Animal Farm Blog--due Sunday midnight

Post a blog here on Orwell by Sunday midnight. Your blog should be in the form of a letter to the citizens of Animal Farm. These are the questions you should address in your letter to them: Who/what is responsible for the failure of the revolution? What part do various animals play in its failure? Choose two; discuss their actions in detail. Then explain to the animals how/what they would have to change for there to be true equality and justice.

Pandora's Box

                                                   Pandora’s Box

            A long time ago Pandora and her friend Sophrosyne went out for a walk in the forest. Pandora was a young and very beautiful girl, who was adventurous and loved nature. Sophrosyne was quieter than Pandora, but was very intelligent and mature for her age. She and Pandora did not have much in common but they were best friends since they were five years old. Pandora, since she was a chid was the more outgoing one of the two.  Sophrosyne was always more careful and always thought of her consequences before doing something.

            As they were walking in a beautiful forest in Cuba one day Sophrosyne noticed a light shining bright far ahead of them. She pointed it out to Pandora. Pandora was amazed and wanted to know more so they started walking towards it. The light seemed much closer than it actually was, they were already walking for hours and it was starting to get dark. Sophrosyne suggested that they should start walking back  home but Pandora is eager to find out what the light is and she begs Sophrosyne to come with her. Pandora threatened her that if she doesn’t go with her she will continue on alone. Sophrosyne was not going to let Pandora walk in the dangerous forest alone so she went with her. As they continued walking Pandora heard and strange whisper. She could not quite tell what it was saying or where it was coming from. She stopped walking and listened carefully. It was a man’s voice saying “Becareful, for what seems to be good may turn out to be evil and there is no turning back after you’ve made your decision.” 

            Pandora didn’t tell Sophrosyne what she heard because she didn’t want to her to get frightened and run away. For the rest of the walk until they reached the light she could not get the voice out of her head, she was trying to figure it out. At this point the forest was completely dark and the only thing guiding them was the light. Sophrosyne was yelling and crying, she was begging Pandora to turn back but her mind was set on one thing.

            Finally the two girls found where the light was coming from. It was on top of a mountain and the only way to go up was through a cave. They entered the cave, Sophrosyne was terrified she had never done anything like this before. She had a really bad feeling about the unusual light, she could tell that something was not right. Suddenly Pandora finds a bunch of gold coins and follows the trail of the coins into a bright room. It was so bright that they could barely see in front of them. In the middle of the room was a beautiful wooden box but the top part of it was made out of glass that you can peek through. Once she touched the box the room became dark. The light stopped shining through the mountain and the only thing they could hear was Sophrosyne crying.

            A few moments later a much dimmer light starts shining. It was coming from the box shining out of the glass. Pandora puts her head on top of it to see what is inside the box. Sophrosyne yells out “Don’t do it!”. Pandora puts her hand on the box and opens it.  Three hours later Pandora wakes up to be in the middle of a storm with Sophrosyne lying down next to her dead. Pandora starts crying hysterically. She couldn’t believe that what she did killed her best friend. The box she opened released all the evil in the world. A man appears next to her, he was a god. “I warned you! But now you have to pay the consequences of your childish actions.” He told her that Hades was furious with her for going on his grounds and releasing the evil. The only way she can save the world is by taking the box and bringing it to Hades. She started her journey right away, Pandora has never been this determined and even though she lacks self-control she can climb any mountain and run faster than any girl.

            Pandora succeeded in bringing the box to Hades but was stuck in the underworld forever. She didn’t think before her actions and now she has to pay a price for it.  Sophrosyne was rewarded for her actions. For the first time the gods decided to make a human a god. They brought her back to life and made her the god of self-control and restraint. It is said that every time Sophrosyne gets upset so does the weather. That is how hurricanes start.

Why We Cheat by Cat

While the sun sprinkled Angel dust on Mother Nature early in the morning, Cupid would travel to the depths of the wilderness to pick the most radiant Roses for his one and only love. He recently married Plexa, the Goddess of Confusion and Mystery. Now Cupid wondered, and many times asked her what her lordship did as a Goddess of Mystery, but she would often say it was confidential. And move on to speak of other things, and bring him pleasure.

