Sunday, March 8, 2020

Free Essays on Animal Farm

George Orwell’s Animal Farm expressed the idea that a utopia, such as communism, cannot work. The animals in this story were supposed to represent the leaders and the people of Russia. The pigs represented the government who said everything was for the good of the people, but they really just wanted to be the absolute leaders of the country. Boxer was a strong horse on Animal Farm. He represented all of the common people. He was considered to be unintelligent and easily controlled. He often said, â€Å"I will work harder.† This showed that he cared for the other animals. He wanted them to have a good life. He also said, â€Å"Napoleon is always right,† which showed that he was submissive to power and could be outsmarted very easily. Like Boxer, the people of Russia wanted a better life. They thought that working harder and always obeying the leaders was right. They were easily controlled and didn’t realize their own power. Napoleon was a pig on Animal Farm who was the dictator. He drove out Snowball, then took over as the leader. Napoleon took the ideas of Snowball that he said were bad, then used them himself saying that they were his ideas in the first place. Napoleon represented Stalin who took over Russia with great force. He said that the Russian society could be better, but the people had to work harder than ever for it. It ended up that the people were not working for their greater good, but for the good of their leaders. On Animal Farm, Napoleon won the animals’ favor with Squealer to help him. Squealer told the other animals that Napoleon was always working on ways to help the animals when he was actually only thinking of the pigs. The idea of a utopia sounds positive, but is one that can’t work. There will always be a Napoleon who wants power and a Boxer who is submissive and stupid enough to follow the abusive leaders.... Free Essays on Animal Farm Free Essays on Animal Farm George Orwell’s Animal Farm expressed the idea that a utopia, such as communism, cannot work. The animals in this story were supposed to represent the leaders and the people of Russia. The pigs represented the government who said everything was for the good of the people, but they really just wanted to be the absolute leaders of the country. Boxer was a strong horse on Animal Farm. He represented all of the common people. He was considered to be unintelligent and easily controlled. He often said, â€Å"I will work harder.† This showed that he cared for the other animals. He wanted them to have a good life. He also said, â€Å"Napoleon is always right,† which showed that he was submissive to power and could be outsmarted very easily. Like Boxer, the people of Russia wanted a better life. They thought that working harder and always obeying the leaders was right. They were easily controlled and didn’t realize their own power. Napoleon was a pig on Animal Farm who was the dictator. He drove out Snowball, then took over as the leader. Napoleon took the ideas of Snowball that he said were bad, then used them himself saying that they were his ideas in the first place. Napoleon represented Stalin who took over Russia with great force. He said that the Russian society could be better, but the people had to work harder than ever for it. It ended up that the people were not working for their greater good, but for the good of their leaders. On Animal Farm, Napoleon won the animals’ favor with Squealer to help him. Squealer told the other animals that Napoleon was always working on ways to help the animals when he was actually only thinking of the pigs. The idea of a utopia sounds positive, but is one that can’t work. There will always be a Napoleon who wants power and a Boxer who is submissive and stupid enough to follow the abusive leaders.... Free Essays on Animal Farm One night when Farmer Jones has gone to bed drunk, all the animals of Manor Farm assemble in the barn for a meeting. Old Major, the prize pig, wants to tell them about a strange dream he had. First, he tells them in clear, powerful language "the nature of life" as he has come to understand it. Animals toil, suffer, get barely enough to eat; as soon as they are no longer useful, they are slaughtered. And why? Because animals are enslaved by Man, "the only creature that consumes without producing." There is only one solution: Man must be removed. And animals must be perfectly united for their common goal: Rebellion. After a brief interruption caused by the dogs chasing after some rats and a vote proposed by Major to decide if rats are comrades (they are), Major sums up: All animals are friends, Man is the enemy. Animals must avoid Man's habits: no houses, beds, clothes, alcohol, money, trade. Above all, "we are brothers. No animal must ever kill any other animal. All animals are equal." He cannot describe his dream to them, "a dream of the earth as it will be when Man has vanished." But he does teach them an old animal song, "Beasts of England," which came back to him in his dream. The repeated singing of this revolutionary song throws the animals into a frenzy. Major dies soon after, but the animals feel they should prepare for the Rebellion he