1984 Passage Analysis Essay

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Recommended: propaganda techniques

Dixon, Joe
Mrs. Mekari
English 11 IB
Period 4D
10 September 2015
Passage Analysis 2: Book 2 of 1984, Chapter 5
Throughout history, propaganda has been used as a powerful tool to persuade and gain the support of a population. It can be used to demonize an enemy or support a country’s war effort, and can be displayed in many forms. Under the Big Brother government in Oceania, propaganda is used through songs, posters, television, and even holidays. Each piece plays a role in manipulating population’s opinions, which is seen in the society’s preparation for “Hate Week” in 1984. In the passage from 1984, the author George Orwell emphasizes the use of propaganda as a weapon due to its ability to manipulate a population through deception and increase …show more content…

Orwell’s charged diction makes the reader share a Party’s member’s contempt for the enemy and support for its allies. This can be seen with the description of the new poster that appeared prior to Hate Week. The poster displayed “a Eurasian solider, three or four meters, high, striding forward with [an] expressionless Mongolian face and enormous boots” (Orwell 149). Here, words like “expressionless” and “enormous” cause the reader to recognize how intimidating the poster is and the effect the government’s propaganda will have on its citizens. The Party is trying to portray an enemy solider as a heartless criminal with evil and immoral values. This medium of communication is plastered everywhere in the city, “even outnumbering the portraits of Big Brother” (149). Being a militaristic society, this propaganda is useful because aids in rallying the populations hate for the enemy. Conversely, citizens are incredibly supportive of their own government’s action in the war. This can be seen in the change in tone when talking about “Hate Week,” where every citizen’s volunteer’s to support their government and busily prepare for the upcoming event. The activity described outdoes the enthusiasm of any modern holiday, which the author included to show the reader of the effectiveness of “Hate Week” as

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