George Orwell: Biography, Language Manipulation And Totalitarianism

George Orwell was a British novelist, essayist and journalist whose works The Animal Revolution  and  In 1984  made him known to all. His work based on his personal experiences is divided into three truly different categories. The first category encompasses his work against British imperialism. The following includes his work for democratic socialism. And in the last category, he wrote to condemn the totalitarianism of the Nazis and Stalin.

Orwell was one of the most important essayists in the 1940s. His most important works focus primarily on counter fascism. He was deeply affected by the Spanish Civil War and even took part in it to fight fascism. His experience in World War II also influenced his work. George Orwell wrote against totalitarian regimes and the dangers of war.

The novel in 1984  was his final work against totalitarian societies. The world that Orwell created in this novel was the birthplace of the term “Orwellian”. People use this term to refer to such societies. In this novel, he used concepts such as language manipulation, mental control, and abuse of power. With his dystopian setups, he was able to present a horrific future that people want to avoid.

Early years

George Orwell was real name Eric Arthur Blair. He was born in Motihar, India, in 1903. His father was a British agent in the Opium Department of the Indian Civil Service.

Young Eric was sent to England with his mother when he was still very young. There he received an education from the best schools.

In these schools, George Orwell made friends who influenced his first works. When his studies ended in Eton, he decided to join the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. He worked in Burma for five years. During that time, his health deteriorated, and he began to oppose imperialism.

George Orwell and the war

After leaving Burma behind, Orwell returned to England so he could begin publishing his work. He worked as a teacher and for some time also in a bookstore. Despite this, writing remained his primary professional activity. 

He later also lived with his aunt in France, hoping he could start a career as a writer. But his time on the lands of Gaul also turned disappointing. When he returned to England in 1933, he decided to start using the name George Orwell. In 1936, he traveled to Spain to fight fascism in the Civil War.

Although some of his friends, such as Hemingway, tried to get him to give up on this idea, he still arrived in Barcelona at the end of the same year. For his idealisms, he fought in the “Huesca attack,” in which he was damaged by a bullet hitting his neck.

His involvement in the Spanish Civil War definitively changed his view of the world. When he returned from the war, he was hospitalized in England for a long time as he suffered a serious tuberculosis attack.

Afterwards, he joined the home security forces during World War II. During that time, he recorded his own thoughts and experiences in a work called Diaries. Orwell was also involved in BBC programs aimed at gaining support for Allies from East Asian countries.

Shortly before his death, he married Sonia Brownell. George Orwell died of tuberculosis on January 21, 1950.

Totalitarianism and language corruption

George Orwell firmly believed that totalitarianism and language corruption are intertwined. He asserted that political language falsified concepts and events.

1984  contains really important messages that support these ideas. One of them is to consider how the government could change the structure of language so that any thoughts of rebellion or disobedience could be prevented. People involved in politics manipulate language in psychological manipulation campaigns.

He also wrote a lot about “double thinking,” which is the ability to keep two conflicting thoughts in mind at the same time. In the novel  In 1984,  he uses such cognitive discord in terms such as the Ministry of Peace, which controls the war effort, or the Ministry of Abundance, which regulates economic scarcity.

Undoubtedly, according to George Orwell, language is the structure of human thought. That is why it is so important to him. When political action focuses on mastering language, it can rebuild it so that no one can question the full power of government. This, he says, is totalitarianism.

Critical vision

Sometimes literature or other arts can convey someone’s in-depth message. In this sense, dystopic literature makes people think about these things.

Orwell transports the reader to a distressing reality that contains memories of our past. With this, he encourages the reader to choose a critical and objective view of his own reality. How can a person change things? What can man do to avoid this terrible future?

Orwell was a master of this sub-style and he gave us the best dystopian masterpiece ever written:  In 1984.