the people, also that denies them freedom of expression. The fictional society in George Orwell’s 1984 stands as a metaphor for a totalitarian society in which communication, personal beliefs, and individual loyalty to the government are all controlled. Current society in America is much more democratic. It contrasts with Orwell’s society of 1984 because the individual determines all communication, personal beliefs and the people’s loyalty to the government.In the novel, Newspeak is a modified version of language that is forced upon the people in order to limit their expression. Syme and Winston, two middle-class workers in Oceania, discuss the concept of Newspeak. Syme reveals that he supports the system, demonstrating how he has been brainwashed by the Inner Party who enforces the system. “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words... You haven’t a real appreciation for Newspeak, Winston... Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thougtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” (p. 46)One can detect from this quotation that the people of Oceania, as a group, have been brainwashed by the Inner Party. Syme, for one, understands the purpose of it, and he still complies with the system because he has been trained to do so. The concept of Newspeak is designed to control personal beliefs of the citizens by limiting their form of expression. But when the governing system is not followed, Thought Police are used to prevent thoughts that oppose the nation. “How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time.” (p. 6) There is no doubt that - through both Newspeak and Thought Police - the system of government in 1984 has adequately prevented the peopl...
