by jgnat 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Don't have the book? No problem. Here's the link:
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/animalfarm/
And here's the thread that started it all.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/107251/1.ashx
Anyone jumping in, feel free to comment.
Questions:
1. Is Farmer Jones a sympathetic character?
2. Does the boar represent the animal abuses by Man accurately? If not, how not?
Anyone?
I’d love to participate but flat out with work this week… I took a look at the preparation involved for this weeks study and I just don’t have the time to read it… just yet… I’ll bump this up for you though!
Just saw this, jgnat. I'm getting ready to shut the computer off and go to bed...fighting a major sinus headache and can barely see. Will for sure take a look at this tomorrow!
Here's my thiughts plus a few other observations:
As to whether Mr Jones was a sympathetic character, I think he was more sympathetic than he was made out to be by Major. What looked like abuse from the animals' point of view may not be so from the practical, human view. For example, he did feed the animals and look out for their welfare (could have done better but shown by him getting up in the early hours to ensure no foxes were attacking the animals)
I think Major did misrepresent humans - by using emotive language and words like slavery, starving and telling the animals what miserable lives they were living - in spite of the fact that none of them appeared to be miserable! They only believed they were miserable when the idea that they could 'have more' was planted in their minds.(live forever on paradise earth, don't get destroyed at Armageddon...)
In a way, too, Major was probably the least likely to experience hardship, even in lean times - he was the prize boar and would have had extra special care lavished upon him (eg having his own stall). He was described as being fat - compare with the declaration that they are barely fed enough to live on!! (Lies, lies lies!!!)
I loved the way his speech started off gently and then gradually grew more alarmist and hate filled, building up from 'the miserable existence of the animals then starting to blame man and finally, man is suddenly the ultimate enemy who does absolutely nothing good to help animals! (Not sure how closely this relates to WT history, but they do appear to have become more 'hostile' to Christendom over the decades)
Finally there was the dream that Major couldn't remember which you also mentioned - strange how he 'remembered' the words to that very long song with a very simple tune!
(Pasted from other thread for clarity!)
Hmmm...I've never actually read this book before so this is fun. I'll do my best not to jump ahead and just read it with all of you.
1. Is Farmer Jones a sympathetic character?
If we go by Major's view of things, Jones is a tyrant. Yet, Jones is likely just doing what he's always done and what he was raised to do. Jones is a farmer and a farmer's main concern is production. And so, he does what he needs to do to keep the production going.
2. Does the boar represent the animal abuses by Man accurately? If not, how not?
Ahhh...there's the rub. What is accurate? Major sees things through his own agenda. He tells events in a way that supports his ideals, his desire to snuff out man and have a nation of united beasts. From his standpoint, what he is saying is accurate. It is true for him. Yet it is true only because it is his perspective and it works for him.
I don't know what the rest of the story will contain but I can see the possibility of one major theme as "What is truth?" Are the stories we tell true? Is anything true? Or is it all just perception?
I read something recently that spoke of us all just having "stories within stories." I have my story within the story of my parent's story, within the story of their parent's story and so on. Major has his story within the context of Jones' story and so on it goes. Yet they're all just stories. What is truth? What is real?
I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
tall penguin
Aaaah! I am in orgasm of meaning. You are feeding my own soul and your answers give me much to think on. I'll be reading chapter two this week and somewhere's in between I'll post a few more questions. Feel free to comment any time in parallels you see with the Watchtower society, Bush propoganda, or any other attempts you see in our society of unfair influence on human behaviour. HOW do they do it?
My life is suddenly busier so I will be popping in less frequently, but I hope with greater intensity. I am encouraged, and I'll follow this Animal Farm study to the end. If nothing else, I hope to introduce a whole new generation of ex-JW's to this lovely little book.
