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right now live on Facebook
also recording the show today for
YouTube and the effortless English Club
blog welcome live viewers from Facebook
and welcome to hope you will watch the
recording
now today we have a special show we're
starting something new I talked about
this during my last live show on
Facebook and we're doing something
called the effortless English book club
effortless English book club and it's
going to be just like taking a course
taking a course at a university like an
English literature course where you
would read the book or books and then
you would study that book and discuss
the book and ask questions about it so
this is what native speakers do in their
own English classes right so when I went
to university kind of a long time ago I
you know I took English classes and so
at that level mostly what we did is
literature we read books the teacher
gave us a book assignment and we'd have
to read the book and each week each
during each class we would discuss what
we read you know it usually chapter by
chapter
so our first book is Animal Farm Animal
Farm by George Orwell Animal Farm by
George Orwell and today is our first
book club so but it discussed chapter 1
if you watch the recording of this or if
you have not read chapter 1 yet it's
okay just get the book anytime Andrey
chapter 1 but I'm going to help you
today
understand chapter 1 I'll discuss a
little bit of the vocabulary I'll give
you a summary of chapter 1 and then
we'll talk about the main ideas and I'll
give you my analysis my understanding of
the meaning of chapter 1 alright let's
go
Animal Farm let's first just talk about
chapter 1 the the main plot the main
ideas what happens in chapter 1 Animal
Farm
all right so chapter one chapter one is
really an introduction for animal farm
and in Chapter one we are introduced to
not all but most of the main characters
we're introduced to the setting where
the location that this takes place and
we're introduced to this world because
this is kind of a fantasy world right
it's a it's a world of intelligent
talking animals that's why it's called
animal farm so let's just go through the
beginning and we'll get the general idea
of chapter one and then we will discuss
the deeper meaning because this book
most definitely has a much deeper
meaning it's not just a funny story
about animals all right so it begins mr.
Jones of the manor farm had locked the
hen houses for the night so we're on a
farm the name of the farm is Manor farm
that's just the name Manor Farm MA and o
our Manor farm mr. Jones is the human
the human farmer who owns the farm
alright so mr. Jones in the beginning
mr. Jones we have mr. Jones and he's
drunk drinking too much and mr. Jones
kind of he's drinking beer and he and he
walks kind of stumbles you know kind of
walks drunkenly to his bed and he goes
to sleep when he goes to sleep all of
the farm animals that's when they all
come together right because they all
talk and they they're intelligent
nothing I think mr. Jones doesn't
realize that these are actually special
animals they're smart intelligent
animals that can talk to each other this
is the fantasy part ok
so mr. Jones goes to bed when mr. Jones
goes to bed all the animals come to the
barn to have a meeting a special meeting
and why do they have a meeting because
one of the pigs an old pig kind of the
top pig in the farm on the farm
calls a meeting he wants to discuss a
dream that he had so that this pig is
named major major majors an old pig he's
described as a prized middle white boar
a boar is a male Pig right not female
it's a male Pig a boar
so fours have tusks right they have
little horns in the wild especially
boars can actually be quite dangerous
animals so he's a white board prized
white boar means he's like really big
and strong and looks good so old major
he's an old pig he calls the meeting he
tells all the animals come to the
meeting and let me tell you about my
dream and all the animals are excited
because they're always interested in
majors ideas because he's a he's an old
Pig he's respected alright so then we go
George Orwell the writer describes
inside the barn there's a bed of straw
there's a little area of straw and major
is on top of it he's on the top of the
bed of straw there's a lantern there's a
light hanging from the ceiling
next to says he's 12 years old that's
old for a pig and rather stout stout
there's a good vocabulary word he's a
stout pig stout means kind of wide and
large means large bodied right we can
describe people as being stout it it's
not the same as fat okay fat you know
that's just like a big belly and it's
all that soft when we describe a person
as stout it more has the feeling that
their whole body's kind of large in
their bones their muscles maybe they're
a little fat but they're also just large
in general so it tends to give the idea
of fairly strong as well stout stout all
right so then the all the other animals
come in then we are introduced to many
of the main characters this is what have
neck's so as the animals come into the
room george orwell the writer describes
and gives names to some i'd say most of
the major characters not all but many of
them alright so first come three dogs
come in blue bill Jesse and pincher and
then pigs the pigs are not named here
but the pigs later will become really
the major characters in this story but
the other pigs are not named only major
in this chapter one the hens those are
the female chickens pigeons come in
sheeps and cows none of those have names
and then we have two horses both have
names boxer and clover boxer and clover
so clover is a stout motherly mayor so
stout again remember large bodied and
strong a mare is a female horse a female
horse is called a mayor
so clover is a female a large stout
female horse and then boxer is an
enormous beast enormous means huge very
very big so clover is kind of big
Clippers spelt the female horse but the
male horse boxer is huge really really
really big a beast is like a wild animal
like a strong animal so he's a huge
animal an enormous beast
his name is boxer he's an important
character and then he George or L
describes what he looks like and says
that boxers not so intelligent he's not
stupid but he's just not of a high
intelligence but everyone respects boxer
the big horse because he has steadiness
of character steadiness of character
that means he is reliable he's reliable
steadiness means not changing not stick
not it's kind of reliable not changing
and character in when you're using it as
an adjective to describe someone he had
or even if you use it as a noun
actually it's a noun then it's you
should say his steadiness of character
means he has character he has virtue he
he's a good horse or if you say a person
has character would say they have
goodness
really so steadiness of character gives
you the idea that he's a good reliable
trustworthy horse all right then next
there's a goat named Muriel not so
important there's a donkey named
Benjamin he's the oldest animal on the
farm Benjamin is Benjamin the donkey and
he's the worst tempered worst tempered
so worst temperate means he kinda he's
usually has a bad mood he's not so he's
not a positive he's kind of negative and
grumpy a lot where he's a big bad
tempered but he's not mean he's just
kind of in a bad mood a lot okay he's
not a happy guy or a happy don't even
all right then finally the next another
some chickens come in and then another a
last horse comes in named Molly Molly is
a young pretty Mayer XO female a young
