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1984 George Orwell 1984 Analysis

Decent Essays

History Has Its Eyes On You How many times in your life have you heard the phrase “You can’t change the past.” How many times have you looked back on your life and thought “If only I had done this.” As much as humans want to change the past, we can only change the future. But this isn’t entirely true. There are ways to manipulate past events, or at least the way they are taught. Using written records and propaganda, the past can be rewritten by those in power. In the satire novel 1984, George Orwell considers what life would be like if totalitarianism won out of the Cold War, the dystopian world that would commence, and the fates of those who rebelled against the totalitarian government. The totalitarian government uses propaganda and censorship to manipulate the people, creating ideas of “doublethink” and “crimethink” in many ways similar to commercials and the censorship of climate change. By using the ideas of propaganda and censorship, Orwell argues that humans follow the path with least resistance to feel safe, regardless of the facts, and the few that do know the truth do not have enough power to challenge the masses. Through the Ministry of Truth and the lies they propagate, Orwell portrays ideas of propaganda still evident in commercials today, therefore helping the people believe they are safe. In 1984, the Ministry of Truth rewrites past documents on war, food rations, and even the lives of people “erased.” In one case of rewriting history, Winston

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