Nineteen Eighty Four by George Ornell

934 Words2 Pages

In George Orwell’s time-honored novel,“1984”, one can say there are many compelling affinities between the fictional nation of Oceania and the America today. Orwell’s novel was a glimpse into the future in which is idea of doublethink does, in fact, exist today. Through, specific precedents Orwell describes to his readers the idea of doublethink and how it is used daily in the Party and with Big Brother. as well as the society of Oceania. There are also precise examples in the modern days of America and its’ society and government. In “1984”, Orwell describes doublethink as “the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them” (Orwell 214). In Winston’s, the main character of 1984, thoughts he described doublethink as telling “deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies - all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth” (Orwell 214). Overall, in the Oceania society doublethink is considered a “vast system of mental cheating” (Orwell 215). The word doublethink was first used 1949 in the novel “1984” by George Orwell and it is now defined in the modern online dictionary of Merriam as a simultaneous belief in two contradictory ideas. A cl... ... middle of paper ... ... this is how it has always been. A paradox. In Orwell’s novel, Works Cited Orwell, George, and Erich Fromm. 1984: A Novel. New York, NY: Signet Classic, 1984. Print "Wartime President Accepts Peace Prize with an ‘American Speech’." Pbs. N.p., 10 Dec. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. Winkle, Bethany. "Effectiveness of War on Drugs Being Questioned." Treatment Solutions. N.p., 3 June 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. "Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses." USCOURTSGOV RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. Repo Our Republic. "Making a List of Modern Newspeak and Doublethink Examples... Chip In! (UPDATE1)." Peace . Gold . LOVE. Daily Paul Liberty Reform, 10 Feb. 2013. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. Carter, Christopher. "Define Standard Operating Procedure." EHow. Demand Media, 18 July 2009. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.

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