George Orwell's 1945

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

novel ''

Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to c ...

'' contains various anthems adopted by the eponymous farm, most notably the original anthem "Beasts of England" and its later replacement "Comrade Napoleon". The later song "Comrade Napoleon" praises Napoleon and fails to represent freedom at all. This change is used to show the corruption of the principles of the animals' rebellion by Animal Farm's leader

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. Both ''The Internationale'' and "Beasts of England" reflected the principles of

Marxism Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectical ...

and Animalism, respectively. Their replacement by different anthems reflects how these ideologies were arguably distorted by Stalin and Napoleon and thus had to be replaced and suppressed. The development corresponds to the historical events of 1943, when

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

had ''

The Internationale "The Internationale" (french: "L'Internationale", italic=no, ) is an international anthem used by various communist and socialist groups; currently, it serves as the official anthem of the Communist Party of China. It has been a standard of t ...

'', previously the anthem of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, replaced with a new, more patriotic national anthem. However, while "Beasts of England" was outlawed in the novel, ''The Internationale'' was not banned by the Soviet Union at any time and remained as the anthem of the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

"Beasts of England"

"Beasts of England", the original anthem of the ''Animal Farm'' corresponds to the famous

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

anthem, ''

'', but also alludes to Shelley's '' Men of England''. In the book, the pig

Old Major Major (also called Willingdon Beauty, his name used when showing) is the first major character described by George Orwell in his 1945 novel '' Animal Farm''. An elderly Middle White boar, his "purebred" of pigs is a kind, grandfatherly philosoph ...

explains his dream of an animal-controlled society three nights before his death. The song's tune is described in the novel as sounding like a combination of "

La Cucaracha La Cucaracha ("The Cockroach") is a popular Mexican folk song about a cockroach who cannot walk. The song's origins are unclear, but it dates back at least to the 1910s during the Mexican Revolution. The song belongs to the Mexican genre. The s ...

" and " Oh My Darling Clementine". Alternate melodies: "Ode to Joy" or "Joyful, Joyful, we adore Thee" or "Come Thou Fount of every Blessing" or "Ebenezer", "Anthem of the Soviet Republics", or the 1954 anthem's tune. :''Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the Golden future time.'' :''Soon or late the day is coming,
Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown,
And the fruitful fields of England
Shall be trod by beasts alone.'' :''Rings shall vanish from our noses,
And the harness from our back,
Bit and spur shall rust forever,
Cruel whips no more shall crack.'' :''Riches more than mind can picture,
Wheat and barley, oats and hay,
Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels
Shall be ours upon that day.'' :''Bright will shine the fields of England,
Purer shall its waters be,
Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes
On the day that sets us free.'' :''For that day we all must labour,
Though we die before it break;
Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,
All must toil for freedom's sake.'' :''Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken well, and spread my tidings
Of the Golden future time.''Orwell, Animal Farm, pp. 9–10. The animals sing "Beasts of England" frequently after the rebellion, especially after meetings. At one point when Clover the horse questions the direction of Animal Farm, she sings "Beasts of England" which causes the other animals to join in. After "Beasts of England" has been used to express criticism of the direction of Animal Farm,

tries to supplant the song, arguing that such an anthem is antiquated and no longer needed after the rebellion has been completed. The anthem is first replaced by the short "Animal Farm!" and later by "Comrade Napoleon", while "Beasts of England" is eventually outlawed. The phasing out of "Beasts of England" as the anthem of Animal Farm corresponds to the Soviet Union's 1944 replacement of ''The Internationale'' with the

National Anthem of the Soviet Union The "State Anthem of the Soviet Union" was the national anthem of the Soviet Union and the regional anthem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991, replacing "The Internationale". Its original lyrics were written b ...

. However, while "Beasts of England" was banned in ''Animal Farm'', "The Internationale" was not in the Soviet Union at any time and remained the anthem of the Communist Party. Suzanne Gulbin compares the role of "Beasts of England" to that of the conch in

William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...

's ''

Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1954 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves. Themes ...

'': it serves to create enthusiasm and unity, and its banning represents the loss of hope for a better life. Florence and William Boos read the fact that the animals continue to sing "Beasts of England" after it is banned as a testimony to the power of the memory of Old Major.

"Animal Farm!"

"Animal Farm!" is the anthem first replacing "Beasts of England" after Squealer manages to convince the other animals that the original anthem is not required. Its purpose is to inspire loyalty to the farm, and also to the new leadership. Minimus the poet composes a short, new anthem which starts: :''Animal Farm, Animal Farm, :''Never through me shall thou come to harm!'' But it is noted that it does not inspire the animals as much as "Beasts of England." Paul Kirschner writes that the switch from "Beasts of England" to "Animal Farm!" is a parody of the transition from

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

proletarian internationalism Proletarian internationalism, sometimes referred to as international socialism, is the perception of all communist revolutions as being part of a single global class struggle rather than separate localized events. It is based on the theory that ...

to Stalin's "

Socialism in One Country Socialism in one country was a Soviet state policy to strengthen socialism within the country rather than socialism globally. Given the defeats of the 1917–1923 European communist revolutions, Joseph Stalin and Nikolai Bukharin encouraged th ...

