turkey

The turkey is named in the revolutionary anthem "Beasts of England," which Old Major teaches the assembled animals on the night of his speech. The song's line "Cows and horses, geese and turkeys, / All must toil for freedom's sake" places the turkey among the creatures expected to labor for the overthrow of human tyranny. In the ideological system that the pigs later codify, the turkey, as a winged bird, is classified as a friend under the principle that "Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend." This classification, condensed into the slogan "Four legs good, two legs bad," initially requires birds to accept that their wings are to be regarded as legs, a distinction Snowball defends by arguing that a bird's wing is an organ of propulsion rather than manipulation. The turkey does not appear as an individual character in the story; it is part of the anonymous animal collective that participates in the Rebellion, the hay harvest, the battles, and the weekly ceremonies. When the pigs eventually abolish "Beasts of England," claiming the Revolution is complete, the turkey's voice is silenced along with the rest. Yet the tune continues to be hummed secretly, and the animals still cling to the hope that the promised golden future may one day come—a hope that the turkey, like all the others, is never allowed to see fulfilled.