He was abusing Big Brother, he was denouncing the dictatorship of the Party, he was demanding the immediate conclusion of peace with Eurasia, he was advocating freedom of speech, freedom of the Press, freedom of assembly, freedom of thought, he was crying hysterically that the revolution had been betrayed - and all this in rapid polysyllabic speech which was a sort of parody of the habitual style of the orators of the Party, and even contained Newspeak words: more Newspeak words, indeed, than any Party member would normally use in real life.
This powerful and evocative passage from George Orwell's 1984 captures a moment of rebellion that is paradoxically carried out using the very language of the oppressive regime it seeks to criticize. The protagonist's rapid-fire, verbose denunciation, packed with polysyllabic words and even Newspeak β the very tool designed to restrict and curtail thought β highlights the complexity of resistance under a totalitarian regime. It underscores the tragic irony that even dissent must be articulated within the confines of imposed language and ideology, reducing the scope of true freedom. The blending of cathartic emotion β "crying hysterically" β with formal, almost ritualistic speech, underscores the tension between the individual's genuine feelings and the rigid, dehumanizing political machinery they are forced to confront. This scene arguably illustrates the extraordinary difficulty of authentically opposing an all-encompassing system that controls not only actions but also thoughts and the very words people use to express those thoughts. Moreover, this passage exposes the hollow nature of propaganda, where even oratory meant to inspire or challenge is caught within formulaic and manipulative patterns. It's a chilling reminder of how language and thought can be weaponized by authoritarian power, thus raising questions about the survival of human dignity and independent thought in such circumstances. Through this excerpt, Orwell invites readers to contemplate the profound costs of repression on personal identity and freedom, and the courageous, albeit painful, fight for truth amid overwhelming control.