Orwells Perception of the Political Power of Language Essay

Orwells Perception of the Political Power of Language As an author, George Orwell is concerned with the modern use and misuse of the English language. He notes the recognized ability of language to distort truth and deceive masses in his essay Politics and the English Language, and attempts to alert the public of this power in his novel Nineteen-Eighty-Four . Depicting dystopia of a totalitarian system at a complete extreme, Orwellls novel is essentially about psychological control of the public. In the creation of Newspeak, Orwell portrays the effects of recurring abuse of language by government, and demonstrates how language can be used politically to manipulate minds on a monumental scale, eventually birthing a society in†¦show more content†¦As Orwell expects, to think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration ; thus the Party limits such public thought, eliminating the threat of a society that can denounce government and defend itself from wrong. In order to maintain its power, Orwell claims that a political regime uses language to produce a reduced state of individual consciousness in its residents. As it structures and places limits on ideas that an individual is capable of forming, language is established as a type of mind-control for the masses. The primary purpose of political language, to Orwell, is to eliminate individual thought and expression. In using euphemisms and metaphors, for example, which one does not create by him or herself, an individual neither creates his/her thoughts nor chooses his/her words; thus the process of thinking is completely eliminated. This idea is developed more radically in his novel in the use of Newspeak, as the Party has completely erased any forum for personal thought or expression. As one member of the party describes, In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. The concept of thought control is evident throughout the novel, but is also present in Orwells earlier ideas about the politics of language as described in his article. He identifies that political language largely serves to make lies sound truthful , and draws the conclusionShow MoreRelatedAnimal Farm Book, Language Used as an Instrument of Social Control1156 Words   |  5 PagesSquealer, how is language used as an instrument of social control? How do the pigs rewrite history? In the book animal farm, Orwell very carefully created his characters in order to mimic certain political figures of the time. In this case Squealer functioned as the propaganda department. Squealer uses language to keep Napoleon in power. He uses language as a means to consolidate power, in this light truth is an element that can be manipulated through language. 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