The Pig Poem by Roald Dahl

The Pig

Rating: 4.2


In England once there lived a big
And wonderfully clever pig.
To everybody it was plain
That Piggy had a massive brain.
He worked out sums inside his head,
There was no book he hadn't read.
He knew what made an airplane fly,
He knew how engines worked and why.
He knew all this, but in the end
One question drove him round the bend:
He simply couldn't puzzle out
What LIFE was really all about.
What was the reason for his birth?
Why was he placed upon this earth?
His giant brain went round and round.
Alas, no answer could be found.
Till suddenly one wondrous night.
All in a flash he saw the light.
He jumped up like a ballet dancer
And yelled, 'By gum, I've got the answer! '
'They want my bacon slice by slice
'To sell at a tremendous price!
'They want my tender juicy chops
'To put in all the butcher's shops!
'They want my pork to make a roast
'And that's the part'll cost the most!
'They want my sausages in strings!
'They even want my chitterlings!
'The butcher's shop! The carving knife!
'That is the reason for my life! '
Such thoughts as these are not designed
To give a pig great peace of mind.
Next morning, in comes Farmer Bland,
A pail of pigswill in his hand,
And piggy with a mighty roar,
Bashes the farmer to the floor…
Now comes the rather grisly bit
So let's not make too much of it,
Except that you must understand
That Piggy did eat Farmer Bland,
He ate him up from head to toe,
Chewing the pieces nice and slow.
It took an hour to reach the feet,
Because there was so much to eat,
And when he finished, Pig, of course,
Felt absolutely no remorse.
Slowly he scratched his brainy head
And with a little smile he said,
'I had a fairly powerful hunch
'That he might have me for his lunch.
'And so, because I feared the worst,
'I thought I'd better eat him first.'

The Pig
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Sreemoyee Banerjee 10 November 2012

Even though it looks like a funny poem, it is not.The poem criticizes our way of life.It is satiric.Often poets use animals to teach us a lesson.The pig here is an erudite fellow and yet he misinterprets the meaning of life.The poet brings out the horrific truth prevalent in this world.Thus, instead of repaying the farmer for giving him food, he is hostile.We should also take note of the farmer's name, Bland which also means mild.So in spite of being educated and intelligent, the pig fails to understand friendship and love.For him, education has not served its purpose and instead has made him paranoid and hostile.Hope this interpretation helps.

152 91 Reply
Jim Bob 23 April 2013

This poem is about chocken nuggets and girls

38 118 Reply
Joe Bob 08 May 2013

Yeah I'm with my cousin here jim bob oh and also chocken noggets are goood

44 105 Reply
Joe Bob 08 May 2013

Yeah I'm with my cousin here jim bob oh and also chocken noggets are goood

37 104 Reply
Paris Farah 09 April 2010

would someone like to explain to me the message of the poem, because I read someones comment and it said that it had a message, however I am just curious to find out what it is...

57 74 Reply
Cui Gya 22 August 2023

It reminds me of another contemporary writer, George Orwell, and his book Animal Farm

2 0 Reply
M. Asim Nehal 16 May 2023

By the time we realise the truth, it is too late. In haste we do things as the Pig did after finding his purpose. To panic is our basic quality. In haste we take wrong steps and eventually land into all sorts of troubles. I endorse the views expressed by Sreemoyee Banerjee

0 1 Reply
M. Asim Nehal 16 May 2023

Then we work hard to earn name, fame and money and place in society, the very purpose for which we are sent on earth revolves around or goals, aims mostly set or guided by others, we become part of the RAT RACE. Cont...

0 0 Reply
M. Asim Nehal 16 May 2023

We all interpret such poems in our own way. The purpose of life for individuals to find is very difficult. We study for first 15 years to understand the discipline and next 4-5 years to find our way to earn money and get finanicial secured.

0 0 Reply

Humourous poem. At the same time, there is substance in the poem. One need to use one's brains I

1 0 Reply
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Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl

Cardiff / Wales
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