Satire

Author's Note: This is our own Satire that we made as a response after reading the book Animal Farm  by George Orwell. We tried to stay up to date on the real-life issues, seeing as we were creating it as it was happening.

(Link to project)

Man vs. Machine

author's note: this is a response to the short story "The Fun They Had," and how some technology can be good, but can be bad if taken too far. 

Imagine a world with nothing but technology. The books are on screens instead of paper. The teachers are robots instead of people. Well, this world is real, in the story "The Fun They Had." In the story, they find a real book, and are amazed that it is printed with ink on paper. Such a thing is unheard of in the year 2157. Technology can be a good thing, but in some cases it can be taken too far.

At a glance, it would seem amazing, not having books, not having teachers, not having school. But I think in reality, it wouldn't be so. Technology can enhance learning, I believe that. But when they start replacing teachers with robots, it is taking things too far. They could only give you the information, they couldn't actually communicate with you or give you advice. It is also my opinion that school should remain as it is, with a physical teacher there to teach you. Learning is more than memorizing facts, it's learning how to think, draw conclusions,  and make inferences. A robot cannot teach you how to do those things, only present the facts.

In the year 2157, not only are the teachers robots, but there are no schools. All the kids have their own robots to teach them. The kids have heard of a time when the children from a whole neighborhood all went to the same school together, and all had the same teachers. This seems like it would be incredibly fun to them, and if you think about it, it makes sense. At school, you can talk and be with your friends. If there wasn't any school, a lot of social time would be lost. Technology can be a good thing, but if it's taking away our time with friends and teachers, then maybe it's not so great anymore.

Communication with other people is a necessity. When Technology starts to isolate us from real experiences, it is no longer a tool. It is starting to rule over us, keeping us from real life and friends. Some technology is good, for enhancing learning and fun, but it can be taken too far. We should be able to draw the line between technology and the real world, getting some of each. If we were unable to communicate with anybody in person, it wouldn't be good. Technology is good for some things, but we need to experience other things in person.

Animal Farm Essay

Author's Note: This is a response to the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. The prompt was to discuss the change the pigs went through since the start of the book, and what you think Orwell was saying about the real leaders in Russia. 


At Animal Farm, one of the biggest rules is that all animals are equal. It was agreed upon when the animals first rebelled against the humans. But over time, the rules were changed when three pigs emerged as leaders. Napoleon and Squealer actually rewrote their rules to better suit their desires. The pigs violated their own rule that all animals are equal. 

The pigs have made a change over time, and it hasn't been good. Snowball was mostly fair, but it wasn't for long. He was driven out by Napoleon, who then rose to power. It is now that the pigs are clearly in a higher rank than the rest of the animals. They are the ones that are calling the shots, and making their own rules. Napoleon seems anything but fair, and is forcing the animals to work and have less food. He is clearly a leader, and not only that but him, Squealer, and all the other pigs get to sleep in the beds inside the house. This does not seem very equal.

In Russia, it was Trotsky, Lenin, and Stalin. In Animal Farm, it's Snowball, Squealer, and Napoleon. I think that in the book Orwell is symbolizing the unequal rule of the three. It is true that without a leader, it wouldn't last very long. It is practically impossible for everyone be perfectly equal, because eventually human greed would win out. It does in Russia and in Animal Farm, and Stalin and Napoleon both become selfish and take all the power.

The pigs became power hungry and took over the farm. This also happened in Russia. What Orwell is trying to say is eventually people will get tired of being equal and become unsatisfied. Then they will get greedy and start trying to get more wealth than others. Communism, or in the book's case, Animalism, would work if you took out the human variable, but people will always want more. So this happened to the pigs, and caused them to rewrite the rules to accommodate their desires.