Examples Of Propaganda In 1984 By George Orwell

The Party uses propaganda as a powerful weapon against the citizens of Oceania. It is used to brainwash, control, and instill fear within Oceania. One of the most effective forms of propaganda used in 1984 is the saying “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 1). It is a slogan that is introduced at the very beginning of the novel which aims to keep the citizens of Oceania in line with the totalitarian rule in a brainwashing way. This poster itself is placed religiously all over Oceania, which symbolizes the constant reminder of the surveillance being used to keep people in order. The poster has an image of a face which in the text is described as, “an enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move”

(Orwell 1). The graphics of the poster are also very symbolic. Not only do the words say they are watching the citizens, but the eyes actually seem to be following them as well. This is crucial to one of the themes of the novel, which is surveillance.

It shows eyes that are always watching the civilians. This poster is considered propaganda because it terrifies the individuals into conforming to society’s strict rules, by promoting and publicizing a particular political image. Furthermore, it is misleading in the sense that, they are referring to themselves as “Big Brother”, which sounds to be a loving sibling or even mentor. But in reality is a controlling dictatorship.
Another effective form of propaganda can be seen as the Party’s slogan “War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength” (Orwell 6). “War is Peace” means that while Oceania is at war with other countries, the citizens will stay united because there is a common enemy. Therefore, by keeping war, people do not have enemies inside the country because the citizens are busy fighting enemies outside the country. In 1984, the war is not necessary, but is kept as a way to control the people. The contradiction with this quote is that war and peace are opposites; furthermore, people can’t have peace when they feel threatened by a war. In 1984, people feel threatened by rocket bombs and Eurasian soldiers, when

the real threat is the Party itself. “Freedom is Slavery” means that not following the Party is slavery, but by following the Party the people of Oceania are given the notion that they are getting the rights they need and that their life is better than it used to be. For the civilians in 1984 it makes sense because they barely know what the past and freedom are, and the Party had describes freedom as corrupt. The contradiction in this quote, as in the previous one, shows that there are two opposites. People need freedom in order to know what freedom is. Freedom enables one to do as one wants and believes. If one is a slave, then one does not have an identity because their master sets it for them. “Ignorance is Strength” means that the least the people know the better because they will not be able to contradict the Party. The Party calls any thought that goes against them “Thought Crime”, when in reality, people may just think what is factually true, not what the Party says is true. There is no way the people of Oceania can contradict the Party without seeming to be wrong. The strength of the party relies in the ignorance of the people. The contradiction in this quote is that as one sees nowadays, the more knowledge you have the more powerful you are. This is because the person who has more information has more advantage in a situation. It’s easier for that person to convince others to follow him/her. Without knowledge, people are subject to obedience.