Sugarcandy Mountain (Q2: 3)

Quote: "In Sugarcandy Mountain it was Sunday seven days a week, clover was in season all the year round, and lump sugar and linseed cake grew on the hedges" (27) 

This quote describes the imaginary land of plenty that animals go to when they die, called Sugarcandy Mountain. The tale is told my a raven named Moses.

I chose this quote because it makes use of tone when describing the land of plenty and happiness. Also Moses' name is an allusion to the Biblical Moses who led his people away from slavery, and is also part of the religion that Sugarcandy Mountain is a reference to.

Analysis: This is an example of the role of religion in many political situations. Here, Jones is using the prospect of Sugarcandy Mountain to soften the animals' longing for luxury, and subsequently, their propensity for rebellion. Later in the story, Moses returns and tells the same tales. At that point, the religion is a way to keep the animals hoping and dreaming of something better, again softening the edge of their hard life. The irony is that the second time that Moses tells his tales, the tyranny and oppression that the animals face is from their own comrades.