Orwell's Defense of P.O.U.M.

After reading this book, it's clear why Orwell hated propaganda. Yet this memoir not only warned against the terror wars caused by propaganda, but by writing the novel the way he did, Orwell's example shows a way to directly fight against the use of propaganda.

First, I should mention that I was tempted to skip the book's more political chapters, as Orwell advises: "It is a horrible thing to have to enter into the details of inter-party politics; it is like diving into a cesspool" (149). His warning of what was to come in the following chapters and the admission that he himself does not have interest in the world of politics seemed quite ominous, making me more than ever want to avoid said chapters before I even started reading them. Of course, I realized that Orwell's special nod to the upcoming chapter made it all the more reason to pay even closer attention, especially after the line, "This squalid brawl in a distant city is more important than might appear at first sight" (149). So, after a bit of mental preparation for what I believe was going to be a long-winded and confusing twenty or so pages, I dug into chapter eleven.

And I was surprised and impressed with what I found. Orwell deftly explains how the news stories contradict each other and shows that he and his fellow P.O.U.M. members were being arrested and imprisoned, and even killed, all because of this propaganda war that was created to instill  fear and create an atmosphere of suspicion. Yet, by writing this memoir, Orwell is able to fight against this by using logic, reason, and common sense. He quotes news sources of the time, which anyone could double check, and shows that the journalists don't have a clue as to what is really going on in the war. He even points out that there was no evidence to make the arrests, for if the evidence that they claimed actually existed, then why weren't they using it to incriminate the people that they kept locked in the jail cells?

I found these sections eye-opening. I see it as a way for Orwell to advocate for people to think clearly for themselves. He showed how the media created distrust by using misinformation, but by reading Orwell's explanation of how controlling politics becomes, we find that we must raise our knowledge to a higher standard.

Orwell needed a way to fight against propaganda, and he found a way to do so by writing this memoir.