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Methods of Manipulation in George Orwell's novel 1984

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What does freedom signify? In a country where freedom to do what you choose is the greatest gift of all, there are laws that restrict the daily actions of humans. Additionally, these laws keep some freedoms for humans at bay. This paradox, along with many others, is taken for granted in everyday life. The slogans, formed through doublethink, and the ministries that are created by the Party in George Orwell's novel 1984 are paradoxical in nature, as each individual aspect that seems self-contradictory, but contains a hidden truth. War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength, and the four ministries of the Party are the basis of control for the Party in Oceania. These paradoxes illuminate the theme of the novel: Propaganda and psychological manipulation will lead the masses to believe anything. In Book 1, Chapter one, Winston observes the Party slogans (War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength) painted on the wall of the Ministry of Truth. These slogans are the motto of the Party, and remind people that the life that they live now is better than the life that they led prior to the Revolution. Many of the citizens of Oceania learned how Big Brother made their lives better by overthrowing the Capitalists. In spite of that, these slogans conceal the secret of the power of the Party. In the book Winston gets from the Brotherhood, Big Brother or rather Emmanuel Goldstein, explains the true meaning of each component of the complete slogan. War

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