1984 Orwellian Analysis

George Orwell’s novel 1984 is about a highly oppressive authoritarian regime that controls the actions and thoughts of the people. This novel led to the term Orwellian, which describes the government in the novel. The word Orwellian has become synonymous with authoritarian, however, Orwellian does not mean the oppressive rule of people. The word authoritarian only encompasses an oppressive government with all power, but does not encompass all the qualities in an Orwellian government. Orwellian describes the deceiving of people through the use of language, which is a common quality of authoritarian regimes. Government slogans and propaganda with strong, emotive words are examples where written language is used to manipulate people. While authoritarian governments are meddlesome and manipulative, they might not be as Orwellian as a McDonald’s commercial. Outside of government, Orwellian qualities are increasingly present through any form of language when the author’s intent is to deceive his or her audience.
Our understanding of the world reflects our use of language and vice …show more content…
The English language in this society is void of complex words with many interpretations, thus, the citizens cannot express higher level thinking or comprehension. Furthermore, the individuals in the fictional Orwellian government could not express their desires, complaints, or feelings. Therefore, individuals cannot disagree with the absolute power in the regime, because they have a narrow range of thought, void of the complex words necessary for analytical thinking. The people cannot express their condolences and reasons to get rid of the unjust government. The government would shape the language of people to eliminate any dissenting or rebellious ideas and maintain absolute control. This method of controlling language is Orwellian because it manipulates people through their use of