I will digress for a moment from the fact based reporting that I have used in previous posts on this website.  I recently re-read a book, and thought I would share my thoughts on this book.

Do you remember reading the book “Animal Farm” by George Orwell?  Recently I found a paperback copy of the book at home.  I remember reading it years ago and recalled it being an interesting book.  I read it again (it is a short read).  About a quarter of the way through the book it appeared that the book was a metaphor for what has occurred in Oakland Township since our new Board came into office in November of 2012.  Some of the characters/places in the book started to take on the role of people/places in Oakland Township.   If any of you care to re-read it (or read it if you never have), you may find the short read enjoyable.    You too may see some similarities with what is going on in our Township.  The metaphors are not exact, but seem to fit fairly well.

Here is a description of the attributes of some of the characters in the book.  For those of you who have been following what is going on in our Township, you may quickly conclude the prophetic nature of George Orwell’s book and identify Oakland Township’s ‘equivalents’. 

Book’s character/ place –  Character/place attributes 

• Manor Farm/Animal farm – Community where characters live
• Old Major – Encouraged others to rebel and change the leadership
• Jones – The former leader of the Farm
• Napolean – A despotic, egotistical leader
• Snowball – A leader with vision and wisdom but was driven off by Napolean
• Windmill – A project supported by leadership
• Squealer – A character that tried to justify and explain Napolean’s decisions to others
• Mollie – A character that contributed nothing, but was only in it ‘for show’
• Sheep – Blind followers of Napolean
• Young Dogs – A group of characters that were Napolean’s ‘attack dogs’
• Whymper – A character that tried to paint a positive picture to outsiders
• Boxer – A character whose actions were based on the belief that  “Napolean is always right”
• Clover – A character who was a supporter of Napolean, but later began to question Napolean’s actions and decisions
• Benjamin –  A character that ‘laid low’ and did not ‘make waves’
• Barley field – A location whose use changed at the whim of Napolean

There are many other characters in the book.  Maybe some of you will find other metaphors.

Richard Michalski