preached. The work of teaching and organizing the others falls on the pigs, thought to be the cleverest animals. Snowball and Napoleon are "pre-eminent among the pigs"; and then there is Squealer, "a brilliant talker." Mr. Jones drinks and neglects his farm more and more. One evening, when he has forgotten to feed them for over a day, the animals break into the store-shed and begin helping themselves. Jones and his men charge in, lashing with their whips. This is more than the hungry animals can bear. They all fling themselves on their tormentors. The surprised and frightened men are drive... Free Essays on Animal Farm George Orwell’s Animal Farm takes place on a farm somewhere in England. An all-knowing narrator in the third person tells the story. The action of this novel starts when the oldest pig on the farm, Old Major, calls all animals to a secret meeting. He tells them about his dream of a revolution against the cruel Mr. Jones. Three days later Major dies, but the speech gives the more intelligent animals a new outlook on life. The pigs, which are considered the most intelligent animals, instruct the other ones. During the period of preparation, two pigs differentiate themselves, Napoleon and Snowball. Napoleon is big, and although he isn't a good speaker, he can contend himself. Snowball is a better speaker, he has a lot of ideas and he is very dramatic. Together with another pig called Squealer, who is a very good speaker, they work out the theory of "Animalism". The rebellion starts some months later, when Mr. Jones comes home drunk one night, and forgets to feed the animals. They break out of the barns and run to the house where the food is stored. When Mr. Jones recognizes this he takes out his shotgun, but it is to late for him, all the animals fall over him and drive him off the farm. The animals destroy all whips, nose rings, reins, and all other instruments that have been used to restrain them. The same day the animals celebrate their victory with an extra portion of food. The pigs make up the seven commandments, and they write them above the door of the big barn. They read as follows: 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill another animal. 7. All animals are equal. These commandments are summarized in the simple phrase: "Four legs good, two legs bad". After some time Mr. Jones comes back with some other men to take... Free Essays on Animal Farm In the novel Animal Farm, George Orwell uses farm animals to create the conflict between Marxist Socialism and Russian Communism. Orwell uses these actual historical events to create his novel but reorganizes them to fit his plot. Manor farm symbolizes Russia, Mr. Jones is the Czar of Russia, and the pigs are the Bolsheviks. In addition, the humans represent the working class, and the animals are the workers and the peasants. The main characters in Animal Farm are Old Major, Napoleon, Boxer and Squealer. Old Major is an inspired, boar who provides the political philosophy on which Animal Farm is established. His philosophy of Animalism is a mixture of Marx and Lenin. He shows the animals how their lives are miserable and confined under the cruelty of Farmer Jones and inspires them to revolt. He wants to establish a utopian society on the farm, and in result, he wants the animals to live happily in equality and freedom. However, his dreams are not concrete and he never has a plan for achievement. At the end of the first chapter, Old Major dies right before the rebellion just as Lenin did in the Russian Revolution. In result, his skull is dug up and is paid weekly tributes to by the animals for a period of time. This could also be symbolic for Lenin’s body. In reality, Stalin and Trotski argue over power after Lenin’s death, which Orwell imitates in Napoleon and Snowball. Snowball is a pig who is a competitor for leadership on the farm. He is livelier, quicker in speech, and more creative than Napoleon. He is also much more concerned about the welfare of all the animals. He proves that he is a good thinker, and planner. He plans the 'Battle of Cowshed' in advance, and fights bravely. He is then acclaimed a hero after his victory. In reality, this battle represents the civil war that followed the Russian Revolution. Mr. Jones is helped by his neighbors, just as some western countries sent troops to help the Russian forces. Snowba... Free Essays on Animal Farm George Orwell’s, Animal Farm, was written to illustrate the events of the Marxist Revolution of 1917. He wrote this book during the time of the German attack against Russia. During this time, a popular belief that the Soviet Union was an honorable country concerned Orwell. He was fearful that they would forget the past, so in order to jog their memories he wrote Animal Farm. The animals in the story portrayed humans during the Marxist Revolution of 1917. It was very evident that the actions associated with the characters in the story were those of their human counterparts. Snowball clearly depicted Leon Trotsky in Animal Farm, through Snowball’s actions, Trotsky’s factual history, and a comparison of the two characters will justify the thesis. Snowball was the most sympathetic animal that could be