Manipulation in 1984 Essay

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No one likes the idea of being told what to do and how to do it, but in some stories, both real and fiction there are many people who cannot speak or act for themselves. One of the best examples to use is George Orwells book 1984 which describes a totalitarian government at an extreme. In 1984, a man named Winston begins to realize the type of society he is living in and he wants out. He goes through numerous issues, from falling in love with another rebel, trying to discover the truth of what the leaders are hiding and most important a way to get out and be free. Along the way he discovers just how corrupted his world is and things just take a turn for the worse from there. In the end Winston discovers that everything he stood for was right but big brother was too much for one man to handle. This book was inspired by some of the dictatorships that were going on around this time; such as Hitler and Stalin. Hitler as we all know started WWII, created the holocaust, and was a military genius had gone wrong. Stalin was a, for the country man, but him and Soviet Union didnt really see eye-to-eye, but by using the great purges and his constitution, he was became one of the worlds biggest dictators. Orwell took their ideas and used his imagination to attempt to explain what would have happened if men like these kept running society. 1984, along side real dictators had their ways of controlling the society through: blinded loyalty, loss of individuality, and false reality, which changed the way so many people lived during that time period.

Being manipulated is one thing, but being brainwashed to the point where youre not fully away is much worse. In 1984, the people of Oceania are wired to work on behalf of the party doctrine, in the process they lose themselves and become patriotic slaves. Theyre so into this system that some people might even be glad for doing such a crime whether or not they even committed a crime or doing anything bad for that matter.. Some people just see as the party as the only way, Im glad they got before it went any further (Orwell 193). Parsons was obviously for the party so much to the point where he was excited to see a chance to become perfect in their eyes. His daughter was also the one who put him where he was at, the ministry of Luv, which is the police of this story. Whats worst is that he seemed proud of that too because the party knows best. Even as young as children they are raised into a party mindset. They go so willingly considering that its all they know, What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the spies they were whatever to rebel against the discipline of the party (24). From being born innocent then having the party turn the kids into spies and savages, its just another way of people losing their privacy. Kids are so brainwashed by the party that they dont even realize that there are selling out their own blood not even knowing the horrible consequences that are about to happen to them. The party leaders dont just control how people run their lives; they also are starting to mold theirs at an early age, taking away their freedom before they even know that they could have had it. Kids being spies are not only shown in 1984, but the famous dictators Hitler and Stalin use these same tactics.

Orwell had gotten the idea of making kids into spies or other means of work by the real life dictators in the 1940s. Hitler began a project knows as project werewolf, which created an education system for German kids to becomes spies and soldiers (Volkssturm Par. 7). The project was a fail, but the idea it stood for makes an effort to force the kids into becoming miniature minions which is bad no matter what. Going across the continent, in the Soviet Union Stalin had a successful kids spy group called the Komosomol. The komosomol taught kids the way of Stalins laws, making and supporting propaganda which in turned helped gained supporters for Stalin. Regardless if it were Hitler or Stalin, the kids that worked for them never knew a life of normal kids; they lost what they havent even received yet, their individuality. Their confused dedicated kids, fighting for a cause they know nothing about. With Being blinded by the way the party has raised them they fall under a blinded loyalty to which can only lead them into more a loss of who they are and who they may ever become because they already have their minds set.

Losing the things that make you, you, can make life so much less enjoyable or even unbearable. 1984, shows you a different type of de-humanizing process that its comrades go through; being torn apart from the mind and the not the body. From being watched/heard over by the telescreen to deciding what is and whats not allowed to be released to the people for their fake enjoyment. A telescreen is a tool used by the party to watch everything that their comrades are doing, just another way of how people cannon be themselves in their own homes. Winston is one of the men that have to remake history; in that process he learns something about himself, He was abusing big brother even contained Newspeak words (14). Winston wanted the people and himself to be able to live without a restriction of words, but in 1984s reality tells him that where he lives its not possible. That was only through his personal thoughts, but there are people, the party leaders, that will strip you down of who you and make you conform to big brothers society. Room 101 is the partys best attempt to change you and Winston gets a first person point of view of what the room is capable of. They try to get them to believes anything that party is telling them; How many fingers, Winston (206-208). Winston is one of the few left that have any type of free thought, and you see OBrien try to squash it out of him. OBrien tries to make the point that if the party wants 2 + 2 = 5, its going to be that way, it will be that way whether or not it has to be shoved down the throats of all those left with a say in the matter.

