Ignorance Is Strength Slogan Analysis

War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength. These three phrases may contradict everything that you know and have been taught, but in the “negative utopia” of George Orwell’s novel 1984 these are

George Orwell’s 1984 is more than just a novel, it is a warning to a potential dystopian society of the future. Written in 1949, Orwell envisioned a totalitarian government under the figurehead Big Brother. In this totalitarian society, every thought and action is carefully examined for any sign of rebellion against the ruling party. Emotion has been abolished and love is nonexistent; an entire new language is being drafted to reduce human thought to the bare minimum. In a society such as the one portrayed in 1984, one is hardly human. In George Orwell’s 1984, the party uses fear, oppression, and propaganda to strip the people of their humanity.

Symbol of Big Brother: A totalitarian government. he is a reassurance to most people (his name suggests his ability to protect), but he is also an open threat (one cannot escape his watch). Big Brother also symbolizes the vagueness with which the higher ranks of the Party present themselves—its impossible to know who rules Oceania, what life is like for the rulers, or why they act the way they do.

           In George Orwell’s 1984, the Party’s slogan “Ignorance is strength” is the foundation of the security of Oceania’s society. The proles’ ignorance to repression increases the strength of the Party and Big Brother, allowing them to have complete control and diminish humanity.  The most gifted citizens are assassinated, whereas the less intelligent, perish.  In Oceania, the non-ignorant  and independent citizens who risk their lives and chose to rebel, are the weak and therefor collapse.

George Orwell’s 1984 establishes a paradox in order to display an ironic discovery of truth. The slogan “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength” used throughout Oceania is crazy, but it is also truthful. A quote from the book states “until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious” (Orwell 70). This quote suggests that the citizens are locked inside this slogan of the party, and have been brainwashed into following the rules that they have in place. Secondly, war is peace demonstrates that being in war constantly keeps Oceania under control. A summary on 1984 says “The reason for the war is to keep their economies productive without adding to the wealth of their citizens” (Celona). This evidence shows how the party believes war keeps their country away from rebellion. Lastly, the statement “Freedom is Slavery” is a paradox shown throughout the novel. An article says “the society he lives in strips its citizens not only of their freedom but of their very humanity” (Becnel). This passage suggests that without slavery and control in Oceania, we would not know of freedom. Orwell’s use of paradoxes helps the reader to understand the true meaning behind the slogan used in 1984.

"War is peace, freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength" (Orwell 7) this is one of the very many slogans that were used to control society in George Orwell 's piece 1984. Dystopian literature is a futuristic universe that is oppressive and uses bureaucratic, totalitarian, and/or technological control to control society. In Orwell 's Dystopian book 1984, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr 's short story "Harrison Bergeron", and Andrew Niccol 's film In time, there are many examples of a Dystopia is that contain a lot of comparisons between the stories. Dystopian literature whether it be novel, film, or short story focuses on similar characteristics and things.

“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” In 1984, George Orwell explains the struggles these characters face in order to sacrifice their freedom. The characters in Orwell’s 1984 do not experience freedom as evidenced by the lack of privacy, manipulation and power.

War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength. The government slogan illustrates the sense of stringency that characterizes the world created by George Orwell. The vast power of the Oceanian government kept their people in constant paranoia through perpetual publicity, mangled violence and persistent manipulation in order to keep their world regulated as much as possible. The scene in the Novel 1984 is positioned in the expansive nation of Oceania, a realm of the future that replicates London. It is a totalitarian state that is dictated by an perplexing figure named Big Brother, who may not even exist. The government of this world is prevailed by the group of the Inner Party, and use their dominance by inhibiting everything

The strongest people are poor, starving, and treated like animals. In 1948, author George Orwell wrote the dystopian novel 1984. In 1984, Orwell created a world without freedom of speech, motion, and thought to portray an idea of our world with totalitarian power. In the book, it follows a member of the Outer Party named Winston, and his fight to keep his freedom of thought through love, rebellion, and secrecy. Throughout the book, it portrays three important themes, War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. The statement, “Ignorance is Strength” is a deep meaning throughout George Orwell’s 1984 due to the jocundity of the Proles, the rigid rules and expectations of both the Inner and Outer party, and Big Brother’s strive

