Skip to main content

How would you summarize the afterword and appendix of 1984 by George Orwell?

In the appendix of 1984, Orwell outlines the "The Principles of Newspeak" as a means of providing the reader with a better understanding of its construction and purpose.


Firstly, Orwell notes that Newspeak is the official language of Oceania and is "founded on the English language." At the time of writing, however, Oldspeak (the former language of England) remained in widespread use and there did not exist a single person who used Newspeak as...

In the appendix of 1984, Orwell outlines the "The Principles of Newspeak" as a means of providing the reader with a better understanding of its construction and purpose.


Firstly, Orwell notes that Newspeak is the official language of Oceania and is "founded on the English language." At the time of writing, however, Oldspeak (the former language of England) remained in widespread use and there did not exist a single person who used Newspeak as the only means of communicating. Newspeak is, therefore, a work in progress with an estimated completion date of 2050.


For Orwell, the purpose of Newspeak can be summarised in the following sentence:



(Newspeak) had been devised to meet the ideological needs of Ingsoc.



In other words, the purpose of Newspeak is to limit the range of thought, so that thoughtcrime becomes (theoretically) impossible and people can only express the Party's world-view and values. 


Next, Orwell explains the construction of Newspeak vocabulary. There are, he explains, three classes of words which can be summarised as follows:


  1. "A" words consists of the words needed for "the business of everyday life," like eating and drinking and working. Examples of "A" words include "SPEEDFUL" which means rapid.

  2. "B" words are the words specifically created for "political purposes," like "GOODTHINK" which means 'orthodoxy'.

  3. "C" words are "scientific and technical" terms.

Finally, Orwell informs us that the translation of older works of literature, like those of Dickens and Milton, are in progress. But, once translated, the original text and all copies will be destroyed. This is symbolic of the Party's ultimate purpose: to rewrite history and to mould individual thought so that only the Party and its values remain.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more