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The Destruction Of Language In George Orwell's '1984'

740 Words3 Pages

Imagine waking up one day and suddenly forgetting everything about the past and not knowing very many words. What would it be like? In Orwell’s book 1984 this is what he depicts. A government in total control over everything. The destruction of language and the past could be used as a tool to manipulate people through propaganda, making people believe that it’s a crime to think and lowering the range of vocabulary are all ways the government could use to manipulate people. Could it happen? Or does it already exist? First of all propaganda in the book 1984 was a huge way to get the society of people manipulated This was O 'brien using propaganda against Winston because he is showing him all the things that the party has done and shows actual evidence of The party and …show more content…

Lowering the range of vocabulary mean not giving people books and things to read. It meant that the party was changing things so people would read and believe it. “Don 't you see that the whole aim of the Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end, we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meaning rubbed out and forgotten”(Orwell,Syme ch5). What Syme means by this is that the Newspeak will eventually make a thoughtcrime impossible or even thinking impossible by lowering the range if vocabulary. Also, when winston says “a nation of warriors and fanatics,marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting three hundred million people with the same face”(Orwell pg77). What Winston means by this is that once the people of Oceania have their vocabulary almost completely gone then they will all become the same

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