In a society with totalitarian government every aspect of our lives are to be controlled by them. These words are what we call paradoxes and they are the words or slogans of the party, which is basically the totalitarian government in the novel. Contrasting words are the propaganda in which the party induces into the minds of its people and use their fear to make them do anything that they want. Its almost as if they are forcing the people to accept that 2+2=5 and while its not true, the power that the party has over the people can make them happily believe so. “Ignorance is strength” that quote helps show the party’s intention to withdraw any real information that the people have and give them new ones to believe. The less that the people

George Orwell’s use of satire in Nineteen Eighty-Four makes his message powerful. The strength of his message was so powerful that he even got an adjective that denotes the conditions that are destructive to the welfare of society. Through satire he effectively makes the reader realize the depressing and irreversible future that is a consequence of political indifference. First, his use of irony throughout his story helps place emphasis on his message and deepen the reader’s understanding of his message. This story’s irony can be summed up in one statement made at the start of the story: “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (6).

Paradox in Orwell’s 1984 novel emphasizes the contradictions of the legal institutions more than in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. The usage of irony to show the cruelty behind the words of the Party slogan, “WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” (Orwell 4). Orwell uses antonyms to show the reader in this slogan the contradiction in its own words. Irony is crucial to understand why Orwell’s use of paradox in 1984 is superior to explain the reversed roles of the institutions on punishment than Measure for Measure. Both authors describe contradictions on the role of the legal institutions through the main characters’ experiences. Once we see that the laws are in contradiction through the actions of those in power, and then we can understand the importance of how each author writes about both events before and after paradox. By using oxymoron, we will see that it is the paradox emphasizing the contradiction of the institution rather than the punishment.

“WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” Those words are repeated multiple times throughout the first 8 chapters of the book and speaks highly of the type of civilization. The main character Winston Smith lives in. Which is a totalitarian government (there is one class within the civilization that has complete power over all other classes). However even knowing that there was a class of people who towered over everyone else telling them what to think and how to act. I still could not understand how someone would be able to accept that “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” it just seems obvious to me that those are all the opposite of each other and yet only a few individuals including Winston question this.

Another dominant example of irony is the Party’s slogan: “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (Orwell 17). The slogan is an example of superficial verbal irony. However, upon closer examination, it sheds more light on Orwell’s intent. By stating that “war is peace”, Orwell sends distinct messages to two vastly different groups. To the proles, the commoners, “war is peace” can be read at its most literal meaning, that there can one day be peace by defeating the enemy and securing victory. Despite the simple understanding the proles have of the slogan, those in the Inner Party, the group of people in charge of Oceania, have a much more devious understanding of it. To them, the slogan represents the shell game that they play with the common citizen. Much like the street gambler taking bets on which shell the rock is under, the Inner Party assures that the citizenry is focused on whatever country Oceania is fighting, rather than on the leaders of the country. This claim is further supported on page 161 where Orwell describes the futility of the wars that are being fought. “None of the three superstates ever attempts any maneuver which involves the risk of serious defeat” (Orwell 161). Rather than try to end the wars, they continue fighting to keep the minds of the working class occupied with hate. The leaders in 1984 saw that it was not advantageous to advocate a strict moral

Making Big Brother the people's Past, Present, and Future is the Party's ultimate goal. This slogan epitomizes everything the Ministry of Truth stands for. In the Ministry of Truth, the Party attempts to control the thoughts of the people by altering and falsifying history. Editing speeches and newspaper articles as per the wishes of the Party are all in a day's work for a Minitrue worker. Control of the past allows for the control of the future, for the past is used basically as a set of conditions that justify or encourage future goals. For example, if the past was halcyon, then people would want to re-create it, but if the past was dreadful, then people will want to prevent such circumstances from happening again. The ruling elite