pretty horse Molly and she kind of comes
in and she flips her hair around trying
to flirt with probably with a boxer I
guess mm-hmm then a cat comes in the cat
comes in and just finds a warm place to
sit all right so those are the oh and
there's one more character introduced
Moses a raven
black those blackbirds so those are the
major characters that we meet in the
first chapter in chapter one so that
part is just really introducing the
characters at the beginning
next comes the speech and this is very
important the speech from major the old
pig and this speech is really what
starts this story so it's very important
and it has a very deeper much deeper
meaning which we'll discuss in a minute
so he begins comrades important that he
uses the word comrades comrades means
like friends because I had a dream right
I had a dream and it's my duty I must
tell you my dream because I'm old and I
will probably die soon and so I want you
to know my dream to know what I have
learned now first thing he starts with
is a persuasion technique this is a
technique that is very good for
persuading people for selling things
advertisers use it and he starts with
pain he starts with pain he describes
the pain of the animals he says what is
the nature of our life what is our life
like here on the farm
and he says let's let's face it let's be
honest our lives are miserable miserable
super super super unhappy and they're
short we have short unhappy lives right
so he's reminding them of their pain
this is a very good persuasion technique
if you want to persuade people first
remind them of the pain in their life of
the pain of their problems right you
gotta first talk about the problem and
why it's a big problem and then he
describes in detail about their pain he
talks about how they most of them can
never grow old because when they get old
they get killed by the farmer well that
sounds terrible he says no animal in
England is free George Orwell was
English so this isn't a farm in England
the life of an animal is misery
unhappiness and slavery this is the
truth and then he asks he starts asking
questions why another powerful
persuasion technique you want to get
people thinking why why why right
because what he wants to do of course he
has an answer he has a solution he wants
to persuade them he wants to sell them
he wants to convince them that he has
the best solution he knows what they
should do right so but he can't just
tell them immediately that's less
persuasive it's less strong
so he says you know our farm has a lot
of food on it and really our farm should
it be a wonderful place there's plenty
of food and land for all of us we should
not suffer we should not have to suffer
we should not have to work so hard and
be so unhappy and so then this is the
next one another very very very powerful
persuasion technique expect a lot of
politicians use this one and especially
some of the worst dictators in the world
have used this technique any that he
uses and he says what is the root of our
problem what is the one thing that's
causing all of our problems and he says
man meaning humans humans this is called
a scapegoat
a scapegoat is when you choose one group
of people that are different than you
like an outside group and you blame all
of the problems of society all of the
problems of society on that one group so
here he says the problem is all of us
animals are wonderful
all animals are great but humans are the
evil ones humans are the source the
cause of all of our problems all of our
unhappiness is caused by one thing only
and that's humans and then he says if we
remove humans we get rid of all the
humans then all animals will never be
hungry again all animals will never have
to work so hard again all animals will
be happy
we'll have this wonderful perfect life
if we only get rid of human beings and
then he starts talking lots of bad stuff
about humans that they they don't make
eggs they can't make milk but then they
take our food from us you know they eat
our eggs they eat our mint they drink
our milk
he makes us work and then he only gives
us back some of that for eating so he's
eating a bunch of our stuff and making
us work and treating us badly basically
and it just gives lots of examples about
this then he says I'm lucky because I
have lived a long life but many of you
will not continuing in Chapter one and
and really again this is the the key
point of his whole speech is he says all
the evils of this life all evil in the
world is caused by only one thing human
beings all evil caused by only one than
human beings if we only get rid of man
overnight means instantly immediately we
would become rich and free rich and free
so this is another very powerful
persuasion technique by the way which is
the like
the super easy answer right that will
solve all of your problems everything
all unhappiness all problems all poverty
he's saying right people being poured
every single problem every unhappiness
that the animals suffer will be gone if
they only get rid of man they get rid of
humans not only that but they will all
become every one of them will become
rich
they'll all be rich if they just get rid
of humans and they'll all be totally
free if they just get rid of humans so
this is his solution and so finally he
says our solution is rebellion rebellion
like revolution rebellion means
revolution right in the original Star
Wars with Luke Skywalker right they were
called the rebels the rebels right they
were fighting against the main
government the Empire so rebellion we
have to fight against the humans and get
rid of all of them which of course means
kill them or at least may drive them out
push them out of the farm and then all
our problems will be solved we'll all be
rich and free then he says you must
never listen to any other idea only this
one this is the only solution
you must never listen to any other
solution ever never listen to anyone
that tells you that man and animals can
work together he says never listen to
that never listen to that never try to
work together with humans and never
listen to anyone who says that you that
animals and humans can both have happy
lives together
all men are enemies he says the pig oh
man all so it's not just the one human
it's not just this farmer at this farm
has may be a bad guy
but it's all humans everywhere our
enemies and evil and the opposite is
also true he says all animals are
friends all animals are comrades so
everywhere in the world every animal is
good everywhere in the world every human
is evil is what he's saying okay then
then this is kind of amusing this is
there's a kind of black humor we call it
a dark humor in animal form the George
Orwell the story toward as we'll discuss
in a minute George Worrell Orwell is is
this is a very political book and he's
criticizing a political system and
political techniques that he feels are
very dangerous and so all right so so
you're seeing this like major the pig is
giving us you know the perfect simple
solution to everything there's one group
that's evil they're all evil there's
this other group the animals that are
all good if you just get rid of the
humans everything we're all gonna be
perfect and rich and life will be
perfect it'll be like heaven on earth
this is called utopia right perfection a
perfect society a perfect life
everything but then so he says all
animals are friends but then immediately
there's a little problem because there
are there's a rats there's a couple rats
in that come into the barn and guess
what happens when the dogs and the cat
see the rats ha ha they get excited they
