George Orwell (1903 – 1950) was the pen name of Eric Blair, a British political novelist and essayist whose pointed criticisms of political oppression propelled him into prominence toward the middle of the twentieth century. He could not turn a blind eye to the cruelties and hypocrisies of Soviet Communist Party, which had overturned the semifeudal system of the tsars only to replace it with the dictatorial reign of Joseph Stalin.
‘Animal Farm’, a “fairy story” in the style of Aesop’s fables, uses animals on an English farm to tell the history of Soviet communism. Certain animals are based directly on Communist Party leaders: the pigs Napoleon and Snowball are figurations of Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky, respectively.
Witness the farm animals’ rebellion as reported by George Orwell ⇒Read & Listen ⇐ [esl-bits]
Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken well and spread my tidings Of the golden future time
Soon and 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
◊ Old Major’s last Words ↓ ‘Beasts of the World’
[Soundtrack by Richard Harvey_1999]
Beasts of England 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
¤ Seven Commandments ⇐
• Four legs good ↓
I was on the road with a traveling band – I saw a revolution in a foreign land,
The animals thought they could run the farm – They marched through the barnyard singing this song:
Four legs good, two legs bad – The animals know that the people are mad
Four legs good, two legs bad – The animals know that the people are mad
on the Animal Farm…
The cows and the horses will plow the fields – The sheep and the goats will cook the meals,
The ducks and the crows they pick the corn – The chickens and the geese keep the nest eggs warm
And up on the barn with watchful eyes, the hogs and the pigs will supervise
On the Animal Farm
People are cruel and they just don’t care, but everyone works and everyone shares
On the Animal Farm
Will reality appear? Could it be true that animals are people too?
I went to a party in the county jail – The animals came and they posted my bail
They took me back to the animal farm – They sobered me up and they kept me warm
I don’t know why they befriended me, but soon I was walking on my hands and knees on the Animal Farm
Four legs good, two legs bad – The animals know that the people are mad
Four legs good, two legs bad – I had the best time that I ever had on the animal farm
I got my job and I earn my pay – When you live in the city it’s the only way
I got my house and I got my car and a bumper sticker says,
I’d rather be down on the Animal Farm
Will reality appear? Could it be true that animals are people too?
Then one night there arose a sound coming from the distance of the manor ground
The animals crept through the moonlit night – What they saw was a terrrible sight.
They peeked through the window at the poker game
The pigs and the people all looked the same…
Four legs good, two legs bad – The animals know that the people are mad
Four legs good, two legs bad – The animals know that the people are mad
on the Animal Farm…
• I see the future shine on me…
«I see the future Shine on me And pictures Of the times to be Where chickens hatch Ten thousand eggs And never need To stretch their legsAnd sheep in crates May spend their days And grow us wool But never graze.
I see the future Shine on me And pictures Of the times to be The silky mink The fiery fox Shall grow us fur Inside a boxAnd calves be born Grow up, give birth, And die but never Walk on earth
I see the future Shine on me And pictures Of the times to be Where day and night And heat and cold And birth and death Are all controlled And profit rules And all is calm On England’s grey And modern farm…»
This is just the kind of thing I’ve been hunting for! Superb and thanks very much!