1984 by George Orwell Essay

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Some people think they need to know everything. In George Orwell’s 1984, people only know what they are told because their government teaches them that "Ignorance Is Strength". The failure of the people to acknowledge the disagreements between things strengthens the power of the strict government in charge and the people don't know what knowledge they are missing.
Throughout the novel, although three slogans are repeated redundantly (War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength), the last is the most prevalent. The Party, which is the governmental entity in charge, advertises their slogans almost anywhere one can imagine. Their goal is to be sure the people not only know the slogans, but believe in them and live by them.
These words are the official sayings of the Party, and are written in huge letters on the white pyramid of the Ministry of Truth. The main character, Winston Smith, observes this early on in the story. Because it is introduced so early in the novel, this belief serves as the reader's first introduction to the idea of “doublethink”. “Doublethink” is a way of weakening the independence and strength of individuals' minds and forcing them to live in a relentless state of advertising-induced fear. In this way, the Party is able to force its subjects to accept anything it rules, even if it is entirely illogical. For instance, the Ministry of Peace is in charge of engage in war, the Ministry of Love is in charge of political cruelty, and the Ministry of Truth is in charge of modifying history books to reflect the Party's belief systems rather than what has really happened.
In an imperfect future where nuclear war has divided the world into three cruel superstates, middle-aged Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth in the superstate of Oceania, in the city called Airstrip One (used to be London). He has no hope of escaping the observant eye of Big Brother until he meets Julia. Julia is a younger woman who influences him to sneak

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