Big Brother Is Watching You Language Analysis

George Orwell’s 1984 expresses the great power words hold and the impact that double meanings and limited vocabulary can have on oppressing a society. Words hold immense power, both in modern society and in Orwell’s dystopian future. Humans are surrounded by words, from the conversations they have, to the books and ads they read, and even in their everyday thoughts; the people portrayed in 1984 are no different. Posters loom over the citizens with the warning “Big Brother is Watching You” (Orwell 2) as an everyday reminder of their great leader. Speaker systems and telescreens play announcements to the masses with the, mostly untrue, accomplishments of The Party to keep morale up. Not even the thoughts of the people are protected; the constant

Inside, the ministry acts much like a prison, with holding cells and even rooms dedicated to torture. The main purpose of the ministry is to break any person that dares oppose The Party. Prisoners are held in “the place where there is no darkness,” (25) which Winston dreams of years before actually being sent there. This room, rather than being one of natural light and freedom, is filled with artificial lights and acts as a holding cell. This example of false meaning and foreshadowing follows the example set by the ministries and party slogans of deceit. From this room prisoners are moved to room 101, where each person is tortured for days, weeks, or even months. The Party breaks down the beliefs of the prisoner and forces them into following party ideologies. The statement “2 + 2 = 5” (290) is used as a final test to show complete allegiance to The Party. Forcing prisoners into admitting to a statement that they know is false shows willingness to believe anything they are told. Even the greatest revolutionaries are broken by this system and molded into the yet another mindless follower of The

All things, from what the citizens eat to the jobs they have each day, are based upon totalitarian control. Glimpses into the life of Winston show him working at the Records Department in the Ministry of Truth. Here Winston is tasked with altering historical records to follow whichever current lie is being broadcast to the people. Important figures are cut out, new ones are added, and roles are switched around constantly. The Party must continually alter the past so that it coincides with what they want the people to believe. One of the party slogans states “who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past” (248) and, because The Party can change the past to whatever they want, they can in turn control the future. Having the ability to change records is dangerous because it leaves no room for argument from the people. Whatever The Party says goes and they are able to back it up by simply changing names and details