Power Of Language In 1984 By George Orwell
One of the most significant aspects of a novel, that is often taken for granted, are the words specifically chosen by the author. Often readers give all focus to the plot, committing fully to only understanding what has, what is, and what may happen. This, however, is a superficial way of reading. In George Orwell’s 1984, he goes so far as to not only carefully choose his language, but also delves into the very idea as to why speech is fundamentally important to life. Orwell is a master of syntax, as can be seen in his other novel Animal Farm, and does not stray in this dystopian fiction. Taking place in the year 1984, this story explores what life would be like if every thought and word you said was monitored by the government; if you speak
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As previously mentioned, Orwell suggests that in order for this to occur, they must have control over the speech that people can use. At first, it may be unclear as to why words would have so much meaning in the world; they are just simple ways of communication between people. That, however, is exactly the reason why language is dangerous in the eyes of the Party. Words have the ability to allow people to dictate their thoughts and feelings beyond mere emotional expressions and body language. For someone to be able to express an idea means that they can have beliefs that may not align with that of others. In the case of this novel, the Party does not want people to be able to act out against them, and so, they limit words to prevent rebellions from the very beginning. This is described explicitly in the end of the …show more content…
Essentially, doublethink is knowing that something is fundamentally true, but being able to tell yourself that it is in fact something different. An example of this would be calling black, white. If Big Brother redefined black as being white, then the people of this new world would no longer think of white as white. Even though they know that this is the case, they can force themselves, and with surprising ease, to think differently. This play on words and ideas is important. Regardless of the fact that it is filled with contradictions, it shows just how fragile human minds can
As previously mentioned, Orwell suggests that in order for this to occur, they must have control over the speech that people can use. At first, it may be unclear as to why words would have so much meaning in the world; they are just simple ways of communication between people. That, however, is exactly the reason why language is dangerous in the eyes of the Party. Words have the ability to allow people to dictate their thoughts and feelings beyond mere emotional expressions and body language. For someone to be able to express an idea means that they can have beliefs that may not align with that of others. In the case of this novel, the Party does not want people to be able to act out against them, and so, they limit words to prevent rebellions from the very beginning. This is described explicitly in the end of the …show more content…
Essentially, doublethink is knowing that something is fundamentally true, but being able to tell yourself that it is in fact something different. An example of this would be calling black, white. If Big Brother redefined black as being white, then the people of this new world would no longer think of white as white. Even though they know that this is the case, they can force themselves, and with surprising ease, to think differently. This play on words and ideas is important. Regardless of the fact that it is filled with contradictions, it shows just how fragile human minds can