Paul Lake’s Cry Wolf expresses the provocative words, “No Trespassing” in a world faced with constant influxes of immigration. While the book is not meant to necessarily be anti-immigration, the spoof of modern day views of immigration in an animal setting allows the reader to view both the comedic ideology of the characters and a new view of how education influences paradigm. From the very first instance of an unknown animal on the farm, a hurt deer which was later appropriately named “Xena” meaning guest, the animals started showing how they analyzed the situation.
According to International Politics on The World Stage 8th edition, “An individual level of analysis is based on the view that it is people who make policy. It analyzes the policy-making process by examining how people (as a species, in groups, and individually) make decisions.” (Rourke/Boyer Pg. 78) In Cry Wolf, the individual level of analysis is noticed as the animals examine whether it is appropriate to allow Xena to remain on the farm. For instance, Emma, the ewe leading the case against the deer immediately showed her prejudice by labeling the deer as wild, dangerous, a gypsy, tramp, and free loader. Some others expressed the concern that if they allowed the deer to stay that they would be “up to our eyes in deer.”(pg.20) The hen, which was advocating for the hurt deer to be allowed to stay, showed the similarities between the deer and the rest of the farm animals. Through these two arguments, it is noticed that fundamental human nature and human reaction to organizational influences are adequate in examining an individual level of analysis.
A final way to examine individual levels of analysis is to consider motivations and actions of specific people. This is seen as the Professor, or barn owl, gives the deer the name Xena. The professor wanted to show his intelligence, and unfortunately had a deep routed idea to educate the animals. His motive was to show the animals new ideas and liberalize the way they viewed their rules. Eventually, the new liberal ideas are seen throughout the book as all the young animals take on a different ideology as those that have been on the farm forever. They even start referring to the original animals in a derogatory name of “manimals” (pg.140).
State level of analysis assumes that states are the most important international actors and thus decisions can be analyzed by examining political structure, policy making actors, and interactions among policy actors. (International Politics on The World Stage 8th edition, Pg. 65) In Cry Wolf, the animal government is organized into the Animal Council. “The council was composed of one representative from each of the farm’s five houses.” “Ike, an old white ram who lived in a yard by the barn, served as Chief Judge and legal counsel.” (Pg.19) Due to the arrangement of supremacy seen within the council, Ike was the silencing voice whenever Xena was allowed to stay. He simply stated his opinion and while there were a few muttered protests, he settled the conflict by voicing his judgment. The interaction among policy actors can also be seen through the Professor swaying the opinion of the prosecutor, Emma, after giving the deer a name.
System-level analysis examines how realities of the international system effect a decision. Debatably this level of analysis is seldom seen, due to the seclusion of the farm in the beginning. However after the woodland creatures begin to be civilized and become citizens of the farm, the farm animals must deal with the expectations of the foreign animals bringing family and encouraging other animals to move to the farm. The ending shows the reality of allowing the new liberal idea to flourish within the farm system and shows how when system-level analysis is ignored in the beginning because of lack of knowledge or blatant disregard the consequences can be extreme.
According to International Politics on The World Stage 8th edition, “An individual level of analysis is based on the view that it is people who make policy. It analyzes the policy-making process by examining how people (as a species, in groups, and individually) make decisions.” (Rourke/Boyer Pg. 78) In Cry Wolf, the individual level of analysis is noticed as the animals examine whether it is appropriate to allow Xena to remain on the farm. For instance, Emma, the ewe leading the case against the deer immediately showed her prejudice by labeling the deer as wild, dangerous, a gypsy, tramp, and free loader. Some others expressed the concern that if they allowed the deer to stay that they would be “up to our eyes in deer.”(pg.20) The hen, which was advocating for the hurt deer to be allowed to stay, showed the similarities between the deer and the rest of the farm animals. Through these two arguments, it is noticed that fundamental human nature and human reaction to organizational influences are adequate in examining an individual level of analysis.
A final way to examine individual levels of analysis is to consider motivations and actions of specific people. This is seen as the Professor, or barn owl, gives the deer the name Xena. The professor wanted to show his intelligence, and unfortunately had a deep routed idea to educate the animals. His motive was to show the animals new ideas and liberalize the way they viewed their rules. Eventually, the new liberal ideas are seen throughout the book as all the young animals take on a different ideology as those that have been on the farm forever. They even start referring to the original animals in a derogatory name of “manimals” (pg.140).
State level of analysis assumes that states are the most important international actors and thus decisions can be analyzed by examining political structure, policy making actors, and interactions among policy actors. (International Politics on The World Stage 8th edition, Pg. 65) In Cry Wolf, the animal government is organized into the Animal Council. “The council was composed of one representative from each of the farm’s five houses.” “Ike, an old white ram who lived in a yard by the barn, served as Chief Judge and legal counsel.” (Pg.19) Due to the arrangement of supremacy seen within the council, Ike was the silencing voice whenever Xena was allowed to stay. He simply stated his opinion and while there were a few muttered protests, he settled the conflict by voicing his judgment. The interaction among policy actors can also be seen through the Professor swaying the opinion of the prosecutor, Emma, after giving the deer a name.
System-level analysis examines how realities of the international system effect a decision. Debatably this level of analysis is seldom seen, due to the seclusion of the farm in the beginning. However after the woodland creatures begin to be civilized and become citizens of the farm, the farm animals must deal with the expectations of the foreign animals bringing family and encouraging other animals to move to the farm. The ending shows the reality of allowing the new liberal idea to flourish within the farm system and shows how when system-level analysis is ignored in the beginning because of lack of knowledge or blatant disregard the consequences can be extreme.