Annotated Bibliography

 "Critical Essays The Russian Revolution." Cliff Notes. Web. 

This written piece done by Cliff Notes, describes George Orwell’s intent when writing his classic novel Animal Farm. Animal Farm depicts the Russian Revolution and the sad reality that the government became more oppressive and deadly than the one it overthrew.  The article focuses on the similarities between the fictional content like characters and plot  in Animal Farm and the reality of the Russian Revolution. The author explains specific parallels such as Manor Farm representing Russia, and Mr. Jones as Tsar Nicholas Il -the last Russian emperor. The writer of this post, goes into minimal detail about the entire revolution but manages to get points across. The article is written for the general public. For those who don’t know enough about the Revolution or for those wanting to know more about the Russian Revolution as a whole, do more backup research as this article just focuses on the points that relate to Animal Farm. While the author of this piece incorporates many similarities between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution additional information could be used to support their beliefs that George Orwell’s intent for his classic novel was to depict this historical event in a fictional scene.

Cara. "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story by George Orwell - Review." The Guardian. 7 Sept. 2014. Web. 26 May 2016.

At a glance the critical reviewer, Cara, seemed thoroughly impressed with George Orwell's animal farm. The review was written with a lot of enthusiasm, but fails to give the reader in depth detail about the books information. The writer focuses on George Orwell's beliefs that the Russian Revolution and "Animal Farm" are very similar. She also mentions that the novel suggests the ways of the past can't be changed. She disagrees with this theory, but does not give excellent reasoning behind her opinion. She simply disregards her political views and restates her overall positive opinion with the book. I enjoyed reading her thoughts that the book isn't just related to the Russian revolution, but in fact, all revolts in history. She could have improved this review by going into more depth and expanding her thoughts around that theory. 

The Great Gatsby Pre-Reading Part 2

6. Setting- I would hope to live somewhere close to 13th street winery where i would be working. This would make getting to work easier in the mornings and allows for more flexibility. This would also mean I could drive to my professional lacrosse games if i played for my dream team, the Buffalo Bandits.

7. Satisfaction- I would hope to be happy with my life. I mean who wouldn't? It would be great if my wife brought me love and support. I would also hope that my children will bring me joy by the activities they do. I would also hope that my parents are satisfied with me too. They are one example of the few people I look up to and want approval of. If they approve what I do with my life then I will be happy.

8. Turning Point- In my life the biggest turning would be having a child. This is because I would get to watch them grow up like my parents watched me. This would be very eye opening to go through what my parents went through, all the good times and the bad times. I would be able to give advice and influence my children. I would put them in sports and get to see them make life long friends like me. I believe having a child would turn my life upside down watching a little me grow up.

The Great Gatsby Pre-reading Part 1

Predicting my future as I plan for it to be in 15 years would look something like this...

1. Name- I would stick to Thomas Whitty, I like my name and it would be a shot to my parents if I changed it. As for my middle name I would keep it as well because i'm named after a very honorable person that my dad befriended in Japan on an expedition.

2. Employment- My dream job would be a player in the National Lacrosse League, a professional lacrosse player for the buffalo bandits ideally. While also working in the family business. My family owns a winery and i enjoy working there so I can see myself owning it one day.

3. Family- I would plan to be married in the next 15 years. I can't really picture who I will be with that far down the road, but I would hope to have 2 kids and another on the way in a couple more years. If it was a perfect world I would have 2 boys and a girl.

4. Leisure Time- In order to have leisure time I would plan to work as hard as I possibly can. This would make whatever I do in my leisure time feel important. In my spare time when I wasn't working or taking care of my kids I would call up my old friends and get together. Vacationing would also be a goal of mine.

5. Place In Society- My place in society would consist of playing lacrosse to entertain fans and selling wine to people. I would focus on the wine. Specializing in Gamay, Riesling, some blends and sparkling wine. Keeping up the tradition of the people before me. This would be my place in society.

TO BE CONTINUED...

A goodbye to a role model.

Recently in Animal Farm... The animals current leader, Napoleon, has made a deal with a human. To most of the animals this was a surprise. The general consensus among  the animals was that they shouldn't trust Frederick. But despite the emotions of the animals, Napoleon made arrangements to   give timber away. Originally, Frederick was going to pay with a cheque, (he knew this would be worthless to the animals) but  Napoleon refused the cheque and insisted on being paid in 5 pound notes. What seemed like a good deal at the time turned into hoax. Despite Napoleon's best efforts to make the deal fair, Frederick deceived him! The bills that were given to the animals were fake. Before the animals could plan what do do next, Frederick and the other humans arrived at Animal Farm and a battle occurred. Mass destruction broke out. The windmill that the animals had worked on for two years was destroyed in a matter of minutes. The animals were outraged. They rallied and chased the humans off the farm. When it was deemed safe, the animals started to count their losses... One cow, three sheep and two geese were killed. The animals slain in battle were given a solemn funeral in which Boxer and Clover pulled a wagon used as a hearse. For some this battle was a success, for others it was a horrible loss. Not only did they lose friends and their beloved windmill, but they also lost hope. Boxer, up until now, never once questioned his work ability, but after seeing all his hard work get destroyed when the windmill fell. He realized his abilities are not what they used to be. Boxer was getting closer to retirement everyday. He worked harder and harder, ignoring Clover and Benjamin. Unfortunately for Boxer he pushed himself over the edge, he fell while dragging a load of stone down to the mill. He was taken away in what the animals thought was a hospital cart hoping to possibly save his life. But the cart was actually a horse slaughtering business that was informed of a dying horse. Despite the animals best efforts to get him out, the cart raced off and that is how we say goodbye to one of my favourite characters in the book.