want to chase the rats and attack them
right because that's the nature of cats
and dogs is they hunt rats they hunt
mice the Predators and so there's this
big kind of there's a big like kind of
lots of noise and everything and then
they and make major the pig says calm
down calm down we have to vote right we
have to vote to see are the rats animals
like us in our in our group or are they
not and they vote but the dogs
the cat they vote against it okay they
think no no they want to attack the rats
and eat them right because that's what
they do but all the other animals say
yes so then major says okay oh the rats
and the rabbits are also animals and we
are all equal and we're all good and the
humans are evil so he says your duty
what you must do is always be the enemy
of humans
he says anything then he gives some
rules this will come this we will get
this is important because this is part
of the story we will see it again many
times in the future this story in other
chapters me number one whatever meaning
any creature that goes upon two legs is
an enemy right so meaning anything that
walks on two legs humans is an enemy
anything with two legs that walks on two
legs is an enemy and then the next rule
whatever goes upon four legs or has
wings is a friend so this is the the
rules of their new perfect society
enemies anything with that walks on two
legs friends four legs or wings this is
the rule his rule majors rule okay then
he says oh then he makes some more rules
he's reporting because you're gonna see
what happens later after we conquer
after we defeat the humans and beat them
no animal must ever ever ever ever live
in a house or sleep in a bed or wear
clothes or drink alcohol or smoke
tobacco or use money or trade you know I
do business so he's saying all the
habits of man humans are evil everything
that humans do is evil therefore we
cannot do any of them no it's against
the rules
so you cannot drink alcohol you cannot
smoke you cannot touch money you cannot
use money you cannot do trade business
you cannot sleep in a bed you cannot
sleep in a house cannot wear clothes
okay so these are the rules for the
animals for their perfect society and no
animal must ever kill another animal no
animal must ever kill another animal
another rule of the perfect society
we'll see in a minute there's a problem
with that of course and then finally the
big rule and this one is very important
for us now in our current human society
all animals are equal all animals are
equal and of course equal means same all
animals are the same all animals are
equal very very important then he says
then he talked about his dream and he
describes this is the next by the way a
very powerful persuasion technique so we
talked about the pain the pain the pain
the pain next he talked about the the
one enemy that it's this that causes all
the problems he right this this simple
enemy that is it's just this enemy only
that causes all the problems all their
evils and then he says if we get rid of
this enemy the solution then life will
be perfect
everything will be absolutely perfect
we'll never have any problems again ever
and finally he this is the pleasure part
this is another thing you should do if
you're trying to persuade people is then
tell them the dream the dream after your
solution what will their life be like so
then he starts describing uh you know I
had this dream and man is gone and all
the animals are living together they're
all equal they're all happy everything
is wonderful and I heard a song and in
my dream that it was this beautiful song
and then he sings the song and the song
basically describes this
you know everybody overall all the
animals are now rich everything's
perfect we got rid of we got rid of the
humans all animals are equal all animals
love each other and all animals are nice
to each other all the time
there are no problems anymore everything
is perfect and when they sing the song
all the animals gets excited when he
sings the song they they all love it and
even the stupid animals learn it very
quickly and they all start singing the
song together ah beasts of England
beasts of Ireland beasts of every land
and climb and that Dahlia he's got the
whole song in there I'm not gonna sing
the whole thing but they all sing it and
then they sing it again I think he says
they sing it five times because they're
so excited about the song so it said
this is another propaganda technique
another persuasion technique used you
know using music and songs and public
gatherings things like that but then the
all the singing wakes up the farmer the
farmer is sleeping around Bernie he
hears the singing da da da and he uh he
wakes up he thinks there's a Fox trying
to attack the chicken so he he shoots
his gun at the barn and it scares all
the animals and they all they all even
run back to their beds and go to sleep
and that's how chapter one ends all
right so that's the basic description
let's go back and talk about what this
means
I'll give you we're gonna talk about two
things with meanings one I'll give you
what varied the kind of general meaning
that every I think even that George
Orwell meant what did he mean by all
this what's and this is very obvious
George Orwell wrote about you know the
meaning of this story George Orwell
wrote about politics of course George
Royal also wrote 1984 which has which is
it another great book describing really
criticizing the same political system
which is
socialism and and the thing is George
Orwell was a socialist but he saw what
happened in the Soviet Union he saw what
happened with you know Maoist China and
he realized oh my god this is horrible
you know millions and millions and
millions of people murdered and even
Germany Nazi Germany National Socialist
Party so again another form of socialism
so he's I believe you know I'd have to
really research Orwell more but I
believe he still believed in some kind
of was hoping that there could be some
kind of socialism but he saw that the
reality of it was usually mass murder
and we'll see that of course in this
story as well later so first I'll talk
about some of the obvious meanings of
this book not my personal opinions
really more what George Orwell was
talking about what did he mean and you
know if you don't believe me you can go
look this up you can read about this and
then I will talk about my own personal
what I the meaning I get from it now my
meaning from this might be different
from yours right in fact it should be
and this is one of the great things
about books and literature in general is
that while there certainly are clear
themes clear messages from the writer in
many books good books there also is a
lot of room for you to find your own
meaning right I mean for example
religious books people read the Bible
and there are a lot of very clear
messages in the Bible you know pretty
obvious shalt not kill well you know the
Ten Commandments that kind of stuff but
of course also though you know a hundred
people can read the Bible and find lots
of different meaning each person will
find a different meaning based on their
own experience and this is one of the
great things especially you know this is
the thing that great books do great
books have deep
deep levels of meaning and they will
connect to your personal life in some
way and so every one of us will have our
own ideas or an interpretation of these
books and that's good so what I'm
talking about my personal opinions or my
personal meaning it's just to give you
something to think about
I'm not telling you you don't have to
believe what I believe of course not
