Top 10 Terms from George Orwell's 1984 Novel
There was no book that greatly influenced public perception on their government such as Orwell's 1984 book. The book is set in a dystopian world filled with three superpowers (Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia) that have been in a never-ending war against one another. The book features an oppressive totalitarian government that controls all aspects of their citizen's daily lives through the manipulation of knowledge thus blurring the lines between fiction and facts, and repression through the use of the state security apparatus by the Party. Written by a democratic socialist like Orwell as a critique of state totalitarianism, it has been banned in many nations because they feared that Orwell's 1984 work was subversive which goes to show that he was right in his work.This glossary list will showcase the terms Orwell had created or used in his 1984 book. Some of these words are in English or in "Newspeak" which I will explain later.
The official language of the superstate of Oceania and the Party. The language was conceived to reduce the words of the English language or "Oldspeak." It has a limited vocabulary and restricted grammar with contracted words so that people express their ideas as simply as possible, thereby restricting freedom of speech and expression that would otherwise go against the Party's doctrine and dogma.
The best way to put it is that the Party believed they could maintain peace by continuing the war effort against the other superstates. This war effort bound the populace together through ultranationalism. The Party believed any independent community would be unsuccessful due to its own misguided views and failures (thus being a slave to one's own instincts) without guidance from a higher central authority. They tried to maintain societal order and stability by keeping the populace docile.
A Newspeak term that stands for "English Socialism," which is the ideology of "the Party." It is a jab at oppressive Soviet Stalinism, deemed deviant from Marxist thought, hence its correlation with socialism.
Any unacceptable statement or view that goes against the Party's dogma, such as expressing criticism against Big Brother, questioning the Party's authority, or trying to debunk their revisionism of current situations and history. Violations result in the offender being literally vaporized, with their existence forgotten by everybody at the Party's whim.
Doublethink is when people accept two contradicting views sanctioned by the Party as correct and acceptable. What is stunning is that such contradictory beliefs do not cause conflict in one's mind, as expected by the Party.
The bottom 85% of the population makes up the majority of Oceania, other than second-tier party members and the elite Ministry. They are docile after years of being mentally conditioned by the Party and often live in poverty.
The central authority figure or dictator of Oceania who oppresses the common Proles through far-reaching state surveillance and a cult of personality. His existence is rather dubious in the novel and could be a fictional representation of the Party, like Uncle Sam is to America. He is described as a handsome man in his mid-40s in Party propaganda and posters that dominate the streets of Oceania.
A famous slogan of the Party that reminds people of the constant surveillance by the Party to discourage rebellions or violations of Party rules.
An "unperson" is a person who becomes forcibly forgotten after being executed and erased from all books and records. Most "unpersons" are people whose ideas conflict with the state. Unfortunately, this term is much too relevant even in today's society.
From what is shown in the book, it's the place where the human spirit is destroyed, along with the individual's personality and beliefs. Room 101 is meant for prisoners to experience their worst fears firsthand to destroy anything left of their humanity. The term itself has become a trope.