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What do the terms “Big Brother” and “doublethink” mean in Nineteen Eighty-four?

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A timeless novel — Novel The cover of *A Tale of Two Cities* (1859), a popular novel by English author Charles Dickens.

In George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-four, the terms "Big Brother" and "doublethink" are central to the Party’s totalitarian control over society.12

Big Brother

Big Brother is the fictional dictator of Oceania. Although he never appears directly in the story, his presence is ubiquitous through posters declaring "Big Brother is watching you" and constant surveillance by the Thought Police. He serves as the figurehead for the Party, embodying a mix of charisma and brutal authority, and the term has since become a common byword for government intrusion into individual lives.12

Doublethink

Doublethink is a concept within Newspeak, the language designed by the Party to limit free thought. It refers to the ability to hold two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously and accept both of them as true. This psychological manipulation is reflected in the Party's slogans, such as "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is strength," which force citizens to abandon objective reality in favor of state-mandated doctrine.2