Title: An Analysis of the Use of Propaganda in the Dystopian Societies Presented in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, 1984 by George Orwell, and Fidel Castro’s Government in Cuba – Kylie's Blog
Headings: An Analysis of the Use of Propaganda in the Dystopian Societies Presented in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, 1984 by George Orwell, and Fidel Castro’s Government in Cuba
An Analysis of the Use of Propaganda in the Dystopian Societies Presented in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, 1984 by George Orwell, and Fidel Castro’s Government in Cuba
Figure 1: A Handmaid views the bodies of criminals hanging on the Wall, with their crimes visible for all to see on a plaque on their chests (Wong).
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Content: Immediately, the citizens blame Goldstein, the leader of the anti-Big Brother society called the Brotherhood. This renews their mutual hatred of Goldstein, the “primal traitor, [and] the earliest defiler of the party’s purity” (Orwell 12). The Party indoctrinates the citizens to believe that “all subsequent crimes against the Party… sprang directly out of [Goldstein’s] teaching” (Orwell 12), and consequently schedules Two Minute Hates (Orwell 2 Minutes of Hate) each day that feature videos of Goldstein speaking and the mobs of Party members expressing their deep hate of his teachings and their loyalty to the Party. In fact, the Hates work the citizens into such a nationalistic frenzy that “before the hate [s] had proceeded for thirty seconds, uncontrollable exclamations of rage were breaking out from half the people in the room” (Orwell 13). These overt forms of propaganda serve to unite the citizens against a common enemy and strengthen the sentiments of patriotism among Party members. Interestingly, Fidel Castro’s political campaign reflects the propaganda use in these two dystopian societies, but it does not come remotely close to being as mind-numbing or forceful. When Castro began his July 26 movement, he was severely outnumbered by Batista’s forces, but his patriotic speeches and tireless campaigning allowed him to unite several smaller factions that opposed Batista. On of Castro’s earliest goals was to capture the Moncada Army Barracks and secure the radio station there so that he could spread the news to the citizens of Cuba about his revolt. When this failed, he continued to speak passionately about the oppressive nature of the Batista regime, and his patriotism and promises of a better life apart from Batista gained him many new followers (Hampsey). Eventually, Castro and the revolutionaries did create a radio station, called Radio Rebelde, which transmitted throughout Latin America.