                Cupid didn’t make much of it; he had fallen deeply in love. He would find her endless Bouquets of exotic flowers. Sing her marvelous hymns with the help of Angel choirs and mystical harps. Cupid would beg Mother Nature to grow gardens that could emulate how gorgeous she was to him. He composed volumes of Loves poems trying to decipher her mysticism and define her grace:

                                                “Upon a night of questions asked

My heart grew silent by her hand

Upon my own, she cannot see

All the notes, she strums in me”

Plexa would rejoice with his gifts, but there was something that he couldn’t explain about her. The gleams in her eyes seemed somewhat doubtful and shady. When she spoke, her voice sounded as if it had something to hide. Perhaps she didn’t trust him enough yet, or she had many things on her mind? It was puzzling. But time passed, and he attempted with great effort to impress Plexa, and get her to open up to him. Cupid gave his undivided attention to his love. He worked double shifts compensating for the loves he had not provided. He relentlessly tended to Plexa, who grew more confusing by the day.

                None of this mattered to Cupid; he stayed up nights thinking of the perfect way to show his love for Plexa, with a gift. One night, he dreamed of the two, lying in a hammock of Roses the color of Love. The very next day he proceeded to create his ultimate garden from his beautiful wife’s’ flower. Cupid begged Mother Nature to provide a spacious meadow for the two. Decorated by the Earths architecture, the Garden was enclosed in smooth stone and lovely stone hedges. He seduced Water to bless the garden with her rhythmic flow; then hired the most talented of artist to color in every Rose inside the Garden with their brilliant hues. It was Paradise, he spent many Moons and Suns making sure each bird he purchased was singing on note, and each piece of grass curled and sparkled with the help of Water.

                He spent so much time arranging her gift he lost notice of Plexas’ absence. She didn’t seem bothered by this at all. And her distance was rather off, though she’d say she was going off to work. The nights she’d return late her stories made no sense at all. But Cupid pushed it all aside, he told her to meet him where the Garden was located. The day came and Cupid waited for her, in his masterpiece. He was excited to see her eyes light up with joy when she laid them upon his Garden of Roses made especially for her.

                But hours went by and she did not appear. The Moon came to visit and console him, and still no sign of her. Soon the birds grew tired of singing, and Water hushed. The Sun returned and informed Cupid that he had seen Cupid’s wife heckling with several other Gods.

                Cupid exploded in angry tears. He cursed at the Garden, and at himself, as well as Plexa. Everything he had done for her, why was love so painful? He wanted to get back at her. So he consulted his brother Lusiden, the God of Lust. Lusiden advised him to give her a taste of her own medicine and gave Cupid his ‘Lustful’ arrows. So now every time a Rose withers from his Garden of Roses, he flies off in search of Plexa by targeting couples, and shoots an arrow of deception at whoever shows signs of Confusion. Hoping to get his revenge against Plexa by making her feel the same hurt he did, when she cheated on him.  

The Sugar Cane Worker- Briana Regalado

The Sugarcane Field Worker- Briana Regalado 9/11/12

 

 

Once upon a time, there lived a young woman with her pet raven. She lived alone in the countryside planting sugarcane for a living. One morning, she went to her sugarcane field and suddenly heard the trotting of a horse. The horse was a majestic beast, ivory in color with a golden flowing mane. Atop the horse sat a young man. He came simply dressed all in white with a straw hat. He passed by the woman and glanced at her longingly. The woman had long black hair, a small pale face and light wide-set eyes hidden by a veil attached to her straw hat. They both exchanged looks at one another for a while. The man hoisted the horse’s reins and trotted away. The woman stared longingly down the road where the young man rode away.

 

That evening, the woman watered her sugarcane from her field and again came the majestic horse. The woman glanced up and was thrilled to see the handsome young man. He stepped off his horse and approached the woman. The woman hesitated stepping back as the young man approached her. Just as she was about to enter her small cottage, the man grabbed her arm and turned her around gently. Now the man had not seen this woman’s face since it was covered by the veil. He asked her “Why do you keep your face covered?” The woman began to shake her head and move back. “Do not be afraid,” stated the man. “I want to see your lovely face.” The woman tilted her head slowly to the side. She thought to herself if only he knew what I am hiding. With a swift motion, the man lifted the woman’s veil to reveal a lovely face. The man asked for her hand in marriage under the moonlight and the woman gladly accepted.

 

 

  The next night, the young woman was getting her wedding preparations done when she saw a most unnerving sight. She went along the back of the house and in her sugarcane field laid her raven, stained in blood. The woman ran to her raven and cried out to the skies. Her fiancé came trotting on his horse from the village and saw his bride-to-be in the sugarcane field. Her fingers were stained with blood. “What has happened?” her fiancé asked. She explained that someone had killed her raven. The man looked down the road and saw a little boy running down the path into the Black Forest. The woman looked at her raven and pried open it’s small chest with a piece of sugarcane. She took out its heart and ran up to the mountain. The man watched as he saw his fiancé run down the path and into the mountains. He in turn ran down the path and followed the little boy.

