One such individual is the doctor. Going back to the beginning of the book when Kino's son coyotito got bitten by the scorpion he went to the doctor in order to seek help and treatment. Kino was denied and in response punched the doctor's gate and bruised his knuckles. Shortly after this event Kino discovers his treasure. The doctor gets word of this and confronts him. Being the sly person he is he tricked Kino into thinking that his son still had the poison and said he needed to "draw it out". What the doctor really was doing was giving coyotito some sort of virus so that he would get a fever. He treated it and then tried to steal Kino's pearl by asking him if he could keep it in his safe to guard it from thieves. Kino at that point highly suspected the doctor and said he would pay him when he had the money. From this point on Kino suffered a numerous amount of attacks and ultimately the death of his only child. Coyotito. In the end he throws "the pearl of the world" back into the ocean. Most people may think he was stupid but he felt that having the pearl brought calamity to him.

In the book, after Kino finds the pearl, he creates symbolical songs that the pearl sings which represents what he plans on doing with the money he gets from selling it. One of the symbolical songs that the song sings is the song of the family. He dreamed that when he became rich he would get new clothes for him and his wife Juana, hunting tools such as a harpoon and a rifle. The song symbolically changes its tone to a tone of triumph for Kino. He had future plans to send his son to school so that he could get a good education. In fact, he was so intent to getting his son in school that he said: "and these things will make us free because he will know- and through him we will know". Up to this point the song was positive but not surprisingly there is another song. This song is the song of evil which represents the enemies of Kino. They try to kill him and take the pearl but fail at it.

Like in all books, there are themes and characters. The same applies for the pearl. As we all know Kino is the main character of the story. Before he found the pearl he lived a normal life of poverty. At the start of the book his key quality doesn't show itself that much. What is this key quality that Kino possess? It is bravery. Despite the fact of the various circumstances he was in he still was willing to fight and even kill for his rights. He refused to allow himself to be taken advantage of by the pearl buyers. He knew that his treasure was worth much more then 2,000 peseos. Kino's enemies took away his home, his clean conscience, and even his son but besides all of that he still didn't give in. Another main character of the book is Kino's wife, Juanna. In my opinion Juanna was the most cautious. She knew from the start that Kino's pearl would bring great trouble upon him and the whole family. Throughout most of the story, she begs for him to throw it back into the ocean, but he does not listen.

Kino cared so much about the pearl that he was willing to hit his wife because she was going to throw it out into the ocean. Juanna seems like a humble person who puts more important things like family above material possessions. One other character in the book is Juan Thomas. Juan Thomas is the brother of Kino. Juan Thomas counsels Kino based on personal experience. He Knows firsthand just how cruel the pearl buyers can be when buying pearls. His Pearl was worth 1500 pesos but they only offered him 250. In ager he gave it to the priest, who in turn sold it to the doctor. He warns Kino but typically Kino ignores him and rejects the offer. This set him up for more problems in the future. Characters are important but so are themes. Themes help bring life to stories as it did for this one. One of the themes displayed in the book is "The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Injurious Things". Initialy as mentioned before Kino started out with a mellow life. Suddenly when gets "the pearl of the world" the pace of things begin to change.

People unfortunantly like the doctor would like nothing more then to take Kino's treasure. This resulted in him bribing off the pearl buyers to cheat Kino. When that did not work he hired people to actually kill him. This shows what extent some humans would go as a result of their covetous attitude. Another theme in the book is "When Money Talks The world Keeps Silent". This theme does a good job at manifesting itself in the book. The doctor, who was obviously a very wealthy person often used his money to get his way. When Juan Thomas donated his pearl to the priest, the doctor found out about it. He went to the church and cunningly brought the pearl for only 10 pesos. Remember that the priest was a person in high position but yet he was willing to sell a donation to god for money. This is clear evidence that this theme exist within the book.

In my opinion I think that the adequacy of the topic was very good. The author developed his themes in a way so not only we could get thrilled but also to learn a lesson. That lesson is that material possessions are not everything. There are more important thing in life then that. You could clearly pick out the character traits as well as pick out the "good guys" from the bad. This book although starting out a little slow made up for it through its chunky plot and unexpected ending.

I had a great experience while reading the book. I almost was able to put myself inside of it and visualize all the events, particularly Kino's house going on fire. I must admit though that the beginning of chapter 1 bored me to some extent but it didn't detract much from the book.

In what could be called her best yet, Binchy brings alive the small town of Rossmore, Ireland in a brilliant collaboration of characters that relate to one another and the towns situation. This is a book about heart, and Binchy tells the story of each character with passion and humility.

