Propaganda is used throughout the plot of 1984 and by the ISIS leaders in order to control and install fear in common people. Most prominent throughout 1984 is the Ministry of Truth (figure 1) which controls "news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts" and is able to transform the past and present to fit whatever the Inner Party wants (Orwell 4). The Ministry of Truth controls every "fact" known to the proles which means they control how the proles think and feel. ISIS uses violent beheading videos in order to control and install fear in common people. The "videos were carefully composed to maximize Western attention and dread" which is similar to how the rewrites of the Ministry of Truth are carefully crafted and leave out no detail to be sure that no one will ever expect that it had been rewritten (Welch).
Fig. 1: Ministry of Truth. Digital image. Flickr, 19 Nov. 2008. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/66126733@N04/6382118207>.
Propaganda is used in 1984 during Hate Week, which was full of “[p]rocessions, meetings, military parades, lectures, waxworks, displays, film shows, telescreen programme... stands…, effigies…, slogans…, songs…, rumours…, [and] photographs” (Orwell 148). A lot of preparation goes into the Hate Week, as does a lot of preparation goes into the ISIS videos. ISIS has become “exceedingly effective in painting a false picture of their goals, tactics and ideology” just as the Inner Party has become effective in painting a false picture of how great their society is compared to Eurasia and Eastasia (“Countering ISIS”). The efficiency in which Hate Week and ISIS have used propaganda to portray themselves as the hero in their own worlds shows just how far well put together propaganda can impact citizens.
Specifically in Hate Week there is a scene where all of a sudden “Oceania was not after all at war with Eurasia [and instead] Oceania was at war with Eastasia” (Orwell 180). This scene clearly displays how fast the propaganda works upon the people as as soon as the proles were told Oceania was at war with Eastasia, they believed that the decorations all against Eurasia was done so by “[t]he agents of Goldstein” (Orwell 181). ISIS has the ability to “recruit thousands of English-language followers and send out kill orders” which is similar to how the Inner Party is able to change the proles’ minds with one slight push (Volz). The fear is that ISIS has reached the point that they are the Inner Party in 1984 and will use the power they have over citizens to plot attacks upon democratic nations.
Specifically in Hate Week there is a scene where all of a sudden “Oceania was not after all at war with Eurasia [and instead] Oceania was at war with Eastasia” (Orwell 180). This scene clearly displays how fast the propaganda works upon the people as as soon as the proles were told Oceania was at war with Eastasia, they believed that the decorations all against Eurasia was done so by “[t]he agents of Goldstein” (Orwell 181). ISIS has the ability to “recruit thousands of English-language followers and send out kill orders” which is similar to how the Inner Party is able to change the proles’ minds with one slight push (Volz). The fear is that ISIS has reached the point that they are the Inner Party in 1984 and will use the power they have over citizens to plot attacks upon democratic nations.
The use of propaganda in the plot of 1984 is clearly reflected by ISIS in current society as they have the ability to create a twisted truth and recruit thousands of people which they use to their whim. The plot in the videos has been created to maximize the number of followers ISIS can receive as the propaganda used in 1984 has been created to maximize the number of followers the Inner Party can receive. What has been discovered is that no matter the organization or society, the plot of propaganda usage to control the masses will be found.