leader of the animal farm. He had the ability to lead as well as the passion for the betterment of Animal Farm. He believed in Old Major’s vision and wanted to help make it a reality. For example, in Chapter III after the harvest, under Snowball’s leadership the animals held meetings on Sunday’s to plan for the next week’s work and to discuss any decisions previously made (Orwell pg. 43). This example shows how Snowball was more inclined to work toward improving the Animal Farm, rather than just looking out for himself like Napoleon and the pigs. Snowball is genuine in his leadership to the extent that he organized reading and writing classes, so all the animals could make informed decisions when they voted or were part of the committee meetings (Orwell, pg 45). Snowball was not only sympathetic to the needs of the animals to improve their lives, but he also understood the strategies of war. In Chapte r IV when the pigeons had delivered word that there was a mob of humans ready to attack Animal Farm, Snowball knew just how to handle the situation (Orwell, pg 55). Without Snowball’s leadership the animals may not have survived ... Free Essays on Animal Farm Summary of Animal Farm Animal Farm takes place on an English farm named Manor Farm, owned by Mr. Jones. The story is about the rebellion of the farm animals, and is told from their point of view. The story begins with Mr. Jones stumbling into bed, unable to lock up the farm because of his drinking. Old Major, the well-respected boar, has called all the animals together for a meeting to take place after Mr. Jones has gone to bed. They all gather outside the big barn on the farm. Old Major tells them all that he had a dream last night, in which he saw his death, and also understood more clearly the life of animals. He wants to share his thoughts to the rest of the animals while he still can. Old Major points out to the animals that the cause of their miserable lives is the cause of Man, who is a lazy, incompetent creature who uses the animals for their labor. Just for his own benefit. Old Major describes his vision of an England where animals could live in peaceful and have coexistence with each other, free from the cruel Man. He encourages the animals to band together to defeat their enemy, and teaches them all "Beasts of England," the song which becomes their rebellion song and battle song. The animals are greatly moved by Old Major's speech, and like the rebellion idea, singing "Beasts of England" until Mr. Jones is awakened from his sleep and fires a shot into the air, quieting the animals to sleep. Three days later, Old Major dies and is buried. His revolutionary belief lives on, and the animals begin to conjure up revolutionary ideas with which they will overthrow Mr. Jones. Two of the pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, emerge as the leaders of the animals. Another pig named Squealer is also prominent for his persuasive speaking ability. These three pigs create a government and name it "Animalism," and begin teaching it to the rest of the animals, often simplifying and slowly reasoning with the less-intelligent animals such as the... Free Essays on Animal Farm Animal Farm, By George Orwell George Orwell's Novella â€Å"Animal Farm† tells us, the surface tale of an animal rebellion, a wish to find their utopia and to live as one peacefully, however in reality â€Å"Animal Farm† is a story surrounded by deceit, deception, uneducated masses and the eventual down fall of what was hoped to be the epitomize of happiness for the down trodden workers of Manor Farm. Their idealism was betrayed and replaced by a web of lies to keep the down trodden down and pigs in power. Throughout the novel there is a consistent dark undertone to the story, often focused around the working animals and their trampled hopes and dreams for the original â€Å"Animal Farm† this mainly occurs at the start of the novel where the idea of â€Å"Animal Farm† is first brought to light. The animals put all the beliefs and ideas towards the construction of their utopia in which all animals are equal, and the ever impending threat of humans, their most hated enemy, would be erased. â€Å"This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep- and all of them living in a comfort and dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining..† Their idealism is quickly betrayed and the novels fleeting tone of inspiration, hope and excitement, is quickly replaced with a dark and disturbing tale of deception and deceit, where no longer every animal is equal, but rather, some animals are more equal then others. Animal Farm looks at the ideals of communism and how little more than a person working simply to their own agenda can destroy, what could have been, â€Å"Animal Farm† The propaganda and brainwashing of the animals throughout the novel is done so subtly that it's not until you put down the book, do you realize the extent to which they had been betrayed by the pigs in power. Many of the animals had lived through the rebellion and upon reflection of the poor conditions Animal Farm was in, not an animal coul... Free Essays on Animal Farm This novel takes place at a farm, which its name is