Social Media

The average person uses 5 different social media websites/apps. These may include, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram, Tumblr, Youtube, Vine, VSCO and many more. You might be shocked at how long people spend on these social medias. According to studies, the average person spends an hour and forty minutes, everyday, on these website/apps. I personally use 6 of the 9 stated above. Using these apps has become a part of my everyday routine. Like anything in life there are positives and negatives to any man made creation. Some positives about the social medias I use include; keeping in touch with friends, expressing my creativity, promoting ideas, learning new facts and keeping up with trends in society. Some negatives may consist of; cyber bullying, decreased productivity, addiction, reduced privacy, and even isolation. An example where social media has been beneficial to me is on twitter. I follow accounts that constantly give me facts I never knew before. It's like an entertaining encyclopedia! A negative effect social media has had on me is decreased productivity. When I am trying to get work done, my mind always seems to drift off and think about a picture or video I saw and I get distracted. Social media has the potential to affect students in class or at home or anywhere else that has an internet connection. When trying to learn social media can make it very hard, especially once you become addicted. When asked the question if I was addicted to social media, I quickly said no, but after thinking about it I came to the realization that I am.  Some times I check the apps once and the ten minutes later I check again knowing that nothing would have changed in that short time. I have simply gotten so addicted that just checking to make sure I didn't miss anything is a priority in my day. With saying all this feel free to follow me on Twitter (tommywhitty3) and on Instagram (tom_whitty3).  After reading, would you say you are addicted to social media? Post in comments below :)

Admiring Boxer

While reading animal farm, it is very clear that the way the animals act changes as they become more independent. For some, this change is in attitude or work ethic; this is very negative towards the rest of the group that are actually pulling their own weight. Although most of the animals have changed their ways, one animal remains a hard worker and a loyal group member. This is Boxer. Boxer is a magnificent steed who easily can out muscle or out intimidate anyone in the group, but instead he uses his profound strength to lighten the load for the other animals. Many animals take advantage of this great work ethic, putting less work in of their own. Over time I hope that Boxer will stand up for himself and others who are working their very hardest so that animal farm can get stronger. Because you are only as strong as your weakest link, all the animals should put in a little more effort to be like Boxer. this little boost in work ethic could change the outcome of animal farm. If the animals actions are left unchanged from the way they are now, it can only result in destruction. If I were to take a guess of what might happen in the book, I would say that boxer will die in some way and that with his death animal farm will collapse. If Boxer does not die then I would assume he will soon be the new person in charge and animal farm will strive. 

Animal Farm the Movie

As I continue to read more into my classic novel, animal farm, the descriptive words paints pictures of a movie in my mind. Certain characters in the novel remind me of people in real life. This makes the book easy to relate to. For example, a power hungry leader is trying to control all of the decisions being made around the farm, I can relate this character to a dictator in a foreign country like Kim Jun Un.  Another real life example is my friend Stevie, he reminds me of "Boxer". Boxer is a very hardworking individual who tries his best to build up his peers, this reminds me of Stevie bacause of how much work he willingly puts in to see others around him succeed. Steven would be a great choice for the voice of Boxer. If a movie was going to be made, the director should really emphasize the gore during the execution of the animals peers. During these scenes in the book the author uses powerful words to demonstrate the self destruction of the animals. At the start of the book the animals all worked together as comrades, now there is separation between them. The original rules were that no animal shall harm another animal. This was the first time in the novel that these rules were broken. If this book was made into a movie, the climax would be happening right now. I have not read any further than this climax, but if I were to guess how the movie would end; I would say that the farm will not survive and that the animals will continue to slowly destroy each other until there is nothing left.

Student needs.

In any classroom situation, the style of a teacher can make or break a learning experience. In the past I have had some teacher's I've liked and some that I have not. In my years as a student I found that the more outgoing of a personality they have the better! This is because they are exciting to listen to, where as a teacher that just hands out pages to read and doesn't make things interesting loses the attention of his/students. Specific examples of things teachers have done that I liked are getting breaks in the middle of class and allowing students to eat during work time. Both of these things are essemtial to healthy mind. The food acts as a fuel for thoughts, you simply can't think when you're hungry! Taking a break allows the brain to rest, by the time the break is over the brain is ready to start working again! These two simple things made learning much easier for myself. Something that I don't like is when teachers give no class time to do assignments and work. Not getting this amount of time after a lesson erases any chance for me to ask questions about the assignment. Having the time at the end of a period can further many people's learning and can cut back on confusion. If a teacher is able to satisfy the needs of their students, then the whole class will be more successful.