1984 Propaganda Analysis

The Party in 1984 Oceania has one main goal: keep the citizens under their complete control. The Party as a group is a massive force that will stop for nothing. Their altercation of the past and the spewing of propaganda tv’s keep the people believing the Party’s every word. The corruption has gone so far that they even drag on wars to make people have a strong sense of togetherness and nationalism. In the book 1984, the villainous qualities of the Party create the biggest impact on the story by causing hatred, converting minds, and creating a new Winston.

In the book 1984 by George Orwell (1949) , the government uses physical and mental methods to control the citizens of Oceania. Orwell portrays an undemocratic government, INGSOC (English Socialism), ruled by a dictator they call big brother. Who seems to have the power to control and the right to anything possible. All the people in Oceania have no freedom at all. The government have physical and mental methods of controlling the population.

Societies and the people that constitute them vary widely across the globe and throughout history. But how do these societies impact the people that are a part of it, and vice versa? Authors George Orwell and William Golding each addressed this question in their respective books, 1984 and Lord of the Flies. In 1984, a man named Winston struggles with an oppressive, totalitarian government called the Party, which represents itself through a symbolic figurehead known as Big Brother. The Party wants complete control over every aspect of their citizens’ lives, and to achieve this, it surveils them constantly.

Winston not only distrusts the tyrannical ways of Big Brother, he rebels and engages in illegal acts to gain his freedom. Winston buys a diary in which to write his thoughts. Orwell narrates, “His pen has slid voluptuously over the smooth paper, printing in large neat capitals – DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER...” (Orwell 20). In his journal, Winston condemns the government because he loathes the way the people of Oceania are treated. It is a crime for citizens of Oceania to express any emotions that belittle Big Brother.

In 1984, Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania are at constant war at each other, instilling fear and submissive attitudes from the general public, whilst supporting the government and justifying their actions. As Orwell

The first point is doublethink, in 1984 the party uses the idea of continuous war as an act of doublethink. It focuses the hatred and rage of the people away from Big Brother and towards the “enemy” as well as providing excuses for the second rate life of the citizens. Oceania is and has always been at war with Eurasia, but during Hate Week, the enemy changes to Eastasia. The party immediately disregards all of the evidence showing that Oceania has been at war with Eurasia. Doublethink causes the people to hold and then accept the false idea that they had always been at war with Eastasia, even though material

1984 is a novel that shows the severity of totalitarian and communist rule by showing what London would be like in the future if it were under totalitarian rule. The novel shows the life of a low ranking member of the society, Winston Smith. Everywhere that Winston goes, he is watched by the government and forced to look at propaganda showing the government is watching him. The government, Big Brother, even watches Winston and others in their own homes. At the start of the novel, Winston feels frustrated by the oppressive rule of Big Brother which even prohibits free thought and expression of individuality.

In George Orwell’s book 1984, readers get a closer look at a totalitarian system of Oceania through Winston Smith’s eyes. The system operates through four social groups: Big Brother, Inner Party, Outer Party and the most notable of all, the proletarian class. The proles are described as the working class but inferior compared to the other 3 social groups. While considered insignificant by the Inner party, they are quite significant in Winston’s mind as the proles could rebel against the Inner party if they realized the truth behind the party’s system. The totalitarian system of Oceania has a continuous cycle of deconstruction and reconstruction over their reality and utilizes it to exert their control over all their citizens.

This theme of hatred is illustrated in the novel 1984 with the hate rallies. During the Two Minutes Hate not only was one “obliged to act a part, but... it was impossible to avoid joining in”. (Orwell 18/19) This strategy of unified hatred of a crowd creates the optimal environment for group acceptance of a scapegoat. Once a scapegoat is firmly established, propaganda campaigns effectiveness are increased significantly. Just as Nazi Germany blamed the Jews, handicapped, gays, and other minorities for the tragedies that the country were trying so desperately to overcome; the Oceania government used whichever society, Eastasia or Eurasia, they felt like.

In Orwell’s novel 1984, Room 101 represents the power of the Party and is the room where Winstons spirit is crushed. Room 101 is a presentation utilized by the party to show absolute dominance. It proves that the party has the power to totally ruin someone through the use of their deepest fear. Fear is the ultimate dominance. If you can purchase the power to pressure someone to meet their biggest fear, you have the ultimate dominance over that individual.