Power of Manipulation

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Power of Manipulation In George Orwell’s novel 1984 the civilians of Oceania live under the manipulative powers of Big Brother that drive the people to extreme obedience. Big Brother is the leader of the party and the authoritative figure who all people obey. As a dystopian society numerous techniques are used to keep the population of Oceania under control. The party enforces many crude laws to keep the population of Oceania from revolting against the government. Above all ways of controlling the people of Oceania, the most effective are the telescreens because they are in the homes of every civilian and everywhere they go, they monitor their every move including their pulse, and they are used for manipulating people through propaganda. To begin with telescreens are devices that are placed in the home of every citizen of Oceania. Telescreens are used for a variety of purposes mainly for the surveillance of their everyday activities. The government of Oceania fears the people will conspire against them if they get freedom, which is why they are limited to many personal liberties. In book one Orwell describes an example of the telescreens work by stating: The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever th... ... middle of paper ... ...on. Telescreens are designed to detect the disloyalty of a citizen therefore making it easier for the government to control the population. The people of Oceania live under control In through various ways. Propaganda displayed through the telesscreens, which helps the government keep the people under restriction by strict routines. The way propaganda achieves to manipulate people is by being told to watch the telescreen every day for the physical jerks in the morning and watch the two minutes of hate. Physical jerks are morning routines all citizens must complete and they are exercises to keep the people of Oceania in shape. The physical jerks indicate the government has the civilians manipulated and under control that they will do anything big brother says to do through the telescreen. Works Cited Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Penguin Group, 1949. Print.

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