what sense is there in having a whole string
of vague useless words like 'excellent' and 'splendid' and all the rest
of them? 'Plusgood' covers the meaning, or 'doubleplusgood' if you
want something stronger still. Of course we use those forms already,
but in the final version of Newspeak there'll be nothing else. In
the end the whole notion of goodness and badness will be covered by only
six words in reality, only one word. Don't you see the beauty of
that, Winston? It was B.B.'s idea originally, of course," he added
as an afterthought.
A
sort of vapid eagerness flitted across Winston's face at the mention of
Big Brother. Nevertheless Syme immediately detected a certain lack
of enthusiasm.
"You
haven't a real appreciation of Newspeak, Winston," he said almost sadly.
"Even when you write it you're still thinking in Oldspeak. I've read
some of those pieces that you write in the Times occasionally.
They're good enough, but they're translations. In your heart you'd
prefer to stick to Oldspeak, with all its vagueness and its useless shades
of meaning. You don't grasp the beauty of the destruction of words.
Do you know that Newspeak is the only language in the world whose vocabulary
gets smaller every year?"
Winston
did know that, of course. He smiled sympathetically he hoped, not
trusting himself to speak. Syme bit off another fragment of the dark-colored
bread, chewed it briefly, and went on:
"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. Every concept that can ever
be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly
defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten.
Already, in the Eleventh Edition, we're not far from that point.
But the process will still be continuing long after you and I are dead.
Every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always
a little smaller. Even now, of course, there's no reason or excuse
for committing thoughtcrime. It's merely a question of self-discipline,
reality-control. But in the end there won't be any need even for
that. The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect.
Newspeak is Ingsoc and Ingsoc is Newspeak," he added with a sort of mystical
satisfaction. "Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the
year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who
could understand such a conversation as we are having now?"
"Except
" began Winston doubtfully, and them stopped.
It
had been on the tip of his tongue to say "Except the proles," but he checked
himself, not feeling fully certain that this remark was not in some way
unorthodox. Syme, however, had divined what he was about to say.
"The
proles are not human beings," he said carelessly. "By 2050 earlier,
probably all real knowledge of Oldspeak will have disappeared.
The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer,
Shakespeare, Milton, Byron they'll exist only in Newspeak versions, not
merely changed into something different, but actually changed into something
contradictory of what they used to be. Even the literature of the
Party will change. Even the slogans will change. How could
you have a slogan like 'freedom is slavery' when the concept of freedom
has been abolished? The whole climate of thought will be different.
In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy
means not thinking not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."
One
of these days, thought Winston with sudden deep conviction, Syme will be
vaporized. He is too intelligent. He sees too clearly and speaks
too plainly. The Party does not like such people. One day he
will disappear. It is written in his face.
from 1984, Section One, Chapter V
by George Orwell
Stray Thoughts
Sam Aurelius Milam III
Intelligence
Test If the people of the Earth had used constructively the resources
that theyve squandered on death and destruction then, by now, this planet
would be a paradise.
It
Depends The pen might possibly be mightier than the sword but only
if you can get people to read.![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
Please use the enclosed envelope to send a contribution.
I prefer cash. For checks or money orders, please inquire.
For PayPal payments, use editor@frontiersman.my3website.net.
Page 2 |
Frontiersman, c/o
4984 Peach Mountain Drive, Gainesville, Georgia 30507 |
June
2008 |
|