“Newspeak” in The Novel 1984

I’ve finished reading the novel 1984 (finally). It took me quite sometime but I’m really glad to have finished it. It is a fantastic book. One aspect that really caught my attention about this book is the “Newspeak” language. The language is created with the purpose of limiting the number of English vocabulary so that language could be manipulated to serve the totalitarian party’s (INGSOC) purpose. In other words, it is used to control society by controlling its language. Besides that, Newspeak aim is to make any alternative thinking impossible by removing any words or possible constructs which describe the ideas of freedom, rebellion and so on so that society would just believe whatever that is being told thus making sure of the party’s stranglehold on the people. From this novel, I have learned to appreciate language more than ever before. It also brings the old saying; “The pen is mightier than the sword,” to a whole new level. The really interesting part of it is that, newspeak is not some far fetched fiction. It is something that can truly happen to all of us. Furthermore, all this could happen in the nearby future. Just look around you and see how the mass media are used to influence our interest and thinking. If you ask me, the world of 1984 could very soon be our world. A world where society merely flips over when being told to, a world where no one could think outside the box, a world where our thoughts are being controlled, a world where language has lost all its beauty.