1984: The Destruction of Individuality
George Orwell's 1984 was written in 1949 as a way to show what might become of the world if its people stayed on their current course. It is a futuristic novel. One of the many themes is that of the destruction of individuality. The Proles, as the people are called, are not unique people with names and distinct characteristics: they are called by their last names and a number. The system is extremely similar to that of a prison. Every single aspect of a person's life is contained and controlled. Every memory, gone, every love, lost, every dream, forgotten. Everything that makes a person who he or she is is controlled by Big Brother. They control these "subjects" through three different methods. The first is through the language; second, their physical aspects, and last through surveillance and a lack of privacy. Winston Smith, number 6079, is the name of the subject Orwell chose to use (36). At the beginning of the novel, he is still an individual, which can be seen by the journal he keeps hidden in his room (7). By the end of the novel, he, just as everyone else before him, has conformed to the standard and regulations of Big Brother. He is, in a way, already dead.
One of the methods was through language. Newspeak is the official language of Oceania (4). It is being created to meet the specific needs of Ingsoc. The language is divided into three parts: "A" words are used for everyday life; reserved for simple thoughts, concrete objects, or physical actions; "B" words were created for political purposes; and "C" words are scientific and technical terms (300-312). People in society are very different. The way a person thinks and what he or she believes are part of what make them who they are. Proles are only allowed to say certain words, these words are located in the Newspeak dictionaries (299). An example of a word the citizens were not al
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