 

  When the woman arrived at the top of the mountain, she saw a giant cloud storming ahead. She looked at the sky and cried out “Damn you! Damn whoever killed my raven!” and with that said, the woman sunk into the ground and lied on the ground for a minute. When she waked, she transformed into a hideous being. Meanwhile, the man followed the little boy down the path. They reached the end of the road and to the man’s surprise, the little boy was gone. In his place, he found a thin piece of oak bark with the pointed ends covered in blood. Stunned, he ran back to the house, only to find that there was a horrible cyclone approaching. He tried to run up to the mountain and saw what seemed to be his fiancé. When she found her, she was leaning on a lonely tree, awaiting her loved one. He ran up to her, excited to find her there. He pulled out the stained oak bark and held it up to her, finding that he was facing her back. He tapped her shoulder and she fell to the ground. He then kneeled and asked her what was wrong. When she turned around, he found her with grey skin, her silky black hair was straw like, her eyes were cataract due to her sighting of the moon and her limbs were bent in the opposite direction. He jumped up and screamed as she crawled to him, leaving a path of clear slime.

 

  The man ran into the village and was about to mount his horse but found him dead. He backed away and entered a secret temple. His fiancé had followed him slowly. He ran into the temple and saw a statue of the Gods. He picked one of the Gods and cried out, “Please stop her! Stop her and let all of us be free!” The statue fell to the ground and shattered. The man felt hopeless. He turned and saw his fiancé crawling toward him. He ran deeper into the temple and found a water fountain. The fountain was of silver marble and possessed healing powers. The man washed his face with the water and looked up. A bright light appeared in front of him. The light lead him outside. He followed the light and found a red lily. He took the lily and heard a majestic voice. It was one of the Gods. He listened carefully to what the God had to say. He took the lily, turned it upside down and brought it to the forest. He planted it upside down in the middle of the forest. After this action, the cyclone had disappeared. The sun came out shining bright and the sugarcane field grew back. The man’s wife also returned to her normal state. She ran to him and they hugged for hours. The woman asked what had happened for she had forgotten during her transformation. The man stated that nothing had happened to protect her from the madness and took her home.

Story of Jesus by Brian

                                                            The Story of Jesus of Earth
                   Long before the fall of the Martian, Earth was a cruel and dark place. See, the human race was still young. And, because of the technological advancement of the Martians, were overpowered and forced into slavery. They ruled over the humans with strict laws and horrible punishment. In turn the Martians sought to evolve the humans into the perfect slave race. However, as a result of the experimentation and mutations, many of which failed, other sub-species were created. One of the most successful experiments led to an intelligent human being. This one intelligent human was named Jesus.
                    Jesus was bred in a small underwater Martian testing facility known as Atlantis. He was kept in isolation since birth and was taught language, arithmetic, science, and farming. Through his growth the Martian overlords saw hope. They believed that they could create a person that could rule earth while they go in search of other planets. However, other Martians feared him. They thought that giving humans such intelligence will only lead to their demise. These Martians sought to destroy these experiments and Jesus along with it. Jesus was not aware of any of this however. He had heard of the outside world from his teachers, and was told how he would one day see the world and help bring humans and Martians together and be the missing link to tie both of the races together. He had always wanted to see the world and meet other humans. He longed for the outside.
                   Just before his 30th birthday, Jesus decided he was going to escape. He devised a plan to get out of the facility. He had acquired a map of the facility from the bag of his teacher some months before and had laid out a route for his escape. Jesus’ plan was to get out of his room, go through the holding corridor, and escape through the emergency escape pod. The night before his birthday, Jesus broke the rubber off the bottom of his shoe, and called a guard. When the guard approached the door, Jesus told him that there was something in his room and he was afraid. The guard opened the door, and walked in. Jesus then hit the Martian on the head, killing him, and took the guard’s keys and escaped. Jesus walked cautiously to the holding room. Once there, he was shocked at the amazing creatures he saw. There was a hairy brown monster with the title “werewolf” at the bottom of the glass. The next creature was very similar but had white hair and was called a “yeti”. Jesus continued to walk and saw creatures of different sizes. A small flying creature in a dark room called a “vampire” and a huge creature named “Loch Ness”. Jesus heard speaking from afar in the direction of his room. All of a sudden the alarm was sounding. Jesus ran. He ran past the “chupacabra” and the “bigfoot”. He sprinted down the entire corridor and finally got to the end. He went into the emergency exit room and locked the door behind him. Just as he did, a Martian guard saw him through the window on the door. The guard shouted but Jesus ignored him and hurried into the pod. Jesus closed the pod and launched it. He was so excited. He was on his way to see the world for the first time.
                    When Jesus reached the surface he opened the pod door and paddled to the nearest shore. When he got there he walked out and took a deep breathe. He was excited to see other humans. Jesus walked inland to try and find some. He walked until he saw a town and started heading towards it. When he arrived Jesus was shocked at what he saw. He saw humans being beaten and slave driven by their Martian owners. He saw children being sold like goods. He even saw a shopkeeper with a sign that said, “Fresh human meat”. He saw the truth of the world. He saw what his teachers and overlords kept from him. Jesus was enraged. He jumped into the middle of the central square and started screaming out. The Martians were shocked to see a human that could speak. He screamed out to the Martians for treating humans this way. He bellowed out to the humans to follow him and rise up against this way of life. But to his surprise none of them moved. They looked confused. Jesus realized that he was the only intelligent human. That he wasn’t in the facility as a human delegate but as an experiment.
                      In a rage fueled charge, he ran to the pod and reset it for return to the facility. Once he arrived at Atlantis he was greeted by armed guards. The guards led him to the throne room as per requested by the King himself. Once there, the king asked Jesus. “Why did you leave? You had everything here. Everything was fine, and we had made great sacrifices to keep you alive. In return you do this to us. Why Jesus? Have we not kept you happy during your stay?” Jesus replied, “I thought there was more to the world. I wanted to be around other humans and see their advancements. But, when I arrived I saw that we are nothing more than slaves to you. You see us as slaves and experiments which you dispose of without hesitation or remorse. I want change. I want humans and Martians in unity not one ruling the