". The song itself is most likely a reference to the

State Anthem of the Soviet Union The "State Anthem of the Soviet Union" was the national anthem of the Soviet Union and the regional anthem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991, replacing "The Internationale". Its original lyrics were written b ...

"Comrade Napoleon"

As Napoleon became more powerful, he replaced "Beasts of England" with another anthem, again written by Minimus. The anthem praised and glorified Napoleon, attributing many of the successes on the farm to him, even though he had little or no role in them. The poem marked the general happy feeling towards the rule of Napoleon at the time in the book and was painted on the wall of the big barn opposite the

Seven Commandments ''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to cr ...

. It was capped by a portrait of Napoleon drawn by Squealer in white paint. :''Friend of the fatherless!
Fountain of happiness!
Lord of the swill-bucket!
Oh, how my soul is on
Fire when I gaze at thy
Calm and commanding eye,
Like the sun in the sky,
Comrade Napoleon!'' :''Thou art the giver of
All that thy creatures love,
Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon;
Every beast great or small
Sleeps at peace in his stall,
Thou watchest over all,
Comrade Napoleon!'' :''Had I a sucking-pig,
Ere he had grown as big
Even as a pint bottle or a rolling-pin,
He should have learned to be
Faithful and true to thee,
Yes, his first squeak should be
"Comrade Napoleon!"''

1999 film adaptation

In the 1999 film adaptation, "Beasts of England" is replaced with a song "Beasts of the World", which has its own tune and different lyrics: :''Beasts of the world we shall unite'' :''Rise up and ready for the fight'' :''Soon or late the day will be'' :''When Man's defeated and we are free'' :''Soon or late the day will be'' :''When Man's defeated and we are free'' :''Though our lives be lives full of misery'' :''Our limbs be tired and worn'' :''Our dreams will not be broken'' :''And our hearts will not be torn'' :''Our dreams will not be broken'' :''And our hearts will not be torn'' There is a reprise of the song but the second verse is changed, but it's a bit difficult to understand: :''Though our lives be lives full of misery'' :''The war has been won in the fields'' :''We'll sing the song of justice'' :''So stained the freedom's shield'' :''We'll sing the song of justice'' :''So stained the freedom's shield'' "Comrade Napoleon" is replaced by a song titled "Glorious Leader Napoleon", put to the tune of the Russian song "

V Put "" (russian: В путь, ) is a song written in 1954 by Soviet composer Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi and poet Mikhail Dudin. It was originally written for the film ''Maksim Perepelitsa'' starring Leonid Bykov. The movie itself was released in 1955, an ...

": :''Beloved leader Napoleon,
fearless faithful guardian!
Proud and strong,
protect us from the wrong,
you will defend us
with your lofty trotter.'' :''Our pigs, our pigs, our pigs:
there is no beast that’s braver!
They will not ever waver!
They face the fight,
for right with might.'' :''Glorious, great and triumphant,
gallant hero resilient!
Proud and strong,
protect us from the wrong,
you will defend us
with your lofty trotter''
''Our pigs, our pigs, our pigs.'' In the same film, a new song was written for Napoleon by a "grateful duck", called "Napoleon, Mighty Leader" (known as "The Song of the Grateful Duck" in the soundtrack). :''Praise to him, the font of all our wisdom'' :''Long to live, the ruler of our farm'' :''Napoleon, mighty leader'' :''Mighty leader watching over us'' :''Napoleon, mighty leader'' :''Mighty leader watching over us'' : :''Shout, shout, shout out loud'' :''Snout, snout, pink and proud'' : :''Friend on high, you guide us with your smile'' :''Teach us how to be as kind as you'' :''Napoleon, mighty leader'' :''Mighty leader watching over us'' :''Napoleon, mighty leader'' :''Mighty leader watching over us'' : :''Shout, shout, shout out loud'' :''Snout, snout, pink and proud'' : :''Perfect pig, you bless us with your beauty'' :''Hallowed hog, how wondrous is your glow'' :''Napoleon, mighty leader'' :''Mighty leader watching over us'' :''Napoleon, mighty leader'' :''Mighty leader watching over us'' : :''Shout, shout, shout out loud'' :''Snout, snout, pink and proud'' :''Four legs good, two legs better. (6x)''

References

{{authority control Animal Farm Fictional musical works 1945 songs