The Empowerment of Language in Understanding and Changing the World

Human nature relies on the ability to formulate thought - to generate the id, ego, and super ego’s into one’s needs, however, to communicate these needs depends on an underlying principle. Without language as an underlying mechanism, the human needs would not be able to be manifested into the world as it provides an outlet of making these needs communicated and acted upon. Language empowers understanding, questioning, and change of the world because it allows the expression of ideas to generate a framework of perceived reality, explored through the analysis of how language is limited and controlled in Orwell’s 1984, and utilized by the characters as a driving force in Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Perhaps Orwell’s most well-known novel 1984 is a blatant criticism of totalitarianism, and the relationship between a man and society, and the concept of language in this dystopian setting has been radically changed. The power of language here is emphasized by its reduction - the government of Oceania has centralized the English language within its a political party and controlled the words that are used, dubbed “newspeak”, actively working to reduce the number of words used in English diction. Orwell’s critique here is that when language becomes inherently politically involved, it limits to power; by limiting the language capable of being used, the ideas that can be expressed are limited as well and has therefore disabled to capacity to speak negativity against the government at all. The protagonist’s coworker at the Ministry of Truth, Syme, explains “Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end, we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible because there will be no words in which to express it.” Orwell illustrates the power of language here to cause change, to communicate a need for political change, by showing us how critically the Ministry of Truth seeks to limit that power of expression. The nuance of language to make us question our world (or in this case the socio-political environment of Oceania) can be taken away by making “Every concept that can ever be needed... expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all it's subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten.” Orwell’s novel paints a dystopian nightmare, that demonstrates the ability of language to communicate human need through its use (or lack thereof) under totalitarian systems. Oceania has reduced the capacity to express an idea through language by limiting language itself, and therefore, changed the situation of reality.

The party itself uses language in the demonstration to not only reduce the understanding of the society, but also shape this reality of understanding. The government manufactures truth about wars, rations, and more than the people understand through the use of language. The Ministry of Truth employs Winston, the protagonist, to alter historical documents of all sorts described as a “process of continuous alteration … applied not only to newspapers but to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets”. This alteration of written language changes the public’s conception of truth, and even Winston who edits the documents cannot recall who the government was always at war with, as every time an ally changes documents are recalled and edited. Winston himself keeps a journal, the act of possessing which is illegal, and writes down “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER”. The journal, and written language, is key in establishing a way that Winston communicates his need to rebel, and his discontent with society; his writing is an isolated channel of empowerment. This writing is the ultimate literary device in Orwell’s dystopian setting. When even facial expressions can be considered a crime, Winston turns to his private writing as the only method of communicating his thoughts - his beliefs on the world, and how he can challenge the system.

Later on, Winston questions “If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened – that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death?”, and Orwell again communicates the ability for language to empower perception of reality and change. Winston elaborates later that “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” With this power being abused by the government of Oceania, it has surely changed the world; if all written language dictates a curated truth, and all who read it has accepted that truth, then it has become the truth. The construction of reality has been shaped by the mere manipulation of language. As the reader does, Winston attempts to confront this mechanism questioning that “ the belief that nothing exists outside your own mind – surely there must be some way of demonstrating that it was false? Had it not been exposed long ago as a fallacy?” however he is only met with a smug reply from O’Brien that it is not so, and that the reality of the world is not independent but crafted through perception, through what you are told, what The Ministry tells you. Parallels exist outside of fiction, with the Soviet government having to manipulate written language to shape the narrative around Trotsky, changing his role from a Civil War hero, to an agent of Western powers. Even today, written language is heavily involved in identity politics, and the changing political forces involved with post-modern liberalism in the west. Language allows us to classify our perceived reality into conservative/liberal, left/right, and so on while establishing our identity of classifications in the midst.

Spoken and written language are also a recurring theme in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Despite a clearly different setting, both Doctor Frankenstein and the monster both use language in different ways to explore their own humanity and the world around them. Just like 1984’s Winston, isolated from society by his belief in opposition against Big Brother and the government, the Doctor has ostracized himself from society, described his isolation with “Winter, spring, and summer passed away during my labours; but I did not watch the blossoms or the expanding leaves--sights which before always yielded me supreme delight--so deeply was I engrossed in my occupation.” His diary has allowed him sanity, using written language to communicate his needs, emotions, and feelings regarding his work. This journal communicates his self-hatred, and the hatred of his monster. When the monster reads this journal he also begins to develop his self-hatred and hatred of his creator, and such has questioned his existence after absorbing the feelings of Victor’s writing. However as opposed to highlighting the importance of language through its deconstruction in 1984, it is used far more as an area of empowerment in Frankenstein. The monster states “I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become master of their language, which knowledge might enable me to make them overlook the deformity of my figure, for with this also the contrast perpetually presented to my eyes had made me acquainted.” He emphasizes how the use of spoken language can overcome physical perceptions, struggling with his grotesque figure. His emphasis is placed on his ability to communicate his feelings and needs, which would humanize him and change the reality of his situation, the reality which places him in the role of a monster. This acquisition of language has allowed the monster to consider his own humanity, and his role in society, much like Winston, and built his framework of reality. De Lacey says about the Monster: “There is something in your words which persuades me that you are sincere.' Despite being blind, he has created his own reality of who the monster is, describing him as sincere and human due to his communication. Finally with written language, the monster reads Paradise Lost, Plutarch's Lives, and Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, and allows him to understand his own creation, regarding death, his isolation without a mate - he has made a connection between biblical language and his own existence.

In conclusion, both Shelley’s Frankenstein and Orwell’s 1984 have heavily featured language as an important aspect of one’s life. 1984 emphasizes the role language has in a societal lens, by depicting how it’s nuance and ability to express can be used to voice concern, and create social change, and has thus been utterly controlled in his fictional dystopia. Shelley uses language as an important tool in personal development, regarding one’s humanity and self perception, and the internal struggle with communication of emotion. All in all, it is clear that language has been used in the prose featured as the core to communication, and therefore the development of a framework of reality, whether it be Frankenstein’s monster questioning his own humanity, and seeking to change his role as a monster, or Winston’s role in the Ministry of Truth that limits the expression of human needs and wants. Much like a child cries, brought into the world, how could a man question or understand their own place in the chaos of the world, if he could not even form the words to scream into the void?