Power of Propaganda

“Ignorance is Strength” is one of the three oxymoronic slogans in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. Throughout his life, George Orwell was a democratic socialist and 1984 was a commentary on the fascist dictatorships of his era. The Party, which is the dystopian government of the novel, constantly reminds its citizens of similar slogans to ingrain them into their minds. Equally as important, Orwell effectively ingrains the same slogans into the reader’s minds; the slogans seem to be of little importance, and can be easily skimmed over, but the meaning of them are slowly made clear. Although these quotes seem somewhat moronic at first, they play a key role in understanding Orwell’s message through their symbolism, irony, and hidden metaphors in the structure of an oxymoron(Ignorance is Strength).

In “1984”, lies, myths and false information controls the thinking of the citizens. The Party uses propaganda as the deadliest weapon of control. Propaganda increases the citizens’ morale and makes them think that what the party tells them to do is always right.

An important quote in the novel was, "WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGH"(Orwell 4). When I first read it in capitals, I knew it was important. It was their slogan. I kept asking myself what does this mean? It seems to be the exact opposite of what it actually is. I learned it was something called double thinking. Double thinking is defined as "The acceptance of two contradictory ideas or beliefs at the same time"("Double thinking"). The citizens actually believe in this slogan simply because the party says so. The party has brainwashed all the citizens. As a result, they believe everything the party says. In addition, there are two meanings for each slogan. To begin with, one for how the party understands it. Then for how

1984 was published in 1949, shortly after World War II had ended. During this era, the devastation of the Holocaust had left a widespread fear among the world. “He assessed the threatening years of the mid-century” to compose a book that would demonstrate the reality of a tyrannical ruler like Adolph Hitler (Hopley 59). “Books like Orwell’s are powerful warnings (Orwell 326).” It is quite obvious that his intention is to “sound a warning” and to “awaken us (Orwell 325, 326).” The book is centered on the threat of physical, emotional, or mental abuse if one disagrees with an established group or party. This threat leads the people of Oceania to recognize what the “Party holds to be truth is truth” and that “it is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party (Orwell 249).” “The Party can manipulate truth when the truth is psychological through certain stable laws of cause and effect; through pain it can create a sense of reality. The Party is opposed to reality based upon the senses because such a reality is private

Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four features the Party, a totalitarian political group that micromanages citizen’s lives. A technique that is used to convey this are the Party uniforms, which show the extreme conformity of Party members. The Party creates and distributes propaganda and political slogans, “War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength,” This key political slogan is engraved onto a central building in the city; the ironically named Ministry of Truth. The oxymoronic nature of the slogan amplifies the strong psychological control the Party had over civilians.

The use of strong slogans is easily one of the most obvious strategies used by the make-believe government of Oceania and the two candidates to win the people’s support. For instance, Oceania’s three primary slogans are “war is peace,” “freedom is slavery,” and “ignorance is strength” (Orwell Part 1 Ch 1, Location 40). These slogans are mentioned repeatedly throughout the course of the novel, fixating the slogans into the reader’s memories, just as Oceania’s citizens have the slogans fixated into theirs. Since these slogans are the slogans of

     War is Peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. These are the beliefs that the citizens of Oceania, in the novel titled 1984, written by George Orwell, live by. In this novel, Oceania, one of the three remaining world super powers, is a totalitarian, a society headed by 'Big Brother' and his regime, known as the ministries of Truth, Love, and Peace. A totalitarian government is defined as a government characterized by a political authority which exercises absolute and centralized control, and in which the state regulates every realm of life. This is the type of world that the citizens of Oceania must live in, ruled by fear and under force every day. The names of the different ministries for example,

“Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state” (Chomsky 17). Propaganda is an arsenal used to deceive innocent civilians, a method of mental dominance and cultural preeminence. Governmental control is often reliant on various factors, propaganda being the most conniving tactic. This tactic can be observed in most communist, dictatorship, and totalitarian governments; all of which are political bodies wherein the government constantly demands supreme authority. Civilian indoctrination or propaganda is the sword that can pierce through the principles of freedom, rights, and democracy. Yet the sword is also the ammunition, the driving force for ethnocentrism, ignorance, and domination. 1984, by George Orwell, pictured in the dystopian city of London in Oceania, follows the rebellious and perplexing life of Winston Smith. Orwell’s works are often expositions of controversial propaganda, and 1984 is no anomaly, following the chronicles of Smith’s vulnerability to the propaganda of the Big Brother and the Party. The unscrupulous radicalization of youth, deployment of calculating contrivances that violate mental parameters, and employment of indelible expressions are all forms of the ubiquitous propaganda that plagues the lives of the civilians in the Party-led Oceania. Privacy is often encroached using propaganda, however, this tactic can be a violation into tangible and metaphysical space, a violation that transforms the mental state and mere