trying to even convince you to do so I'm
just sharing it so give you something to
think about and then you know maybe in
the comments I'll read some of the live
comments here on Facebook and get some
of your ideas so let's just kind of
let's go through quickly I'll give you
some of the major ideas from chapter one
and then and then all we can discuss
with some of the comments live all right
so what is this thing why is this a
cartoon with animals in a farm okay so
this is about capitalism and communism
socialism okay so the farm basically
means the economy right is the nation in
this case it's the nation now he was
very much criticizing the Soviet Union
okay you this story as we will see has a
lot of connections to the history of
Russia the Soviet Union communist Russia
so later we will meet some characters
that are very obviously supposed to be
Joseph Stalin and Trotsky they're not in
chapter 1 I would say that major pretty
obviously is Karl Marx okay because
major does not lead the revolution which
you'll see and we'll see in the future
but he gives this sort of the big
philosophy right he's he gives the big
speech it gives the philosophy he
identifies the the one enemy humans any
and he makes this picture of the perfect
world that utopia utopia the perfect
world on earth heaven on earth so this
farm is like you know a nation any
nation no it happens to be he was
English so maybe someone England but it
could be any nation it could be
Russia many many many people believe you
know this this farm represents Russia
even though it's set in England
it could be Maoist China it could be
Cambodia
it could be Venezuela today all right
that's wherever but basically it's
represents the nation the animals
represent who the workers the common
people the the regular people and of
course the farmer is the owner
he owns the farm so he's what today
people call the the 0.1% or the 1% right
he's the guy at the top the farmer so
then you know the various characters in
in chapter one really there's not so
much you know I'd say boxer the big
strong course is really kind of like a
labor like a physical worker right
someone who's not so smart so he's not
working in some high level job he does
hard physical work he's a good guy
strong people respect him later we'll
get more ideas about some of some of the
these characters are connected to real
historical people like I mentioned
before some of the future characters
will meet definitely are connected to
Stalin and Trotsky and in this one I'd
say the only very obvious connection is
that major is Karl Marx all right and
very much like Karl Marx he uses much of
the communist language comrades right
everybody's a comrade a brother friend
and he describes how miserable their
lives are and this is the danger by the
way and this is my own personal
interpretation but I think it's also
pretty clear that Orwell was writing
about this is that the dangerous the
problem is true they do live kind of sad
lives they do get killed if they do get
their stuff taken from them so many of
the problems that major describes our
act are real problems and
so we do you know like any normal person
sympathizes with the animals right I
mean in Chapter one they're sympathetic
all right there's the mean old farmer
was a drunk is a bad guy and and they
they they don't have great lives you
know the farmer kills him and eats them
sometimes he takes the eggs from the
chickens he makes the horses do hard
work so yeah exactly there are
definitely problems so that part this is
the part this this is this is the danger
in a way because this is the part that
that all sort of dictators in history
and all the kind of the most evil
ideologies and political systems start
with a problem if if everybody's happy
and rich and doing well usually there's
no need for a revolution and it's very
it's much tougher for a you know some
horrible dictator or communist system to
come in to take over a country that's
already happy and rich it doesn't happen
usually if we look at history what
happens is usually where there are huge
huge problems and lots of miserable
people so certainly this story is mostly
connected to the Soviet Union in Russia
and Russia at the time of the Russian
Revolution the communist revolution was
pretty miserable right there was world
that they they were they lost World War
one they they left all right think they
dropped out of World War one there were
just lots and lots of poor people lots
of misery it was not a happy place sing
with the farm okay so then you know of
course like all of this he's all my
animals but of course or so we're meant
to think and to imagine the human
situation right so the animals are
similar to the poor the people who are
the poor and the workers at the bottom
to have the hardest lives that's who the
animals represent in this story I know
who the middle class is supposed to be
in this story but we'll see because I
only read chapter one also I know the
story I'll read those story a whole the
whole thing a long time ago but I don't
remember so maybe we'll find out I'm not
maybe he just ignored that because most
communists don't really you know the
hard socialists tend to put the middle
class with the rich people as enemies
and it's only the people at the bottom
or the friends and the good ones all
right so anyway he just there's the long
thing describing the misery the
unhappiness of the animals
this of course represents the misery and
the unhappiness of poor people peasants
in his time he's talking about you know
the poor farmers poor workers and then
he gives the speech very much like the
Communist Manifesto right rebellion
fight against our enemy in the Communist
Manifesto Marx said that it was the you
know the bourgeoisie right it was the
owners people who owned land people home
businesses right the the capitalists
those were the enemy and if we just got
rid of them if we could just kill them
all because that was what actually
happened if we just kill them all
and get rid of them then we'll have a
perfect society and suddenly all the
poor people will become rich and happy
and free so this is this is the meaning
of the speech if we think of it in terms
of humans all right and it's very hot if
you've read the communist manifesto it
actually it's quite similar to major
speech again you know think all men are
enemies so it's the same idea with with
communism you know was all the bougie
lousy that the middle and upper classes
were enemies every one of them it's not
like oh maybe this one's nice and that
one's mean it's not about individual
human beings
it's just anyone in that group is evil
Hitler used the same technique he was a
national socialist so same technique and
of course with Hitler it was the Jews
in Pol Pot in Cambodia
you know again it was Nina was the
intellectuals so they they they murdered
everybody almost everybody who had been
at a college degree they murdered people
just cuz they had glasses because they
were they saw them is that part of the
intelligent class so here it's all men
but right this is the technique that
that is this is probably number one the
really really really dangerous technique
where you immediately need to be
terrified when you see a group a
political group of any kind identifying
one huge group of people and saying
they're all evil and if we get rid of
them we'll all be happy we see it now
right there still group say oh it's the
1% right well the 1% actually includes
lots of doctors and lawyers and
entrepreneurs and whole lots of people
who are you know many of them are very
very nice people and good people even