Manor Farm, who’s owned by Mr. Jones. He a drunk that never really took care of his animals. There was a Boar that lived on the farm his name was Old Major. He is twelve years old, had lately grown rather stout, majestic- looking pig, tushes never been cut, and wise and benevolent appearance. He sets up a meeting to discuss an important matter that happened to him the night before. The discussion to place at night after Mr. Jones was asleep. In a barn is where all the animals had gather to listen to Old Major speech. Three dogs, a cat, pigeons, hens, pigs, cows, sheep’s, two horses named Clover, mother that never got her figure back after her fourth foal, the other named boxer, enormous beast, strong as two horses put together, white stripe down his nose, not very intelligent, respected for steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work, Muriel the goat, and Benjamin the donkey, the oldest animal on the farm and also the worst tempered. Topics of the meeting were that they do all the labor and get nothing back. Also says men are evil and that the animals should never adjust to their lifestyle. That is live in a house, sleep in bed, were clothes, drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, touch money, or engage in trade. An animal must not kill another animal. Last one was all animal are equal. All the animals agreed. This was his dream and the men were vanished. There was a song that he had forgot in from when he was little, but the dream reminded him the song. He sang the song that is called Beast of England. Eventually everyone knew the song. Then they went to sleep. Three nights later Old Major pasted away. It’s now early March and a lot of secret activity has been happening for the past three months. They would have meetings after Mr. Jones was a sleep and ended the meeting with the song Beast of England. There were three pigs that elaborated Old Majors theory. They a... Free Essays on Animal Farm ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell George Orwell's novel Animal Farm does an excellent job of drawing parallels from the situation leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Animal Farm is a satire that uses its characters to symbolize leaders of the Russian Revolution. The animals of "Manor Farm", the setting of this novel, which symbolizes Russia, overthrow their human master after years of mistreatment. Led by the pigs, the farm animals continue to do their work, only with more pride, knowing that they are working for themselves, as opposed to working for their human master, Farmer Jones. Slowly over time the pigs gain power and take advantage of the other animals. They gain so much power that they become just as power hungry and corrupt as their human master. The theme in the novel being that in every society there are leaders who will, if given the chance, likely abuse their position. Old Major is a prize white boar who helps point out to the animals that no animal in England is free. He continues to tell the animals that the their labor is stolen by man, who benefits alone. The animals in return get near nothing, just enough to keep them away from starvation. Old Major gave many speeches to the farm animals about hope and the future. He is the main animal who got the rebellion started even though he died before it actually began. Old Major's role compares to Lenin and Marx whose ideas would spark the communist revolution. Lenin became the leader and teacher of the working class in Russia, and their determination to struggle against capitalism. Like Old Major, Lenin and Marx wrote essays and gave speeches to the working class poor. The working class in Russia, as compared with the barnyard animals in Animal Farm, were a laboring class of people that received low wages for their work. Old major tells the animals that the source of the problem is man, they must overthrow man to abolish tyranny and hunger. Soon Old Major does die, but ... Free Essays on Animal Farm Major Essay â€Å"Animal Farm† By: The Man Animal Farm by George Orwell served as an allegory for the Russian Revolution of 1917. â€Å"Manor Farm† (which is later re-named â€Å"Animal Farm†) represented Russia during the Russian Revolution. The surrounding farms in the novel can be compared to countries surrounding Russia. In this novel the animals are trying to overthrow the humans after years of being mistreated. The animals, led by the pigs, decide to start a revolution. Slowly over time the animals gained power. The pigs in this novel end up taking advantage of the other animals. This was much like the Russian leaders during The Russian Revolution. Many characters in this book symbolized Russian leaders from the Russian Revolution. Mr. Jones was like Czar Nicholas, Old Major was compared to Vladimir Lenin, Snowball was similar to Leon Trotsky, and Napoleon was reminiscent of Joseph Stalin. Mr. Jones is similar to the Russian leader Czar Nicholas who treated his people similar to how Farmer Jones treated his animals. The animal rebellion on the farm was started because Mr. Jones never took care of the animals. He always treated the animals unfairly. The animals became sick of Mr. Jones and they rebelled