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How Does George Orwell Use Power In 1984

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Intro: George Orwell’s post WWII novel, Nineteen-Eighty-Four, portrays a totalitarian society run by an authoritarian government, The Party, who controls societal norms and how society is administered. Orwell seeks to mimic the government in the form of Big Brother by replicating the totalitarian acts committed by the government. Orwell suggests that the government utilises multiple techniques such as propaganda, censorship and surveillance in order to control and have authority over society, warning readers of the dangers of giving the government too much power. BP1: (Alright) In the dystopian setting of Nineteen-Eighty-Four, Orwell suggests that propaganda is a formidable tool used by higher authorities and governments to manipulate individuals and possess unrestrained control over society. Propaganda emerges as a tool used by higher …show more content…

Orwell suggests that by utilising propaganda in everyday life, higher authorities ultimately assert authority over society. Illustrated through the Party’s ability to fabricate history to align with the likings of Big Brother, Orwell emphasises the ease with which higher authorities can coerce individuals into unquestionably trusting the flaunted acts of the government, exemplifying how propaganda is a potent tool used by governments to acquire unrestrained control and power over society. Furthermore, Orwell conveys the idea that propaganda is used for psychological control, brainwashing individuals into trusting higher authorities without question. Through the use of the Party’s slogan, “War is peace”. Freedom is a form of slavery. Ignorance is strength” Orwell heightens how society is run on propaganda and is used everyday to administer society to the Party’s ideologies and agendas. Moreover, Winston highlights how propaganda results in psychological torment in deciphering what

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(Orwell 193). They want to eliminate individual freedom and thoughts for good. This essay confirms Orwell’s warnings because they have fixed their own “truths” just to abide by the government and their lies. People’s love for the Party was very strong they took back their statements and described them as mistakes, justifying the government. In Nineteen Eighty – Four Julia says “It’s always one bloody war after another, and one knows the news is all lies anyways” (Orwell

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In 1984, Gorge Orwell explores propaganda, revealing how easily society is influenced when people are bombarded with information. Orwell uses irony to reveal how the citizens of Oceania are easily brainwashed by political figures to think they are free when they really are not. One of the Party’s most common slogans is, “War is peace; Freedom is slavery; Ignorance is Strength” (Orwell 26). The government of Oceania controls the citizens through many forms of propaganda, such as this slogan. They put it all over their country so that they can control their citizens and make them believe that they are free.

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Through his writing, Orwell conveys not only the dangers of totalitarianism but also the power of language and rhetoric to manipulate people. In this way, he warns against the use of words as a form of propaganda that can be used to manipulate individuals into believing something that is far from reality. For example, Big Brother’s Ministry of Truth takes advantage of citizens by using slogans such as “War is peace” or “Freedom is slavery” to confuse and disorient them. This manipulation allows Big Brother to maintain their authority over society. As Daniel Leab asserts, “Orwell's works contained a more global message that could be used as propaganda against the United States: ironically enough, it was an attack on all forms of propaganda - including that which might be employed by democratic nations” (Leab 2003, 145).

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Joseph Goebbels once said,”Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their freewill”. This statement is proven to be true in 1984. The author, George Orwell, creates a fictional dystopian society in which the population is manipulated into thinking they live in a great world, whereas the government has full control over them. In 1984, George Orwell’s prime message, supported by the article called Liberty in North Korea by Hae Re, was the lack of individualism gives power to the applicable leader, which is conveyed using the characters speech and symbolism. Orwell’s dystopian society showed the author 's message through what a character was saying and symbolism.

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This demonstrates the extent to which propaganda exists in order to brainwash innocent citizens within democratic and totalitarian societies. For modern readers, the extent of restriction and invasion of privacy illustrated within ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ is less shocking than for traditional readers, as Edward Snowden’s exposure of the American National Security Agencies unauthorised surveillance of the masses, is similar to the conduct of the Party. Modern readers are used to being watched through CCTV. However, contemporary readers would have been aware of the power of dictators in Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Russia, and would have noticed the publication year of the novel, coincided with the establishment of the Communist Party rule in China, in 1949.

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In this letter, Orwell writes about “the horrors of emotional nationalism and a tendency to disbelieve in the existence of objective truth” Before reading 1984, I began researching the life of George Orwell and his exact purpose for writing this work of literary merit. I became fascinated with Orwell’s clear intentions for the book to be a exposé to the western civilization of the nightmare of totalitarianism. Although I had general knowledge on the autocratic regimes of Germany , the Soviet Union, and Spain in the first half of the 20th century, I was shocked by how overwhelming these governments actually were to the people. Winston’s occupation of fabricating history in the Ministry of Truth was inspired by tactics used by the Soviet Union to manipulate what press was released to the public.

