The suppression of voice freedom of expression in Laut Bercerita and 1984: A comparative literary study
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Freedom of expression remains a controversial subject in both democratic and authoritarian societies, where the silencing of critical voices often occurs not through explicit bans, but through surveillance, intimidation, and the control of discourse and language. This study examines the portrayal of silencing and freedom of expression in Laut Bercerita by Leila S. Chudori and 1984 by George Orwell, using a comparative literature approach grounded in Michel Foucault’s theories of power, discourse, and disciplinary surveillance. Employing a descriptive qualitative method combined with qualitative content analysis, the research analyzes the words, expressions, dialogues, and narratives in both novels that depict practices of silencing and the restriction of expression. The findings reveal that Laut Bercerita portrays silencing through direct, repressive power intimidation, abductions, torture, and the enforced disappearance of activists during Indonesia’s Orde Baru whereas 1984 depicts it through disciplinary power, exercised via constant surveillance (telescreens and the Thought Police) and linguistic control through Newspeak, which structurally restricts the very possibility of critical thought. Despite their differing mechanisms physical repression versus psychological and linguistic control both novels demonstrate how power acts to curtail individuals' ability to speak, think, and freely express dissent.
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