need help with 1984 essay

[EddieZ]

defend, challenge, or qualify the following: in 1984, orwll satirizes the degradation of language, claiming that it is the primamry means of social control by the government.

how would i go at this. plz help!

[Tyler Self]

Orwell by no means says that degredation of language is the only means. In 1984, Big Brother also uses control that involves making people believe what they know to be false (called Doublethink in the book). If anything, THAT is the primary means of social control in 1984. An example is when the mass of people were rallying for hate week and were holding signs against Eurasia or Eastasia (I can't remember which), and then a person came on a megaphone and said that the enemy was and always had been the other country. The people then proceeded to blame the Brotherhood for tampering their signs.

I had to scoff at that part.

Other ways are messing with written history, and using microphones and telescreens to monitor the populace.

[The Atheist]

Read the Newspeak appendix to 1984 and Syme's responses to Winston.

That contains all you need to know.

[Wilde woman]

Ooh good topic.

Here's a website I found helpful. They have a whole theme on "language and communication" in 1984. Also check out the "quotes" tab, where they have specific quotes from the book about language and some thoughts that might starting your brainstorming.

http://www.shmoop.com/theme/literature/george-orwell/1984/language-and-communication.html

Good luck!

[EddieZ]

Thanks everybody, i have some ideas to start writing now ^_^