Manipulative PowerIn George Orwell's novel 1984, the civilians of Oceania live under the manipulative powers of Big Brother who push people into extreme obedience. Big Brother is the leader of the party and the authority figure that everyone obeys. As a dystopian society, many techniques are used to keep Oceania's population under control. The party enforces many crude laws to prevent the people of Oceania from revolting against the government. Of all the means of controlling the people of Oceania, the most effective are the TV screens, because they are in the homes of every civilian and wherever they go, they monitor their every move, including their pulse, and they are used to manipulate people through propaganda. To begin with, telescreens are devices placed in the home of every Pacific citizen. Telescreens are used for various purposes, mainly for monitoring their daily activities. The government of Oceania fears that the people will conspire against them if they are granted freedom, which is why they are restricted from many personal freedoms. In the first book, Orwell describes an example of how telescreens work by stating: The telescreen receives and transmits simultaneously. Any sound made by Winston, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by him; moreover, as long as he remained within the field of vision commanded by the metal plate, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing if you were being watched at any given time. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police connected on an individual wire was only a guess. It was even conceivable that they were watching everyone all the time. But in any case, they could plug your wire every time the middle of the paper was on. Telescreens are designed to detect a citizen's disloyalty, making it easier for the government to control the population. The people of Oceania live under control in various ways. Propaganda broadcast on television screens, which helps the government to keep the population constrained by strict routines. The way propaganda manages to manipulate people is to tell them to watch the TV every day for the morning physical jolts and watch the two minutes of hate. Physical shakes are morning routines that all citizens must follow and they are exercises intended to keep the people of Oceania in shape. The physical shaking indicates that the government is manipulating civilians and controlling them, so they will do whatever Big Brother says to do via the telescreen. Works Cited Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Penguin Group, 1949. Print.