In Rossmore, Ireland, there is a mysterious well in the Whitethorn woods just outside of town. It is there that people go to pray for hope and for their well being. Some think that it is blessed, others think that it is on the verge of witch craft. But it has been a part of the town for centuries. Now a road is being planned and it would take out the well in Whitethorn woods. Go on a journey through the lives of the town folk and decide for yourself if the well should be torn down, or kept alive.

The Grade (On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest)

• 8.5

Other recommended reads by Maeve Binchy:

• Nights of Rain and Stars
• Circle of Friends
• Scarlet Feather

He was standing on a pavement, on a street, in front of some sort of building. The top half of the building was pale yellow and had windows that had many smaller panes of glass encased by a white wooden frame. The bottom half was black, a deep black, like oil and had a wooden shell. Just below the division of these two colours were the words “The Drop Inn,” painted in dark gold. As his eyes cascaded down the building they abruptly stopped as they reached the door. A sign on one of the glass panes had the word “ENTER,” printed on it. He walked in a straight line as he had been standing directly across from the doorway. He reached his withered hand out for the door but just as his fingers met the dead wood the door was ripped open from the other side and there stood a man with thick black rimmed glasses and dirty yellow teeth. The mans lips moved as if to speak, but he hesitated, as if the words that trembled his throat seized up and retreated back down, into his stomach. He shuffled his feet then began to walk and as he brushed past he said, as if to himself, “goodnight Paddy,” and then he was gone into the stillness of the night.

The door stood open in front of him as the stranger had left it so. He wandered in unaware of what lay inside yet he wasn't scared or hesitant. The pub had no peculiar design. To the left was the bar and to the right there were tables and chairs. The bar turned to the left at the end and behind there were a few more tables and chairs. The place was empty except for two elderly gentlemen who were seated at the end of the bar. A man then appeared from behind the bar, “hello sir, why don't you take seat”. His voice was soft and gentle and as the words left his mouth his hand motioned downwards resting just at his waist. The man standing in front of him looked down to his left and there was a stool and in his own time he sat down, circling the stool once for assurance. A voice then stirred at the other end of the bar with the words “give Paddy one on me Stephen,” yet this was met with “ah Tommy will ya get out of that sure there is enough in the jar to get an elephant hammered,” and as these words were spoken, Stephen Sorrow, manager of this fine establishment reached under the bar and produced a large glass jar. The jar was three quarters full with money, both coins and notes, and it all rose just above a white label that read “PADDYS MEMORY,” in big blue letters. People had been so kind since the alzheimers had destroyed his father, it had restored his faith in God.

Paddy was sitting on the stool, mouth open, taking everything and nothing in as his son poured him his first of seven nightly pints of Guinness. Seven was the magic number, Stephen had discovered, to entice the memories into his head, to allow him to look at his son as a loved one and not a stranger. Paddy drank the pints quickly as if he had forgotten he had just taken a swig as his lips dived back for the rim of the glass. The disease had taken over his mind two years earlier after the death of his wife, Angela. She was coming back from visiting her sister in Galway when she had a head on collision with a truck. She was killed instantly yet the truck driver took two weeks to die. He had fallen asleep at the wheel and veered over to the other side of the road smashing into Angelas car. He was thirty three and had a wife and two young daughters, she was sixty four and had a husband and one son. Paddy couldn't express the pain he felt so he buried it inside himself, deep down, so he couldn't feel it, so he couldn't feel anything. This is what the doctors said brought on the disease, that his body just couldn't take the stress and over the last two years he had been slowly deteriorating.

It had started out with small things forgetting to meet friends and his own birthday but Stephens heart broke the day he knew he had lost his father. Stephen had gone round to the flat to pick his father up for mass. First he just knocked on the door but he got no answer, knowing his father had lost his hearing a bit he began banging on the door and shouting through the letterbox. There was still no answer even after ringing the house so he became worried and rang for an ambulance. Since he had forgotten his key he decided to waste no time and kick the door in and after five powerful blows the door was down and he was inside. With pictures in his mind of his father stretched out on the floor dying he rushed into each room yet as he entered the kitchen he stopped dead. Breathing heavily he tried to take it all in. The kitchen table had been overturned and behind it was his father half standing , half crouching. He was completely naked and in his hand he held a golf club with a white tea towel attached to the end of it. He was swaying it slowly from side to side, a terrified look in his childlike eyes. The ambulance arrived a few minutes later and took him to hospital. He was diagnosed with alzheimers then. In a breath Stephen had lost his mother yet his father was going to die of torture and he was going to be doing it to himself.

