The Meanings Behind the Slogans (1984 by George Orwell Book Analysis)

The government is perfect in every way! They feed, clothe, and protect everyone under their watch! Life is perfect under the government as long as one follows their commands and keeps their slogans at the forefront of their mind. This is the life that citizens of Oceania lived. Winston’s experience and feelings towards this type of government are shown in great detail in George Orwell’s book: 1984. There were many strong lessons in 1984 but the most important are those taught by the three-party slogans: Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength, and War is Peace. 

Freedom is Slavery

Freedom is Slavery is a common and very important phrase in the book 1984. 

This phrase is used to show that both freedom and slavery are concepts. Whether someone has one or the other, they will be plagued with the obsession surrounding the notions. One example of this is in another work by Orwell, Animal Farm. Orwell writes, “All that year the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy with their work… well aware that everything they did was for the benefit of themselves” (Orwell, 20). What Orwell is saying is that people work better when it is something that they think will help themselves. This links well with 1984 in the aspect that people did not mind working for days at a time because it was for the good of the government, the group at the head of the people. The animals in the book proceed to obsess over being free, and they end up becoming slaves to said freedom, willing to do anything to protect it. Orwell is not the only person who voices this. Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 1869 - January 30, 1948) also speaks about the mental states of freedom and slavery. He enfasizes, “The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states.” What this implies is that when one realizes that one is not a slave his or her chains and bindings fall. People work as slaves all the time, but they do not realize or mind it because that is not how they perceive their situation. Orwell shows that if one is not given the choice of perception then one will not feel like a slave because they cannot feel at all. The phrase ‘slave away at a desk’ alludes to the sense that if someone is not happy in their work that person will feel like a slave, even if they are able to get up and leave. They complain about their situation and yet they do nothing to solve it but hope for a better outcome. 

When people feel they are troubled with something difficult they often use hope as a coping mechanism. A lot of governments prefer this, seeing as it motivates people to keep going even when they are having a hard time. It can cause people to work harder in the hopes that it might make a difference. There can also be a flaw with hope, one that Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games stresses this by saying “A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous” (Ross, 50: 20). The character that advises this is President Snow, a leader whose government style is much like big brother. What he means by this is that a little hope is effective. It is motivational and inspiring. A lot of hope, however, can cause people to obsess over it. They can become blinded and start to think irrationally. This is proven by Orwell when, in 1984, Winston becomes blinded by the hopes of someone he barely knows anything about. He then acts on these thoughts which ultimately leads to his demise. He told her of the strange intimacy that existed, or seemed to exist, between himself and O’Brien, and of the impulse he sometimes felt, simply to walk into O’Brien’s presence, announce that he was the enemy of the Party, and demand his help. This impulse that is talked about is the impulse of hope and trust. He trusts that everything will work out for him because he is blinded by hope. This can become dangerous to not just one individual but to everyone involved. Because of Winston giving into these actions not just he, but the woman he loves, Julia, are abducted and tortured. Had Winston followed along he very possibly could have met a friendlier fate.

Ignorance is Strength

Ignorance is Strength is a heavily enforced concept of the book. Ignorance is very important when it comes to citizens of a government. When people are worried about something going on then they do not work to their best ability. Ignorance is key to this because if people’s knowledge is controlled then they will be happy and able to lead better lives. “Your job is to be a distraction so that people forget what the real problems are” (Lawrence et al., 22:11). The connection that this has with Orwell’s 1984 is when the Government sponsors hate week. They go out of their way to distract their citizens with news that will motivate them. When the government announces that their ally party has changed they get angry at the opposing side instead of the government. They do this because they are supplied with ignorance that conditions them into believing and loving their government even when they see a lie right before their eyes. Veronica Roth, author of Insurgent furthers this thought when she explains “Sometimes people just want to be happy, even if it is not real” (Roth, Page 29). This ties into Ignorance's strength by explaining the government’s thought process exactly. When people are pleased they do not care how they get that happiness. A lot of times it is artificial but they did not go out of their way to look for that because they know that they might be disappointed with the results. Because the citizens of Big Brother all trust the government so much, they will happily take what they are provided and if they do not then they will be removed. 

When a person defies the government in 1984 then that person is labeled as a threat that needs to be dealt with. They are sent to the Ministry of Love where they are converted and eventually killed. The Government does this because they see that the people cannot fit into the structure that they need to keep things in order. Veronica Roth shares a bit of insight in this when she cautions “Obviously those who can’t confine themselves to a particular way of thinking would be most likely to leave a faction or fail it’s initiation right?” (Roth, 2012, p. 108). This proves that if one cannot confine their thoughts to match the government's way of thinking then they are automatically set up to fail. They can also be seen as a threat to the government and other people’s ways of thinking. The one way to avoid this is to be ignorant and trust in the government more than you trust anyone else. When dealing with issues in this circumstance “Ignorance is your new best friend” (Farrow & Williams, 1:38). This means that as long as you have ignorance then you will be content and at peace with the government and everything happening around you, even if that is a war. 

War is Peace

War is peace was a heavily upheld phrase that was used to keep order. The governments have to maintain calm crowd control during times of crises. Big Brother tells its citizens propaganda to keep them in control. They say that everything is okay so that people do not panic at the idea of war. They fill the citizens' thoughts with hope of winning that way they are not thinking about the fears of war. Veronica Ross speaks on this idea when she declares “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear” (Ross, 50: 15). She shows that from a government perspective they prioritize how best to keep them under control. Most governments realize that the best way to keep societal control is to lie to their citizens. In 1984 the government lied to the citizens about the state of war knowing that by lying to them and keeping them occupied they would rely on the government for guidance. “It does not matter whether the war is actually happening, and, since no decisive victory is possible, it does not matter whether the war is going well or badly. All that is needed is that a state of war should exist” (Orwell, Page 243). The busier the government keeps the citizens, the less the citizens will be able to think of anything other than their work and the government. 

Big brother often brainwashed its citizens into believing they were the most important things in their lives. They told their people that their duty was to supply the government with labor so that the government could supply them back. Most of the citizens never even considered disliking the government. Ray Bradbury furthers this, “If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as a war” (Bradbury, Page 58). What he is saying here is that when people do not get a choice they often feel comfortable with their situations because that is what they are used to. Lowis Lowery further explains this. “When people have the freedom to choose, they choose wrong - every single time” (Lowery, 1:23:10) The government of 1984 eliminates the room for people to make this incorrect decision. They make so many laws and regulations that everyone has to follow. 

The government of 1984 teaches freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength, and war is peace as slogans to help them rule. They use freedom is slavery to keep their citezens working. Big Brother uses ignorance is strength to promote propaganda and distract others. War is peace helps them to convince the people that they have hope of winning the war. They use these to keep order and control. Do not forget that “Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart you will know peace.” - Loki.