Examples Of Manipulation In 1984 By George Orwell

1984

"To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme. No great and enduring novel can ever be written on the flea, though many there be that have tried it, none have succeeded." Stated by the prominent writer Herman Melville, the author of the classic novel Moby Dick. Don't you agree Mrs Nichols? However, we're not here to talk about Herman Melville or even Moby Dick. What we need to talk about is George Orwell and his Orwellian Society, because nineteen eighty fours society is quintessential for a dystopian world. Now Melville said you must choose a mighty theme to produce a mighty book. Nineteen eighty fours contain many strong language features including the mighty theme of psychological manipulation, and the historical context

of Nazi Germany. Therefor making Orwell's novel relevant to today's society and it is seen as a significant piece of literature.

Nineteen eighty fours might theme is psychological manipulation which consequently means psychological manipulation is used in the lives of the citizens living in Oceania through the Giant telescreens. These telescreens constantly stream and present a whirlwind of propaganda which in essence actually make the failures of the party look like extraordinary triumphs. Winston proclaims that the telescreens "... could spy on you night and day..." (G Orwell 1984 page 135) Now miss Nichols this is the epitome of psychological manipulation, not only is the party constantly bombarding you with information. They're watching you day and night. Nothing belongs to the citizens of Oceania and the party would insist on meeting and interacting in a physical space where the party can exercise more dominance and control. However, Winston knew that "Whether he went on with the diary … made no difference. The Thought Police would get him" (G Orwell 1984 page

18) Similarly everything is controlled by the North Korean administration team, from TV, radio, and print. Contents for news and broadcast are censored. Making this extremely similar to nineteen eighty fours society. We can see the novel as a classic because in nineteen eighty-four tells us how vulnerable and susceptible we are to psychologically manipulation. Its depiction of an established totalitarian society, nuclear stand-off with a world in constant fear, total censorship, newspeak and doublethink, offer almost sure-fire topics for discussions in class. Nineteen eighty-four should always remain in our curriculum because we are a lot closer to nineteen eighty-four then most would think, as this book builds a second-hand approach to the experience of a dystopian and totalitarian world. Books like Orwell's are powerful warnings that all students should hear and remember.

Nineteen eighty-four was based off totalitarian societies like Nazi Germany that was run by Adolf Hitler as this is embedded in the historical context of the novel.

When we think of nineteen eighty-four we can easily see the invisible links that Orwell has planted in the book. As Winston exclaimed "When memories failed, and the written records were falsified … the conditions of human life had to be accepted because there did not exist … any standard against which it could be tested" (G Orwell 1984 page 82). This is exactly what Hitler did in regard to the falsification of records when information regarding the Jews was completely rewritten. Their memories were often falsified regarding the information the Nazis did not want them to remember. On the contrary both totalitarian societies have what is now called Leader Worship, this is where both big brother and Adolf Hitler are worship beyond extent and believed to be the rightful leader of their country. In the end the only goal for the party in nineteen eighty-four is to love Big Brother unconditional and forever (G Orwell 1984 page 236). The novel teaches us about the past and is the historical context of literature because it's the past of nineteen eighty-four that helps us understand and value the world around us. It also can be used to helps us understand and value the differences in today's society as it also teaches us about the human conditions and just how vulnerable we are. Thus, nineteen eighty-four should remain

in our curriculum for years to come as the historical context and the benefits of literature are of the utmost importance.

"To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme." I believe that nineteen eighty-four is still a classic piece of literature and will be for many years. Its' sharpened the theme of psychological manipulation and the historical context of nineteen eighty-four. I believe that Melville was right. To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme. All that needs to be done it's to keep nineteen eighty-four as a classic and a benefit of literature. It is hard to imagine a novel that has more reasons to be read and taught. I beg you to keep it in the curriculum because it is a mighty book that we don't want to go down the memory hole anytime soon. Thank you, Miss Nichols, for the spare time today and I hope for all of us that nineteen eighty-four stays within our curriculum.