Paddy had just finished his sixth pint and the surroundings began to become familiar. He took a big slug out of his final pint and looked up to meet his sons eyes. “Stephen,” “yes da,” “don't let me have too many, your mother will be home early tomorrow and she ¢ ll give me a right ear bashin if I stink of gargle”. Stephen smiled “don't worry da, I ¢ ll watch ya”. The two men sitting at the end of the bar got off there seats and made for the door, there gaunt faces grimacing at the thought of the cold night air. As they passed Paddy turned around on his chair, “ ah Tommy how are ya?” Tommy stopped in his tracks “ eh good Paddy good, hows yourself?” were the only words he could get out. “ Ah I can ¢ t complain sure aren ¢ t we all just countin to infinity anyway”. Tommy laughed and turned for the door and the last words to be heard were “goodnite Stephen”. The pub was dead quiet now as Stephen had begun to close up for the night. Paddy sat glued to the stool staring into space and he remembered the boardwalk at Capecod and seeing so many people at once after spending so much time at sea. “They are like sheep,“ one of the lads had said as they unloaded the boat, but Paddy didn't see it, they weren't sheep they were like the sea, flowing in different directions, some parts deep and others shallow. After that he never felt lonely at sea again because as he lay in bed at night he felt the whole world rock him gently to sleep.

He jumped suddenly as a hand came down on his shoulder, “come on da, time for bed”. He grumbled twice as Stephen helped him to his feet and up the backstairs to the flat where the two lived. Paddys feet shifted awkwardly as his son manoeuvred him through the doorway and onto his bed. As he slumped onto the mattress the water wobbled then settled slowly as his body lay to rest. “ Like the ocean Stephen, like the ocean,” he slurred. “ Like the ocean,” Stephen replied as he turned off the light and closed the door and as the floor boards creaked as he made his way to his own room he laughed as he thought of his dad waking up in the morning with a hangover and not remembering even having a drink.

Speak shows how avoiding an issue can hinder overcoming it. This is evident when Melinda is speaking with Mr. Freeman, "'This has meaning. Pain.' The bell rings. I leave before he can say more." (Anderson 65). This shows Melinda avoiding the pain she has inside so she does not have to talk about it with Mr. Freeman. Her not talking about the pain only worsens it. Another example of this is when Melinda is thinking to herself in the mall, "I should probably tell someone, just tell someone. Get it over with. Let it out, blurt it out." (Anderson 99). This is showing that Melinda really wants to tell someone about her pain but she can't bring herself to do it. She isn't able to just let it out and get it over with because the pain is too much and has built since she was raped. If she had just gotten it off her chest to begin with, the pain would not have grown to the level it has, and she would not have had as much of a difficulty overcoming it.

Speak also shows how not dealing with friend issues can only make a tough issue worse. This is shown on the first day of school when the freshmen are herded into the auditorium, "There is no point looking for my ex-friends. Our clan, the Plain Janes, has splintered and the pieces are being absorbed by rival factions." (Anderson 4). Melinda feels as though t for friends because her clan has broken up and she doesn't feel as though she belongs. This makes her issue that much worse because she doesn't have anyone willing to listen to her story so it is hard for her to deal with it. In addition to this, she also has an argument with herself over whether to tell her friend Rachel about Andy or not, "Why worry about Rachel/Rachelle? (He'll hurt her.) ... No, she's a witch and a traitor. (She didn't see what happened.) Let her lust after the Beast; I hope he breaks her heart. (What if he breaks something else?)" Melinda trying to deal with the fact that her ex-friend Rachel is going out with the guy who raped her shows that she cares on some level about her ex-friends no matter how mean they have been to her.

This makes her tough issue even worse because now she has to deal with the fact that her ex-friend might get raped and she could have stopped it from happening. If Melinda had dealt with these friend issues by talking to them about what happened her issue would not seem as bad as if she had no one to talk to.

Speak shows that talking to one's parents helps with dealing with issues. When Melinda gets in to trouble for skipping, her counselor and parents make up a contract, "It lists a million things I'm not supposed to do and the consequences I'll suffer if I do them. The consequences for minor offenses like being late to class or not participating were stupid..." (Anderson 116). This shows that her getting help from her parents and the guidance counselor will help her stay on task at school and not mess around like she used to. This, in turn, will help her deal with her issues because she will not have to worry about her grades as much anymore and she will have more time to figure out how to open up about about her feelings.