billionaires you know is every single
billionaire evil know many have created
useful good businesses are some
billionaires evil absolutely but the
danger is when it is this group it's the
scapegoating right and this is what he's
will see this as the story goes but this
is one of the key points of chapter 1
the scapegoating and then the next part
of it is is it's kind of the the other
side of the scapegoating right first you
identify the one group they're all evil
we have to get rid of all those evil
horrible people in that group and then
everyone else
our group is all wonderful and good and
we're all equal which is this is the
other side we're all good and equal and
wonderful they are all evil and horrible
and again it would I find the fun it's a
nice little bit of humor he has there
when they with the rats because right
away what what I believe I think it's
pretty clear what Orwell is saying is
that equality is there is no
equality there's no quality and that
claiming that all animals are equal is
insanity it's insanity and we see that
immediately right from the beginning
before
have their revolution we see it with the
dogs and cats in the rats and the
rabbits because dogs and cats are
predators and they naturally with by
instinct attack and kill and eat rats so
saying that they're equal and that
they're the same is insanity and the
idea that that rats and dogs and cats
can all just live peacefully together
and they can be exactly equal you know
we see immediately that that's not gonna
work right you can already see there's
there's there's a problem because each
animal has its own nature and it's some
of its genetic biological whatever but
their each animal has its own different
nature they're all different we see this
now with this whole gender craziness in
in the West and America especially that
you know men and women are the same and
that they're exactly the same there
there are a hundred genders and if a man
says he's a woman then he's a woman it's
we all know it's each
each creature is gender each you know
lots of different groups in fact each
individual person has their own nature
their own natural strengths their own
natural weaknesses their own natural
needs and desires and so when when the
rats come in instantly what the dogs and
the cat won't attack them and eat them
that's what they do it's their nature
you're never gonna change it and so that
was so his job they do change it
temporarily they do a vote okay yes yes
yes but you can already see hmm maybe
there's a future problem here will the
dogs really respect that rule forever
mmm can we just force them to do that
from a vote and in fact in general we'll
all the animals just stay exactly equal
if they do have their revolution and
they get rid of the humans do you think
they'll actually all stay in this
perfect equality forever we can look at
history and we know this is a political
and historical commentary and we know of
course no it never happens there's
always hierarchy and
there never will be equality all right
so he goes on to describe the perfect
world now this is called utopia and this
is another key point
another key danger by the way this is
again my personal opinion and the
meaning I get from this the danger of
utopianism utopia is a perfect society a
perfect world right perfect
what do we mean by perfect well perfect
according to whoever is has the idea
whoever likes the idea
so communist in for communists or
socialists the perfect utopia Society
everybody's exactly equal you know you
could there's all kinds of utopias have
been imagined you know maybe a religious
group might imagine the perfect utopia
everybody in the world is forced into
this one religion and everyone does this
one religion people all different you
know different groups at different times
have had their their vision of this
perfect heaven on earth the problem with
every single one of them as Orwell's
hinting at here he's only hinting in
Chapter one it becomes very clear later
chapters but in Chapter one we're
getting a little hint with the rats and
the dogs that that utopianism is
impossible right because we're not
perfect
we're not perfect there's no perfect
beings in the world and therefore perf
imperfect not perfect beings human
beings in the story animals can never
make a perfect society right I think
that is one of the subtle one of the
small messages there that will become
bigger later in the story uh has the
song with the animal singing the song
and that's the end of chapter one and
again like I said I think the song what
he's trying what he's kind of showing
there is the way that many revolutions
many big political movements use you
know songs and parades and we see it in
a North Korea all right they might have
these big huge military parades Hitler
had these mad
Esav you know shows with music and
marching and all this stuff it's a
common technique because it's powerful
it's very emotional it is a very
persuasive thing that's not always bad
it's not always evil sports events are
like that right you go watch your
favorite football team soccer team that
shared group emotion is very very
powerful it's very very powerful a
concert a music concert this is one
reason music concerts are very powerful
right because if you think about it with
a music concert choose your favourite
band um whatever I like ah let's see who
am I seeing lately let's say you two
okay so you two if you just want quality
of music just the music quality only the
quality of Bono's voice singing for
example listening to the recording is
much better the recording is usually
usually the very highest quality so why
go to a concert because usually in a
concert you you're sitting maybe far
away you can't often you can't see them
that well they're kind of small on the
stage
you can't that the sound in this big
huge arena is not as good as your own
home stereo at home listening to it at
home so why do people go to concerts why
are they so popular and I do too I love
them well it's the it's the shared
experience it's that big shared
emotional experience you're sharing the
emotion and the music together with
thousands of people and it multiplies it
it makes it stronger stronger stronger
so it's very very powerful it's much
more powerful than simply with sitting
at home alone in your room the sound
quality is better at home but the
emotional quality is much more powerful
at the concert so I'm not saying that
all these techniques are you have to be
evil right I mean I use some of these
techniques for selling effortless
English every salesperson does every
advertiser uses these techniques that I
mentioned so they're they're not bad or
good techniques specifically necessarily
I would say scapegoating is actually
quite evil just especially when when it
and when you talk about getting rid of
people right addenda are our problems be
something we get rid of them because
that very quickly leads to killing
people which is which is evil but but
the techniques of talking about people's
pain for example and talking about your
solution and telling them about the good
things they'll get from that solution
now that's you know that's just normal
persuasion and you probably want to use
that technique yourself to persuade
people but you need to persuade people
good people persuade people to do good
things things that will not hurt them
and will not hurt other people evil
people people who want power will do it
the opposite they'll use these
persuasion techniques to convince people
to hurt other people and that's evil in
my opinion I think most people all right
