Friday, February 17, 2012

How can we compare 1984 with the movie Wag the Dog?The question is:- With regard to !984 and Wag the Dog, establish 3 points of contact. Use a...

Wonderful question! I have never thought of comparing these two texts before, but obviously there is a lot you can say about them. Clearly, however, you need to recognise that while they both do share certain similarities, the tone of both pieces is completely different - Wag the Dog is a humorous satire on the power of spin in politics, whereas 1984 is a serious vision of dystopia that succeeds in crushing the hope out of even the most optimistic person.


The point of comparison that you will want to explore is how in both of these texts the public is made to accept and believe a "truth" that is created by the party and politicians. In Wag the Dog a war is created by spin doctors to distract the US media from the President's affair with a cheerleader. Actors are brought in and scenes "created" to lend credence to this "war". The people involved seem to depend on the inherent stupidity of the US public, for example not even knowing where Albania is.


You can make a good comparison therefore with the slogan of the party in 1984: "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is Strength." Ignorance on the part of the public gives strength to political opportunists who can exploit that ignorance for their own means.


Another telling quote is:



In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy.



This strikes at the heart of this theme of the manipulation of truth and how the party and politicians are able to make us believe things that just aren't "true" - the whole concept of "truth" becomes a contested issue.


That should give you a start - all the best!

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