against him and defeated him at the Battle of Cowshed. This is like Czar Nicholas, who treated his people similar to how Farmer Jones treated his animals. The Czar made his people very mad with the way he used his power. Finally his people rebelled against him, imprisoned him, and he was eventually killed during the Civil War in Russia. Mr. Jones eventually died also, but it was not due to a war, it was due to him not taking care of himself. Old Major was a boar who helped point out to the animals that no animal in England was treated properly. Old Major gave many speeches and taught songs to the farm animals about hope for the future. Old Major explained to all of the animals in one of his speeches: Man is... Free Essays on Animal Farm "Twelve voices were shouting in anger and they were all alike. No question, now what had happened to the faces of the pigs the creatures outside looked from pigs to man and from man to pig and to man again but already it was impossible to tell which is which." Animal Farm by George Orwell is an entertaining story of allegory of the early history of the Soviet Union. This book describes the problems of communism as it was attempted in Russia during the 20th century. Before 1991 the Communist ideology and the Soviet Union were a major threat to the Western Democracies. In Animal Farm Orwell demonstrated the moral bankruptcy of the Russian Communist system also. Orwell intended to criticize the communist regime he saw sweeping through Russia and spreading to Europe and even the United States. Though he agreed with many Marxist principles, Orwell was unable to accept the communist interpretation of socialism because he saw many similarities between the communist governments and the previous czarist regimes in old Russia. Communism, he thought, was inherently hypocritical. In his self-proclaimed "fairy-story,"Orwell uses his allegorical farm to symbolize the communist system. Though the original intention of overthrowing Mr. Jones (who represents the Czars), is not inherently evil in itself, Napoleon*s subsequent adoption of nearly all of Mr. Jones* principles and harsh mistreatment of the animals proves to the reader that indeed communism is not equality, but just another form of inequality. The pigs and dogs take most of the power for themselves, thinking that they are the best administrators of government. Eventually the power corrupts them, and they turn on their fellow animals, eliminating competitors through propaganda and bloodshed. This is of course a reference to Stalin, who murdered many of his own people in order to maintain his dictatorship of Russia. Thanks in part to Animal Farm, much of the Western wo... Free Essays on Animal Farm Animal Farm: Russian Communism Portrayed Through Character The novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is an allegory portraying the dangers of a totalitarian government. It seeks to show how a society where all live completely equal has not been, and cannot be achieved. Orwell, through the use of the character Squealer, shows how propaganda can affect members of a communist society in a negative way. By drawing parallels to events in communist Russia, Orwell’s Animal Farm illustrates how propaganda was used to control the Soviet people by deceiving them, threatening them and keeping them ignorant in an attempt to maintain order. The story uses simple language to explain and expose the corruption of communist Russia. Throughout the story, Orwell uses Squealer to illustrate how propaganda persuaded and victimized Russian citizens. Squealer is a sly, crafty pig who is not only intelligent, but a manipulative speaker as well. His cunning is key to the deception of the other animals. In chapter three, Squealer deceives the animals of the farm for the first time. The animals find out that the milk and apples are given solely to the pigs, and Squealer is sent to explain the uneven distribution of farm resources. â€Å"‘Comrades’ he cried. ‘You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?’† (Orwell 42) He goes on to explain, â€Å"‘Milk and apples (this has been proved by science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers (42). Here, Squealer tries to convince the animals that it’s for health reasons that they take the apples and milk, but he tries to persuade them in other ways as well. Squealer continues, â€Å"‘the whole management and organization of this farm depend on us†¦. