And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into Beasts of England in tremendous unison. The cows lowed it, the dogs whined it, the sheep bleated it, the horses whinnied it, the ducks quacked it.

After the animals listen to Old Major’s dream of an animal-centric society and hear the song “Beasts of England,” which he teaches them, the animals wholeheartedly embrace Old Major’s vision and sing the tune. They become one body and one voice, with the farm symbolizing their unity. The animals have been brought together by Old Major’s goal of freedom for them, and their cohesion implies their inevitable success.

A little way down the pasture there was a knoll that commanded a view of most of the farm. The animals rushed to the top of it and gazed round them in the clear morning light. Yes, it was theirs—everything that they could see was theirs! . . . It was as though they had never seen these things before, and even now they could hardly believe that it was all their own.

After chasing Mr. Jones away, the animals take a tour of the farm they now wholly possess, rejoicing in their victory and realizing the farm now both literally and symbolically stands for freedom. Prior to the Rebellion, the farm was their place of servitude, but their act of uprising has transformed it even before they have had the opportunity to implement any changes. As they have overthrown their master and are embarking on a life following their own destiny, the animals can see the potential of the farm, envisioning a new state with an animal-led government, a state dedicated to the improvement of animal lives.

Then Snowball (for it was Snowball who was best at writing) took a brush between the two knuckles of his trotter, painted out MANOR FARM from the top bar of the gate and in its place painted ANIMAL FARM. This was to be the name of the farm from now onwards.

The scene in which the animals name the farm after themselves resonates as a key moment—the farm truly becomes its own political entity, allowing the animals to see within its boundaries the opportunities to create their own reality. At this point, the animals don’t know what their new government and structures will look like, but they have adopted the Seven Commandments of Animalism, which at their core state that all animals are equal. Animal Farm then, as opposed to Manor Farm, symbolizes the promise of a new state in which all members work with equal vigor to ensure their common success.

By the late summer the news of what had happened on Animal Farm had spread across half the county. Every day Snowball and Napoleon sent out flights of pigeons whose instructions were to mingle with the animals on neighbouring farms, tell them the story of the Rebellion, and teach them the tune of

In hopes of encouraging animals on more farms to overthrow their masters, the pigs take steps to share their achievement, hoping that other animals will understand how Animal Farm symbolizes a better future through uprising. On Animal Farm, the animals have developed a new type of society, one led by the workers (the animals) for their own benefit, not their owners. In their desire to proselytize and create converts, the animals show that they believe the farm represents a kind of utopia.

And yet the animals never gave up hope. More, they never lost, even for an instant, their sense of honour and privilege in being members of Animal Farm. They were still the only farm in the whole country—in all England!—owned and operated by animals.

Even after the Animal Farm government devolves into totalitarianism akin to the rule of Mr. Jones, the animals remain convinced that the future will be better, showing that the farm itself has come to symbolize an animal spirit (much like a human spirit) of optimism. None of the promises of the Rebellion and its early days have been borne out. For example, the windmill is operated for profit rather than to create electricity, and animals do not retire when they grow old, but still, the animals remain prideful. Belonging to Animal Farm and a concept bigger than oneself is sufficient to buoy the spirits of the exploited animals.