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Examples Of Manipulation In 1984

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No matter what the intent, manipulation of a person has the shared purpose of gaining control over them (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The texts 1984 and Memento use different facets of manipulation to bring out different emotions and attitudes in the audience to characters and events. 1984 is a novel detailing the fall of Winston, a closeted rebel in an oppressive society where the government has gained totalitarian control through psychological manipulation. This text has a pertinent association with Christopher Nolan’s Memento, a film about a man named Leonard who struggles with a memory condition, causing him to be manipulated by himself and those around him. The three major sources of manipulation in the texts are: within the plot, forced onto …show more content…

Leonard believes that the second intruder escaped; his mission to avenge his wife is to find and kill the intruder. Because Leonard’s condition prevents him from forming new memories, he’s reliant on reminders through tattoos and notes (Klein, 2001). However, he becomes an unreliable source of information; being limited by recording his thoughts through simplistic notes and Polaroids, the context is lost upon reinterpretation. He lacks the narrative continuity usually present with long-term memory, and loses any ethical consideration (Belling, 2006). An example in the film is when Leonard kills Jimmy Grantz, a drug dealer. Teddy, a policeman, reveals that Jimmy isn’t the person Leonard wanted; Leonard already murdered the real intruder. Nonetheless, Teddy strung Leonard along so he would “take care” of Jimmy for him. Having knowledge that he won’t remember this newfound truth, Leonard manipulates himself by setting up Teddy as his next suspect by recording that Teddy’s license-plate number is the intruder’s, to ensure his death (Klein, 2001). Where 1984 focuses the plot on the government’s obvious manipulation of Oceania’s citizens recognised by the protagonist from the beginning, Memento provides a protagonist unable recognise …show more content…

1984 presents a linear, chronological order divided into three acts, while Memento has a unique non-chronological structure. 1984’s arrangement highlights the protagonist’s character development through acts, which show the lengths that the government will go to for ensuring totalitarian power; the linear structure allows the action to keep rising to the climax. The intensity of manipulation varies: the first two acts have “standard” manipulation which doesn’t affect Winston, but transforms to be specifically targeted at him. This structure works for the story, emphasising that the Party will go to any lengths to gain control and power, implementing more rules and using their power in frightening ways, to the point of dehumanising

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671 Words | 3 Pages

In the books of 1984 and Harrison Bergeron, they share a common theme for the future. The author’s message from each of these books gives a prophecy in which our society might be headed to a utopian society. In 1984, the book was published in 1949, but George Orwell provides a predictable story of our society becoming “equal” towards one another due to the government. Also, in Harrison Bergeron, the author gives its message by the story taking place in the future of 2081, while right now it 's 2017, to predict that we the people might actually turn this democratic republic government into a more centralized bureaucracy. Although these two books share a common theme, what makes each one of them similar and different towards one another are the literary elements incorporated into the book.

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480 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel 1984, outward conformity is crucial to the survival of the citizens of Oceania. One character in particular who practices this extremely well is the main character, Winston Smith. He not only conforms outwardly, but also questions his society inwardly, due to the overhanging fear that Miniluv will find and torture him. Winston constantly questions Big Brother and all of the laws that the citizens of Oceania are required to obey while also inwardly questioning his forbidden romance with Julia. Without this rising tension throughout the novel, 1984 would lose its suspenseful tone and would easily lose the focus of readers.

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1073 Words | 5 Pages

In both film and novel, the importance of memory is discussed by characters, and plays a big role for the protagonist. 1984 represents this with its protagonist, Winston. Due to the Ministry of Truth and the use of futuristic devices such as the memory hole, party members memories are easily manipulated and altered. Total control over party members allows their identities to be easily changed or even removed by forcing everyone’s memories to be altered. This is specifically seen when the author tells us through Winston’s thoughts that, “This process of continuous alteration was applied not only to newspapers, button books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, soundtracks, cartoons, photographs”.

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895 Words | 4 Pages

1984 displays manipulation by erasing the history of the

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427 Words | 2 Pages

1984 controls the characters through the Party’s means of control from the use of limited language to force the people to think the way they do to the constant watch they have over the people, never giving them a moment to think on their own or have any free will to say or think of what they wish. Through these laws and actions, the characters get separated into different groups, those who will respect and obey the Party. These characters follow and worship Big Brother through any means necessary, even when they are wronged in the end due to their loyalty or a slip up, no matter what they had done in the past. The characters can fall into fear and hate as well, the two emotions the Party values. This allows them to live, always following the

