Clover

CLOVER 

“No animal shall kill another animal.” That’s what the commandment said. It was big and bright and loud on the wall of the barn, written by the pigs themselves. “No animal shall kill another animal.” Or, at least, that’s what I think it said. Benjamin won’t read it out to me, and Muriel’s eyesight is going. I can’t be sure. I can’t be sure of anything at the moment; wait, that’s a lie. I know that we rebelled against Master Jones, and I know that we now own the farm. I know that we wrote 7 commandments that came down to mainly being ourselves, being animals, being equal.  But, I’m also sure that those killings that we just witnessed, our comrades heads being torn off their necks savagely by other comrades, for astonishing and shocking crimes none of us would even dream of commiting! I’m sure that wasn’t what we were rebelling for, went we chased Jones out, when we fought in the battle of the cowshed. Not that. Not to see our comrades slaughtered.

The animals are all as shocked as I am. Not only are we all repulsed, but it’s strange to think that our trustworthy leader, the one who got rid of the traitor Snowball, the one who helped us through the rebellion, the brains and the essential inner workings of Animal Farm; it’s strange to think that he could have done this to those animals. Wasn’t he one of the main writers of the seven commandments? There are all these things I must have remembered wrongly, as I can’t remember the executions ever being one of our plans, one of our goals.

Boxer has just announced that he will work even harder than he does now; if that’s possible. I’m not really listening. Poor Boxer, thinking that he’s to blame. Maybe he is. Maybe we all are. Maybe we should have stood up to the pigs, and told them what we thought about the executions, and about this secrecy and spying. We never had this before! Mind you, before, Jones were taking away and selling my children before I even got the chance to name them. No. It’s better like this. It’s better than when Jones was here! We’re working for ourselves! Not a single one of us even has the right to complain, especially not after how much the pigs have done for us! They led us through everything! And now, Napoleon’s just leading us through a hard time, and showing us the right way ahead. Of course there have to be sacrifices – when are there not? Even our song, Beasts of England, says:

“For that day we all must labour,
Though we die before it break;
Cows and horses, geese and Turkeys,
All must toil for freedoms sake.”

We can’t forget what we’re aiming for... Although it feels like we have...  Even though there must be sacrifices, it doesn’t feel as though they were for freedom; more to stop Snowball coming back on to the farm, which I guess is part of freedom. I can’t make up my mind; therefore I can’t say anything to anyone really, except sing of what I hope for, and pray that it comes true.

“Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the golden future time.”