A Gay/campy chronicling of daily life in NYC,with individual kernels of human truth. copyright 2011 by The Raving Queen
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Girls, Got A Revolution, Got To Revolution!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Darlings, I know you will wonder, what in the world could have possessed me, after more than 40 years, to reread "Animal Farm?" Well, here goes.
I just recently bought Haruki Murakami's newest novel, "1Q84," which, in ways other than its title I understand, references George Orwell's "1984"!!!!! Now, inconceivable as this may sound, as of this moment, I have never, EVER read "1984," though I had always meant to. I thought at some point along my academic route I would get it, but I never did. Then I got the bright idea of actually reading it IN 1984. Well, loves, that was 27 years ago; it came and went, and I still never read it.
But, in light of the Murakami book, I thought it was time to read the Orwell work, prior. So I picked out a copy. Then, I thought, if I am going to read "1984," why not reread "Animal Farm"?????? I wonder which had come first, and I discovered it was "Animal Farm" (1945), followed by "1984" in 1949!!!!!!!!!!
When I first read this book, back in eighth grade (worst school year of my life!!) the emphasis was on anti-Communism, especially since we were studying a unit in History on Russia, where you better not say anything positive about Russia as a nation--not even its outpouring of great authors, like Tolstoy, Chekhov and Dostoevsky!!!!!! That is NOT what those teachers and administrators--especially that fat cow, Mrs. Geoffrey Nunez!!!!-- wanted to hear from us!!!!!!!! Remember, ours was a class who was FORCED, at graduation, to sing this Right Wing tribute to the USA called "I Like It Here!!!!!!!" What bull!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, several decades wiser, and even more acerbic now than then, I came to "Animal Farm," with a whole different outlook, and what a revelation!!!!!! It is beautifully written, and its pseudowhimiscality deservedly earns the subtitle Orwell gave it, "A Fairy Story." But this is no charmer, girls, this is a tale, meditating on the Dangers Of Extremism. What I discovered from this reading is that the extremism may change; it was Communism back then, now it is the Corporate Technological Dehumanization of our society which the Occupy Wall Streeters are protesting. Which points to the timelessness of Orwell's book, if not the cheesy cartoon film version made of it, back in 1955!!!!!!!!!!
That nasty pig, Napoleon!!!!! That tragic one, Snowball!!!!!! And the horror of the outcome of Boxer, the workhorse!!!!!!!!! How many Boxers are there out there today who refuse to recognize what is in store for them and do not heed those signals, when they appear????
So, girls, I urge you to give "Animal Farm" a second look. It may not be as fun as, say, "We Have Always Lived In The Castle," but as an adult you can appreciate it on its own merits, as well as as its being an ideal text to teach the young how to think philosophically and individualistically!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quack, quack, you Extremist Bitches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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