This is also shown at Christmas when Melinda almost talks about her issues, "I almost tell them right then and there. Tears flood my eyes. They noticed I've been trying to draw. They noticed... But I want to tell them everything as we sit there by our plastic Christmas tree..." (Anderson 72). This shows that her parents actually do care and she just wants to tell them right then. This will ultimately help Melinda deal with her issues because she finally feels as though she can talk to her parents about her issues. If she had realized this to start, she wouldn't have had such a rough time dealing with her issues.

Speak sends a good message to the reader about ways to work through one's problems. Through Melinda's mistakes and actions, one sees how teens should try to deal with their issues. Dealing with tough emotional issues is a problem many teens face in today's world.

Also, Benjamin was devoted to Boxer, however; he wouldn't mention it. Another main character was Squealer the announcer pig. Squealer always was the one to report to Napoleon and kiss up to him. Also, he would tell the comrade on the farm about what was going on and about how the rules were not broken. Also, he would say that the old rules were just a dream that the animals must have had. The last main character is Snowball the pig. Snowball was the leader of the rebellion in the first half of the book. He was intelligent and followed the Seven Commandments issued when the rebellion started. He was injured in battle and was honored a reward in his honor. In the middle of the book Snowball is accused of working with Mr. Jones from the start and he runs away. Now anytime that a tragedy occurs on the farm, Snowball is blamed. Those are the characters that stood out the most.

Crucial Events

There were a lot of crucial events in the novel Animal Farm. In the beginning of the novel, old Major told the farm of his dream of a world where the animals rule. Then, three nights later, old Major died. Next, the animals rebelled against Mr. Jones which forced him off the farm. Then the animals made the Seven Commandments that they would live by. Next, the animals hear about Mr. Jones wanting to attack the farm to regain his ownership. Then the first battle of the farm occurs killing some animals and injuring most of them. Next, Snowball the pig decides to start making plans to build a windmill so labor on the farm can be cut in half. When Napoleon looked at Snowballs designs for the windmill he would always mess them up. Eventually Snowball is run out of the farm by Napoleon and his vicious dogs that only listen to him. Under Napoleons rule the animals become overworked and fed less than they were with Snowball.

Soon Napoleon decides to actually build the windmill that he said was originally his idea. When the windmill is almost done, an attack on the farm, in which Napoleon stated was lead by Snowball, destroys the windmill. The animals start to rebuild the windmill while the rules on the farm begin to change. The Seven Commandments were being changed and the animals didn't even notice it. The pigs were getting more privileges than the other animals. A couple of days later, Napoleon decided to hire a human to sell, trade, and buy goods from the other farm so that the farm would have money to maintain the rations. Later on, another attack on the farm destroys the windmill once again. Napoleon puts the blame on Snowball. Then some animals admit that they have been incognito with Snowball so each one of the animals that confessed got killed on the spot by the vicious dogs. Since there aren't a lot of animals left on the farm, Boxer decides it's his duty to maintain the normal pace of the farm. In doing so, Boxer strains his body into early retirement, however; about a week later he was sold to the knackers. Now it is years later and the word of the rebellion is still spread throughout the farms of the world.

If old Major never told his dream I believe that this whole novel wouldn't have been written. Since old Major told his dream the animals started talking. They also started to get very brave. This caused the animals to rebel. If the old Major never told his dream, the story would be about a bunch of sad animals getting neglected. That is how the story would be different.

Emotions

There were a lot of emotions that emerged as I read Animal Farm. One of the emotions that I felt was sadness. The emotion of sadness emerged when I read about how the animal on the farm were neglected. Also, a strike of sadness fell upon me when I read about all the lives that were taken instantly by the vicious dogs that were controlled by Napoleon. Another emotion that appeared to me was the emotion of happiness. This emotion emerged when the rebellion started and when they won a battle against the humans. Another emotion that struck me was the emotion of anger. This anger emerged when I read about Napoleon always having the animals being killed for stupid reasons. Each of those emotions got me thinking about what this book really was trying to describe. Was it trying to reenact a historical event? Those are the emotions that appeared while I read Animal Farm.

It is really hard to tell if my values were affirmed or challenged. One reason it is hard to tell because I'm not sure if I have any values. If I do they are probably deep down inside of me. For now I would have to say that they affirmed my values. It showed that the way I was taught was the right way for me. This novel doesn't make me want to change myself just because they were different from my beliefs. I would take a lot of different things to cause my values to be challenged. The novel would have to actually underline the facts that would show that the way I was raised was the wrong way. That's why my values were affirmed in the novel.

