JongHyun Ha: Novel Media Assignment: Propaganda and Aphorisms Analysis

This essay, completed by JongHyun Ha, undertakes a comprehensive analysis of propaganda and aphorisms, drawing parallels between the fictional world of Oceania from George Orwell's *1984* and real-world authoritarian regimes, particularly Communist China. The assignment is divided into three parts: The first part defines and explores the use of propaganda and aphorisms, examining techniques like the "Cult of Personality" and the manipulation of information. The second part presents a manifesto, channeling Winston Smith's voice to call for rebellion against the Party. The third part reflects on the assignment, discussing the insights gained about media bias and the functioning of propaganda, as well as areas for improvement in research and organization. The essay highlights how propaganda is used to control populations, suppress dissent, and maintain power through the distortion of truth and the suppression of individual freedoms, making it a relevant study for understanding power dynamics and societal control.

NOVEL MEDIA ASSIGNMENT
Name: JongHyunHa
Date: 17-03-2019

PART1: Aphorisms and Propaganda
Propaganda stands as an influential method of the powers of the worthless. Propaganda is
unscrupulous act centered on dishonesties or half-truths and it practices aphorisms to work
with an opinion home. Even though the sayings might not be precisely detrimental, they can
impose substantial harm if utilized in that way. The foundation of publicity by dictatorial or
autocratic administrations is the practice of detestation and falsehoods to achieve power for
them, and to preserve them in supremacy. The inhabitants lose their independences, and
overlook what it stands to remain free citizens, since the administration monitors all
characteristics of their lives. Though there have been quite a lot of illustrations of the usage of
propaganda in the past, it has been further commendably represented by Orwell in 1984, as
employed by the Party of Oceania. At present, the dictatorial command that we drive to
analyze and relate with Oceania reveals the Communist China.
There are innumerable characteristics as well as categories of Propaganda that we require to
consider while we create the event for the relationship concerning real life Dictatorial
commands plus the Party in Oceania. One such feature is a perception entitled ‘Cult of
Personality,’ which implicates handling the administrative groundbreaker or even formulating
a temperament for him, that work for a perfectionistic symbol of natures. This disposition is
charismatic, delightful and grips an enormous appeal in the method he interrelates with the
community. In most circumstances, the society mechanically motivates to trust him
boundlessly as well as hunt for him with lots of admiration. Occasionally, they are
accustomed to assault terror into the communal setup and force devotion. All this remains
recognized via societal engineering. “Big Brother is viewing you.” The Big Brother endures
this astounding illustration of propaganda utilized by the Party on the substitute of Personality
foundation, in view of all life in Oceania turned round the anxiety of the Big Brother.
Traditionally speaking, all through the Customary Revolt, expending propaganda
reproductions and skill, the Chinese Festivity raised up leading light Mao Zedong in the
direction of a “God-Like level, perfect, indisputable besides a redeemer for the eternities
These posters portrayed him as deity like manner, and art glorified and immortalized him. His
revolutionary ideas, his theories about class struggle were taught to people right from a young
age. They were so persuaded by propaganda that up to the present time, many Chinese
entrepreneurs’ poAs for aphorisms in specific, the Party had several up their sleeve. “War is
peace”, “Freedom is slavery”, and “Ignorance is Strength.” The Party molded general truth
very skillfully such that they could incorporate resonating falsehoods to make them sound

like clever truths.
To the Party, and by extension to the people of Oceania, only defeating their enemies in
conflict could ensure peace, only being slaves to the whims of the party granted true freedom,
and only being ignorant of life could make for a strong population. Moreover, they used tele-
screens and news media to spread fake news, propaganda and hatred, especially about the
Resistance (2 minutes hatred program). They constantly acclaimed the Government, telling
the citizens of Oceania how well-organized Big Brother was.
Communist China did one mechanism, which embedded fake social medial posts. These false
posts basically functioned as a confusing tool. It diverted the inhabitants from their
nonexistence of rights, the level of administrative mechanism, along with the massacres
happening in their particular nation. Furthermore, it kept them uninformed of whatever was
truly happening. There is a group called the 50 cent group, which essentially makes
propaganda posts on social media, and is paid 50 cents per post. They are estimated to have
made nearly 448 million posts. The posts are generally joyful in nature, positive and
motivational, fundamentally inspiring a false sense of peace, happiness and patriotism.
“When deadly riots broke out between Uighur ethnic minorities and Chinese police in
Xinjiang, northwestern China in 2013, officials in the southeastern city of Ganzhou - located
about 2,000 miles away - ordered 50 cent workers to immediately create hundreds of online
posts lauding China's financial growth in an effort to distract individuals from the issue.”
When persons remained unaware around what transpired, people did not incline to enquire,
which indicates to the absenteeism of discussion and discourse, and confirms modification
and revolution that never followed.

