Deceit in Trump’s and Big Brother’s Rule New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik effectively connects Donald Trump’s deceitful tendencies to the misleading tendencies of the totalitarian regime in George Orwell’s “1984”. Consequently, the motives of a government’s machinations can potentially become controversial. Gopnik suggests the intentions of Trump and Big Brother are both motivated to advance their own power by twisting reality to what they believe would benefit themselves. In 1984, “The party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power...” (Orwell 234). The tactics of Big Brother, the governmental leadership in the novel, are solely to ensure and stabilize their authority
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In 1984, “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength” (Orwell 4). This three phrase slogan that is drilled into the minds of citizens, is another method of exerting their influence. War is the opposite of peace, freedom is the opposite of slavery, and ignorance is the opposite of strength. The contradicting statements further show that the people of society do not necessarily need to believe the statements, but should be feared by the lies because they are aware that going against Big Brother and what they tell them, will bring great harm to themselves. The ignorance of the society is the truth, what Big Brother hides from them. Winston rebels against Big Brother because he knows these lies and plans are formed from selfishness. Gopnik believes that the “People aren’t meant to believe it; they’re meant to be intimidated by it” (Gopnik 3). “It” is the lies that Trump tells to the people of the United States. Relating to some of Trump’s lies, Trump does not desire for people’s trust but instead, fear. He wants citizens to fear him and his potential of singling out a specific group and damage their reputation or people’s opinions of them. For example, the statement that there are “300 million illegal voters”, singles out immigrants and damages their reputation because they are seen as participants of illegal …show more content…
“...then the lie passed into history and became the truth. ‘Who controls the past’ ran the Party slogan,’ controls the future: who controls the past’” (Orwell 34). When Big Brother misleads the society, that lie becomes manipulated into the perception that it is accurate because that’s the only way they are told, never being exposed to the truth. The Party controls the history books and so that allows them to manipulate the truth to further promote themselves and put an end to anything that does not. “The past controls the future” implies that because the Party can change the past, they control the future as a result because the past defines and sets a path for the future and the people in it. “Controls the future: who controls the past” implies that because the Party is in charge and dictates how the people of society think and act in the present and especially the future because they desire to maintain dominance, is why they have the ability to change history, or what society believes to be history. According to Gopnik, “He lies, he repeats the lie, and his listeners either cower in fear...or try to see how they can turn the lie to their own benefit” (Gopnik 2). With “he” implying Trump, Gopnik effectively draws conclusions that Trump’s lies are a common tendency, and utilizes fear and
In 1984, “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength” (Orwell 4). This three phrase slogan that is drilled into the minds of citizens, is another method of exerting their influence. War is the opposite of peace, freedom is the opposite of slavery, and ignorance is the opposite of strength. The contradicting statements further show that the people of society do not necessarily need to believe the statements, but should be feared by the lies because they are aware that going against Big Brother and what they tell them, will bring great harm to themselves. The ignorance of the society is the truth, what Big Brother hides from them. Winston rebels against Big Brother because he knows these lies and plans are formed from selfishness. Gopnik believes that the “People aren’t meant to believe it; they’re meant to be intimidated by it” (Gopnik 3). “It” is the lies that Trump tells to the people of the United States. Relating to some of Trump’s lies, Trump does not desire for people’s trust but instead, fear. He wants citizens to fear him and his potential of singling out a specific group and damage their reputation or people’s opinions of them. For example, the statement that there are “300 million illegal voters”, singles out immigrants and damages their reputation because they are seen as participants of illegal …show more content…
“...then the lie passed into history and became the truth. ‘Who controls the past’ ran the Party slogan,’ controls the future: who controls the past’” (Orwell 34). When Big Brother misleads the society, that lie becomes manipulated into the perception that it is accurate because that’s the only way they are told, never being exposed to the truth. The Party controls the history books and so that allows them to manipulate the truth to further promote themselves and put an end to anything that does not. “The past controls the future” implies that because the Party can change the past, they control the future as a result because the past defines and sets a path for the future and the people in it. “Controls the future: who controls the past” implies that because the Party is in charge and dictates how the people of society think and act in the present and especially the future because they desire to maintain dominance, is why they have the ability to change history, or what society believes to be history. According to Gopnik, “He lies, he repeats the lie, and his listeners either cower in fear...or try to see how they can turn the lie to their own benefit” (Gopnik 2). With “he” implying Trump, Gopnik effectively draws conclusions that Trump’s lies are a common tendency, and utilizes fear and