Study Questions for 1984
1. What is Newspeak?
• Newspeak was a simplification of language to render thoughtcrime impossible. It eliminates words that symbolized illegal things--god, family, love. It eliminates shades of meaning--atrocious and awful could be represented by one word, doubleunplusgood. It contracted words and combined them--duckspeak, speakwrite, Minitruth, Minilove.
2. What is the purpose of Newspeak?
• The purpose of Newspeak is to render thoughtcrime impossible. If the word god does not exist, for example, then there would be no way for an individual to express thoughts that included a power higher than government. Documents such as The Declaration of Independence, therefore, would be impossible to understand even if it remained in existence.
3. What are some modern examples of Newspeak?
Terrorists have become enemy combatants. Wars have become military operations. Wartime civilian deaths have become collateral damage. A failing grade has become an inability to meet standards. Wasteful spending and high taxes are now economic stimulus plans.
4. How is Society Kept Under Control?
• What techniques do the party use to control thought? Physical torture, endless wars, state controlled media, spying. How does Ingsoc differ from authoritarian regimes of the past? The main difference between Ingsoc and authoritarian regimes of the past is their ability to eliminate martyrs. All thought criminals repent before their death; hence, the powerful last line of the book: "He (Winston) loved Big Brother."
• How are the Proles the only hope and how much hope are they? The Proles are the only segment of society that is not controlled every second of the day. Unfortunately, they do not have enough sense to realize they're being controlled; they are satisfied with simply surviving (this could also qualify as a prediction above).
5.
Hopefully these sample discussion questions have sparked some of your own original thoughts to add. Let us know what other questions
• Newspeak was a simplification of language to render thoughtcrime impossible. It eliminates words that symbolized illegal things--god, family, love. It eliminates shades of meaning--atrocious and awful could be represented by one word, doubleunplusgood. It contracted words and combined them--duckspeak, speakwrite, Minitruth, Minilove.
2. What is the purpose of Newspeak?
• The purpose of Newspeak is to render thoughtcrime impossible. If the word god does not exist, for example, then there would be no way for an individual to express thoughts that included a power higher than government. Documents such as The Declaration of Independence, therefore, would be impossible to understand even if it remained in existence.
3. What are some modern examples of Newspeak?
Terrorists have become enemy combatants. Wars have become military operations. Wartime civilian deaths have become collateral damage. A failing grade has become an inability to meet standards. Wasteful spending and high taxes are now economic stimulus plans.
4. How is Society Kept Under Control?
• What techniques do the party use to control thought? Physical torture, endless wars, state controlled media, spying. How does Ingsoc differ from authoritarian regimes of the past? The main difference between Ingsoc and authoritarian regimes of the past is their ability to eliminate martyrs. All thought criminals repent before their death; hence, the powerful last line of the book: "He (Winston) loved Big Brother."
• How are the Proles the only hope and how much hope are they? The Proles are the only segment of society that is not controlled every second of the day. Unfortunately, they do not have enough sense to realize they're being controlled; they are satisfied with simply surviving (this could also qualify as a prediction above).
5.
Hopefully these sample discussion questions have sparked some of your own original thoughts to add. Let us know what other questions