1984 by George Orwell Narrative Essay
In 1984, there is a constant control of information. The public is only told information that would intensify their love for Big Brother and only know information the Party wants it to. If Big Brother gives out wrong information, the Records Department makes sure the information is altered to be correct or correspond with the current news. Similarly, governments/media today withhold information for the benefit of them or others. For example, the bombing in Cambodia in 1969 was kept from the public and so were the plans for the invasion of Grenada in 1985.
Another example is China banning/restricting books or information that contradicts the government. Governments withholding information from the public can cause them to question or rebel. The public’s trust on the public would be broken, leading to the public not believing anything the government says. Winston works at the Records Department, so he has personal experience with destroying wrong evidence and indirectly manipulating the public. Even if it’s his job, Winston still feels guilty and doubtful whether or not the government is doing the right thing.
This leads to questioning the morals of the government and himself and eventually turning against them. The media also controls information given out. They are the bridge/communicator between the government and the public. Many times, some news stations will not cover an important subject or brush over it because of some reason. However, if the media doesn’t rely the message to the public, they will misinterpret and blame the government.
The media needs to be unbiased and open minded towards information they are given and information given out. The telescreens are just devices that allow leaders to directly speak to the public, but newspapers or articles are changed and manipulated to suit the Party’s satisfaction. The departments handling those papers are warping the public’s view on their government and making sure their loyalty is intact. When all the information given to the public is the same, they will follow in the same footsteps, without knowing they have been fooled with by the media.
