6. Newspeak Diction!

1984 is set in Oceania. In Oceania the official language is called 'newspeak' (read new-speak) is an excellent example of diction. The party does a good job of controlling people's minds. One of the ways they do this is by breaking down their vocabulary. Newspeak can be somewhat understood by the layman (reader) which is what makes it interesting. Part of the way it works is by eliminating as many words as possible. Not only can all synonyms be taken away but all antonyms as well. For example, there is no need for the word "bad" when "ungood" works just as well, and for things that are worse than "ungood" things "plusungood" or "doubleplusungood" would suffice. This, in conjunction with the mind control already in place "Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present, controls the past" (Orwell, 35) is part of controlling the present and the way the people of Oceania think about things. By creating a whole new language, they can take out words like "rebellion" so no one even knows what that means.