1984

archaic

To be old, ancient, or outdated.

heretic

A person who holds beliefs contrary to those established by the majority rule.

dicountenanced

Something that is generally disapproved of or frowned upon.

labyrinthine

Something akin to a labyrinth; a concept deemed intricate or confusing.

palimpsest

Something in which the initial material is erased or altered while still retaining traces of the original.

orthodoxy

A largely accepted way of living that is considered the strict norm.

subjection

The act of being forced into submission to a higher power’s will.

imposture

A fabrication of the truth in which one pretends to be someone else to create a deception.

unprocurable

Unable to be obtained.

eccentricity

A habit that is unconventional or quirky.

exhortations

A strong encouragement for someone to do something.

irrevocable

Unable to be reversed.

equilibrium

The act of being balanced.

infallibility

Unable to be contradicted.

santimonious

An expression of false piety or ironic moral superiority.

Two Minutes Hate

The Two Minutes Hate is a designated time when The Party displays images and propaganda for the people to consume and be angry at. This manufactured outrage serves to perpetuate the illusions of INGSOC, as people are resigned to giving in to the will of the majority.

Thought Police

The thought police serve as a representation of the Orwellian society as a surveillance state. They impose the idea that free thinking is unacceptable, and they might be listening and watching to detain people with any thoughts or actions against The Party.

thought crime

A thought crime is any belief or thought against Big Brother. Thought crime is referred to in the novel as “the essential crime that contain[s] all others in itself” (Orwell 19). I believe that the keyword in this phrase is “essential”, which in this context is meant to mean fundamental or necessary: pre-existing all other crime, in this case. To commit a thought crime is to commit any worse crime because it is, in and of itself, against The Party. For the authoritarian state to be effective, it must control the thoughts of citizens to the degree that any thought against the state is feared as criminal action.

doublespeak/doublethink

These concepts denote the action of thinking or speaking something that goes against what you know to be true, with something you are supposed to believe is true. You hold two truths at once and express what you are told to. Your ideas are not your own, but jargon you must parrot to get along in the authoritarian society.

proletariat

The proletariat is the working class. They are the majority, for whom the Party is made to serve their propaganda. They are spoken of in a lower light than the higher classes in the novel.

unperson

A person who is essentially erased from existence by the Party through falsified records. They are denied the right to continue to exist from public memory by the state for whatever grievance they committed

vaporized

The act of being removed from existence by the Party. They are not only executed, but also terminated from collective memory and record.

facecrime

Any facial expression that could represent discontent with the Party or a disapproved of thought process. People are expected to always maintain a neutral expression, especially in the presence of telescreens, as to avoid suspicion.

inner party

Those who are closest to ruling the Oceanic system. They are the policy makers and the ideological elites.

the brotherhood

An organization run by Goldstein which exists in the public mind as a rebelling group against the establishment. They are a mysterious organization, which may or may not truly exist, that Winston struggles with ideologically throughout the novel.

outer party

Members of the Party who are higher than the proletariat and lower than the inner party. Many work in more traditional roles and ministry positions. Winston is one of the outer party members, allowing for readers to see their lives most in-depth.

utopianism

The belief in the creation of a perfected society that was attempted in past ages before the rise of INGSOC. The society would be entirely ideal, under one ruling system that guaranteed equality and good living standards for all. Winston’s discovery of what could be is a driving force in his rebellious desires, and the imagery of a better world is something he looks for even when the idea of utopia is not specifically mentioned.

socialism and INGSOC

Socialism is a economic system in which the means of production are publically owned rather than privately owned. It is seen as the economic stage between capitalism and communism. In 1984, INGSOC is the ideology of Oceania. It is a modified version of socialism, in that goods are (allegedly) collectively owned and there is no capital to gain or control as an individual, however there are still variations of income and other such features that make the economic system not communist. Ingsoc uses the vocabulary of socialism without truly practicing it, promoting inequality and the lack of freedom. Ingsoc has total control of the Oceanic people and their capabilities.

crimestop

A newspeak term describing a person’s subconscious ability to control their thoughts and reject those that are undesirable by the Party. This manipulation of the self calls for a person to reject any thought that could be perceivably dangerous to the Party or themselves if they were found to have thought it. Thus, people are regulated from ideology against Big Brother simply by the capability for ignorance.

newspeak

the refined language of Oceania that combines shortened, “more efficient,” language and doublethink. The limitation of language allows the Party to control how people are able to express themselves.