Big Brother vs. Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
Just like the Big Brother in 1984, ISIS uses the same tactics of character information to get propaganda to be effective towards those who see it. For example, in 1984, you never actually see the leader of the Party in person, you get “orders for the day”.(Orwell 44) Most followers and supporters of the Party have rarely seen Big Brother in real life, and if they have, there are many rules they must follow. This is the same case for ISIS. Most followers and supporters of ISIS have barely seen Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in person. And when they do, they have to pledge their allegiance to him and are forced not to take photos.(Giovanni 1) With all the mysteriousness of the leaders of both ISIS and the Party, this makes it very easy to push propaganda onto the followers and underlings of the organization. The supporters must think that if they see or receive a message from the leader of the whole group that it must be very important and it makes them want to follow that message.
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Furqaan Media, Al. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his first appearance on video when he gave a sermon in Mosul in July 2014. Digital image. Profile: Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.
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AFP. Prior to his appearance in Mosul, there were only two known photographs of Baghdadi. Digital image. Profile: Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
Al-Baghdadi uses his power to force people to join and fear the ISIS organization. He manipulates peoples minds to where "All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory."(Orwell 34) What I mean by this is that what Baghdadi and Big Brother do is they convince people to think that a lie is actually the truth. This is how both The Party and ISIS lead their organizations.”Baghdadi is to a certain extent a religious figurehead designed to grant an aura of religious legitimacy and respectability to the group’s operations”(Hubbard 1) Baghdadi is basically the person that everyone looks to to ensure what they are doing is right. Like Big Brother, followers look up to the leader to assure what they are doing is right, and even if it isn’t right, they have been so brainwashed that they believe the leader as if he were God.
I think that the selection of 1984 to represent dystopian literature and what the future would be under the control of a totalitarian was a very good comparison to ISIS. This novel connected to modern society by the secrecy of an organization’s leadership and also the way that humans can be so easily manipulated. |
Al-Baghdadi adressing crowd. Digital image. The Gender Confusion Challenge to Army Recruitment. William Kilpatrick, 17 July 2014. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.
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