Aim: How are the readers of 1984 warned about the power of manipulation?
Thoughts Regarding the Reading
For this lesson, we had to read chapters 4 and 5 of 1984. In these chapters, we learn more about the psychologically manipulative and deceptive tactics used by the government of Oceania to pacify its population. While in part one of this lesson, the focus was placed specifically on the effect of setting on the mood and tone of the novel, today, the discussion had an emphasis on the actual plot and the various possible messages that George Orwell intended to send to the readers, whether they were direct, indirect, literal, or symbolic. The entire novel is a commentary on totalitarianism and autocracy in general, and its purpose is to inform, or rather, warn readers of the power of propaganda and manipulation when used by a government.
Chapters 4 and 5 show us more depth to concepts such as Newspeak, Hate Week, and the workings of the Ministries, including the Ministry of Truth, where Winston works, and even the Ministry of Plenty. In chapter 4, we see that Winston’s job in the Ministry of Truth is to destroy or warp old documents whose contents have been declared contradictory or negative of Oceania/Big Brother, and its principles. This illustrates the concept of doublethink - in a Ministry of Truth, Winston’s role is centered in warping the truth and lying to the public. For example, one of the documents Winston altered was a speech from 1983 that was praising a former Party member who had since been vaporized; because later on in time, Comrade Withers had been found guilty of being an enemy of the state, it was not permitted for a document to exist if it praised him as a loyal, law-abiding citizen, as this would mean that the Party wasn’t always right. So, to fix this problem, Winston altered the transcript and replaced Comrade Withers’ name with a made-up name: Comrade Ogilvy, who Winston envisioned as the perfect, blindly loyal Party member that was acceptable. The fact that Winston’s job is quite literally to just deceive the public and come up with concepts out of thin air and present them to the public as the truth is very telling of how Oceania uses solid deception and manipulation to consolidate its power. By manipulating documents, which are one of the only forms of surviving history, and therefore, physical pieces of truth, Oceania manages to restrain its proles from theories of rebellion and dissent, or even of questioning authority. Because of this, most of the proles fail to even envision the concept of oppression, and especially of oppression existing in their own lives. The Ministry of Truth has one purpose - to produce boundless amounts of contradictory and sensational content, so much of it that they desensitize and confuse the population to the point that they can’t conjure a single sensible thought. Essentially, by manipulating documents, Oceania manipulates the minds of its citizens, and in a way, cherry-picks their thoughts for them.
The Ministry of Plenty manipulates the truth as well by churning out false and misleading information regarding the rations, production, and economic growth of Oceania. After making an announcement stating that there had been an increase in the chocolate ration, Winston, who oversees obsolete documents, noted to himself that that was in fact, a lie - there was actually a decrease in the chocolate ration from the day before, but no one around him knew or cared; they celebrated the announcement without any questions or doubts. Again, the concept of doublethink is present: the Ministry of Plenty doesn’t even distribute enough rations to go around. By flat-out lying and presenting the decrease in rations as an increase to the general public, Oceania clearly employs the power of manipulation in satiating its people. It injects them with the philosophy that Big Brother can never be wrong, and therefore everything that they are told is true - so even when the economy isn’t doing so well, or rations are down from the day before, the government can lie to the proles’ faces and they’ll swallow up the lies and blindly accept them as the truth. This way, the government is never challenged and is allowed to remain in power without threats of dissent.
I also found Winston’s interaction with Syme in chapter 5 interesting, because Syme was remarkably self-aware and insightful while discussing the idea of Newspeak, the official language of Oceania, which is structured by very simplified grammar and vocabulary, and is also meant to manipulate the population psychologically by restricting its free speech and people’s ability to articulate certain ideas. Syme explains to Winston that the purpose of Newspeak is to make thoughtcrime impossible; by removing people’s ability to be articulate, it therefore removes their ability to conceive of and spread certain notions, like rebellion. Syme has a good understanding of what he’s doing - Winston even thinks to himself that he might get vaporized one day due to his intelligence. Newspeak is another manipulation tactic in 1984. I think George Orwell was specifically commenting on the power of language on a society, and consequently, how the manipulation of the language of a society implies the manipulation of the society itself. If people can’t express certain thoughts, but only whatever thoughts the government allows them to express, then those thoughts will slowly vanish from existence. They’re simply never conjured in anyone’s head. This is why the power of Newspeak is so integral to the power of Big Brother - it effectively hinders anyone’s ability to say anything complex.
