Arguably the most defining symbol of George Orwell's novel "1984" is Newspeak. Newspeak was the new language established in Oceania and the code by which each of its citizens lived; this symbol reveals how when language and communication are restricted and limited, manipulation and control become an easier task for oppressors and tyrants. In the novel this symbol has the function of preventing the citizens of Oceania from freeing their minds and breaking the invisible chains to which Big Brother had attached them, thus adhering to his every command without doubt or suspicion. Newspeak symbolizes power over the masses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In fiction, Newspeak is the established language. Words such as revolution, freedom, love and friendship are foreign to those who reside in Oceania. This is essentially the most powerful weapon used against the people; by restricting their language, they are restricting their thoughts and ideas. If you can't convert a feeling into a sound wave, you can't be an idealist. So we are, in turn, slaves to those who can. "Big Brother" manipulated his people as if they were a pawn. Pawns can only advance one square at a time, except for the first move. This is done only to benefit the king and give an advantage to the higher pieces. In Oceania, Newspeak was the weapon used to order the pawns to move according to what Big Brother wanted. This turned every citizen of Oceania into a mindless animal who exploited their frustration during the week of hate and the two minutes of hate. Their inability to feel, think and act turned them into savages who betrayed each other and became impersonal. The Ministry of Truth, where Winston Smith, the protagonist, worked, was where Newspeak flourished. Not only were the thoughts and ideas you could think about controlled, but also what you thought in the past and what you could think in the future. In this so-called Ministry of Truth Winston along with other companions altered documents from the past to fit what Big Brother had said or predicted. At the same time, the memories of those who listened were also altered to fit Big Brother's command. These people were programmed using plain English. The functioning of their minds was completely changed by the subtraction, addition or combination of words. Just like a strand of DNA, a simple mutation can change an entire organism, multiple mutations in their language have changed their society. Words like “Thought Police”, “bad” and “Ingsoc” have turned children into spies, love into nothingness, family into reproductive work and friends into danger of death. We, as conscious people, live under the power of language. our ideas, inventions, relationships, traditions, history and future are nothing more than an infinite rearrangement of twenty-six letters, and when our entire language becomes a code for submissive behavior, evil forces can take control of our existence simply by changing the our language. The goal of Newspeak was to reach a point where one word could express any necessary thought. This government didn't want people to think, so it limited the tool used to do so. Only those words that would strengthen Big Brother's power would survive the attack. Because words have the power to free the mind, dictators like the.