The Most Beautiful Bird in the World

Long ago, there existed a land said to be the most beautiful in the world, with beautiful forests and beautiful things and the most beautiful village, populated with the most beautiful people. On this land the trees were massive and vibrant, plants were decorative and artistic; by day the river shone bright in reflection of the sun, and by night it sparkled in luminescence, expressing a deep shade of hue. The sky was washed in color of sweet periwinkle, and softly went peach as the sun met the horizon twice a day.

And naturally any society or culture that would flourish in such a land would be equally as beautiful and so tastefully detailed. The people strove to compliment their environment by using body art. In other words they only cared for such forms of art; art that is visually pleasing. . Such as painting their bodies with skin dye made from compressed and fermented fruit. Or styling their hairs with Lily Tiger excrement, which gives the hair hold for hours. They held a fashion fiesta at least once a month and it was always the greatest thing. They also developed advanced taxidermy art to preserve certain animal’s everlasting beauty, because some were so lavish in it’s aesthetics. And thus aesthetic art greatly developed in this society

 One day the villagers were spending their day well, ornamenting their beautiful village as usual. Then suddenly, the town’s messenger ran through the streets excitedly, yelling about a bird habituating in a forest, along the river 3 forests down south.

Messenger: “PAY ATTENTION, PAY ATTENTION, ITS SAID TO BE A WONDROUS THING

ITS SAID TO BE A MYTHICAL THING

THIS BIRD IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING. THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL BIRD”

Villager A: A bird?

Villager B:  A what?

Villager C: A flying bird?

Villager D: No, a glamorous bird

Villager A: Does it fly?

Villager D: No

Villager B: So what good is the bird?

Villager A: Is it good

Villager C: To eat?

Villager D: No it’s a beautiful bird

All: A beautiful bird!?

Villager B: How beautiful?

Villager D: as beautiful as us

Villager A: Why that is perfect!

Villager C: We must have it

All: We must, we must, we must… Capture the beautiful bird!

           So they all decided to capture this bird and ornament their beautiful village with it. They sent the professional huntsmen and a few of the village men to capture it and bring it back in the best condition, so it can be treated well by the town’s taxidermist. These men traveled for 3 nights to get past 3 forests to find the bird.

After 3 nights and 3 forests they finally found the bird. And they learned that the rumor had not done any justice for the bird. It was indeed the most phenomenal thing.