The power of propaganda is often over looked, and those who manipulate and utilize its strength can make even the most absurd and repelling thought seem appealing. Adolf Hitler was one such man as he stated that, "The receptivity of the great masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan" On the contrary, Mein Kampf was initially available in two rather large volumes. Until January 30, 1933, the total sales of

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” Three famous, contradictory statements learned and accepted. 1984 by George Orwell depicts a future of a totalitarian nation called Oceania. Suppressively ruling over the lives of its civilians, the fictional nation leaves even the ruling class with little to no freedom. Constantly monitoring its civilians, the nation attempted not only to control the actions of its people but also the thoughts. Although this scenario sounds fictitious, Oceania contains striking similarities to several different nations with North Korea being the closest.

“WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (Orwell 4). However appealing this statement seems to be to the people of the Party, these words are nevertheless their identity and are tied both to themselves and to their seemingly inherent love for their party. In George Orwell’s 1984, he uses politically-charged language to put a spotlight on and capture the public’s attention to political movements happening both inside and outside the story that Orwell believes are examples of political injustices in the world around him (Amenta 170). Looking back, most of what the world considers problems, communication might have avoided, likewise, most of what is considered achievements in the world can be boiled down to one central connection, words. Words are impactful and lead to greater understandings of the people that inhabit the world, but they can also lead to significant strife and opportunities for corruption and authoritarianism by the people who control it.

In “1984”, lies, myths and false information controls the thinking of the citizens. The Party uses propaganda as the deadliest weapon of control. Propaganda increases the citizens’ morale and makes them think that what the party tells them to do is always right. There are mainly two types of propaganda, one changes truth, so-called doublethink, and another creates fear. “Doublespeak” can be seen frequently in the world of 1984. The party’s big slogan “WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” (George Orwell, 4) is an good example. The idea of the slogan is to convince the citizens that what they want, is what they already have. Only war can make peace and harmony, so peace is no longer peace, it becomes war; anyone who is slaved and wants freedom, he already has freedom; you can only strengthen yourself by not knowing things and being ignorant. The slogan changes

In “1984”, lies, myths and false information controls the thinking of the citizens. The Party uses propaganda as the deadliest weapon of control. Propaganda increases the citizens’ morale and makes them think that what the party tells them to do is always right. There are mainly two types of propaganda, one changes truth, so-called doublethink, and another creates fear. “Doublespeak” can be seen frequently in the world of 1984. The party’s big slogan “WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” (George Orwell, 4) is an good example. The idea of the slogan is to convince the citizens that what they want, is what they already have. Only war can make peace and harmony, so peace is no longer peace, it becomes war; anyone who is slaved and wants freedom, he already has freedom; you can only strengthen yourself by not knowing things and being ignorant. The slogan changes

In 1984, lies and false information take over the citizen’s minds. Manipulation tactics are used in different ways. Orwell describes, “And so it was with every class of recorded fact, great or small. Everything faded away into a shadow-world in which, finally, even the date of the year had become uncertain” (39). Due to the Party’s total control and modification of all media in Oceania, thereare no certain records to go off of. Members are now forced to even question even their memories. The Party also uses propaganda as one of their deadliest weapon of manipulation. Propaganda heightens increases the citizens’ self esteem and

“War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength.” George Orwell’s 1984 depicts a dystopian state which is controlled by a totalitarian government. The government uses propaganda as a cornerstone of exploiting people to remain in power. Techniques such as doublethink, slogans, newspeak and laws are cunningly used by the regime in order to maintain authority. Every action of an individual is controlled by the state through manipulation, thus restricting an individual from using their own intellect in order to make effective decisions. The propaganda evident in 1984 can be compared to the propaganda found in the film Goodbye Lenin, which is a film set in the period preceding and succeeding the fall of the Berlin wall.