Ingsoc

the theory of linguistic determinism – that one’s language influences their perception of reality – through constructing Newspeak. Newspeak narrows the lexicon of Oceania citizens, thus removing their right to even think outside of the philosophy of IngSoc; the violent imagery in Syme’s remark, “we’re cutting the language down to the bone,” the metaphor emphasises the drastic consequences and loss of hope resultant from limiting one’s range of thought. Additionally, Orwell employs de Man’s…

Originally coined in 1972 by psychologist Irving Janis, the term “groupthink” has its roots in 1984. The Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology defines the phenomenon as “a condition in which highly cohesive groups in ‘hot’ decision situations display excessive levels of concurrence seeking that suppress critical inquiry and result in faulty decision making” (Aldag). Janis chose the name groupthink due to Orwell’s “doublethink” in 1984, a similar condition marked by the simultaneous acceptance of…

The main objective of the Party is to change the view of life as a whole. They want individuals to accept the information that is distributed to them, and to forget any past knowledge that opposes the Party’s beliefs. In a situation where the Party is to distribute information, and then later on distribute new information opposing the previous truth, citizens are expected to accept the new truth as the one and only truth they have ever known. Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth, where…

terms, explain them, then demonstrate how they are used in the text, followed by an explanation of why they are important for the party. The first term, Newspeak. In Orwell's appendix, Newspeak is a language to meet the ideological requirements of Ingsoc (English Socialism). The fictional totalitarian state of Oceania ruled by "The party" has made a completely new and controlled language. This new language has a limited vocabulary, restricted grammar, a verbal design meant to limit the freedom…

The Usage of Symbolism as a Mechanism for Social Control in 1984 and V for Vendetta Symbolic figureheads have, throughout history, been able to shape society by utilising their own image and what they represent. George Orwell’s 1984 and Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta both explore this idea in detail. Orwell paints a picture of a bleak dystopian future in 1984, wherein the government’s ruling party exercises totalitarian control and the populace is either brainwashed by the party, or shows…

abused, as can be seen from the perspectives of the protagonists and progression of events. In the country of Oceania, the government is controlled by what is referred to as “the Party”. This name refers to members of the English Socialist Party (or Ingsoc, for short). Power is everything to them and they must have power over all aspects of their territory. The…

A hero is a man who is respected for his courage and noble qualities; however, within literature, many different types of hero’s appear. There are valiant heroes who embody everything good about humanity. There are also heroes crippled by their own flaws who need to overcome their innermost downfalls to succeed. The most frequently found heroic archetype in literature is an ordinary person who is involuntarily dragged into an extraordinary situation because a sense of heroism arises within him…

Technology and media, the two main components in 1984’s dystopian society that are used by the government to effectively take control of the masses. Our current socio-political climate has shown strong links between the forewarnings of 1984’s totalitarian society and our own. Revelations from soldiers, like Chelsea Manning, or 3rd party contractors, such as the notorious, Edward Snowden are the tip of what has been going on behind closed doors from the likes of the government. The media’s, fair…

The Phrase is INGSOC, which is the merging of the words English and Socialism. In Oceania you mainly see it as a Capitalistic state with corruption, yet they promote a phrase that relates to socialism “At the same time, Oceania’s economy seems to be some form of capitalism…

“There was nothing left in them except sorrow for what they had done, and love of Big Brother. It was touching to see how much they loved him.” (Orwell 255). Big Brother is the icon of the Party in the book 1984 and is seen as the leader of said group. Throughout it Big Brother uses varying types of control to make sure his people do what is “best” for the rest of the Party. These forms of control get into the people’s head and are forced unto them by the Party as well as snuck into their…