How Does Orwell Manipulate The Government In 1984

Koyie Waples
Melton/Schulze
British Literature
28 March 2018

Manipulation and Control via the Government in 1984 In a unique dystopia created in the world of 1984, George Orwell establishes a totalitarian government that watches and psychologically manipulates its citizens to be mere pawns. Although there is a Big Brother constantly watching over everyone’s shoulder and influencing them, there are still those who desire nothing more than freedom. This is where the main character comes in, Winston Smith, a man who works for the Ministry of Truth, which is a government run organization that changes and alters history. Winston is tired of the mundane life that he lives, and is already rebeling in his own way by keeping a personal diary that

The first example shown in the book is through the use of children called junior spies. These are children that have been raised in the environment of that The Party has created. These “junior spies” find and rat out people that have ill will towards the government and its officials. In case the kids do find people that have the feelings, the Ministry of love steps in and takes the “traitors”. Similar tactics were used by Germans in WW2. Through the use of psychological manipulation Nazi German enlisted it youth to participate in the war efforts: “Germany under Hitler would now fight-on to the very last, utilizing every available human and material resource. In September, Hitler Youth Leader Artur Axmann proclaimed: ‘As the sixth year of war begins, Adolf Hitler's youth stands prepared to fight resolutely and with dedication for the freedom of their lives and their future. We say to them: You must decide whether you want to be the last of an unworthy race despised by future generations, or whether you want to be part of a new time, marvelous beyond all imagination.’” (Artur Axmann). Because the children are young and only know what they are told in both Germany and 1984 they are easily controlled. These can be seen by the fact the Hitler used these children as a final stand against the Ally forces. Their full dedication was in the hands of this

With the use of the Ministry of Truth history is changed on the daily. This causes people to be ill informed and to not truly understand what is going on around them. One the most famous forms of this act is by Holocaust deniers: “Holocaust denial is an attempt to negate the established facts of the Nazi genocide of European Jewry. Holocaust denial and distortion are forms of antisemitism. They are generally motivated by hatred of Jews and build on the claim that the Holocaust was invented or exaggerated by Jews as part of a plot to advance Jewish interests.” (ushmm.org). Holocaust deniers, as can be told by their names, try to deny that the Holocaust did in fact happen by pulling evidence that helps their argument. This relates to 1984 because both of these groups try to gather support by denying the past and what has truly happened. Actions like these end up causing more people to be misinformed about the and inevitably causing the cycle of manipulation to continue. One great quote that captures this idea was said by George Santayana, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This encapsulates the idea that even though these groups are changing history itself, if they don’t learn from the past then they will surely repeat