The Silent People for GCSE Eng Lit which led to a lot of coursework on the corruptive nature of power.

No Spokeshave?

[C. Flower]

I much preferred his "Down and Out in London and Paris" and "Homage to Catalonia".

Stoopid animals. They could have made bacon out of those pigs.

[Cáthasaigh]

No Spokeshave?

Not in 5 years of English, same teacher.

[5intheface]

Not in 5 years of English, same teacher.

Methinks he had eaten on the insane root that takes prisoner the mind.

[RosaLuxembourg]

I read this book, as a 12 year old, under the School curriculum in the North.
It's only now that I get it's depth,the theme of political betrayal, and get a sense of the turmoil that must have haunted Orwell in his adult life.
Obviously, everyone has their own political anology, and adaptation of Animal Farm. For Orwell, it was his former Communist beliefs being tested by Stalinism.
For me, I personally see the transformation of former Revolutionaries in the North to pro State bodies, as my Animal Farm.
Not starting a thread about the North, just refreshing my memory of a wonderful, yet sad book, and recommending it to all young politicos.
Heres a synopsis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm
From the summary,what political event is best summarised by Animal Farm?


Orwell was never a "Marxist-Leninist" as such though he did fight with POUM in the Spanish civil war which had links to Italian Left Communists who were much more influenced by and supportive of Lenin than their German and Dutch counter-parts. In England he was a member of the Independent Labour Party which had some similiarities with the USPD in Germany. I think he always held the view that the USSR was bureaucratic collectivist as opposed to socialist.

[truth.ie]

I´ve also read Homage To Cataloñia.
Ken Loach's "Land and Freedom", was almost a direct adaptation of Orwells book.
Though some small issues were changed.
There is no doubt Animal Farm was chosen by the Catholic Church run schools, as part of their curriculum in order to dissuade the youth from what they saw as the folly of revolutions.
There´s definately a subliminal message in their choice of literature for students.
We were also taught poetry from Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, with strong Anti- War connotations.
"Shane" was also an obligatory read, and gave us an insight into the kind of men, they were trying to mould us into.

[moss]

I´ve also read Homage To Cataloñia.
Ken Loach's "Land and Freedom", was almost a direct adaptation of Orwells book.
Though some small issues were changed.
There is no doubt Animal Farm was chosen by the Catholic Church run schools, as part of their curriculum in order to dissuade the youth from what they saw as the folly of revolutions.
There´s definately a subliminal message in their choice of literature for students.
We were also taught poetry from Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, with strong Anti- War connotations.
"Shane" was also an obligatory read, and gave us an insight into the kind of men, they were trying to mould us into.

Probably the only 2 poets I studied at school. Interesting theory re anti-war and the situation in Ireland 1981 onwards when I was at school.

Then again Joe Hendron was the only political figure invited to give us lectures. Catholic schools def had a croppie ly down ethos at the time.

[truth.ie]

Has it actually changed Moss??

[truth.ie]

I remember regularly praying (under command) for dead RUC and British soldiers in the Assembly Hall.
Not ONCE do I remember praying for the souls of dead IRA or INLA activists who died in gunbattles.
Even as a spotty, apolitical 13 year old I found this odd and "unchristian".

[moss]

Been too long out of short trousers to know truth.
Though a friend teaches history in the 26C and he is dismayed by the revisionist tripe referred to as history.

[truth.ie]

My sister was almost 14 and had never heard of the Irish famine.
Was left to me to inform her.
The school I attended, (Catholic, tie, blazer and crests) taught Irish history up as far as Parnell, and no more.

[C. Flower]

Time we set up a history forum here, so.

[moss]

My sister was almost 14 and had never heard of the Irish famine.
Was left to me to inform her.
The school I attended, (Catholic, tie, blazer and crests) taught Irish history up as far as Parnell, and no more.

We got next to nothing on the 'famine' and history stopped at the land league and home rule.

Strangely we did get taught about American history and the ill treatment of native Americans.

[cheal]

Read Animal Farm and Lord of the flies while working in Dublin. Had to take the train a lot and tended to read quite a bit. Both great little books, neither of which I had even heard of during secondary school.

As far as a current political equivalent to Animal Farm, Well the greens here is probably one, the party heads have taken on a despotic nature in my mind and wish only to stay in power at this point.

Further afield, I believe Karzi (sp?) has begun to take on the appearance of a dictator, and I am sure that the US is closely watching him. I doubt they will want to invade Afghanistan again, before they even get finished this time.

[Cáthasaigh]

There is no doubt Animal Farm was chosen by the Catholic Church run schools, as part of their curriculum in order to dissuade the youth from what they saw as the folly of revolutions.
There´s definately a subliminal message in their choice of literature for students.
We were also taught poetry from Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, with strong Anti- War connotations.
"Shane" was also an obligatory read, and gave us an insight into the kind of men, they were trying to mould us into.

I had the same English teacher for all 5 years and he was a former Seminarian. I don't remember reading Shane but we did do the war poets for GCSE. On the other hand we read 'The Silver Spear' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silver_Sword) about Polish kids resisting the Nazis in first year which was quite inspiring and Walter Macken's 'The Silent People' taught the folly of passive meekness.


I remember regularly praying (under command) for dead RUC and British soldiers in the Assembly Hall.

Any teacher calling for that at St Pat's Academy in Dungannon would have been lynched by staff and pupils alike. We were next door to a UDR base and the choppers used to play havoc with classes in the huts. We had some very soundly Republican teachers and many others were politicised by a few weeks teaching out in the huts.

Fr Denis Faul was Principal and he threatened to expell any of us who wore school uniform to the funerals of past pupils Barry O Donnell and Sean O Farrell whose anniversaries occured last month; despite two of Barry's brothers still being at the school and Sean's uncle being one of the teachers. Denis Faul, however, would never have offered prayers for dead Brits.