Student Essay on 1984

1984

Summary:   Two of the major themes, which are examined in the novel "1984", are the control of information and history, and language as mind control. These are two forms of control, which are practised by the Party over the citizens of Oceania.

In the novel, 1984 by George Orwell, there are several intriguing themes, which are discussed from the point of view of the protagonist, Winston Smith, the main theme of the book being control. Two of the major themes, which are examined in the novel, are the control of information and history, and language as mind control. These are two forms of control, which are practised by the Party over the citizens of Oceania. The topic of control of information and history is explored in the novel through many different ideas. One of the main ways in which this theme is brought out is through the Party's slogan "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past", which is a reoccurring slogan in the novel. This theme is also explored through the fact that the Party controls every source of information; this is demonstrated through the Ministry of Truth in that it manages and rewrites the pages of history for its own benefit. The final way in which the Party controls information and history is through not allowing individuals to keep their own records of the past, such as their own photographs or documents, which means that the only true record of the past exists in ones memory, which in the end cannot be trusted. The topic of language as mind control is also explored throughout the novel via many different ideas. One of the main ways in which this theme is brought out is through the idea of Newspeak - altering the very structure of language, so that it would be impossible to conceive disobedient or rebellious thoughts, because there is no words to even express them with. Another way in which language is used as mind control is the Party's ever present slogans, which are hammered into the citizens of Oceania from the moment they are born, until the very day they die, through the telescreens and banners which are plastered all over the city. All of these ideas are evident throughout the novel, 1984, and are brought out through two of the main themes, control of information and history, and language as mind control.

The Party's slogan "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past" plays an integral role in bringing out the theme of how the Party controls information and history in the novel. This slogan appears twice in the novel, once in Book One, Chapter III, while Winston is contemplating the Party's control of history and people's individual memories, and once in Book Three, Chapter II, when Winston has been captured, and speaks to O'Brien about the nature of the past. The slogan is an important example of how the Party falsifies the records of history in order to break down the psychological independence of its people. By controlling the present, the Party is able to manipulate and falsify the past. And in controlling the past, the Party can justify all of its actions in the present. This therefore means that if the Party creates a past which is miserable, and says that the conditions in today's society are idyllic, then the citizens will be happy and work towards the Party's goals. "So long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never become aware that they are oppressed" (Book Two, Chapter IX). This complete power that the Party has over information and history, means that it is able justify all of its actions in the present.

The Ministry of Truth demonstrates another way in which the Party controls every source of information and history throughout the city of Oceania. This Ministry of "Truth" is in charge of doctoring the pages of history, in order for it to fit in with the Party's ideology. This doctoring and rewriting enables the Party to erase the parts of history, which it would rather forget, and replace it with something which fits in with its current set of principals. "The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth" (Book One, Chapter VII). Because almost everything about the past is forgotten and rewritten, perhaps several times, and the fact that the citizens of Oceania live in fear, they are able to accept every piece of false information that is given to them as the truth. This continual doctoring of the past enables the Party to make the citizens of Oceania feel liberated and allows the Party to retain its complete control of information and history.

The Party does not allow individuals to keep mementos from their past, such as photographs and documents, because this would cause the Party to lose some of the control it has over information and history. This means that the only true record of the past lies in people's memories. As a result of the Party not allowing its subjects to keep their own records of the past, the citizens of Oceania acquire a very short-term memory, and the memories that they are able to keep are fuzzy and unreliable. "For how could you establish even the most obvious fact when there existed no record outside your own memory"" (Book One, Chapter III). This means that the citizens will become perfectly willing to believe whatever the Party tells them. "And since the Party is in full control of all records, and in equally full control of the minds of its members, it follows that the past is whatever the Party chooses to make it" (Book Two, Chapter IX). This monopoly that the Party has over the citizens of Oceania, further allows them to have complete control over information and history.

The concept of Newspeak is one of the main ways in which the Party is able to control the citizens of Oceania by using language as mind control. By creating Newspeak, the Party altered the very structure of language, so that it would be impossible to conceive disobedient or rebellious thoughts, because no words would exist that you would be able to express these thoughts with. As the Party is constantly updating and perfecting the language of Newspeak, which is the new version of English, they are getting closer to their ultimate goal, that no one will be capable of committing thought crime or conceiving anything that will question the Party's ultimate power. "All ambiguities and shades of meaning had been purged out of them. It was quite impossible to use the vocabulary for literary purposes or for political or philosophical discussion" (Book Two, Chapter III). By creating Newspeak, the Party is basically able to eliminate free thought, and is able to control the minds of the citizens of Oceania by using language as mind control. .".. the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of free thought" (Book One, Chapter V).

The Party uses clever slogans, which are present throughout the city of Oceania to maintain propaganda-induced fear among the citizens of the city from the very moment that they are born, until the very day that they die. These slogans are constantly in view to all of the citizens of Oceania through the telescreens and banners, which are situated throughout the city. The main slogan that is used by the Party is "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength" (Book One, Chapter I) and this slogan introduces the reader to the idea of doublethink, which is being able to hold two contradictory beliefs in ones mind simultaneously, while accepting both of them. These slogans, which are constantly in view, weaken the independence and strength of individuals' minds, and force them to live in constant fear. Through this fear, the Party is able to force its subjects to accept anything they wish, even if it is entirely illogical because they have full control over the citizens' minds.

Throughout the novel, 1984, there are many intriguing themes present, yet the one major theme that is incessant during the novel is control. This control comes in many forms, but the main forms that it appears in are the control of information and history, and language as mind control. The Party controls information and history by rewriting the pages of history, and not allowing individuals to keep their own personal records of the past. They use language as mind control by introducing the idea of Newspeak to the citizens of Oceania, and using clever slogans to induce fear. The Party uses these two forms of control to dominate the citizens of Oceania, making their lives miserable, yet making it seem like their lives are idyllic, and that they have been liberated.