The Animal Farm (98-139)

Summary

As the days, weeks, months and eventually years go by, everyone begins to slow down and they begin to age. The animals that used to work the hardest are unable to do what they were able to do back then. An example of this can be seen when Boxer, one of the hardest working animals is unable to perform and he becomes very sick. However, instead of helping him or trying to make the situation a better one, Napoleon tells the other animals that he is sending Boxer to a place where he can get treated, but unbeknownst to the animals Boxer is taken to a glue factory. Different situations like these begin to happen all over the place where the pigs say one thing to the animals while doing something else. Also, Napoleon is raising an army of dogs and this can especially be seen when the animals catch a glimpse of the dogs walking on two feet, which previously meant that they were "bad". At the end of the novel, the animals take a peek into the house and they see the pigs interacting with humans, and they realize that they are unable to tell them apart.

Quote

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but it was already impossible to to say which was which" (Orwell 139).

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This quote is the most significant out of all of the quotes in the book. It basically sums up what George Orwell was trying to say about society and what he was trying to say about the government. As this story went on the animals begin to miss a lot of things or tried to act like they did not see what was going on. I think that this translates to us as human beings because a lot of times we see things that the government is doing but we cast a blind eye to it. Also, there were so many times in the novella that I just wanted to yell out "Stop letting them brainwash you, you know what it right", and it kind of got me upset at those part. George Orwell does an extraordinary job of presenting this story and the metaphors that he uses are just splendid! This book is hands-down one of the best books that I have ever had to read for my school career.

The Animal Farm (60-97)

Summary

And so the backstabbing begins! Snowball who is one of the pigs has an idea to start a windmill that will help things run a bit smoother on the farm. However, Napoleon who is another one of the pigs disapproves of it, and during a community meeting he sends a pack of dogs that he has been raising after Snowball, and runs him off of the farm. Once that occurs, Napoleon takes over completely, and the farm is run differently than before. Napoleon begins to say how he actually did want the windmill and that Snowball stole the idea from him. The animals are immediately put to work on the windmill which is a grueling task for all of the animals. There are also some materials that they realize they do not have on the farm, and cannot grow on the farm, and so they must trade with other farms. Not only that but they begin to sell eggs to humans which goes against the commandment that says that animals are not allowed to trade with humans. As time goes by things begin to get “fishy” and the pigs begin to act in ways that go against the commandments.

Quote

“It was noticed that they wagged their tails to him in the same way as the other dogs had been used to do to Mr. Jones (Orwell 68)”.

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This quote is an example of how things are really about to change in the farm. Slowly but surely, the pigs are turning into the same type of leaders that the farmer was especially with the way that they are treating the rest of the animal population. I think that this foreshadows what is yet to come, and pretty soon the pigs will probably be doing everything the same ways that the farmer used to do. In real life this sometimes occurs where there is a rebellion, but after a while things begin to drift right back to the way that things were previously. I cannot wait and see how things end.

The Animal Farm(25-60)

Summary
There is a lot of action that occurs in the exposition of this novella. From the beginning the problem is pointed out to the reader, and that problem is that the animals are very unhappy and disgruntled with the way that they are being treated. After having a meeting with the “wisest” and oldest pig on the farm named Old Major, they are informed that a rebellion is coming and that they should be prepared for it. Old Major tells them that men are the enemies because all they do is take from the animals and they fail to give anything back. He also tells them that all they do is provide the animals with the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and keeps the rest for their selves.
During the next three months after that speech is given all of the animals have a new outlook on life and on a Midsummer’s Night Eve, the Rebellion occurs and the farmer and his family are kicked out. Once this occurs the animals quickly begin to dole out rules and regulations and set up the 7 commandments. Each individual animal is given individual tasks and the pigs are put in charge because they have “superior knowledge”. As the months go by, Mr. Jones the farmer, attempts to get his land back many times but is always unsuccessful.

Quote
“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing…yet he is lord of all of the animals” (Orwell 29).

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Orwell begins the novella with excitement and that is something that I truly enjoy. He is able to grasp my attention in the expository which is something that many authors fail to do. Also, the way that he personifies the animals is uproarious. Many of the characteristics that Orwell uses to personify the animals are exactly what humans are like. Thinking about the ideology behind all of this makes so much sense. Man does not provide, and it is only right for the animals to rebel because for the most part, they are doing all of the work. This also occurs in real life under the tyranny of some dictators, especially due to the fact that people have rebelled against them.

