“BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 43)

 

 

The dystopian cult fiction novel 1984 by George Orwell is a renowned text that puts forth the notion of a reality where nothing is as it seems, and everything is manipulated. Particularly, Orwell’s use of language whether that is the creation as seen in Newspeak or the destruction evident in the manipulation of historical records. This post discusses the effect of language in 1984 and its destructive capabilities when put in the wrong hands.

Repurposing language to fit a narrative is not new to literature; however, the blaring juxtaposition of the ministries names against their roles allow the reader to understand how this society works particularly as this is introduced early in the novel. The Ministry of Truth manipulating and destroying language, culture and historical records whilst simultaneously creating and enforcing Newspeak – a condensed new language sets precedent for what to expect in this dystopian reality the characters are set in. Love means war, Truth is a lie and Plenty means little.

Interestingly enough whilst this novel has integrated itself into popular media such as reality television (Big Brother UK) it seems comical that it has been watered down simply to an all-seeing eye. The imagery of the eye being more powerful than language.