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Manipulation In 1984

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In 1984, by George Orwell, the manipulation of time plays a central role in how Big Brother controls the masses. Winston’s observation that “Who controls the past controls the future” is a statement that underscores the pivotal role of manipulation in the book 1984’s totalitarian regime. The past is a crucial historical stamp that shapes society’s future social construct. Orwell’s depiction of historical manipulation is chilling and eerie, involving changing the state’s past and other states involved with the state. Orwell shows how the manipulation of history changes the people’s perception of the regime. This essay will examine the significance of the past in “1984,” the methods by which Big Brother constructs and enforces ideology, and draw …show more content…

The regime’s slogan “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past” is a testament to the party’s tactics to be in absolute control. This draws parallels to the future and past, in the sense that the present controls them both. Since everyone virtually controls the present, the present controls the past, and the past controls the future, this quote can easily be rewritten as “who controls the present controls the past and future” basically affirming infinite control. The Ministry of Truth constantly changes Big Brother’s words and fabricates history to shape the future narrative. Initially, Oceania was at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia. However, at a certain point, the alliances switch, and Oceania is suddenly at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia. The Ministry of Truth quickly acts to revise all historical records to reflect this new reality. Winston describes the process: “The past was alterable. The past has never been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.” This is so important since when Winston explains “the past had never been altered” it had been …show more content…

Imagine this, a rumor is told about you that you dont like, Ideology in 1984 was created through propaganda, language, and the changing of history used to have absolute power over the population. The past is used as a shapeable tool the party uses to change and persuade the people. The party succeeds at controlling society by forging records and ensuring that these forged versions of history are true through doublethink. Using doublethink will, in effect, change the people’s reality and memory of what has happened. This creates a foolproof system in which no one can question the party since their whole reality is based on the party’s fabricated virtue and greatness. “In the end, the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality, was tacitly denied by their philosophy.” This passage highlights how doublethink keeps the user suspended in time. By saying that “two and two make five” shows how no matter what, reality can be changed for the Oceanian

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In “1984”, Oceania has told their citizens that they’re at war with Eurasia as their ally and Eastasia as their enemy. However, towards the end of the book, Winston tells his lover Julia that he remembers a time when Eurasia was the enemy, but the Party had rewritten it to make it Eastasia instead. Every citizen of Oceania is unaware of the change the Party makes on the war because they change every piece of information to make it look like they’ve been at war with Eastasia instead of what their information said before. All of this also shows the reader how the Party is able to change

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Lucy Hough Mrs. Anthony Lang & Comp 17 April 2024 Manipulation in 1984 Manipulation is something that almost everyone has interacted with at some point in their life. Whether that was a toxic relationship, a job you had, or experienced through government; it is something that we can not most times avoid. George Orwell’s 1984 displays this manipulation through their corrupt government in several different ways throughout the book. As someone who lives in a country with a government that is not corrupt or manipulative, it is easy to depict the obvious warped government setup throughout 1984. George Orwell's 1984 conveys real-life obstacles people experience by showing what manipulation looks like in different forms.

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In 1984, another purpose for the constant revision of news and history was to remove any possible contradictions the government made so that nobody could blame the Party for making errors. Furthermore, anyone who “had incurred the displeasure of the Party simply disappeared and were never heard of again.” (Orwell 45) This was called vaporization. Everybody had to have unwavering support and trust in the Party.

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My friends told me that I couldn’t like Taylor Swift, my favorite artist, because she attended a comedy show where all of the proceeds went to a humanitarian relief agency in Gaza. I was scared that if I listened to her I wouldn’t feel accepted by my friends, I was being threatened by my peer’s “rules” to the point where I would change how I acted. This is exactly what the Party in 1984 was trying to do, get people to believe in this “cancel culture" to the point where their minds are molded by the threat of being

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’Who controls the past,’ ran the party slogan. ‘Controls the future; who controls the present controls the past'” (30). Winston starts to question everything the party has told society, like being at war with Eurasia and

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Without history on their side, doubts about the party would fester and eventually an uprising would topple big brother. This false history has become real for the people of the party. "The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth. " (1984, pg 95). Anyone who knew the real history of the world had been silenced by the party.

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1984 Essay In George Orwell's novel "1984," the Party's control over information and history is a central theme, reflecting the dangers of authoritarian regimes. The Party's slogan, "Who controls the past, controls the future: Who controls the present, controls the past,"(34) underscores the manipulation of truth and historical revisionism to maintain power, raising concerns about the potential for such control in our society. Encapsulates the central theme of historical revisionism and the manipulation of truth to maintain power. This theme resonates with contemporary society, where the rapid advancement of technology has created new challenges in information control.

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In 1984 the most insidious aspect was “changing the past” because of the complex ways in which it manipulates the trust of Oceania's people. It creates loss of identity, idolization of big brother and confusion among the citizens of Oceania. When talking about loss of identity, I mean that changing the past creates a lack of understanding of oneself for the people of Oceania. Changing the past causes them to lose who they are, and furthermore, causes others to not recognise them, eliminating trust. When I speak about the idolization of big brother, I'm referring to the ways that the citizens view big brother.

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The past was dead, the future was unimaginable” (Orwell 21). As an employee who changes Oceania’s history, Winston sees how far the Party will go to remain in power and feels lost because he has no sense of history. He hates being a citizen in Oceania, a result of power distribution, but he can not do anything about it without educating himself on Oceania's

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In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, he uses truth and reality as a theme throughout the novel to demonstrate the acts of betrayal and loyalty through the characters of Winston and Julia. Orwell expresses these themes through the Party, who controls and brainwashes the citizens of Oceania. The party is able to control its citizens through “Big Brother,” a fictional character who is the leader of Oceania. Big Brother is used to brainwash the citizens into whatever he says. Orwell uses truth and reality in this book to reflect on what has happened in the real world such as the Holocaust and slavery.

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George Orwell’s 1984 is a precautionary tale of what happens when the government has too much control in our lives. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is at odds in a world in which he is not allowed to counter the government’s surveillance and control. Perhaps more striking is the noticeable relationship between the novel and modern society. In George Orwell’s novel 1984 the book predicts the surveillance of Big Brother in modern day societies.

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In the novel 1984, George Orwell enlightens us on a dystopian society. A society where Big Brother has found power in an ever changing past and present; resulting in a subjective truth. The book teaches us that the role of the past provides evidence for the meaning of the present. Our society may be informed of history but without the ability to connect our own past to the present, change will never be possible. Knowledge of the past means nothing without the ability to apply it to the present.

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The Party manipulate history and alter the truth so much so that Winston loses track of time and is unable to accurately recall past events or rationalize his own history. This constant manipulation also results in a loss of faith in his own memory and the unreliability of his own thoughts. Eventually culminating in Winston becoming brainwashed and wholly devoted to the Party. Memory is the recollection of a past event whereas history is the whole series of past events connected with someone or something. (Anon.,2017).

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