- Outline Orwell's original interpretation + context
- Context = totalitarianism -->
- power of words > thought
- control of language in society
- No free press, art, etc outside the government control
- Freedom of information -- idea of freedom itself
- Introduction of my question / thesis
Idea 1 - Totalitarian Societies in Orwell's Context
- USSR
- China
- Germany (Nazism)
- Departements dedicated to language - rhetoric departments
- manipulation of language for government purposes
- Germany = propaganda
- Purpose of rhetoric
- Effective means of controlling the masses by a limited amount of people
- 3 basic tenants of Big Brother
- However looking specifically at War is Peace
- Prevalent in modern society
- Relevant outside totalitarian context
Idea 2 - War is Peace in Modern Context
- US' involvement in foreign affairs post 9 / 11 * (only 2 presidents post 9/11)
- The Bush Doctrine
- October 2011 US invaded Afghanistan
- Obama's "War on Terror"
- Great rhetorician
- Guantanamo Bay is still open (second term of presidency)
- * Looking at it post 9 / 11 because
- Interpretation of history Orwellian
- Post 9/11 parallells begin between book
- As if there is no irony
- Modern relevance
- Democracy has begun to use the same manipulation of language that totalitarian societies did
- Manipulation of public thinking
- Language is the tool
- Invasion of Iraq because of oil
- Money component
- From war we produce nothing but deficit
- Manufacturing of weaponry, etc
- Civilian aircraft vs. military aircraft
- Not nearly as profitable
- Supply and demand
- Companies that make things for war do not enrich the society
- Government is the only consumer base (one customer)
- Their profit however does not aid the whole overall economy
- False Growth - economic engine/benefit ends with the war
- The only time that war creates true economic benefit is during a world war
- War provides the government a way to allocate masses amount of the economy to a single purpose without the justification of it's value to the society.
- Who will disagree on the government spending money on peace
- Versus spending trillions of dollars on simply Iraq
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