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Governments are often portrayed as unified powers, ones that always operate in the best interests of their citizens. Though in the novel 1984, George Orwell takes a different stance, offering a new perspective and range of possibilities for the motives and ideals of the government, or “Party” as it is called. Throughout this novel, the Party uses physical and mental torture, gaslighting, and various other techniques to maintain control of the citizens of Oceania. Despite how susceptible people are to these tactics, individuals in this society are told that the Party knows best and are supervised intently day to day to ensure that they are following the rules that have been set in place. Those who disobey the Party face miserable consequences

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Nevertheless, many individuals see odd similarities between 1984 and the modern world as more than coincidental. Despite the extremity of comparing the modern world to the perfect totalitarian state of INGSOC, George Orwell’s 1984 recurring themes of totalitarianism, disinformation, and over-surveillance can be applied to today’s political climate. Before engaging in the debate over the extent to which 1984 applies to the current political climate, it is imperative to understand the context in which Orwell created 1984, alongside the reasons why 1984 is compared to today. 1984 follows Winston Smith, a citizen of a totalitarian regime in Oceania, who is constantly wary of the watchful eye of Big Brother, the party’s emblem (Voice, 2019). He works at the Ministry of Truth, designed to rewrite the past to hold a monopoly on communication and information.

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Title: The Paradoxical Party Slogans: Unveiling the Significance and Purpose In "1984", George Orwell paints a terrifying picture of a dictatorship ruled by the Party. This dominating power uses three contradicting slogans as a particular sort of communication conflict: "War is Peace," "Freedom is Slavery," and "Ignorance is Strength." The meanings, significance, and purposes of these slogans are looked at in this thesis, and how they contributed to the Party's strict rule is justified. Through careful analysis, it becomes evident that these seemingly contradictory statements hold deep significance and purpose in maintaining the Party's totalitarian grip over society.

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George Orwell’s famous novel, 1984, shows the consequences of totalitarian governments, and explores the ideas of a nation driven by propaganda. This novel takes place in Air Strip One, (also known as Great Britain). The Airstrip’s name is Oceania, which is a large country under constant government survelliance, never-ending war, and public manipulation. The characters in the novel display the spark of not only love, but partnership, in rebellion to their society. This novel presents a proposal of how totalitarian governments fail their people by brainwashing them with propaganda and public manipulation to gain control of their support.

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George Orwell’s dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty Four (1949) didactically explores the condemning of individual autonomy when faced with oppressive collective experiences, effectively crafting rebellion due to the insatiable desire for individual autonomy and self-agency. Through his portrayal of a totalitarian regime, Orwell examines the assertion of control over individuals via the significance of storytelling and truth, how dominant authoritative states sadistically eradicate freedom and rebellion, and the innate human desire for meaningful relationships. Orwell’s three-part stylistic perspective thus inspires contemporary audiences to appreciate democracy and reclaim individuality and freedom, from the appraisal of cognitive and emotional

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925 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the book the slogans of “war is peace, freedom is slavery, [and] ignorance is strength” is a forced acceptance by all citizens (Orwell 16). These particular slogans, that exemplify doublethink, are plastered everywhere. The illogicalness of doublethink completely surrounds the citizens, constantly exposing them to it. The second characteristic of monopoly over mass media is quite evident in Winston 's life. Government employees run the internet, newspapers, and radio/tv announcements.

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369 Words | 2 Pages

George Orwell’s 1984, depicts a dystopian society run by a totalitarian government, where individuality and freedom is stripped from the public. Winston Smith, the novels main protagonist, along with all citizens living in Oceania are forced to live a life that conforms solely to the ruling party, Big Brother. The novel is not only a work of fiction, but is a commentary on the world, as there are many observable similarities between the society Orwell created and our society. This is because in order to achieve a society in which the citizens willingly obey authority, Big Brother uses language, laws, and technology to instill fear and create a false sense of reality, which automatically eliminates unwanted behaviour and thinking. To begin,

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The people are in hunger while the government is full. Posters and chants brainwash the people to believe in things regardless of their personal beliefs. Such phenomena are often observed in communist or totalitarian systems of government and these governments are able to produce such consequences with propaganda. In his novel, 1984, George Orwell aptly reflects totalitarianism and warning the readers of its dangers.

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Living through the first half of the twentieth century, George Orwell watched the rise of totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Soviet Union. Fighting in Spain, he witnessed the brutalities of the fascists and Stalinists first hand. His experiences awakened him to the evils of a totalitarian government. In his novel 1984, Orwell paints a dark and pessimistic vision of the future where society is completely controlled by a totalitarian government. He uses symbolism and the character’s developments to show the nature of total power in a government and the extremes it will go through to retain that power by repressing individual freedom and the truth.

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