Setting

The setting of the novel, Animal Farm, played a big role in the events that occurred. Since it was in the past, the farm used plows that were pulled by mulls. Also, since the setting was on a farm in England, the language was a little different than America's language. If the story wasn't on a farm, the entire story might change. The characters would probably be human if it wasn't on a farm. Also, the battle between the animals and the humans would probably be a war between nations if the story wasn't on a farm. Now if the story was in the future, the tools on the farm would change. The animals would be riding tractors and they would be having a lot easier life. They wouldn't have to work really hard winters as much and they would probably be able to have a lot more food planted.

Also, I think that if the story took place in the city I believe that the animals would be working in stores and making money to buy stuff from a grocery store. Also, I believe that is the setting was in the city that the all the animals would walk on two legs. Now if the setting was on an army base, the animals would use weapons toi destroy the humans and the world would really be ran by animals. All of this would only happen if the story's setting was totally different than it is now. Still, I believe that the book is fine as it is. The book has an excellent setting that sends you on a journey into the pages that will sooth your soul. That is why the setting plays a huge role in the story.

Purpose

I believe that the author's purpose for writing the novel Animal Farm was to inform the public about what will happen when one party is given too much power. The entire story shows that if one group is given more privileges, they will take control and dictate until everybody is scared of them. The author wants you to see that this should never happen. If it did happen the world would be one big dictatorship. With this dictatorship there would be horror and hatred among the citizens. People would wake up unsure of themselves or the people around them. A lot of people would take their own lives because they wouldn't be able to handle the labor and the hatred among them. Under the leader's eyes, the place would be perfect, however; under the peoples eyes there would be chaos. That is what I believe was the authors purpose of writing Animal Farm.

The theme of Animal Farm was that if someone has more power than others, then there will be conflict. The pigs were given more power than the other animals. They were known as the leaders and yet they were the ones causing the most conflict. They were the ones who slaughtered the animals. Also, they were the ones that changed the rules without the other animals knowing it. It always seemed liked they knew what to say when the other animals seemed to think they were doing something wrong. They would always tell the other animals that their memories of the rules must have been a dream. The other animals would just let that go by without a fight because of Napoleons vicious dog.s. That is why the theme is if someone has more power than other, then there will be conflict.

Conflicts

The different kinds of conflicts that appeared in Animal Farm were man vs. man and man vs. nature. The book contains man vs. man because the animals are sometimes against each other. Like Napoleon is against Snowball during the entire story. Also, the humans would always attack the farm, which shows man vs. man. This book also contains man vs. nature because the animals have to survive by themselves by farming. This shows that they have strong hearts to survive by themselves by only the nature. Also, the animals have to survive the seasons. During winter, the animals would be so cold and yet they still had to work. In the summer, it was so hot that the animals would just get worn out. That is why the conflicts are man vs. man and man vs. nature.

The main conflict in the novel Animal Farm was man vs. man. I believe this because the whole story was based on rebelling from the humans. This shows that one person is fighting the other. This also shows how the animals are trying to outsmart the humans. Almost every page of this novel contains man vs. man just because of the conflict with the humans. The animals would go on and on about how the humans are horrible and should be removed from the Earth. Even though, near the end of the book, Napoleon kind of changes this man vs. man by hanging out with all the other farmers in the area, I still believe that it is the main conflict. I still believe it because throughout the entire book until the very end there was always conflict between the humans and the animals. That is why I believe that man vs. man was the main conflict in the novel Animal Farm.

Significance of Title

The significance of the title of Animal Farm is that it almost gives people a sneak preview in which a persons mind can race on what the book is going to be about. Right when a person looks at that title, his or hers mind instantly thinks that it is going to be a book about animals. When a person thinks that then he or she will start thinking about what the book is going to be like. This “sneak preview” mentally increases the urge for that person to want to read the book sooner and quicker. I believe that the author knew this would happen. He knew that once glance at the title would make people want to buy the book. This would help people around the world read because they really want to read that book, and they might get smarter from reading a lot of books. That is how the title gives a sneak preview.

If the author of Animal Farm insisted on a new title I would say that the title should be The Takeover. I would choose that title because this entire story is about a takeover by animals. It would just fit perfectly into the book since the animals ran the humans off the farm. They also spread the news insisting that the other animals from other farms should rebel against their human owners. It would send children on a journey even before they read the book. I also believe that the title, The Takeover, would just have that perfect vibe to make you want to read. That is why I would choose the new title to be The Takeover

Napoleon's Traits

From his actions, you can tell that he is ruthless and cold hearted. From his dialogue, you can tell that he is very persuasive. From his dialogue, you can tell that he is very intelligent.

• Descriptions
• Actions
• Dialogue

From the descriptions of him, you can tell that he was a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar. He is not much of a talker, but had a reputation of getting his own way.