The last detail that intrigued me was when Parsons received a donation from Winston for Hate Week, a week in 1984 dedicated to breeding contempt in the general population for the enemy of the state, whoever that may be at the time, as defined by the state itself. Whoever Oceania is at war with, their population is expected to enthusiastically loathe them. By participating in Hate Week, citizens show their loyalty to Big Brother and opposition to its challengers. Not participating is seen as highly suspicious and grounds for vaporization, even though it’s not legally obligated. The psychological effects of the concept of a “Hate Week” play a big part in helping the government stay in power, by glamorizing and glorifying the triumph of Oceania over all other powers in what is essentially a large-scale show of propaganda and manipulation. Parsons also mentions his pride for his children, who suspected Winston of thoughtcrime the day before, and their love of Big Brother. While the children in 1984 are a pretty on-the-nose reference to Hitler Youth, it all ties into the same manipulation tactics, churning out blind, faithful, fiercely loyal supporters of the Party, starting with the youth and stretching to everyone in the country during Hate Week.
In all these ways, from Newspeak to the Ministry of Truth and Plenty, to Hate Week and the Junior Spies, Orwell speaks volumes on the power of manipulation. The way he demonstrates the effects of altering documents, warping the truth, militarizing the youth (psychologically), and restricting the nature of language and free speech on a society’s ability to question and rebel against its rulers, sends a direct warning to the readers, telling them to look beyond their government’s propaganda, their politicians’ lies and presentations of good news and prosperity, their tampered-with documents and media, and the unique, simplified language around them. The weight of this brutal oppression has intense psychological and even physical effects - people can’t appear suspicious on the inside or outside in any way. Oceania removes all forms of autonomy from its citizens; they can’t trust their own memories, their own emotions, their own thoughts, their own bodies - they can only trust Big Brother. I think Orwell describes things that we all see in our societies - things that are present in our own countries. While we may not live in Oceania, per se, most governments do manipulate their citizens in one way or another and use these tactics, and to avoid turning into Oceania one day, we have to recognize those ways and be cognisant of them. Ultimately, George Orwell wants to warn readers of 1984 of the dangers of ignorance and apathy in the face of political manipulation and all its power.
What I Learned In My Online Lesson
We started with the Do Now, of course, which asked a THINK/PAIR/SHARE (although we did it individually before discussing).
The Do Now stated:
Winston thinks, “They could not alter your feelings; for that matter, you could not alter them yourself, even if you wanted to.” Think about and discuss the nature of feelings and emotions.
- Can you alter your own feelings by force of will? Why/Why Not?
- Can someone else alter another person’s innermost feelings?
The responses did vary, with some people answering yes to question 1 and some saying no. The people who said “yes” believed that a person’s innermost feelings could change if one really, genuinely dedicated themselves to it, and stayed very open-minded. Most people agreed that, yes, you can alter your feelings by force of will, but it is very difficult, and there’s a small chance of it happening. Those who said “no” believed that no one can force their own feelings to change because those feelings exist for a reason, and unless the reasons or circumstances change, then there’s no way to make the feelings change. Despite the disagreements, pretty much everyone agreed that it was at least theoretically possible to forcibly change one’s own feelings.
Personally, I think that it’s very possible for a person to alter their own feelings by force of will, but it requires open-mindedness and isn’t always guaranteed. If you had an opinion on something and weren’t really convinced after hearing an opposing argument, it’s most likely that your opinion will stay that way. Your feelings won’t change no matter how much you want them to - what you believe is what you believe. If you’ve heard the other side and your feelings haven’t changed, then end of story.
As for question number 2, the vast majority of people agreed that, yes, it is possible for a person to change another person’s innermost feelings, but again, with open-mindedness and difficulty.
The connection to 1984 is that, while most people agree that it is possible to change a person’s feelings or for someone to change their own feelings, in Oceania, such an existence is impossible. The level of control that Big Brother has over its citizens is so intense that people literally cannot think for themselves - they can’t even envision the concept of rebellion or doubting their government. The government decides what the people think, and they take away the ability to think of anything else. Therefore, in Oceania, no one could change your feelings of loyalty to Big Brother, and you couldn’t change them yourself if you wanted to, just like Winston said. That is wildly different from the democratic principles of America, where free speech is taken very seriously. Despite that, though, I do think that, not just our media and government, but those all around the world, manipulate the people of their country in a way that subtly decides what they think for them. While we are told that our opinions are our own, and free, the reality is that many opinions are purposely injected into our minds. For example, America has been telling its population for decades that it is #1 in everything, and that we’re the greatest country in the world. Many people grow up here with a very strong sense of patriotism, and many consciously avoid questioning or being dissatisfied with their government. By being surrounded by all the same familiar media and political patterns, it is hard for us to change our own feelings, and others’, similarly to how it is in Oceania. I believe Orwell purposely sent that message in the novel.
