Throughout his work 1984, George Orwell warns his audience of the oppression and the many other faults of totalitarianism. Through the life of Winston Smith, Orwell explores the many facets of his dystopia. And while the Party slogans, the haunting presence of Big Brother, and Winston's unforgettable encounter with rats in Room 101 make a lasting impression, Orwell's message concerning the importance of history and of language on society particularly resonated with me.

"He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past."

In 1984, the Party controls every source of information, rewriting history towards its own ends. Under the Party, individuals are not allowed to keep documents or photographs, and as a result, the people become completely dependent on memory. However, as memories fade and become unreliable, the people are vulnerable to the propaganda promulgated by the Party, solidifying its control over them. The Party’s control of information demonstrates the primary reason why I am so enraptured by the study of history. History is not simply taking notes on important events or reading about important figureheads; history is a way in which we understand how people live; history is a way in which we can hear the voice of the people. What if no one took the time to write things down? What if certain documents and photographs were lost forever? 1984 validates that history is essential. Without the true knowledge of the past, there is no awareness in the present, and ultimately, no growth in the future.

"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."

Orwell also demonstrates the importance of language on human thought. Through his creation of Newspeak, Orwell shows how language structures and limits the ideas that individuals are capable of formulating and expressing. 1984 proposes a society in which language is centralized by the government in turn, providing the government complete obedience of its citizens. There would be no room to conceive rebellious thoughts, for there would be no words with which to think them. It is interesting to conceptualize such a society in which language becomes more and more centralized, and therefore, diminishes the variation of human thought. Living in a country that prides itself for being the hallmark of free speech and individualism, it never occurred to me that language could deter cognition.