In 1783,
Noah Webster broke what was seen as the final cultural bond between the newly
created United States of America and Great Britain—the language. While the
accuracy of the statement is dubious at best, the sentiment is clear. In
rewriting and re-spelling large parts of English, Webster helped shape a
nation. No longer did the nations share a government, why, therefore, should
they share words? By subtly changing words supported by an “oppressive” London
regime, he created a newfound American identity. Unfortunately, the same
actions could be used for decidedly less benevolent reasons. In George Orwell’s
1984, entire committees would be
given Webster’s task, amending his work to manipulate the masses to form
Newspeak. By crafting slogans like “War is Peace,” “Freedom is Slavery,” and
“Ignorance is Strength,” Syme and his Party counterparts could stop rebellions,
start wars, and force unyielding loyalty to Big Brother. Unfortunately,
however, Newspeak is not entirely fictional. By coining new phrases and
crafting an entirely new lexicon to placate the masses, governments across the
world are using Newspeak in all parts of life, bringing 1984 into 2013.
Before
delving into the modern usage of Newspeak, it would be beneficial to first
understand the quintessential foundation of the language: the Party slogans. “War
is Peace” is the first part of the Party’s infamous ode to doublethink. By
equating two seemingly conflicting views, the Party obviously seeks to confuse
its base. “Peace” is often defined as a lack of war, but also can be seen as a
period of normalcy. Because war in 1984
is no longer an occasional eruption of extreme violence but a constant fact of
life, dedicated Party members and the proletariat find no actual conflict or
irony in the phrase. Though the entirety of Oceania has never experienced
“peace,” they seem to find it in, of all things, war. They simply do not know
the definition of the word. Or, more likely, it has been so grossly distorted
they cannot tell a difference between the two. Citizens do not accept the
meaningless platitudes given to them because they agree; they accept them
because they do not know or understand how to do anything else. True peace
would not be peace at all. It would be an entirely new feeling. They have never
understood peace; only Big Brother has. He knows all.
Such
unknowing leads nicely into another tenet of the party, “Ignorance is
Strength.” In Oceania, what the constituents do not know cannot truly “hurt”
them. They live a “painless” existence. By not comprehending certain concepts,
namely rebellion, peace, or freedom, the people find their greatest strength:
their ignorance. They are good, faithful party members to their deaths. Big
Brother, the followers know, is the only true source of knowledge and power. He
sees all, knows all, and hears all. By remaining faithful, they can please
their god. By remaining ignorant they can be strong for their fellow Party
member. In a similar fashion to peace in the prior paragraph, members have
never truly felt intellectual strength. Limiting the number of words and by
extension increasing the ignorance of the people makes them stronger—they will
be better equipped to ward off the evils of freedom and self-rule—and they are
forever grateful to their masters for making it so. Such mindsets create a
conscious loyalty. “But…” as said in the novel, “language can also corrupt
thought,” creating an unsettling, unconscious
loyalty that comes with ignorance: the failure to realize that great atrocities
are being committed, curtailing any chance of social change.
The third
and final plank of the Party slogan is “Freedom is Slavery.” The masses have
never felt empowered except in ignorance. Nobody has control of his own
destiny. Yet, somehow, they do have control. Everyone voluntarily works for Big
Brother, some out of ignorance and blind loyalty, the others out of
fear—another way the Party forces fealty—and in that fact, the population has
freedom. They choose to work for the
government. They are slaves not only to the state, but to themselves. And in
that, they are set free only because there is no freedom to contrast their
slavery. For example, the personal and loving bonds in a sexually-intimate
relationship have now been stripped to, as Winston’s wife says, “doing their
duty to the Party.” To their own ignorance, they are slaves; yet, they have
been set free from any form of “evil.” No longer are they slaves to nature, to
feelings, or even to themselves. In that, slavery to Big Brother is the
ultimate expression of freedom. The elimination of “I” leads to freedom.
However, the inevitable elimination of the word “freedom” from Newspeak leads
to numerous questions. As Syme, a key contributor to Newspeak states:
“How could you have a slogan like
"freedom is slavery" when the concept of freedom has been abolished?
The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought, as we understand
it now.”
The three
slogans of the party are certainly far from those of any modern government,
yet, the premise of each is very similar—fostering ideals to an accepting
nation creates loyalty. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly has
frightening implications. Newspeak or its manipulation of words, it seems,
could simply be seen as an extreme form of “political correctness.” “War is
Peace” can be found in any nightly news segment—“collateral damage” used to refer
to construction demolition. Now, however, the term serves to belittle the
deaths of individuals with hopes, dreams, and aspirations lost as a consequence
of war. Supposedly, U.S. waged war to prevent
war in Iraq and Iran—a “crusade.” U.S. citizens cannot necessarily take “facts”
to be true either. Ignorance to mismanaged campaign funds or certain website
rollouts makes their lives in the poll booths easier—they are stronger. Laws
are necessary to society. They are designed to protect and propagate natural
rights. Yet, do they not create some form of servitude? Slavery, it seems, does lead to freedom.
In short,
Noah Webster’s dictionary has had a profound impact on society. Aided by a new
set of grammatical mechanics and spellings, the United States eventually
developed a culture quite different than that of Britain. Yet, his experience
also indicated the true power a jumble of letters can have. By limiting the
amount of words and “narrowing the range of thought,” the Party effectively
pacified the masses, forcing a totalitarian monster upon the unsuspecting
victims. The power of words is unquestionable. Yet, the practice is not limited
to fiction. Ignorance to that fact, however, can be deadly, not life-giving.
War will never be Peace. Freedom will never be Slavery. Ignorance will never be
Strength. And nothing, no government, committee, dictionary, or lack of
experience, will ever change that.
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