Hanna Vance

HUMA 1100

Spencer Wall

11/24/2018

Reflection #4: Propaganda

Propaganda is information that is especially biased towards one side and can be false

exaggerated statements that create a point of view for the targeted people. In the fictional book

1984, written by George Orwell, he creates a government that controls its citizens by using war

propaganda.

In the book, they have two minutes of a hate program that everyone watches where they

dehumanize the opposing side in the war. In this case, it is the Eurasian army’s side and their

leader Goldstein who everyone believes they are the enemy. Referring to Goldstein, Orwell

writes, “He was abusing Big Brother, he was denouncing the dictatorship of the Party, he was

demanding the immediate conclusion of peace with Eurasia, he was advocating freedom of

speech...assembly...thought…he was crying hysterically that the revolution had been betrayed.”

When he is on the screen they all yell and name call him. The Party is trying to brainwash the

people of Oceania to hate this idea of democracy. They connect the two together and because

the people hate Goldstein so much they also hate everything he represents. This gives the

Party power over its people because they are deceiving them to believe in one side, which is

theirs.

Although war propaganda is used to dehumanize and persuade the opinions of the

opposing side, it is also used to represent and manipulate the people to the ways of the Party’s
side amongst the people of Oceania. After they have Goldstein on the telescreen, they have Big

Brother come on with the slogan, “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS

STRENGTH.” When the citizens read this they all are being brainwashed into believing it. When

he comes on the screen they all begin to chant and treat Big Brother as a savior. This is a very

controlling statement because they are saying that all the war, slavery, and ignorance that the

people of Oceania are currently going through is really peace, freedom, and ignorance. The

citizens have to obey and believe in Big Brother because they really don’t have any other

choice.

War propaganda is biased and advertises usually only one side. In this case, they use it

to promote the Party’s side which is a totalitarianism type of government. The war propaganda

gives the government power over its citizens because they have to believe and have hope that

their leaders are doing what they are saying. Unfortunately in 1984 that is not the case. The

people of Oceania are likely to just be on the bandwagon hoping for success in the war.