Language Distortion in Orwell's 1984 and its Parallel in Trump's Political Discourse
Language is distorted to intimidate people and keep them loyal to the ruling party in the fictional nation established by George Orwell in the book 1984. In the discourse and the book's content, language is used in Oceania to restrict individual freedom.
Intimidation through Language Manipulation
Statements intended to intimidate the reader are repeated or written in capital characters in the book. To encourage the citizens to follow the party's rules, the words "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU" are bolded in both parts I and II of the book. Also, the word 'you' in the statement that appears on the billboards is used to instill fear in the people and make them feel that big Brother individually watches them. In the same way, President Trump uses repetition of language to make Americans feel victimized. Anna Sizlàgyi in the article published in Quartz media indicates that that Trump uses language to position himself as the savior of America. According to the article, Trump's choice of words is meant to make America's political elite and Mexico take up the position of victimizers of American citizens. His repeated statements on Mexico is aimed at instilling fear to the immigrants of Mexican origin by making them feel like the 'oppressors' of American citizens.
The Presentation of Lies as Truth
Another way in which language distortion is utilized in 1984 is the presentation of lies in a manner that makes them sound like truth. Since the residents of Oceania accept everything that the ruling party tells them, they end up failing to distinguish lies from truth. The names of ministries mean the opposite of their functions. For example, the ministry of peace is concerned with warfare, the ministry of truth functions to falsified records and the ministry of plenty works to frame economic figures that convince the inhabitants that their government has a strong economy and so they can live luxuriously. The misrepresentation of facts is what President Trump uses to make himself look like the only president who has ever really been concerned with the welfare of the American people. Trump repeats lies in a way that does not give the brains of Americans the chance to decipher if his statements are truthful or not. For example, when Judge James Robert blocked the executive order issued by Trump to stop the entry of immigrants and refugees from seven nations which are primarily Muslim, the president dismissed the ruling as 'ridiculous.' He later followed by a tweet calling on Americans to blame the judge should there be an attack on U.S ("Editorial Board").
Historical Revisionism and Distorted Memory
In the 1984 story by George Orwell, historical revisionism happens to keep the ruling party in control. The party rewrites and manages histories and newspapers for its own gains. Citizens are not permitted to keep a record of their past such as documents and photographs. By doing so, the party manages to make the people believe everything they are told because their memory is distorted and unreliable. In other words, the party manipulates the present by controlling the past. Similarly, former U.S presidents Obama and current president Trump have both attempted to use historical revisionism to monitor the present. According to Jason Ditz in the article, "Obama Now Brags of His 'courage' in Not Attacking Syria," former President Obama uses the decision not to strike Syria as a measure of heroism when referring to President Trump's decision to attack Syria. The change of stance on Syria is aimed at revising history and make it look like the current president is making a mistake that the former wisely avoided.
The Party as a Victim and Trump's Manipulation of History
In the George Orwell's novel 1984, the primary job of the main character Winston is to manipulate history and present the party as a victim all the time. The changing of history enables the party to make people believe that it is the best thing and even desire to be like the party. In other words, the party is humanized to the extent that it bears characteristics of a heroic and good person. President Trump also uses historical revisionism to draw the sympathy of Americans towards themselves and to feel that 'enemies' have oppressed them as the previous governments watched. Trump personifies America and makes it a victim of external and internal victimizers (Anna Sizlàgyi).
Falsifying Legislative History
Also, President Trump's take on the Affordable Care has been filled with lots of fact changing and revision of past facts. Trump does not give the citizens a truthful legislative history of the Health Care Act history. The president instead gives a different history which includes his failure to issue an ultimatum for the House of Republicans to pas the health care bill or move on (Newell, Jim). Trump like the ruling party in Oceania, keeps replacing past facts with new ones that he believes keeps him on top as the hero who is bound to save America from its many perceived enemies.
Works Cited
Board, the Editorial. "Opinion | President Trump’S Real Fear: The Courts". Nytimes.Com, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/06/opinion/president-trumps-real-fear-the- courts.html?_r=0.
Ditz, Jason. "Obama Now Brags Of His ‘Courage’ In Not Attacking Syria". News from Antiwar.Com, 2017, http://news.antiwar.com/2017/05/15/obama-now-brags-of-his-courage- in-not-attacking-syria/.
Newell, Jim. "Trump, Who Gave Up On Health Care, Blasts The Media For Saying He Gave Up On Health Care". Slate Magazine, 2017, http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/04/donald_trump_gave_up_on_health _care_and_now_he_s_pretending_he_didn_t.html.
Orwell, George. "Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell". Ebooks.Adelaide.Edu.Au, 2016, https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/o79n/contents.html.
Szilágyi, Anna. "A Linguist Explains How Trump Is Using the Language of Victimhood to Position Himself as America’S Savior". Quartz, 2017, https://qz.com/900800/donald-trumps- language-use-is-using-the-verbiage-of-victimhood-to-position-himself-as-americas-savior/.
