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1984 – Or 2003? The year is 1984…it is a grim and brooding time in the world. Things as we know them now, are completely different. No one thinks for them self, acts upon their own desires, or says what they are truly feeling. People can’t go anywhere without being watched, listened to, or investigated. The world is at a constant war, but with who is never quiet certain. This is the world of George Orwell’s 1984, a world with little hope for the future, for no one knew quiet what the future held. In 1984, the world has become a quiet different place since the end of World War II. The government, the language, and the overall organization of society have gone under complete face-lifts. The story takes place on Airstrip One (London, England) and involves Winston Smith. Winston doesn’t speak Oldspeak (our English), instead he speaks Newspeak, a highly evolved form of our modern day English. Newspeak eliminates the need for certain words (therefore eliminating the word altogether) in order to reduce the possibility of a revolt or some other sort of chaos…”If you have a word like ‘good’ what need is there for a word like ‘bad’? ‘Ungood’ will do just as well – better.” By eliminating words, the Government is eliminating the occurrence of ThoughtCrime (thinking “ungood” thoughts or ideas about the Party or life in general, punishable by death.) All governments of the world are totalitarian. Oceania, in which Winston lives, has its government divided into four groups. The Ministry of Truth is responsible for rewriting history to fit the atmosphere of the world at that exact moment. They own history, and rewrite it when and as they see fit. This makes “memory” another non-existent word for the people of Oceania; since history is always changing, it is easier to stick with the story of the time rather than trying to remember what really happened.
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