Posted by Pete on December 30, 2001 at 15:25:17:
In Reply to: Animal farm posted by Rous Dieva on December 30, 2001 at 01:23:13:
Sunday morning meetings are set up by Napoleon. Slogans are recited. A favourite is their great announcement: "Four legs good - two legs bad!" When a counter-attack by farmer Jones is beaten off, the great event is declared "The battle of the Cowshed", and military decorations are created including "Animal Hero - first Class" and "Animal Hero - second Class." Napoleon awards both of these to himself.
Very soon comes the discrediting of CO-leader Snowball. Snowball is the idealist, faithfully considering the welfare of all the animals while Napoleon is the pragmatist, ready to achieve his purposes with violence. So the technique of the "big lie" and constructed evidence results in Snowball’s being driven out from Animal farm, leaving Napoleon in sole command. The discredited Snowball can now be blamed whenever problems arise.
Here Orwell is paralleling the conflict between Stalin and Trotsky with Stalin the winner.