The book 1984 is an explanation of Oceania’s official language, newspeak. There are many examples of this throughout the text such as doublethink. Newspeak consists of A vocabulary, B vocabulary, and C vocabulary. The A vocabulary has word that are needed for everyday life and words that already exist.
Eric Wills Themes Easily, the largest theme that comes through in 1984 from start to finish is psychological control is the way to a totalitarian government. By controlling the minds of the people who are in their country, they can keep everyone in check with no chance of revolution. The Party, or the main government has a motto. It goes, “Those who control the past, control the future: who controls the present controls the past.” (32).
One of the most notable themes in 1984 is George Orwell’s depiction of conformity. Conformity means to behave in accordance with socially acceptable conventions. In 1984, the party sets laws and brings in technology that forces the population into conforming. This is done so that they can control the population easier, and manipulate them into believing the party’s ideals. To do this, they firstly make everyone wear the same clothes, eat the same food, and live in the same conditions.
Could a world where a God of power is worshiped-and men are malleable through fear, hatred, and cruelty ever exist? In order to comprehend the world of George Orwell’s 1984, one must be able to grasp the significance behind the idea of doublethink, in the structure of society in Oceania and our own. The Newspeak(a new “politically correct” language that focuses on limiting vocabulary and erasing independent thought.) word doublethink focuses on believing two contradicting ideas to both be true.
Language is a powerful tool and skill that shapes an individual’s thoughts, beliefs, and actions. In George Orwell’s book, 1984, the concept of Newspeak is presented as a portrayal of language manipulation and how sinister it is. Though a fictional language, it is proposed to not only control thoughts and actions, but also to limit one’s ability to think. With the dangers of Newspeak as a form of language manipulation and what it proposes for the modern world, by elaborating on the impact of Newspeak and its effect on an individual’s cognitive ability, society gains an understanding of the importance of free thought and critical thinking.
Government Manipulation in 1984 People generally rely on the government as a source of protection and stability. However, the government does not always have the citizens’ best interests in mind, as shown in 1984. The government has the power to distort realities and the ability to detect the truth. They can manipulate, or influence people’s minds without them even knowing. George Orwell’s 1984 uses a futuristic dystopia to show how the government is able to manipulate human values through the use of fear.
Imagine being followed everywhere by a government agent. They’re watching your every move, and they’ll report you if you even make a wrong facial movement. This is essentially the case in George Orwell’s novel, 1984. Run by an English socialist government called the Party, the people’s every move is watched through telescreens. Citizens are not individual, but rather an extension of the Party.
Joseph Goebbels once said,”Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their freewill”. This statement is proven to be true in 1984. The author, George Orwell, creates a fictional dystopian society in which the population is manipulated into thinking they live in a great world, whereas the government has full control over them. In 1984, George Orwell’s prime message, supported by the article called Liberty in North Korea by Hae Re, was the lack of individualism gives power to the applicable leader, which is conveyed using the characters speech and symbolism. Orwell’s dystopian society showed the author 's message through what a character was saying and symbolism.
Sex creates an extremely exclusive bond between two individuals; it’s an unspoken contract of trust and love. Not only are sexual experiences private, but they also fulfill humanity’s instinctual desire and promote individuality. However, when this intimacy is either erased or condemned by society, individuals lose touch with that vital part of their humanity and individuality. In 1984 by George Orwell, sexuality plays an important role in both Oceania’s totalitarian government and Winston’s rebellion against his oppressors; as he explores his sexuality, Winston revolts against the Party’s manipulative political control, the destruction of individuality, the absence of human connection, and the practice of sexual puritanism.
In an excerpt from “1984” by George Orwell, one can see the variety of informal and formal language, along with the use of imagery, visuals, figurative language, and repetition throughout the passage. Orwell depicts the main character, Winston, and the beginning of his journey towards the party, and loss of his personal identity. This excerpt represents the beginning of Winston’s reintegration process in the Ministry of Love. Winston’s values start to gradually disappear, as the party becomes a more influential and trusting ideology in his life. Orwell portrays the idea that as an individual one can feel powerless, and will do anything to reconnect with others, even if this means agreeing with something they would never dare to think of (2
In 1984, George Orwell writes about a dystopian society called Oceania with a totalitarian government. Winston, the main character, is an Outer Party member and works for the government who is under the rule of “Big Brother” and the Inner Party. The Party’s purpose is to rule Oceania with absolutism and have control over its citizens by using propaganda, censorship, and the brainwashing of children. Today, many modern-day countries use these techniques to maintain their power including: North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Nazi Germany. First, North Korea and Oceania use propaganda to encourage patriotism to make themselves look better to citizens in order to keep a totalitarian rule.
In George Orwell’s novel 1984 Orwell gives the reader a preview of a negative utopia. Big Brother, being the Government of Oceania holds all the power. Orwell conveys Big Brother to the Governments today. Orwell also shows the reader to rethink how their government is being run and or if they 're having too much power. Orwell makes the reader realize that their government has power it should not be having.
Our history or our past is what defines our existence in the present. It decides what measures we should take to safeguard our future. Through history we identify with who we are, where we come from and what defines us as a person. Take our history away from us and we are left alienated and confined to a world that is meaningless. George Orwell 's novel 1984 is a 20th century political novel, that depicts a dystopian society built on a totalitarian ideology.
Comparisons between the world that Orwell described and current world activities can be made. The novel 1984 depicts a totalitarianistic government which can be related to historical events such as World War II, and to events that are currently happening today such as the NSA and the spying incidents that occurred in the United States. The novel of 1984 displays themes of totalitarianism. One example directly from the novel 1984 is this quote written by the author George Orwell; “Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere.
In George Orwell’s novel 1984, A theme of violation of human rights is thoroughly present, from violation of privacy, violation of the freedom of speech and religion, and the loss of humanity in general from the ever present form of Big Brother. As the villain of the novel, Big Brother- who represents the government -has absolute control over the citizens’ lives. While 1984 effectively conveys the dangers of a totalitarian government, Orwell’s predicted society is not present in today’s world. Comparatively speaking, the United States of America has more rights and freedoms than Orwell’s Oceania, but in some cases the rights of the citizens must be violated for safety reasons and other justifiable causes. Orwell’s novel 1984 paints a picture