PART 2: MANIFESTO
REBEL, FOR FREEDOM IS SWEET!
Today I, Winston Smith, request passionately to you, to rise up. Rise up, for the time is
suitable, for domination will meet its finale, for the squall of freedom to gather wind. We
require freedom and we need it now, from the whims and fancies of the Party, their thought
of crimes ‘that they use to oppress us, the ‘crimestop’ that we are forced to use to keep out
own selves in check.
Comrades, the Party does not own us. We are not slaves to their wishes. They do not have
any right to control us. Big Brother is surely no God and he does not deserve our respect or
our worship. Down with the Party comrades, enough with the false Gods, enough with the
idol worship, enough with the self-loathing restrictions that we place mercilessly on ourselves
to satisfy this bloodthirsty authority that we all deeply despite.
If the rules and laws of this land make your blood boil, I ask you to rise up. Rise up for all
that is sweet and all that you hold dear. Rise up for every person you cherish, to protect
yourself, your family, your children, your grandchildren, your nation calls on you to fight for
the freedom its own government has denied it. Oceania bleeds under the Party’s misrule.
The war to revolt is fought by all and the fruits of revolution are shared equally by all. This

country and its people are itching to breathe freely again and that freedom needs a war, it
requires a revolution to overthrow the tyrants; these tyrants that punish us for mere thoughts.
The crime should remain the new law, companions come out and blazing of weapons exhibit
them that the land belongs to the people and their right to live and breathe freely stands as
intrinsic. Any one opposing our fundamental liberties has no place in this country and
deserves to die. Enough with the gallows enough with the telescreens, the Party can have no
control over our thoughts and actions anymore. No more starvation, no more of wars, no
more slogans that the Party makes up on their own whims.
The Party’s hunger for power has made them behave like monsters. They have taken our
children and turned them against us. They have made mothers cry out in pain, they have made
all of us suffer for their never-ending desire to hold absolute owner. That is unforgivable . But
the Party is bound to be destroyed. Their specific hunger for power has blinded them to our
adversities. The sufferings and anguishes have a unique way to bring people together, to give
rise to unity. And from unity stems a very powerful collective strength that the Party
underestimates. It is this unity that makes us confident of victory and desire for the joy of
self-determination, that myself, Winston Smith, promise is very near, almost within our grip.
The light at the end of the tunneling is shining and it is shining bright. The aroma of the sea
will bring you home. Are you prepared to sense the sweet pleasure of freedom?

PART 3: Reflection
Which aspects of this assignment were more or less interesting to you? Why?
Ans: I enjoyed discovering the associations among modern semi authoritarian administrations
to the dictatorial one that Orwell produced in his book. It’s astounding to see how certainly a
lot of their methods of coming to power mimic the ones predicted by Orwell. What’s even more
enthralling is that these managements are not restricted to olden times or non-western nations.
Even Western generous egalitarianisms in the 21stcentury have their impartial share of
political parties that are theoretically controlling.
What part(s) of your assignment are you proud of?
Ans: While I am aware that my assignment is bound to have its flaws, I think I am quite
proud of the Manifesto I wrote. It’s remarkable how serious I acquired while in the middle
of it, almost as if it means something and I might be inspiring a few people to fight
oppression. Besides, it also holds ramifications in the modern world, where right and left
wings of oppression is raising its horrible head anew.
What area do you feel you could have improved?
Ans: I think organizing and fleshing out my research could have been better. While I did
get a lot of insight into the concepts of totalitarianism and how governments in nations
such as North Korea function, I did find it difficult to explain with proper nuance how that
links to 1984. As a work of fiction, it is of course more direct and exacerbated in how it
portrays authoritarianism, while in reality, authoritarian governments are a lot more subtle
in their approach. Thus these governments and their methods probably need a better
exploration from my side.
Did you gain any insight, or develop any questions about how media and propaganda
function?
Ans: Yes I accomplished a sort of that. However, the average media house is supposed to be

neutral, I realized that it rarely remains like that. Biases exist, and most media outlets end up
supporting particular ideologies or parties. Sometimes, this type of support extends to toxic
levels, where media channels start supporting parties as if they are perfect and can do no
wrong. In nations like China and North Korea, the governments control the media and make
them print what they like, much like the Party in Oceania. This makes the citizens slaves to
the government and believe whatever is told to them, without developing their own
conscience.