Samantha Hughes

AP Language and Composition

Ms. Kish
18 February 2016
The Deconstruction of Language in 1984
George Orwells critically acclaimed novel centers around a world fallen. Broken, split
up, and in a state of constant war, the dictatorial government referred to solely as Big Brother
manipulates and controls its people through the twisting of language, stripping it of its ability to
express and wrapping common words in a cloud of fear by association. Due to its isolationist
nature the government rules as an omnipotent figure always looming above the heads of the
party members, unabling them to speak or even think out against the party for they simply do not
have the language in which to do so. This tragic example of how important communication is,
and how it can so easily be manipulated in order to hurt people truly frightens its readers.
In Orwells fictionalized society, the government is split into four separate branches, each
associated with a ministry and each with inherently different jobs. The ministry of love, for
example, is where prisoners are tortured, or the ministry of peace is where the never ending war
is dealt with. Though these names can be considered ironic, or even comical, once thought about
more deeply the names take on a darker twist. Big Brother is known for controlling the people by
any means necessary, often using mind games or riddles in order to trap their unsuspecting,
trusting population. So naming the only four places in which a respected party member can
work; love, peace, truth and plenty, while forcing them to help in the process of doing the
complete opposite of what those names imply day in and day out, creates a deep association

opposite of the words original meaning. In simpler terms, it means that truth will no longer
mean the truth, instead the meaning is warped into a version that Big Brother can then use to
control the population, bending them to their will.
Winston, the main protagonist of the novel, experiences this first hand as he faces the
moral dilemma of what truth truly means in a society where truth is constantly being rewritten
and falsified. On page 35 he monologues, to know and not to know, to be conscious of complete
truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which
cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic
against logic, (Orwell 35) since truth means next to nothing to Winston, whose job and sole
sense of pleasure is rewriting truths in order to benefit Big Brother, this is just one of many
paragraph long debates with himself on what truth is. Big Brother was devious, conniving and
intelligent when they carefully chose the names of their ministries, because Winston does not
know what truth is, he cannot fully tell the truth, and therefore cannot connect on a deeper level
with others, isolating him and allowing the government to better control his actions.
The second heart wrenching way in which the dramatized society in 1984 abuses
language in order to remain in power is through creating an entirely new language and
annihilating the obsolete version. Newspeak, the fictional language created by the government
in order to rid the world of words that are considered to be too complex, is in reality attempting
to change the way the population thinks. Psychologically speaking, if a society does not have the
worlds in order to express an idea, they are, likewise, unable to think it. A community in Africa,
for example, do not use past tense and without the capability for words such as went, yesterday,
or had they are unable to think in past tense. They have no memories of childhood, no

understanding of what they did the day before, the entire society revolves around simply moving
forward and experiencing the present and future. Big Brother adapts this understanding of the
human condition and in places it in society so that people cannot rise up against them. On page
52, a friend of Winstons describes the reason for newspeak, he says, dont you see that the
whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make
thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it,
(Orwell 52). Just like the community in Africa it is the goal of Big Brother to control their people
by any means necessary, this one meaning manipulating an entire language in order to drastically
shift the populations thought process to better fit their needs.
While this all seems drastic, scary and unrealistic in a fiction book written in the early
1960s, the manipulation of language occurs daily in American society. Every possible survey
taken has leading questions which can affect the way people respond, every writer chooses
words carefully in order to evoke different reactions, every article, every news story, every
account, each manipulates language in their favor. The most blatant example of the twisting of
language to fit their own purposes is Fox News, a news broadcasting company known for their
strong republican views. Instead of simply stating the facts for what they are and allowing their
intelligent viewers to form opinions of their own, they warp the stories, often times taking bits of
pieces in order to support their claims. While this doesnt seem as terrifying as what Big Brother
did in 1984, it does do significant harm. Fox keeps their viewers in the dark, ignorant to the true
ongoings of the world they are sheltered and constantly validated for their very wrong take on
matters. Fox raises a whole new generation of bigots because they are not a credible news
source.

1984 by George Orwell showcases exactly what can go wrong when language is abused
and manipulated. It shows the harm it can cause to people who are stripped of their right to
expression, and highlights the control language has over people. The accessibility dictatorships
such a Big Brother has to being in complete control is a fine line, one that can start with just a
few plain adjectives.