Discuss the Roles of Language and Reason in History

In George Orwell’s 1984, the strategies used by Oceania’s Political Party to achieve total control over the population are similar to the ones employed by Joseph Stalin during his reign. Indeed, the tactics used by Oceania’s Party truly depicts the brutal totalitarian society of Stalin’s Russia. In making a connection between Stalin’s Russia and Big Brothers’ Oceania, each Political Party implements a psychological and physical manipulation over society by controlling the information and the language with the help of technology.

This paper deals with ways history can be interpreted and influences different interpretations have on society and individuals. This is explored through

Absolute control over society is the central theme in the novel, 1984, by George Orwell. One method this power over society is exercised is use of language to manipulate and control people. The story features a society called Oceania, which is located in the European region. In Oceania, there is a form of totalitarian government called the Party which controls the entire society. The Party controls thoughts by making certain words or phrases illegal. In addition, any anti-party thoughts or motives are also deemed illegal. To control society, thoughts are monitored by telescreens which read reactions and record speech. A force, called the Thought Police, is also engaged to take power over and eliminate society’s individual beliefs. The

“Newspeak was designed to. . .diminish the range of thought. . .by cutting the choice of words down to a minimum” explains George Orwell, the author of a dystopian fiction novel, 1984 (Orwell 300). Orwell designs a society in which a totalitarian government rules, depriving people of their thoughts. The story gives us a look into the life of the main character, Winston, who seems to face issues with reality control. Today, we will delve into the depths of this novel and explore Orwell’s views on the nature of language. In simple terms, Orwell suggests that language, if used in a certain way, has the ability to influence people and compel them to alter their thoughts. With this statement and supporting evidence, it can be concluded that the effective use of language can give individuals power to modify or reshape opinions that will allow for change in society.

In Telling the Truth About History, three historians discuss how the expanded skepticism and the position that relativism has reduced our capacity to really know and to expound on the past. The book talks about the written work of history and how individuals are battling with the issues of what is “truth.” It likewise examines the post-modernist development and how future historians

George Orwell, the writer of many highly regarded literary works, is extremely interested in the power of language, mainly how it is abused. By analyzing two of his works, 1984 and Politics and The English Language, it is clear that Orwell is using his writing to bring awareness to the dangers of the manipulation, misuse, and decline of language. In 1984 he demonstrates how language can be used to control thought and manipulate the past. This is proven throughout the novel by examining the language of Newspeak and how it is key to controlling the totalitarian state, and how using language to alter and manipulate history can shape reality. In his essay Politics and the English Language Orwell

How does the way history is told have power in our understanding of the past and present?

What is History? This is the question posed by historian E.H. Carr in his study of historiography. Carr debates the ongoing argument which historians have challenged for years, on the possibility that history could be neutral. In his book he discusses the link between historical facts and the historians themselves. Carr argues that history cannot be objective or unbiased, as for it to become history, knowledge of the past has been processed by the historian through interpretation and evaluation. He argues that it is the necessary interpretations which mean personal biases whether intentional or not, define what we see as history. A main point of the chapter is that historians select the facts they think are significant which ultimately

Historians are faced with the challenge of working with the small amount of historical evidence that they have. Between primary and secondary sources, indecipherable languages, damaged artifacts, and biased accounts of history, they have quite the task in front of them. The state of the evidence we have to learn from allows us an interesting look into peoples thoughts, feelings and experiences, but also forces us to interpret to the best of our ability, and make educated guesses on what life was like in ancient times.

The definition of history, is a question which has sparked international debate for centuries between the writers, readers, and the makers of history. It is a vital topic which should be relevant in our lives because it?s important to acknowledge past events that have occurred in our world that deeply influences the present. This essay will discuss what history is, and why we study it.

Through language, historians made us realized that history would always be history. It would always be there. It is something of the past for the future. We believed in what was written thousand years ago, affecting each and everyone of us on how we go on with our lives.

The historian’s task of developing an understanding of the past involves the study of the human past as described in the written documents and objects left by human beings related to a particular point or period in time. However, there is always the problem of authenticity of evidence and the interpretation of events that may or may not be accurate or relevant. Over time more and different evidence often appears and must be evaluated and compared to existing sources and their interpretation. Human science puts human experience in context and its aim is to explain human behavior by creating theories to predict it and then solve problems identified by those predictions considering them in terms of human self-knowledge that allows us to understand ourselves as people. It is very important for us as people to know ourselves: where knowing who we are and where we stand means knowing the things that distinguish us from other people, by knowing our true nature as humans.

History can be defined in a number of ways. One could say history is a record of events that occurred in the past, or another person could say that history is the knowledge and facts of the past. Carl Becker’s definition is perhaps the simplest and finest definition of history. Becker defines history as “the memory of things said and done” (223). Memory is history, which is what history truly is and how it should be looked at by mankind. As long as mankind has that memory, then that memory of the things said and done will become history. For mankind to truly be able to define what history is, they must understand the importance of preservation, interpretations, and periodization with the things said and done.

History is a complex concept that needs to be broken-down in order to be fully understood. This is most successfully done through examples from the past. Creating