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Controlling People Through Language by the Moscow Times - Choice #1

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Controlling People Through Language by the Moscow Times - Choice #1

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This article, written by Boris Kagarlitsky, explores how various styles of language influence societies and relationships between different peoples. Looking to totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, Kagarlitsky shows how controlling the language of a people is a major factor in controlling them completely. Deprived of the ability to express oneself due to a lack of options of language, he argues, quells individualist sentiment within a society, thus rendering it easier for a totalitarian regime to maintain its control.

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Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist and essayist. He was born in British India in 1903 to a middle-class family. Throughout his life, his produced many works of fiction, including "Animal Farm" (1944), "Homage to Catalonia" (1936), and notably "1984"(1948). His works are characterized by their social criticism, support of democratic socialism, and opposition to totalitarianism. Orwell himself was an outspoken social democrat, warning of the dangers of capitalism. He wrote "1984" in the wake of World War II, during the early stages of the Cold War. Today, things that are tyrannical or oppressive are often described as "orwellian."

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"Language" by W.S. Merwin - Poetry Connection

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"Language" by W.S. Merwin - Poetry Connection

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"Certain words now in our knowledge we will not use again, and we will never forget them. We need them. Like the back of the picture. Like our marrow, and the color in our veins. We shine the lantern of our sleep on them, to make sure, and there they are, trembling already for the day of witness. They will be buried with us, and rise with the rest."

In his poem Merwin is emphasizing how words and language are integral to one's individuality. Without "certain" words, it becomes difficult to define oneself. If one cannot express themselves without certain language, then it becomes easier to control a society as a whole. Thus, language can be used to control people by taking it away entirely.

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"1984" was written in 1948, in the wake of World War II. The world was in a rebuilding and growth phase, since the Axis Powers were defeated three years earlier in 1945. Europe was split down the middle, with the establishment of the "Iron Curtain," separating western capitalist Europe, and eastern, communist, Soviet-controlled Europe. Orwell saw the clash of major world powers and their ideologies, and wrote "1984" as a social commentary on the dangers of authoritarianism and violence-focused societies. Both sides of the Cold War used "1984" as a warning if the ideology of the opposing side was implemented.

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This piece is called "Individuality" by artist Leon Zernitsky. Zernitsky is a modern artist who is still alive today. I chose this piece because I think it's an adequate representation of the importance of maintaining one's individuality amidst the crowd. With that said, language is one of the most useful tools for maintaining one's individuality, as it can be used in a variety of unique ways that allow someone to express themself in their own way. When the ability to do that is taken away, then a populous is stripped of its individuality, and in turn it becomes easier for said populous to be controlled by its government.

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I chose Lois Lowry's "The Giver" because I think there are a wealth of dystopian themes that connect it to "1984." In the off-chance someone hasn't read this back in 8th grade, the novel is about a dystopian community in which its residents are stripped of all individuality, emotion, and free thought. Like the citizens of Oceania, they are unable to speak freely and individualistically. Without the ability to speak freely, the people of The Giver are stripped of a major aspect of their individuality and are thus more vulnerable to be manipulated by the authorities of the community. If there is only one way to speak, which can't criticize or oppose conventional thought, then there can't be any change or reform at all.

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The Power of Language or; Why North Korea Banned Sarcasm - Nonfiction Connection

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The Power of Language or; Why North Korea Banned Sarcasm - Nonfiction Connection

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In this article by the United Language Group, they report that the authoritarian regime of Kim Jong Un has banned "sarcastic language." The reasoning for this is, they believe, that sarcasm allows citizens to "subversively criticize the state." This strongly ties into the driving question - through further restricting of free speech, a state can tighten its grip on its citizens. The article points out that North Korea wasn't the first; China two years before deemed puns and idioms were "harmful" to the integrity of the Chinese language. This evidence attests to the power of language, seeing how even today authoritarian regimes feel threatened by it. If something gives people the ability to express themselves freely, then tyrannical regimes deem it a threat to their power. We saw it in throughout the 20th century, in "1984," and even today.