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809 Words | 4 Pages

Nature of Betrayal in Nineteen Eighty-Four Renowned author, George Orwell, successfully creates a dystopian environment in his futuristic novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell continuously utilizes the theme of betrayal in order to illustrate the narcissistic ideals of a totalitarian society, and to highlight the fragile nature of relationships and how easily they are broken. Treachery is prevalent in Orwell’s dictatorial society through government manipulation and the betrayal of the novel’s protagonist by characters, Julia and O’Brien. Orwell highlights the government’s manipulative reputation and their ability to promote betrayal amongst the citizens of Oceania, through the establishment of the Thought Police and Room 101. Trust is an unattainable, unachievable

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786 Words | 4 Pages

To give one example of manipulation, Flannery O'Connor, Georgia State author of "A Good Man Is Hard to Find", writes that "You wouldn't shoot a lady, would you?"(421). The grandmother is trying to make the misfit vulnerable, even though he has already killed everyone but her. She's begging the misfit for her life. Every one of those people would still be alive if it was not for the grandmother. She did not have much hope left anyways for her life because she annoyed the misfit with her ugly and selfish ways.

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1533 Words | 7 Pages

The next year a closed-circuit camera had been trained on that spot, designed to prevent any public act of rememberence” (Lim & Sala, 2019). As we read further into 1984 Winston holds acts of remembrance for the things he recalls. Unfortunately for the government (and for Winston) his memory is not under complete control. Winston purchases a journal from an old junk shop and begins to document the things he recalls.

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397 Words | 2 Pages

George Orwell’s novel 1984 shows the transformation of a man under the careful, overwhelming pressure of a totalitarian government system. Whilst Winston falls under the intense torture O’Brien imposes on him, his abuser uses a method of psychological manipulation to “make him one of ourselves” (255). The Party’s ideal ‘rehabilitation’ of these thought criminals involves “convert[ing] him, we capture his inner mind, we reshape him. We burn all evil and all illusion out of him” (255) all in the hopes of “bring[ing] him over to our side, not in appearance, but genuinely, heart and soul” (255). Repetition of the pronoun ‘we’ through anaphora, drills the idea of The Party’s total control and ownership over Winston’s body and mind, removing the

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1109 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel “1984” by George Orwell, the Inner Party uses cruelty in a politically and socially effective way by using methods such as torture, starvation, imprisonment, and room 101 as crucial motivation for those being tortured to not only confess but repent of their sins against the party. Furthermore, the use of cruelty by the Inner Party unveils both the victim and perpetrator’s inner conscience. The use of cruelty throughout “1984” by the Inner Party and O’Brien reveals how cruelty functions in the work as a means of oppression and a catalyst of subservience.

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870 Words | 4 Pages

Government Manipulation in 1984 People generally rely on the government as a source of protection and stability. However, the government does not always have the citizens’ best interests in mind, as shown in 1984. The government has the power to distort realities and the ability to detect the truth. They can manipulate, or influence people’s minds without them even knowing. George Orwell’s 1984 uses a futuristic dystopia to show how the government is able to manipulate human values through the use of fear.

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2319 Words | 10 Pages

Teddy promises to assist Shelby on searching the attacker while actually he just wants to use Shelby to kill the drug dealers. Gradually Shelby discloses Teddy’s attempts and is going to kill him. As a matter of fact, Shelby has already killed the attacker at the beginning but fails to remember that, resulting in his unrelenting efforts on searching that guy and sufferings from the misery of losing his wife again and again. To make sense of the story and appreciate the artistic wisdom of the film, we have to analyze the main actor’s problem of memory and his personal identity. Furthermore, we can mirror ourselves through analysis of personal identity of the main character in the film.

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877 Words | 4 Pages

Marcus Brutus’ Manipulation Manipulation:to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, this quote is entirely true. We are also introduced into the idea of manipulation very early in the play, which impacts the plot. The play is about Marcus Brutus, the tragic hero, being manipulated into being in a conspiracy to assassinate Gaius Julius Caesar, a politician for Rome.

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1835 Words | 8 Pages

The officer also suggested to Leonard that it was not Sammy who caused the death of his wife by overdose, but rather it was, in fact, Leonard who did. Leonard does not take kindly to this and distorts all his notes to not trust the officer whose name is John Edward "Teddy" Gammell, and makes him the target of his quest for vengeance, eventually leading to the death of officer Gammell. The first philosophical topic to be discussed in Memento is the topic of memory. Memory is one of this movie 's main emphases and it can be seen throughout the movie as Leonard constantly brings up his memory deficiency.

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944 Words | 4 Pages

Manipulation is shown in many ways such as politics, the media, misleading information and false advertising. To convey one’s thoughts to your own advantage is seen as crude and unnecessary. However, many people have their reasons in manipulating someone whether they are good or bad. In Shakespeare’s Othello, the concept of taking advantage of someone through manipulation leads to unnecessary, horrible events.

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