Aisha Mustafa || Staff Writer || Issue 18
1984 is a classic dystopian novel published on June 8, 1949 by George Orwell. It has become so relevant that several terms from the novel have been adopted into everyday language.
One example of this is the word “orwellian” which is used to refer to situations characteristic of the totalitarian themes covered in the book.
One of the most philosophically—and politically—relevant themes is how language controls thought. Can thought occur without language? Two terms that are used by Orwell to express these themes are Newspeak and Doublethink. Doublethink is the ability to hold two contradicting beliefs while knowing that they are contradicting. Classically, the quote “war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength” illustrates this phenomenon. Cognitive dissonance is psychological discomfort experienced when two held beliefs contradict. In Orwell’s society, this discomfort is suppressed and neutralized through control of thought. Newspeak directly ties into this as it is a controlled form of language that limits what thoughts people can have. There is even a term—crimethink—that demonizes opposing views entirely.
In the application of Orwellian language to everyday life, the term doublespeak was coined to refer to real-world deceptive language. This is demonstrated through obscure, euphemistic statements that are used by officials to make unpleasant actions sound better. This minimizes pushback and creates less extreme associations. Some examples of doublespeak include saying “downsizing” when referring to layoffs, “revenue enhancement” for tax increases, and even “ethnic cleansing” to refer to forced deportations and genocide.
Language and thought are interdependent. The same way language is used to express thought, language also shapes it. 1984 brings awareness to this concept and can serve as a reminder to consider how language affects consciousness in everyday life, doublespeak is much more common than most people acknowledge. The thought-provoking nature of Orwell’s novel allowed it to persist over time as a classical and highly educational piece of literature. It is for this reason that I encourage everyone to give it a try and engage in productive consideration and discussion of its major themes.
The Hudsonian 