so you've just gotten my ideas on the
meaning of chapter one I'm gonna go now
to Facebook and read some of your
comments give me you can ask me
questions about I'm gonna ignore any
question about something else it has to
be about animal form so if you have
other English questions or that's fine
but I'm gonna ignore them I'm only gonna
read questions about animal form chapter
one or you can put your own comment your
own ideas about chapter one and I'll
share them with the group and give you
my thoughts about it so let's go to the
comments now okay let's see alright okay
ah so this is a Russian commenter I
believe Russian it looks like Russian
language it's crazy
most of the rich people the boot Razi
which had which were attracted by the
Soviet government were people who had
gotten their property by working hard
but the government wanted everyone to be
stupid and poor Josef Stalin was
paranoid until he died yeah I agree
so this is a good point and this is the
part of the danger of the scapegoating
right saying for example all the booze
huazi all the people who own land or biz
this is or anything our our evil or the
enemy well it's just not true it's a lie
so this is from with scapegoating it's a
lie
so it was all based on a lie first of
all they weren't evil most of them and
I'm sorry I can't read your name because
I can't read Russian cliff sorry most of
them yeah they probably weren't good
people I wasn't alive you know I was in
Russia at that time but I can certainly
say we have we have socialist in America
who speak like this and they say the
same evil things about business owners
so they're saying I'm evil because I own
a business and I'm an entrepreneur
and I've met lots of entrepreneurs lots
of small business owners
my brother-in-law owns a an animal
hospital he's an animal doctor of
veterinarian he's a very kind good
person and helps lots of people but he
makes good money he is but he's worked
very hard to do so and he also has a lot
of employees so he's helping lots and
lots and lots of people who work at his
vet clinic and this is the case I think
for most business people so this is the
promess scapegoating see what happens is
with scapegoating you find a few evil
people and without a doubt let's say
that at the very top of business you
know different I would say it's not but
it's not just business it's just power
to reach the top power political or
business you've got to be a really tough
tough tough person you can't just be a
sweet nice person and become President
of the United States for example or
build a billion-dollar company it
doesn't mean you're evil but you can't
just be nice and weak you've got to be
tough because you make a lot of enemies
trying to do that so right away to get
to that top of power I'm not even saying
it's bad it's just necessary
I don't want that kind of power I could
never have that kind of power because
I'm just not tough enough and mean
enough and I just I don't want it enough
so it attracts those kinds of people and
some of those people indeed are
evil meaning they'd hurt lots of people
and they don't care some of them even
enjoy it we know this of course is true
there is evil in the world though there
are evil people in the world and many of
them are very powerful but that so
that's again this is the danger of the
propaganda that is these techniques is
especially scapegoating is that there's
a little bit of truth there right you
can find that little bit but then they
say oh now it's all people in that group
are there evil Jewish people of course
there are or all Jews evil of course not
right and you can choose any group like
this in America right now we're seeing a
lot with the kind of left-wing the
Socialists saying that all white people
are evil that though that what they say
is all white people are racist all white
people just by being white you're racist
this escape goating it's evil if those
people got in power I have no doubt they
would eventually start killing people
mass murder is where this always ends up
that's why it is very very dangerous and
what we saw in the Soviet Union was
indeed mass murder what we saw on
socialist Nazi Socialist Germany mass
murder Cambodia and it starting in
Venezuela now so very very very weak
it's frightening
so why I chose this book ok let's go on
I don't even know who was better Stalin
or Hitler
so same commoner yeah Hitler at least
tried to work for Germany I mean then of
course they were destroyed but so well
it's an interesting point and it's not a
bad argument in a way that Hitler at
least seemed he focused on one group the
Jews of course which is horrid an evil
but then the rest of Germany really was
trying that kind of help the rest of the
German people he's saying that Stalin
really focused on his own people he was
so paranoid of losing power that he
murdered I I know it's hard to say the
estimates are something like 20 million
people they clearly were both quite evil
you know I think mass murder is just
evil and don't know it doesn't matter
alright ok this is a great a great
comment I can oh sorry I can't pronounce
her name its EE annum is your first name
this is a great point
I read Animal Farm when I was 11 years
old and now I realize I didn't get the
point I didn't understand the point of
the book now I can understand the point
of the book and George Orwell is a great
writer what a great comment that is
that's a great comment because it it is
so true not only of this book and not
only of you me as well and I think I I
think this is one of the problems we
have in school I shouldn't scapegoat the
school is completely should i but I
think this is a problem that many
schools have I believe in the United
States that they they kind of like I was
forced to read a lot of kind of a heavy
book serious books write deep books at a
fairly young age now I think some young
people are more I don't know there are
more deep or something they may have
more life experience and therefore they
can understand books like Animal Farm
but for me like this reader I mean like
this commenter from Facebook's Sam or
I'm sorry mispronounce your name I also
I couldn't really get I didn't
understand it they so these are great
books with very serious messages even if
you disagree these are still important
messages and ideas and powerfully
written but most 12 year olds or 14 year
olds even 16 year olds just can't get it
so the point I'm making by the way is as
an adult I encourage you go back and
read some of those classic books maybe
books you thought you hated when you
read them in school god they made us
read Shakespeare like they made us read
Shakespeare in high school for example
and again I didn't like it the language
is very difficult but now as an adult go
back and read Shakespeare as I whoa
amazing powerful same with Animal Farm
agreed when I was younger it just it's
like I don't understand it it's because
a thing of
animals I kind of understand the point
but I don't care but I was just this
kind of you know clueless yeah person I
just didn't have much life experience I
didn't really understand it now I read
it and it's powerful and I see certainly
in my own country things happening that
are kind of like what's happened with
what Orwell is describing criticizing
and so for me it's a very powerful book
but there are many other books Walden by
Henry David Thoreau it's American writer
I read that in high school I thought it
was this one of the most boring books
I've ever read just I just know what
this book is I hate this book now it's
probably my favorite book I've read that
book five six seven times maybe more as