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples’† (42). Finally, he convinces them with fear. â€Å"‘Do you... Free Essays on Animal Farm Animal Farm vs. Marxism Characters, items, and events found in George Orwells book, Animal Farm, can be compared to similar characters, items, and events found in Marxism and the 1917 Russian Revolution. This comparison will be shown by using the symbolism that is in the book with similarities found in the Russian Revolution. Old Major was a prized-boar that belonged to Farmer Jones. The fact that Old Major is himself a boar was to signify that radical change and revolution are, themselves, boring in the eyes of the proletariat (represented by the other barnyard animals), who are more prone to worrying about work and survival in their everyday life. Old Major gave many speeches to the farm animals about hope and the future. He is the main animal who got the rebellion started even though he died before it actually began. Old Major’s role compares to Lenin and Marx whose ideas were to lead to the communist revolution. Animal Farm is a criticism of Karl Marx, as well as a novel perpetuating his convictions of democratic Socialism. (Zwerdling, 20). Lenin became leader and teacher of the working class in Russia, and their determination to struggle against capitalism. Like Old Major, Lenin and Marx wrote essays and gave speeches to the working class poor. The working class in Russia, as compared with the barnyard animals in Animal Farm, were a laboring class of people that received low wages for their work. Like the animals in the farm yard, the people is Russia thought there would be no oppression in a new society because the working class people (or animals) would own all the riches and hold all the power. (Golubeva and Gellerstein 168). Another character represented in the book is Farmer Jones. He represents the symbol of the Czar Nicholas in Russia who treated his people like Farmer Jones treated his animals. The animal rebellion o... Free Essays on Animal Farm Animal Farm This amazing book was written by George Orwell, whose real name is Eric Blair, and it is about the lives of farm animals that rebel against humans. The animals live on Manor Farm and are owned by Mr. Jones, who always seems to be drunk in this book. The leader of the animals was an old pig named Old Major who one day had a dream about being free from the oppression of man. One evening, Old Major assembled the animals of Manor Farm and talked to them about how they live hard, short lives in slavery to the humans and that they should rebel and become free. Old Major got the idea from a song that came to him in a dream. The song talked about how the animals should be free one day. No one knew when the rebellion that Old Major talked about would happen, especially after Old Major died three days after the meeting. The pigs, which were the smartest of the animals, picked the two most pre-eminent pigs to assume the leadership role that Old Major left. The two pigs names were Snowball and Napoleon. These two pigs got together and organized all of Old Major’s thoughts into a system called Animalism. This was taught at night during secret meetings that were held in the big barn and the animals slowly learned it. Then one midsummer’s eve, the animals rebelled against Mr. Jones and his men because they had not been fed the whole day. This was not a planned attack, but the animals succeeded and kicked Mr. Jones and his men out. The animals were free. The next morning the animals set up rules, The Seven Commandments, and changed the name of the farm from Manor Farm to Animal Farm. Then the animals went out in the field to gather the hay and did it more quickly than Jones and his men ever did. It was also the biggest harvest they had ever seen because there was absolutely no waste. The animals heard that Jones might return and try to recapture the farm, so the animals started preparing for an attack. Then one day th... Free Essays on Animal Farm Animal Farm is set on an English farm named Manor Farm, owned by Mr. Jones. The fable-like story concerns the rebellion of the farm animals, and is told entirely from their point of view. The story opens with Mr. Jones stumbling into bed, unable to lock up the farm properly after a night of excessive whisky drinking. Old Major, the venerable and well-respected pig, has called all the animals together for a meeting to take place after Mr. Jones has gone to bed, and they gather outside the big barn on the farm. Old Major tells them all that he had a miraculous dream last night, in which he saw his approaching death, and also understood more clearly the life of animals. He wants to impart his realizations to the rest of the animals while he still can, as well as rouse them to take the action that he has come to feel is necessary. Old Major points out to the animals that the cause of their miserable existences is the tyranny of Man, who is a lazy, incompetent creature who steals the fruits of animals' labor for his own benefit. Old Major describes his vision of an England where animals could live in peaceful and plentiful coexistence with each other, free from the cruel tyranny of Man. He exhorts the animals to band together to defeat their common enemy, and teaches them all "Beasts of England," the song which becomes their revolutionary anthem and battle cry. The animals are greatly moved by Old Major's speech, and rally around the rebellion idea, singing "Beasts of England" until Mr. Jones is roused from his sleep and fires a shot into the air, quieting the animals to sleep. Three days later, Old Major dies and is buried. His revolutionary fervor lives on, and the animals begin to flesh in the revolutionary ideology with which they will overthrow Mr. Jones. Two of the pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, emerge as the leaders of the animals. Another pig named Squealer is also prominent for his persuasive speaking ability...