It was almost celestial; this bird exhumed a color that was the coalescence of every dye in the rainbow, creating luminosity that has never been seen before. Definitive fine feathers patterned its neck, long and smooth; its beak stood elegantly, accenting its face with class. Its talons were sharp, fine and heroic. Its feathers so exotic, and extravagant, when it posed it gave such an endearing presence, it made the huntsmen and the villagers absolutely awe struck; in that instance they became desperate to capture the bird and make it theirs.

The hunter used his fine tools to capture the bird successfully. They wrapped her in a soft, tough net so it won’t ruin her fine feathers, and put her in a carry-box made with soft material to shape her well after death. However, as the hunter tried to finalize his task by striking a poison needle at her, she gave out a loud cry of mercy, and it changed their lives forever.

At that moment, the huntsmen lost his entire urge to strike the bird, and so had the others. Her cry, her voice, was the most melodic, harmonic, exuberant sound they had ever heard.

Hunter: Holy mother of molly do you hear that

Huntsmen A: my mother would’ve lived if she had heard this before she died.

Huntsmen B: I’ve never felt this way before. It’s like my ears are happy...my mind is too!

Huntsmen C:  I’m feeling a little high here.

Villager B: I’m getting goose-bumps. It’s the good kind!

Villager A: It’s like that time we had that spring fashion festival. Gosh those tunics were so beautiful. This bird’s voice is as beautiful as that!

Villager B: It might even be better than that, brother.

Hunter: I don’t want to kill this bird. I want to listen to it all the time.

Villager B: Me to

Villager A: Me to

Villager C: Me three

All: We all do

            So they took the bird with them, alive; and a couple more of them actually. Turned out the bird had a family; a family of beautiful birds with beautiful voices. They would later in the years become the symbol of the village. Once they got back to the village, the rest of the villagers were at first confused as to why they left the bird alive. However once they heard the bird sing, they were all convinced.

And that is how they discovered the art of music. They learned from this bird that beauty does not only exist in aesthetics but it does in many other places. The villagers learned to appreciate this bird’s existence in its entirety.

So this land, made of beautiful things with beautiful people and now the most beautiful bird, became beautiful in a sense less superficial, and more so in a multidimensional way.

Fin

The Warring States

                                                            The Warring States

                A long, long time ago, there were two neighboring countries at war. The king in the north was named Brandon and the king in the south was named Joseph. They had been battling constantly for five years with neither side gaining an upper hand. However, all that changed when a brutal winter destroyed a majority of Joseph’s crops. With a low food supply, Joseph’s troops were slowly being pushed back. Brandon knew this was the time to strike and finally conquer the south. He assembled his full army for one final battle. Joseph was in a dire situation but he refused to surrender. He knew surrender meant death. At this time, Joseph’s advisor William came up with a plan to save his lord. William suggested that Joseph should not only surrender but also offer to serve Brandon. Joseph was infuriated by this idea, but he knew this was also the only way for him and his people to survive. Under William’s instructions, Joseph surrendered to Brandon. Brandon was amused at the idea of having Joseph serve him. He wanted to humiliate and torture Joseph.  Brandon’s advisor thought it would be wise to simply execute him. They felt that Joseph had other intentions. Brandon didn’t think much of what his advisors said. He thought a coward like Joseph would be no threat to him.

                After conquering the south, Brandon returned home, the true king, and celebrated with his people. He had Joseph become his personal attendant. He made Joseph do every dirty job he could think of. Not only did Joseph have to endure harsh labor, but he barely had any food to eat. Brandon would only feed him his leftovers and that was equivalent to dog scraps. At night, Brandon would also torture Joseph. He would whip him repeatedly or beat him with a stick. Joseph had enough of this humiliation and decided to end his life. William knew of this and told his lord that he must endure. You have to survive in order to reclaim what was lost. Joseph was thinking there was no way that he could defeat Brandon’s army. It was at this time that William told his lord that he was secretly recruiting troops and saving up supplies. He urged his lord to endure the hardships and wait for the proper timing to strike back.

                Six years passed by and Joseph continued to endure Brandon’s punishments. Meanwhile, William kept recruiting more and more troops and kept them well trained. At the same time, Brandon’s army was dwindling and barely trained at all. Brandon has been enjoying himself and never took anytime to discipline his army. William finally sensed it was time for his lord to claim back his throne. Joseph decided his army would strike at night when Brandon and his army were too drunk to defend themselves. Joseph’s army wiped out Brandon’s army and Brandon was shocked that he was defeated so easily. Joseph finally reclaimed his throne and had Brandon executed.

Moral: Perseverance leads to ultimate victory.