1984 Theme Essay - 1062 Words

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†¦show more content†¦One illustration of the manipulation of language today is seen in politics. Politicians speak in a certain manner that can affect the thought process of the listener. They carefully word their speech so that it deliv ers the correct message to the listener’s brain and creates a certain thought pattern that is ideal for the speaker. For instance, if an idea can be spoken two separate ways and have the same basic meaning, the politician will select a way that controls the way people think of your speech overall by using different wording. In 1984, word manipulation similar to this technique is used. The ministry branches, Ministry of Love, Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Plenty and Ministry of Truth, all had opposite meanings. For example, the ministry of Peace was really the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Love was really the Ministry of Law Enforcement and Punishment. This caused people to think that the Ministries were better than they really were and they forgot about the bad things they stood for. Another exploitation of language to achieve a message used by politicians is repetition. This is when they repeat their main points over and over again until they make their idea overly cl ear. This method makes the listeners remember what was said and not overlook it. This is similar to 1984 because inShow MoreRelated Theme of Privacy in 1984 Essay examples1353 Words   |  6 Pages In 1984 George Orwell describes how no matter where you go in Oceania there is a telescreen right there watching you. Everything you do say or sometimes even think, Big Brother will know. 1984 was written in 1949 and Orwell hinted at technology which never even existed. Perhaps he saw it coming because of how popular the television was becoming. There are many ideas in this novel that Orwell predicts. 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