Politicians and Language
Language as a Method of Manipulation
Language is more than a way of communication between people; language is a tool used for expressing, collaborating, and influencing. Language can make the audience not only learn, but feel. This is the beauty of language, it is more than a group of words. People often use language as a means of expression to convince people. Politicians, specifically, control the power of the language they speak in order to control the public. Without this power of language, they will have little power over the public. To unite the people and steer them towards a specific goal, politicians turn to language to persuade the public. Politicians use the power of language to manipulate the public to unite the people together for a common cause, good or bad.
The influence politicians have over the public is enhanced by the convincing powers of language. They use words not only for their meaning, but also for their feeling. The connotations that words have act as huge influencing powers. Orwell states that politician’s language “does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning” (Politics). This is because feeling is stronger than meaning. If the people understand what the politicians are saying, that is great; if the people feel how the politicians want them to feel, that is a deeper level of control. Orwell displays this control in his novel 1984. The government there controls the emotional level of its people, for example, the government implemented a specific time to promote hatred towards their enemies. The government does this because “it is to our advantage...to believe that all misfortunes due to our own mistakes are really the work of the foreigner” (Huxley). By shifting the blame onto others, it creates unity against a definite enemy and it creates unity for the government. By having complete control over the mind and hearts of the people, the government is able to manipulate the public to do whatever it is the
Language is more than a way of communication between people; language is a tool used for expressing, collaborating, and influencing. Language can make the audience not only learn, but feel. This is the beauty of language, it is more than a group of words. People often use language as a means of expression to convince people. Politicians, specifically, control the power of the language they speak in order to control the public. Without this power of language, they will have little power over the public. To unite the people and steer them towards a specific goal, politicians turn to language to persuade the public. Politicians use the power of language to manipulate the public to unite the people together for a common cause, good or bad.
The influence politicians have over the public is enhanced by the convincing powers of language. They use words not only for their meaning, but also for their feeling. The connotations that words have act as huge influencing powers. Orwell states that politician’s language “does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning” (Politics). This is because feeling is stronger than meaning. If the people understand what the politicians are saying, that is great; if the people feel how the politicians want them to feel, that is a deeper level of control. Orwell displays this control in his novel 1984. The government there controls the emotional level of its people, for example, the government implemented a specific time to promote hatred towards their enemies. The government does this because “it is to our advantage...to believe that all misfortunes due to our own mistakes are really the work of the foreigner” (Huxley). By shifting the blame onto others, it creates unity against a definite enemy and it creates unity for the government. By having complete control over the mind and hearts of the people, the government is able to manipulate the public to do whatever it is the