When one thinks of a weapon, guns and bombs come to mind, but the most powerful weapon is propaganda. In the book Champion, by Marie Lu, two nations fight feverishly for control over land, and it’s citizens. In this book, propaganda surpasses all other weapons for both tasks.
Of the two sides one of them, The Republic, is losing the war on all fronts, but they are able to keep their people inspired and eventually prevail. During this war, the people of the Republic revere a boy named Day for rising from poverty to fight for their rights. When the Republic is able to convince Day to join their cause he becomes the most influential person in the whole nation. An example of this is when he paints the city with messages telling the citizens to join his cause, “I make my way through Tangashi sector’s dark alleys until I come across landmark buildings, places where I know most people will have to pass by… I write the following on the wall: LISTEN FOR ME.” (Lu, 269). In this quote, Day is using his influence to rouse the people against the imposing power of the Colonies (the other nation) creating an army for the Republic. Although they didn’t have access to nearly as many resources as the Colonies, the Republic’s inspired people were able to rise up and fight.
The Colonies on the other hand use propaganda as a measure of attack. For example, they instill the idea that they are the superior nation into the minds of the Republic’s citizens. The fact that this was somewhat successful speaks to the power of their propaganda. And overall, it shows that propaganda is also extremely versatile. This is because the propaganda can be used as an attack and a defense. Finally, this shows that propaganda can also be forcefully enacted.
The power of propaganda in this book reflects how strong it is in reality. For better or for worse, propaganda is able to shape people’s beliefs remarkably successfully. According to this book though, the strongest form of propaganda is the kind that reinforces someone’s prior belief.