1984, was just a book to express these ideas, but in reality people have much more harsh ways to tear you away from yourself. Hitlers first step in taking power was the night of long knives. During the night of long knives, Hitler executed all of his political enemies and since no one was left, he was put in charge of Germany. With all of his enemies gone and he got into power, his dictatorship was in full effect and Hitlers words were not law. Everyone was forced to be what Hitler wanted his people to be otherwise they may end up on the wrong side of the Holocaust. Hes not the only one who used his status to create their way of living. In 1936 Stalin created his own constitution, to not only protect his words, but to prevent those from creating their own ideas. His constitution was successful in creating a few good things, but more importantly it kept control over the kulaks (peasants) and what they would do in everyday life (Encly. Volume 1 A-D). There are other ways that to get someone to listen to a leader figure (Hitler/Stalin), it just takes some strong words and the people needed to enforce it.

Oceania not only blinds their people physically (controlling what they do), but they also take away their mental state of minds that make them unique. The party is always changing its stores in order to keep their people on a tight leash. Things such as changing history to make sure Oceania is the best country around or shrinking the dictionary to keep people from knowing too much or expressing themselves with intelligence. Winston even discovers some raw truth, Some time after the release one possible conclusion: the confessions were lies (Orwell 65-67). Winston found good concrete evidence that the part gives a false reality to their fellow comrades. However, with what Winston knows, he begins to think it may not even be true considering that Oceanias history is always changing. To further mislead everyone else, there are editions of the dictionary, each time words are disappearing each time. The party use a different dictionary each chance they get, The eleventh edition is grown almost dream (45). With less words to express thought, emotions, or general ideas it leads to a person not being able to even branch out and show off their creativity. Its one step closer to being controlled at its best, education is gone and forced thought has replaced it.

There are never good outcomes from war, but it gets even worse when the reason the war even started was based on lies. Making a false story to keep the people needed in line and willing to be patriotic, its the easiest way to keep people form asking questions. In 1933 a parliament building in German was burned down, by what people thought was just a Germany enemy (Hitlers False Flag Par. 1). That was a lie, it turned out that a Nazi officer burned the building down. With that building and all of its occupants out of the way, it helped Hitler become in charge, starting the beginning of tragedies. Even as patriotic as Hitler claimed to be, he was willing to lie to his people just to get his way, and it wasnt even the only time he had done this. In 1939 Hitler claimed that a Poland had enabled a terrorist attack on Germany (Par. 2). According to the story, a dead polish man had tried to cause chaos on a German local radio station, but that was a lie too. It turns out that he was just a dead polish man and the Nazis repositioned his body on the Poland/Germany border, and the story was created. With people enraged on the so called attack on Germany, everyone back up Hitler when he wanted to invade Poland. As the story goes, Hitler invaded Poland and with that move, World War II came to be.

Just like how big brother runs a society through secrecy, to this day we still have similar groups running things the same. Illuminati is a group that used mass media and subliminal images to conform us without even knowing. No one knows if they truly still exist to this day, but there are little hints of there whereabouts. Words by Orwell were even used to help explain how illuminatis society is, Orwell feared that what we fear will run us. By having what we feat control, we are put in a world of false reality, of no more hope for any of the values that people stood for. To put its views in terms of 1984, and organize it by using things today that would take place in the story. You can compare the inner party to the leaders of this society (2%) the people who promote this group (13%) and the citizens who are falling victim (85%) (Illuminati Pyramid). We see how the false media is puts people in following illuminati. This group puts subliminal images in popular figures to get us to put our minds on them without even knowing that were under their control. With no way to tell whats true, we as the citizens are forced to have this shoved than our throats and hope that we can find out way.

Orwells writing and other dictators help express what its like to control a society using blinded loyalty, loss of individuality, and false reality. Hitler and Stalin both had tactics that they would use to help maintain society such as project werewolf, Stalins constitution and executing people to make sure that their way stayed that way. 1984 expressed the views and somewhat a prediction of how the world would be doing if we let these types of governments continue to run. Dictionaries being downgrades, rooms of torture to make you change your mind, and labor camps are just one of the few things that both the books and real life dictators used to spread their ways across the nations. Thankfully we have somewhat of hold on how things run so we can keep our heads up high and remember what can happen if a government like this ever chooses to come up again.

Work cited page

1. Orwell, George. 1984. Austin: Holt-Rinehart and Winston 1949. Print.

2. Encyclopedia of Russian History. Volume 1 A-D. Communist Youth organization Print.

3. Encyclopedia of Russian History. Volume 4 S-Z. Staling Josef V. Print.

4. Volkssturm: The Final Defense. Hitler's Boy Soldiers. 19 May 2011. 1999 The history Place Copyrights.

http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/hitleryouth/hj-boy-soldiers.htm Web.

5. Hitlers False Flag Attacks. 19 May 2011. NP. http://www.conspiracyreality.org/2011/03/hitlers-false-flag-attacks.html Web.

6. 1984 and the Illuminati Pyramid 20 May 2011. NP. Dated Posted 14 April 2010.

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewphoto/30153/1984_and_The_Illuminati_Pyramid/