Final answer:
George Orwell's '1984' portrays a dystopian society where the Party controls reality through propaganda and mass surveillance,
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "Reality is controlled by the Party" in George Orwell's 1984 reflects the novel's central theme of totalitarianism, where the Party exercises total control over people's lives, including their perception of reality. Orwell's depiction of a dystopian society where the government manipulates reality to maintain power draws parallels with historical regimes that utilized propaganda, mass surveillance, and the suppression of free thought.
In such societies, the concept of reality is often distorted by the rulers to sustain their authority and crush opposition, reflecting the ideas presented in Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' The Communist Manifesto regarding the State's rule over individuals and societal structures.
In 1984, the Party's control over reality is achieved through the alteration of past events, language manipulation via 'Newspeak', and the imposition of an omnipresent ideology. This manipulation is designed to ensure that citizens are unable to question the Party or recognize any truth outside of what the Party decrees.
Similarly, Ellison's Invisible Man deals with the control of an individual's perceived reality, but in the context of racial oppression within a white-dominated society. Together, these narratives underscore the importance of critical thinking and individual autonomy in the face of authoritarian restrictions on freedom and reality itself.