Next, we had the “Team Work,” which was, again, individual.
Considered all that has transpired in the novel thus far. With your team, create “3” questions, and be prepared to share them with the other teams. The goal is to see if the teams can answer the questions your team created.
Is Big Brother a real person? Is he made up? Is Oceania really as big as its government claims? Or is it simply just London? Is it even really at war? These are just a few of the questions that people asked. Many seemed to believe that the very same concepts that Oceania was built on and takes pride in are in reality made-up fixtures intended to keep their population pacified. By making up a god-like figurehead for the Party, people’s worship can be centralized towards a specific person and they can feel more intense loyalty as opposed to just worshipping the 2%. Some thought Big Brother was just another name for the government. Someone shared a theory they had that Oceania wasn’t actually a large, prosperous empire but simply just England, because the whole story thus far has only taken place in London and there’s no proof that Oceania exists outside of it. For all the reader knows, the rest of the world is living normally and Oceania is self-isolated, like modern-day North Korea, committing horrible human rights violations and falling apart before everyone’s eyes.
The individual “group work” followed:
GROUP WORK
- Evaluate the characters of Julia and Winston.
- Record Characteristics unique to each, then record characteristics that are shared.
- How is the author warning the readers about manipulation through the characters?
Julia was characterized as smart, free-spirited, and more optimistic than Winston. While Winston seemed almost infatuated with Julia and reacted intensely with emotion to their affairs, Julia seemed more laid-back and regarded Winston more casually. She is promiscuous, using her sexuality as an effective political weapon, and an act of rebellion. She is less concerned with revolution or dismantling the Party; she simply lives as she wants and does what she wants, having affairs with multiple Party members. Winston is very fatalistic and cynical. He is a complete contradiction of Julia’s characterization. Their main shared characteristics are: they don’t like Big Brother, and they want to rebel against it (just in very different ways).
Big Brother’s manipulation, particularly through means of sexual repression, comes out in Julia and Winston’s love affair and how the both of them go about it. Their relationship is by no doubt dangerous for them both, but it makes them both feel alive. However, outside of just Julia and Winston, manipulation is seen in all of the characters, from other Party members to the Junior Spies to the proles - everyone living in Oceania is taught to dedicate themselves to the Party exclusively; outside the Party, they have no life or identity. That is why children are taught to spy and snitch on their parents, proles are taught to celebrate decreases in rations, and Party members (like Winston) are taught to alter documents. The psychological, emotional, and physical effects of such manipulation are expressed in the form of rebellion in people like Winston and Julia. They have been denied lives of their own, and so, their being together is a time during which they truly, genuinely, whole-heartedly feel alive, and autonomous. While they live in fear and secrecy, the excitement of rebellion proves infectious.
After the Group Work, we did the QUICK WRITE:
Record what you did last Friday morning.
Pretty much no one remembered what they did last Friday morning, testifying to the poor reliability and vulnerability of human memory. If our memories are so poor, how can we trust ourselves or maintain any real records of the truth? Without authentic documentation of everything we did last Friday morning, that information gets lost in the universe forever. You wouldn’t even have proof that you did anything on Friday morning. While we remember the vague routine of things, the same routine we have every day (waking up, brushing teeth, going to Zoom meetings), no one remembers any of the particular details. In a place like Oceania, this is incredibly dangerous: if no one can remember what the rations were last week, what prevents the government from simply claiming that there’s been a dramatic increase and having that pass as the truth? People don’t remember anything about last week’s rations; they can’t trust their own memory - Big Brother is always right, after all, so that is who they choose to trust.
Finally, we ended with a class discussion:
Why was there such difficulty recording what happened?
We don’t have records of every single thing we do throughout the day, and most of us have solid routines, so one day doesn’t really ever stick out from the rest - what we did Friday morning was the same as what we did all the four other mornings of the week. We can’t distinguish particular details and when they happened. So, most of our memory is completely gone - it’s like Friday morning didn’t even happen.