The Accidental Billionaires(196-255)

Summary
Although Sean Parker came along late in the whole concept of Facebook, once he came, he really changed things up. Parker was able to presuade and manuver Zuckerberg into meeting with all of these fancy business people and making a business out of Facebook that Zuckerberg did not want. Not only that, but slowly but surely Eduardo Saverin was being pushed out of the equation. Everything comes to an end when Eduarado realizes that papers that Parker and Zuckerberg had him sign were actaully papers that were giving up his 34.4 percent share of Facebook. Now, most of the shares were divided between Zuckerberg, Parker, and the two interns and Edurado was being diluted out of the company. While Saverin was being diluted, Facebook was getting bigger and better, new applications were being added and more and more people were joining each and everyday. Saverin feels as if he was betrayed and decides to file a lawsuit over Facebook, and the relationship that was shared between him and Zuckerberg will never be the same.

Quote
"Mark had betrayed him, destroyed him, taking it all away. It was all right there, in the papers in his hands, as clear as the pitch-black letters imprinted on those ivory-white pages" (Mezrich 228).

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The ending to this book is not how I would have ever expected. Before I read this book, I knew nothing about Facebook and how it was found, but I would have never imagined that there would be so much betrayal and decit behind it. The way that Mezrich was able to capture this story is simply magnificent, from all sorts of points of views and all sorts of reactions. Mezrich was also able to add a lot of comedy to this book as well. I think that in the book Mezrich sums up the whole sitaution phenomenally, when he says how he finds it ironic how Facebook is a website that is meant to bring people together, and it drove two close friends apart. The denoument of this book really just summed up the whole situation, and allowed to see what was going on with everyone that was involved.

The Accidental Billionaires(151-196)

Summary
Facebook is becoming so popular that reps from major software companies and VC's are showing up to Mark's classes so that they can sway him into selling Facebook to their companies. Things are also becoming much more difficult in terms of them balancing their school lives with working on the website. Basically, Facebook is becoming a full-time job for everyone involved and with summer approaching they are going to have to find a way to handle it. To add to fuel to the fire, Mark begins to work on another project called the Wirehog and was planning on taking Facebook to California, and Eduardo had been offered an internship in New York. So they decide that Mark will need some help in California, and they find interns that are just as fired up and excited about Facebook to help them in the summer. Meanwhile the twins did not give up on their mission to make Mark pay up for stealing Facebook from them. Nonetheless, Mark still does not pay any attention to them, and he does not respond to any of their letters or their emails. Also, Harvard has washed their hands of the situation which makes them realize that there is really nothing more that they can do.
Once Mark and the rest of the Facebook crew get to California, they meet up with Sean Parker and they decide to allow him to move in with them. This is a move that Eduardo really does not approve of so he decides to freeze their bank accounts, which is a move that he will probably end up regretting.

Quote
"Eduarado was a businessman, and this move was all business" (Mezrich 196).

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I think that Mezrich uses this statement to show how much Eduarado and Mark's relationship had stopped being a friendship, and more of a business. Overall, I think it shows how flimsy their relationship was from the beginning. Both individuals had become friends because the circumstances that they were in which helped pull them to one another. I think that the climax of this novel is Facebook becoming a hit, and the transitions that each individual is facing because of it. We are approaching the falling action, and I do not think that the end result will be a good one. Especially due to the fact that Edurado froze the Facebook bank account.

The Accidental Billionaires(100-150)

Summary
The twins find out about Mark's creation of thefacebook and they are livid. They feel as if he has ripped them off. They attempt to shut down the site and threaten Mark if he does not, but all of this does not affect Mark one bit. It has been decided that Eduardo will handle the business side of things and also the financial side of the company and given a 30 percent share. Mark and Eduardo feel like since they have already conquered Harvard, that it is time for them to try and conquer different colleges such as Yale and Columbia. While Eduardo and Mark are basking in their happiness, the twins have decided that they are not going down without a fight. They attempt to bring the matter to the President of Harvard University but he just blows them off. Another person is also introuduced to the mix, and this person is Sean Parker the founder of Napster which was a website that let college kids everywhere get whatever music they wanted for free, in the privacy of their own dorm rooms. Napster was a huge success, but it caused Sean Parker a lot of trouble. Now, he is looking to move on, and Facebook, might just be his new thing.

