Ryan’s Comments (group member since Jan 14, 2011)

Ryan’s comments from the Classics Club group.

Dang Gina! I'm in Draper! Wanna go hiking on Sat @ 3? :)

Paper books is where it's at! Besides, my Kindle broke a bit ago and my comp just died too. :) I've love to check it out from Library Brittany. :)

Brittany wrote: "Have you read A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki? I haven't finished it, I started reading it for a class, but your comment reminded me of it."

I haven't even heard of it Britt. I'll have to check it out though. Is it good so far?

I know we did this a long time ago, but I never posted any thoughts about the book that moved me in so many ways. Perhaps that's why I never did, I have a *tiny inclination* to want to get things just right. Well, at the risk of not getting them "just right" this time I wanted to share a couple of thoughts.

As the book progressed I noticed a strong theme of those animals in charge whitewashing history, or changing the facts. Slowly and without records the animals lost recollection of the past until the next generation knew nothing of the rebellion or how things once were. They also had lost touch of an important historical figure, Snowball. Conclusion: Those who win the wars right the history books.

I remember talking in an anthropology class about the Cultural Revolution in China. It was situation where one group despised the other group which they felt was at the root of all their suffering. The hatred went so deep that they systematically killed those of the old way & destroyed reminders of their reign.

When records don't exist, it's left up to the leading storytellers or propagandists (Squealer in this book) to fill in the blanks (the eggs are missing, it was Snowball), rewrite (as he did with each of the original laws they created when they kicked Jones off the farm) or nudge "the truth" or nudge the official further and further from reality (from "Snowball didn't really lead the others into battle" to, "he wasn't really shot," to "he was conspiring with Jones the whole time").

It was fascinating to see this change. I almost believed some of the lies myself, reading the book over a couple weeks. My advantage over those on Animal Farm (other than not being a pig)? I had a record of how it was.

I feel this way I notice when I don't record events as they happen. But when I am able to go back and review my journal about a particular event I get to see (emotionally painted as it may be) what I experienced. Perhaps this is why Orwell, in 1984, had "The Party" ban such nonsense...so they wouldn't be able to firmly grasp that there was fewer chocolate rations than before, even though the announcements declared production was up and as a gift they were increasing them.

The take home? Pay attention, put pen to paper & ponder occasionally on the past.

Yeah, Traveller, feel free to jump in the discussions and share your thoughts on any or all the books we're reading/have read. Glad to have ya!

Oh man! You need to preface this with "spoiler" or something :) I'm not that far yet, but definitely think it's fascinating to see his thought process in the first chapter, a bit scary the rationalizations he was making. I found myself thinking, wow, I don't know what he's going to do, but I have had similar thoughts & feelings. I read Change Your Brain, Change Your Life a while back by Dr. Daniel Amen & I think it was in there where he mentioned people who have temporal lobe lesions or injuries will often have dark & tormented thinking, as if they are plagued by the devil or something. It makes me wonder how many people have done foolish things, been labeled by society, OBVIOUSLY put away, but in it all just had a dysfunction in the brain. I don't think the insanity card justifies what they do, but it seems that we need more understanding than we give most people. A "motive" may be nothing more than a good mind gone wrong. Motives seem to be the realm of those who have a greater control of their capabilities.