Why is it so easy to forget what transpired, even though only a couple of days had passed?
Due to our routine. We get so used to the normalcy of it that time feels unreal, and we just stay blindly complicit in the structure of our weeks. We are not actively paying attention to the events that transpire every day; we’re just going along in our lives, almost robotically. Our human memories are very poor and unreliable - and the desensitization to new events/particular details makes it very easy to forget what happened Friday morning, even if it was just a couple days ago.
How can forgetting leave people vulnerable?
It allows someone to manipulate their memories, or plant false memories in their heads. Anyone can tell them anything, and they’re likely to believe it, because they have no solid memories that remind them of the truth. Forgetting leaves people vulnerable because it allows a clean slate for somebody to define the truth on.
We were given two enrichment videos for in-depth analyses of both chapters. All in all, the lesson was a very insightful discussion about society and manipulation. We talked about warping memories, documents, and language - elements integral to any society, and easily utilized to shape a regime and consolidate its power. We made connections from the book to the real world and vice versa, and did activities to learn about manipulation by asking ourselves what we remember and characterizing people from 1984. These chapters were a warning to readers about the power of manipulation on a society when left unchecked by the population.
What It’s Like Working From Home
I think everyone is just trying to tough it out in these last few weeks of school at home. We’ve been doing pretty much the same thing since March, trying to balance the workload of remote learning and the struggle of quarantine. I actually really like to stay occupied and working on remote learning assignments because it keeps me from my boredom and it gives me a distraction from the world, which kind of feels like it’s crumbling right around now. New York has started to lift quarantine restrictions, slowly but surely, which is exciting! Just a few days ago New York had its first death-free day in terms of coronavirus, which is very good news. I want to get back to school because quarantine has really exhausted me both physically and emotionally, and I find that the workload during remote learning, especially in these last few weeks, is especially heavy. I don’t know the reason why, though; if the school year had run its course normally, we would all be relaxing and watching movies in class right around now. It would be the most laid-back time of the year, but remote learning is more stressful than ever for me personally right now. I’m just planning on doing what I’ve been doing, trying to get my assignments in on time, and waiting for June 26th. For now, it’s been more or less manageable. We’ll all be just fine come summer vacation.
Reflection
Today, I learned a lot about my world and manipulation. I started thinking about our modern-day governments and trying to find connections to 1984. I realized things I had never noticed before: how our media vividly tries to influence our opinions, and how difficult it sometimes feels to change someone’s inner feelings; how stubborn and unwilling people are to change their own innermost feelings. Many instances in which governments “revise” or rewrite history to suit their agendas and pacify their populations are seen in both our world and Oceania’s. Some people’s questions regarding whether Big Brother or Oceania were made up or not were really thought-provoking to me. It made me think about just to what extent we are being lied to, and sold an untrue perception of prosperity and freedom when in many spaces it is absent. I also learned about how things like memory, language, and documents are so important to preserving the truth and protecting a people. Because our memory is vulnerable, we’re vulnerable. When our language is vulnerable, we’re vulnerable. When our documents are vulnerable, we are vulnerable. The truth is vulnerable. It made me think about what principles are really worth protecting in a free society.
I learned these things because I think they are important lessons. They’re worth it to learn about, as global citizens. When we don’t ask ourselves the questions that Winston asks in 1984, our society basically crumbles. It is everyone’s responsibility to learn about the power of manipulation: its various forms and how/where it is applied. By recognizing and identifying manipulation around us, wherever it exists, and understanding its true intention - to give someone else power over you - we retain a crucial part of our freedom as people. I want to use what I learned today to do just that: to look at my society in a different light and understand a little more about the way it works, especially when it comes to my own country and my own government. I want to protect myself from that kind of manipulation, or at least not fall victim to it, because most of it is psychological. Essentially, I think I will stand by the principle “question all authority.” Be skeptical of the articles I read, don’t trust everything I hear on the news without delving further, don’t trust what every politician says without having a full understanding of what that even is. Don’t immediately align myself with any one party’s philosophy, or whatever beliefs are most popular just for the sake of their popularity, like the proles. Preserve my own identity and autonomy. When people don’t question authority, the very premise of democracy dies and a place like Oceania is given an ideal breeding ground for Big Brother. All in all, it is important to understand the power of manipulation and to be wary of it, for our own collective well-being.
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