Quote
"[Thefacebook] was insinuating itself into everyone's routine...It was really such an amazing tool lubricating the social scene"(Mezrich 110).

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Mezrich does an excellent job of describing how much Facebook affected people lives then, and is a perfect example of how much it is affecting our lives now. He turns Facebook into a person and uses personification to show it wiggles itself into everything that we do. It becomes a part of everyone's routine; from when they wake up in the morning, to when they go to sleep at night. However, Mezrich's introduction of a new charecter to late in the story kind of confused me, but it also made for an intense story line because we now have the perspectives of at least 5 different people. This also means that all of the bases are covered in terms of how Facebook got to be where it is, and no stones are left unturned.

The Accidental Billionaires(50-99)

Summary
Once Facemash is completed, Mark sends it to some of friends so that they could tell him what they thought about it. However, as these things usually turn out, the site gets sent around all of Harvard. Everyone hears about, and some girls that were are on it get very upset. The scandal manages to get a story in the Crimson which is a school newspaper, and that is where the Winkelvoss brothers have their bright idea. They will ask Mark to be the programmer of their for the Harvard Connection. In the beginning when they first approach Mark about the concept, Mark is very excited and takes on their offer. However, as time goes by Mark begins to form a whole different concept then theirs and begins working on his own website called the Facebook. Instead of a website for "hooking up" like the Winklevoss twins had an idea for, it would be a website to socialize and see what your friends were up to. Mark does not tell the twins what is going on, and just stops working on their project completely, so that he can focus on his.

Quote
"Mark sat there enveloped in silence, lost in his own reflection as it danced across the screen" (Mezrich 99).

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The imagery that Mezrich utilizes to develop these characters is very fascinating. While I was reading, I could actually envision Mark Zuckerberg glued to his computer seat, staring at the computer in some sort of trance. I can imagine his reflection dancing across the screen like the quote says, which is also an example of personification. His imagery also takes the somewhat flat charecters and gives them life and depth. For example, in the beginning Zuckerberg was only one dimensional, but now as he is working on something that he truly enjoys, you can see how much of a hardworking, caring person that he is. I also enjoy that way that Mezrich lays out the storyline. Instead of just spitting everything out, he strategically uses dates, and ends most chapters with a cliffhanger making a reader want to turn the page and find out what happened.

The Accidential Billionaires (3-49)

Summary
The exposition of this novel sets up the stage for the rest of the book, and tells you what the rest of the book is going to be like. It opens up with a junior at Harvard University named Eduardo Saverin. Saverin is at a party, and all that he is thinking about making into the Phoneix which is a club at Harvard, and "getting laid". Saverin had made a lot of smart investments during the summer that caused him to make a lot of money, and that was pretty much all that he had going for him. He was also a part of a Jewish Fraternity named Alpha Eipsilon Pi. It is during a meet and greet that he meets with Mark Zuckerberg who at the time was a Sophmore. Zuckerberg was known at Harvard for creating a software program called Synapse, a plug-in for MP3 players that allowed the players to "learn" a users prefrences and create a tailored playlist on that information. After that, he was pretty much a loser that nobody paid attention to.Next we are introduced to the Winklevoss borthers who are identical twins, Tyler and Cameron. Both of them are on the crew team at Harvard, extremely popular, good looking and on their way to becoming Olympic athletes. They were also a part of the Porc Club which was a very elite club at Harvard. The twins have an idea to to launch a website that would put Harvard's social life online, however they do not have anyone to code their website for them.Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg was busy trying to hack onto Harvard's system, so he could start a sight named the Facemash. On this site he would place pictures of all of the girls at Harvard and they would be rated.

Quote
"The project was called the Harvard Connection, and it was a website that was going to change life on campus...a website geared towards socializing..."(Mezrich 30).

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Right off the bat when I began to read this book, I knew that it was going to be very humorous, and Mezrich does just that. Instead of just stating the facts he uses narratives, and makes you feel as if you are actually in the conversations helping the characters start up Facebook, which makes the book that much more enticing. Also, Mezrich also includes other subplots that make you laugh even more. The stories that Mezrich puts in there allows you to step into the life of a student at Harvard University and see how they interact with one another. Also, Mezrich uses more than one point of view to get the stories accross, so we get information from every angle which is also cool. The quote above is very important because I think that it is foreshadowing because the Winklevoss's idea sounds just like the idea of Facebook, and all they need is a computer programmer and that is what Mark Zuckerberg does which is sort of ironic.