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Elvia Ramirez

Mrs. Carroll
English IV
1/17/18

Free speech is known to be the right of the people to express their opinion freely without
the interference of the government. According to the first amendment it states “congress shall
make no law [...] abridging freedom of speech”. The first amendment does not specify exactly or
define what freedom of speech is therefore it has created conflict amongst society about whether
there should be a limit to what can and can’t be said. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, he
demonstrates a world that limits people from expressing themselves to the point where they can’t
even have their own thoughts because they are being watched and listened to at every moment.
The punishments or consequences when breaking the law of speech or thought are also talked
about and eventually happen to the main character, Winston, in the novel. This comes to show
that Orwell would oppose free speech to a certain extent.
In 1984 it discusses the principles of Newspeak which was the official language of
Oceania. It was stated that the vocabulary was constructed in a certain way and was “designed to
diminish the range of thought” (Orwell 300). Orwell goes in depth about Newspeak and its
purpose showing how Ingsoc has control over society. This demonstrates why Orwell would
oppose the idea of limiting free speech to a certain extent because by limiting what a person can
say and punishing them for it would mean that the government would have more power over
everyone and it takes advantage of the people’s rights in this case freedom of speech. In the
video “A Civil Conversation: Students Rights and Free Speech” discusses why free speech is a
contentious topic and how many factors are taken into consideration when dealing with cases in
court on speech. Every case is different therefore the question of “Does it matter what the
subject is? Does it matter when it’s said” (Annenberg Classroom 2012). This ties into Orwell
opposing free speech to an extent because there are factors to consider beyond it just being
offensive. Certain situations such as the student group who began to chant “Liberalism is white
supremacy” (Post Editorial Board 2017) during the ACLU’s Virginia chief talk on the First
Amendment and the 200 staffers who “petitioned their leaders to stop defending free speech for
white supremacists” (Post Editorial Board 2017). In situations like these people tend to abuse the
right of free speech and use it as an excuse.
It’s clear that Orwell would oppose the limit of free speech to a certain extent because if
there is no limit it can create chaos or conflict in a society depending on what’s being said and if
there is too much of a limit than it gives the government control over society as Orwell
demonstrated in 1984. Every circumstance and situation is different when dealing with the topic
on free speech which is why Orwell would be against it to a certain extent.

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