an adult and appreciate it so much so I
would say to anyone who reads Animal
Farm now and doesn't like it it doesn't
think it's that great don't just
immediately say oh this is a bad book
maybe in a few years come back to it try
it again or for any other book that you
know is that is you know kind of a
famous book a classic book maybe for
even in your own language
give it a try again these books are
classic for a reason
because that they have deep messages
they're very well written and powerful
and sometimes we're just not ready for
these powerful books and when we come
back later with more life experience
sometimes we find while these books can
change our lives so
okay let's see okay what do you think
about a quick sure how that I'm really
looking for a okay that's the system is
like Big Brother wah wah says well
exactly so George Orwell wrote 1984 Big
Brother comes from that phrase Big
Brother comes from George Orwell from
his other another of his books 1984 1984
is also a criticism of well I would say
not not just communism it's really a
criticism of what's called
totalitarianism it's it's total control
of a population now communism is a
totalitarian it's it's one kind of
totalitarian but you know we could
imagine possibly other kinds but it's
basically how does a tiny group at the
top completely control a population and
that's what 1984 is about I did not
choose 1984 because it's a more
difficult book honestly there's a lot
more depressing than Animal Farm Animal
Farm is a little funny because he's
using animals he has some dark humor it
has a similar message very deep meaning
but it's more it's a little a lighter
it's also a simpler and shorter book so
I think it's better for us but if you
like you can read 1984 another book I
want to do is brave new world which is a
similar topic how does this group of
people control a population now brave
new world I feel it's also a very very
very appropriate to our culture now
probably I would say that Animal Farm in
1984 were very constricted to the Soviet
Union socialism communism those kinds of
control systems whereas brave new world
is really more about how the sort of
democracy democratic system
control populations and they do it in a
different and yet in many ways just as
powerful way so I we might do brave new
world this is our next book because I
think it gives a nice we really learn
kind of the full techniques used by
modern control systems
was an interesting point Emanuele
Esposito says I think animals are
overall better than human beings because
most people treat them badly always and
I've seen them beaten in the treated
badly on the sidewalk in Germany well
you know actually this is a very that's
an interesting it that's actually is
still Asafa Killeen religious a question
but even psychological question and I
the way I I just recently read a writer
try to remember who it was who Rucker I
can't remember anyway reading a book
about philosophy and religion and
discussing exactly that and this riders
opinion and I agree with it actually is
that humans you know we have a we have a
greater self-consciousness right we that
as far as we can tell animals don't and
that has given us the ability to do
consciously to choose consciously good
great good or unfortunately on the other
side we can also choose and do great
evil
whereas animals you don't really think
about right animals don't do evil and
they don't do good a lion isn't being
evil when it attacks and kills a zebra
it's hungry this is its nature just like
in the an animal farm right the dogs are
not don't want to attack in the rats
because they're evil it's just that is
their nature that's what animals do they
write this is that they're printers
whereas and whereas a human a human
being can decide to purposely cause pain
and see the writer was talking about I
believe it was Parker I have to if I
remember it I'll talk about it in
another time but it doesn't matter who
the writer was but the point was this
that how why is it why can we do great
pain to people why can we be so evil
it's because we are more self conscious
were more aware of ourselves
right how does that how can that make us
more evil or more good what's because of
this we can look at ourselves and we we
can understand what causes us pain right
whereas an ant will feel pain kind of oh
what hurts right but we can say let's
say we get stabbed you know we have
stabbed with a knife and the arm we can
say ah you know we can we realize this
causes us pain we realized we're
suffering we can we can compare the
different kinds of pain and suffering
that we have in our life we can realize
that some things cause much more
suffering some things cause less and
then because we're so intelligent we can
realize ah I could do this to another
person and cause them tremendous pain
and get control of them that way
everything cause them fear now of course
the same ability gives us the ability to
do good because we can realize by
examining ourselves in our own lives we
can realize what causes us greater
happiness what helps us and we can then
choose well ah I can do that same thing
to other people and cause them greater
happiness so I would say you know
regarding that comment I would say it
depends on the person I'd say we have
greater extremes because we have so much
more conscious choice as humans and this
is human nature and every single one of
us George dr. Jordan Jordan Peterson has
become quite well known recently he's a
professor of psychology up in Canada
look for him on YouTube he's got lots of
stuff but you know he talks about this
how every not only individual humans but
everyone every human being every one of
us you and me we have this ability
inside of us we have this ability to be
evil and mean and cruel and if we look
if we're honest in our life well notice
that sometimes we are kind of mean no no
we're not all Hitler we're not murdering
people but sometimes we just get in a
bad mood a nurse and we do something a
little mean I can remember doing it as a
kid to my sister all right
and then of course at other times we we
also do good things the thing is we can
choose but we have this this is the
battle inside every person if every
religion talks about this right so yeah
we can be very evil but we can also be
very good
we have Saints and we have you know evil
horrible people so and we have lots of
the whole range in between so yeah I
don't know if animals were better or
worse but clearly there's a quite a
difference and that the thing with
animals and kind of one point that in
Animal Farm is you know we have power
over them
and so we can cause them great suffering
or we can you know I know people who are
animal great animal lovers and really
like I mentioned my brother-in-law is an
animal doctor so he he helps hurt
animals he takes care them he helps to
ease their pain so we can also be very
nice and kind to them alright it might
be a couple more all right let's just go
I'm just gonna go just going up here
yeah so Sam is kind of agreeing with me
you can't really compare humans and
animals and the well agree is it's the
it's the consciousness right it's just a
different level then it makes us kind of
just very different very very different
of course we have an animal nature in us
humans do of course but there's clearly
something else all right I'm just gonna
go up a little higher here because
people were making comments quite a bit
when while I was talking so I'm gonna
look at some of the other ones okay just
give me a second here
okay this is a good point here in Brazil
we have a type of socialism they have
