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How Does Orwell Use Language In 1984

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In society today, the horrific truth is that numerous people are hungry for power, and desire to be in a position that is exceedingly high above the rest. This is the general ideology of the Party, the supreme and ruling government in the legendary narrative 1984, written by George Orwell. 1984 is a dystopian, science fiction novel that is set during the year 1984 in the superstate of Oceania. In a malevolent world of continuous warfare, relentless government scrutiny, and constant human manipulation, the story revolves around a man named Winston Smith, a citizen of Oceania who lives in Airstrip One, a futuristic and dystopian Great Britain. Winston sees the tyrannical reign that the Party has over Oceania, mostly because of the lies that …show more content…

(Orwell 134) Syme, a co-worker of the protagonist Winston Smith, displays his adoration of the ongoing establishment of the language of Newspeak. Syme subtly reveals to the readers how this implementation of a new and different language can lead to the Party’s absolute control over the citizens of Oceania. Through the deterioration of language, the thoughts of people become limited, and their individual opinions restrained. This occurs because the thoughts and judgments of individuals rely on language to communicate the distinctive ideas that they hold. The reduced vocabulary in Newspeak allows the Party to easily control the minds of the members of the state. Moreover, the theme of manipulation is also present in the merciless torture of the citizens of Oceania, in the Ministry of Love. O’Brien clearly manipulates Winston by using his deepest fear to bend him into the quintessential Party member: “For you, [rats] are unendurable. They are a form of pressure that you cannot withstand, even if you wished to. You will do what is required of you” (339). Winston’s fear of rats being used for torture grants O’Brien the ability to manipulate Winston into doing whatever he pleases. The use of fear and torture is a clear form of dominance in the novel, as it is used to twist the person’s thoughts and actions into something that would satisfy the Party’s principles. As stated by O’Brien, “courage and cowardice are not involved” (339) in Winston’s case, because, as he is

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