Compare And Contrast The Use Of Propaganda In George Orwell's 1984

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Although one would believe that drawing comparisons between our society as of today and the strict, totalitarian society of 1984 would be far­fetched and unrealistic, there are actually several that can be made. Politicians utilize the manipulation of fearful minds, through speeches and campaign ads, in order to gain followers and further their campaigns, similar to how the
Party uses propaganda presentations to manipulate their citizens. In addition, the US population is becoming increasingly fearful following heightened surveillance from the National Security
Agency (NSA), while in 1984 a large population of citizens of Oceania are monitored 24/7 through “telescreens” placed in their homes. And in 1984, wars are constantly being fought in …show more content…
Politicians capitalize on the easily manipulated minds of US citizens by using fear mongering in advertisements and speeches. In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson released a campaign advertisement “Daisy” featuring a little girl innocently plucking at a flower seconds before a mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb flashes over the screen. It is believed to have played a part in Johnson’s landslide victory over his opponent, and popularized such controversial, fear­mongering commercials for future eras of presidential and political campaigns (1). Though far more subtle in how it works to brainwash
US citizens, this is not unlike the Two Minutes Hate in Orwell’s 1984, where citizens of Oceania are made to watch propaganda films depicting their enemies in various forms. The films never fail to inspire “a hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge hammer” (Orwell 14). Though both working in different ways, each method of propaganda works to inspire feelings of fear, hatred, and confusion in citizens in order to prove a point or to gain followers.
The NSA­­”National Security Agency”­­is known to be one of the most
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