the ideas of equality for all but we
suffer from violence and lack of free
speech yeah this thing of equality I'm
very much against this this is another
word I feels a dangerous word especially
now the original I can only speak from
the American side so it like the
American Revolution the American
Constitution talked about equality but
but what did they mean by quality they
may they meant they very very very very
very specific thing by when they said he
quality they met equality under the law
the quality under the law and what it
meant is that all laws apply to all
citizens equally now this is what they
meant they actually met this in all men
and at that time it was it was just a
man but the point being though that
whatever the group is everyone in the
nation all men all animals it just meant
that if we have a law like you you can't
murder people then it means that then
every that law is the same for all if
you're rich you still can't murder
someone if you're poor you can't murder
someone if you do murder someone then
you should be treated equally by the law
so if a rich person murders someone then
they should go to jail let's say they go
to jail for five years that's the normal
thing ten years whatever it is doesn't
matter and if a poor person murder
someone well and this the circumstances
are the same everything else is
basically the same well they should get
the same you know the same thing should
happen to them they go to jail for the
same amount of time where they get the
same punishment equality under the law
which of course I think that's the only
way to have a society it basically means
what's the law it's just the rules right
so it's just like playing a game if
we're gonna play it's like we're gonna
play soccer right two groups are gonna
two teams gonna play soccer well of
course we have to agree that both teams
have to follow the same rules we can't
let what one team can use their hands
and the other team cannot well then
that's not a game
not a fair game right it's it's also
it's the whole game would fall apart
nobody would even want to play that game
right no you have two teams the rules of
soccer are the same for both teams equal
treatment right of under the rules the
law does it mean that both teams are
equal though this is the problem now
when people talk about equality they're
not just talking about equal under the
law they're saying that every single
person is the same they equal they mean
same in every way that everyone should
be the same in every way and have the
same outcome
so they mean when we're playing two
teams come together that the teams must
also be equal equal and skill equal and
ability and that ideally this final
score should be 0 0 or 1 1 right the
score should end up equal at the end and
if the score is not equal at the end
let's say Manchester United plays
against oh I don't know the youth the
American national team Manchester United
wins 6 to 0 well what happens now is a
lot of you know the socialist/communist
will say oh that's not fair that's not
equal Manchester United is much better
look they have they've got more money
they've got better players and then they
will say they'll start saying thing oh
we got a take away some of the good
players from Manchester United we got to
take away some of their money maybe we
changed the rules so now the American
team can use their hands but Manchester
United cannot and they start trying to
change all the rules and make special
rules for one group and different rules
for another group they're trying to make
the outcome the final result be equal
that is unnatural this is exactly what
Moore well was criticizing because
people are not the same individuals are
not the same groups are not the same
they have different strengths different
weaknesses different desires different
energy levels different health different
everything so if you try to force them
all to have an equal outcome then well
it always leads to
mass-murder it first it leads to things
like what was it Alain Alain that Alain
is saying at first it starts with
censorship and kind of softer forms of
control stealing money from some people
giving it to other people changing the
rules saying oh this group needs to have
more people you know in being hired this
group needs to make more money this
group now we got to make them make less
money this group you can't talk about
this you can't say that censorship will
see at an animal farm because he very
clearly describes how it happens
step-by-step it doesn't start with mass
murder okay they don't immediately just
start killing lots of people no it
starts with these small things first
censorship trying to stop free speech
taking from one group attacking small
groups of people first and then it gets
worse and worse and worse and worse and
worse until we do have mass murder and
total control and it is a horror in
every time we've seen it in history if
it hasn't been stopped at some point if
it's allowed to keep going the whole way
it's millions of people killed it's it's
it's hell on earth but every attempts to
create this utopia ends in hell because
it's against nature it's just unnatural
and so and they try to overcome nature
eventually they realize what we just got
to start killing people we have to use
force it's the only way that's why it's
evil
it sounds nice equality for everyone
well oh be wonderful together and
everyone will be rich but the only way
to do it the only way to make it happen
is to start putting people in jail and
silencing them and eventually killing
them and then it still doesn't work but
then you just have lots and lots of lots
of miserable people and a hellish group
alright a couple more
people saying thanks for doing this
course you're welcome
think we've been going out the in this
soon isn't gonna be long just realize
these are me long ones huh okay I think
that's about it all right good enough so
that's in the end of chapter one Animal
Farm
now I encourage you go back read chapter
one again there there are also a couple
of movies about Animal Farm there's an
old cartoon my favorite is a cartoon
from the 1950s
I think it's 1954 it's quite a nice
cartoon that tells the whole story of
Animal Farm so you can watch that if you
want to I found it on amazon.com it's
probably on other video websites as well
but you know videos are nice movies are
okay but really reading is the best now
there is some vocabulary in here it's a
little difficult but just using use a
dictionary use an electronic dictionary
you don't need to understand every
single word when you're reading it's not
necessary you don't need to do it okay
you just need to get the big ideas
you'll learn some of the vocabulary some
of it might be extra difficult don't
worry about it just keep going and
that's it so that's the end of chapter
one next week next weekend we'll do
chapter two we're gonna be here next
weekend yeah yeah alright so next week
we'll do chapter two of Animal Farm
George Orwell you'll see the story moves
very quickly and we'll discuss that next
week so I hope you enjoyed this thank
you for joining the effortless English
book club hope you enjoyed that the
story I hope you're enjoying Animal Farm
it's really a very powerful book alright
you can always find me on Twitter and
ask me more questions during the week my
twitter is just my name AJ Hoge and as
always you can get my free audiobook my
free audio book at effortless English
club.com
or my book website effortless English
calm effortless English calm see you
next week
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