Harold Pinter´s Among the Hidden and the Theme of Propaganda

Luke can be described as a man that is undoubtfully determined. After being sentenced to two years, it can be immediately seen he does not fit in with the other

In certain societies everything involved in one’s life is influenced by the government. A government with total control is known as totalitarian. One of the methods that these totalitarian governments use is propaganda. Propaganda is “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person” (Merriam-Webster). In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the protagonist, Winston Smith, is influenced by the ideas presented by the government of Oceania. The totalitarian government in this novel, known as “The Party” ensures that the citizens’ minds are filled with propaganda and confusion so that thoughts of rebellion cannot be sustained. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, protagonist, Guy Montag, begins to question the society around him, and with the help of a few allies, changes his views. In this novel the government uses propaganda to promote certain things in society, such as burning books. An example of this technique in the real world, is carried out by the ruler of North Korea. In the country of North Korea, dictator Kim Jong Un uses propaganda to restrict his people from the world around them. For decades North Korea has been one of the world’s most secretive societies. It is one of the few countries still under formal communist rule. Throughout history, freedom of expression is often limited by the government, allowing them to use propaganda as a method of totalitarian

Imagine a society in which the main law is the population law. In the novel “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix, the population law determines that a family may only consist of four people. But in the Garner’s house they didn’t play by the rules, instead they had a third child, Luke. He hides and lives in the attic. But when the “population police” arrive Luke hides in the basement.

In just the course of A New Hope, Luke’s character changes immensely. The critical incident that sparks a change of his

She had gathered about 40 other third children to come, but they had all gotten shot by government officials (p. ). Before Luke found out that Jen had died, he had snuck into her house like he usually did for their secret meetings. The alarm went off and he disabled it like Jen had taught him to. Once he got into the third children chat room that Jen had created, the front door to the house burst open and Jen’s dad stepped in. Jen’s dad, Luke later found out, worked for the population police (p. ), the people that, without prior notice, barge into people’s houses and make sure there are no illegal third children living there. He was on the third children’s side, though. He offered to get Luke a fake I.D. and send him to a boarding school for boys, and Luke accepted. I felt really sorry for Luke because he would never be able to see his family again. The people who had raised Luke would never be in his life again. Luke probably missed his mother especially, because she was the one that would always sit down with Luke in the attic and talk to him and comfort him. Also, the day he was going to the school, Luke’s mother had made him two eggs for breakfast, which she had to work 40 extra hours for in the factory (p. ).

His rise in power and his desire for disobedience lacks one critical point that he fails to see throughout the film: a just objective. He breaks the norm in jail so simply fulfill his thirst to be different and not what he seems unjust and unfair. As a prisoner, he has lost most of his rights as an American citizen and he has to be punished as a result. His treatment seems fair; he received three meals, recreation time, visiting hours and care--there was no evidence of mistreatment or unfair conditions. This first two attempts to escape showed that he performed those actions just to demonstrate his ability to escape and hold on to his newfound power and glory. They do not, however, help him realize all the reasons to behave well and obey authority in jail in order to fully appreciate all the benefits of freedom once his term was over. Instead, it reassured the inmates that Luke has become the leader and he will continue to break the law as he pleased.

World War 1 proved America to be the nation producing the highest amount of propaganda. Through his use of propaganda President Wilson was able to draw American Support for the war. Despite his being elected as the “peace” president. Many Americans believed he’d keep them out of the war, especially after he stated that, “so far as I can remember, this is a government of the people, and this people is not going to choose war.” Before his election, Wilson promoted American neutrality. He pushed for what he believed his Americans wanted. However, through his employment of propaganda, Woodrow Wilson was able

Throughout the story, Luke changed from being obedient to disobedient in a short period of time. Luke started off as very obedient and well behaved. Luke never disobeyed his parents, especially when they were calling him in to hide. He knew that hiding was very important, and that it was a very bad idea to disobey his parents when they were calling him in to hide. As

Luke is also a very religious man. He goes to church every single Sunday. His closest and only friend is named Paul Leboeuf. Paul is also the minister at the church Luke attends. Being a religious man, Luke feels guilty about moving on and finding someone new to love because it goes against the wedding vows he made to his wife. Being a faithful and moral man is another example of how Dubus created underlying problems in the story.

For example this propaganda poster is encouraging Australian men to enlist in the war. The use of second person in the poster pressures men to go help out by using word “you” and talking directly to the viewer. Also having woman and a child in the poster is compelling the man because the woman and child rely on the father/husband for protection as well as the sense of guilt felt if the viewer is not going out to help the others in war. This source is reliable because it is from the Australian War Memorial. Although the source is propaganda, it provides a clear understanding of why people wanted to join the war at the time.

In Oceania, rumors, myths, ideas and false information controls the minds of the citizens. The Party uses propaganda as a powerful weapon against the citizens. There are many types of propaganda used. Propaganda is brainwash. The citizens of Oceania are brainwashed to think that the Party is really there to help them, to make them happy. “WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” and “Big Brother is Watching You” are examples of doublethink. These uses of propaganda prevent rebellion of the citizens of Oceania because they believe that this society is the ideal society. They believe they are protected, and that they could not be happier. Propaganda is the Party’s

In a dystopian society, there is no such thing as “freedom.” The basic rights that human beings are born with are non-existent. Life for the citizens is made unjust, unfair, selfless, and cruel in order to satisfy the needs of the corporate control, also known as the party inside of the novel. In 1984, the depicted world where the party members lives are attracted to the government in every way possible is portrayed , just as a gear would turn a wheel. The strong government power implants lies and false beliefs inside the minds of citizens, making them brainwashed and unable to contain any other substance. In every case their is always a protagonist, or two, itching to escape the tight grip of the mental and physical hold that is placed upon them by the controller. Inside of the powerful novel 1984, propaganda, rigorous laws, and surveillance characterizes the society.

The Cold War was one of the wars that made everyone hold their breaths and ponder would would happen next and when. The Cold War was a time period between 1947 to1991 in which the Western powers (US) and the USSR competed with each other in a tense rivalry and strive to outperform one another. It was also one of the key moments in history which spiked a motive and drive to develop and produce new strategies, weapons, and technologies. There was no actual fighting which took place (hence the name Cold War), but the two were always trying to best each other. The two superpowers often contested with each other militaristically, socially, politically, and economically. With this in mind: what weapons were used to fight the Cold War? Generally, Cold War weapons included the use of propaganda, nuclear weapons, and new technological development.

The soviet communist party, or the Bolsheviks, always new that strong propaganda was essential to increase the consciousness of the masses. As stated in the Encyclopedia of Propaganda, " propaganda was central to Marxist-Leninist ideology long before the Bolshevik revolution of 1917."(675) The power of persuasion and coercion were exercised with great force by Soviet leaders. The two leaders whom utilized propaganda to influence public opinion in the USSR were Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. Both men used many different facets of the media to spread their propaganda. They also used the troubled social climate along with the ignorance of the masses to custom tailor a regime that lasted for over seven decades.

There are two types of propaganda: sociological propaganda; the spreading of an ideology through the mass media, and political propaganda; efforts that are sponsored by governments and political groups that alter a persons’ interests. All propaganda has a direction, and the overall quality determines whether it will have a positive or negative effect over the masses. Our entire nation is a vast propaganda operational system that is greatly linked to education, consumerism and politics. A great deal of what makes up propaganda and how it is placed among the masses lies in understanding the overall emotional and physical states of these groups of people and in finding a way to draw a persons’ attention to capture their hearts, breaking down