Question

What happens to the song "Beasts of England"?

• A. It is celebrated
• B. It is banned
• C. It is rewritten
• D. None

Answer 1

Answer:

B. It is banned

The Banning of "Beasts of England" in Animal Farm

• The Anthem's Original Significance

  • "Beasts of England" was the inspiring revolutionary anthem of the animals, sung frequently in the early days of Animal Farm.
  • It was composed by Old Major (who represents Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin), serving as a vision of a future free from human oppression, where animals would be equal and prosperous.
  • The song embodied the ideals of the revolution: freedom, equality, and the overthrow of human tyranny.
  • It served as a powerful motivator during the rebellion and a symbol of their unity and shared dream.

• Reason for the Ban

  • The song is banned by Napoleon (representing Joseph Stalin) and his propagandist Squealer (representing the Soviet propaganda machine, like *Pravda*).
  • The stated reason for the ban, articulated by Squealer, is that the rebellion is complete, and thus, the song that inspired it is no longer needed and is now "obsolete."
  • The true reason is that the song's lyrics promote ideals of equality and a future paradise that directly contradict the increasingly totalitarian and unequal society being established by Napoleon and the pigs.
  • Napoleon fears that the song could inspire another rebellion, this time against *his* oppressive rule, as it reminds the animals of their original, uncorrupted revolutionary goals.

• The Replacement Song

  • "Beasts of England" is replaced by a new song, "Comrade Napoleon," composed by the pig poet Minimus.
  • This new song glorifies Napoleon and promotes loyalty to the leader, shifting the focus from collective revolutionary ideals to individual worship of the dictator.

• Symbolic Significance

  • The banning of "Beasts of England" is a pivotal moment in the novella, marking a significant step in the pigs' consolidation of power and the complete perversion of the revolution's original principles.
  • It symbolizes the suppression of freedom of expression, the manipulation of truth, and the rewriting of history by the totalitarian regime.
  • It signifies the death of the utopian dream and the full transition of Animal Farm into a tyrannical state, mirroring events in the Soviet Union under Stalin, where revolutionary anthems and symbols were replaced or reinterpreted to serve the regime's agenda.

• Competitive Exam Facts about Animal Farm

  • Author: George Orwell (pen name of Eric Arthur Blair).
  • Publication Year: 1945.
  • Genre: Allegorical novella, political satire, dystopian fiction.
  • Main Allegory: The Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent early years of the Soviet Union.
  • Key Characters and their Allegorical Counterparts:
    • Old Major: Karl Marx / Vladimir Lenin
    • Napoleon: Joseph Stalin
    • Snowball: Leon Trotsky
    • Squealer: Soviet propaganda (e.g., *Pravda*)
    • Boxer: The loyal, hardworking, but exploited working class
    • Mollie: The bourgeois who flee the revolution
    • Benjamin: The cynical intellectual who observes but does not act.
  • The core message of *Animal Farm* is a warning against totalitarianism and the corrupting nature of power.