Dystopian societies may seem like interesting stories to read about, but they are real in the modern world because of the horrifying truths of totalitarian leaders. Within the dystopian novel Flawed, by Cecelia Ahern, the main character, Celestine North, is found flawed in the corrupt, overpowered system. The moral governmental system, the Guild, judges one’s actions according to the high societal standards given while continuing to have the rest of the world manipulated into supporting their procedures. Once a simple, clever, and devout girl to the Guild, Celestine’s world is suddenly flipped after an act of empathy. The Guild’s need for power and authority put Celestine and countless others in a lowlife position, being shamed every day for …show more content…
Both the Guild and totalitarian governments overlap in their ideas and actions towards civilians who fall out of line. Continuing, the idea of complete Guild power within Flawed and totalitarianism overlaps when both real life and the fictional story micromanage the literature. This micromanagement appears in the novel when a journalist, Pia, is talking to Celestine. Celestine announces to Pia that she has a sixth brand and Pia is shocked. She does not know whether to believe Celestine purely off her words because there have been no reports on it, but she does know she cannot say anything openly, “[Pia] knows she [cannot] say much more about it. Question and doubt Judge Craven?” but Celestine knows Pia “is not that foolish” (Ahern 164). It is important to recognize how Pia cannot speak freely at her job and give the people the truth in situations like Celestine’s. Not only is the censorship exemplifying the Guild’s reign and oversight, but it is putting the public in danger because they are unable to know the full story. Pia could also lose her job trying to educate others because of the overall micromanagement that takes place in their
The two texts Harrison Bergeron, written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and The Handmaid’s Tale by Reed Morano explore the idea of individuality loss due to complete government control through similar and varied techniques. Both texts enable the audience to obtain an understanding that a society where there is no ability to express one’s own self, is ultimately dangerous in both execution and outcome. Throughout the two texts the authors explore individuality suppression through government control by utilising varied techniques such as motifs, similes as well the ideas of handicaps which are a result of the need for constant surveillance. The dystopian texts of futuristic, imagined universes display the illusion of perfect societies that are being created,
Imagine being born in a war zone with a corrupt leader and an educational system that fills people with lies all without even knowing it. Legend, by Marie Lu, is a novel about a thief and an officer who are turned against each other, but find common ground while trying to take down their corrupt government. The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is about a boy who is chosen to be different, but uses the secrets he’s been told by his own community. Although Legend and The Giver both display protagonists who don’t fall victim to dehumanization, both novels are filled with surveillance, propaganda, and the illusion of a utopia. Without the protagonist, these dystopian citizens would continue their meaningless lives without even the right to realize it.
How does the power of an evil, controlling government negatively affect the lives of numerous humans in a society? In Anthem, by Ayn Rand, the communist government takes away one’s individuality by coercing the characters to obey strict rules and forcing the members of society to work only as a group. Equality, the protagonist, struggles to find joy and satisfaction in conforming to society’s demands, and encounters conflict as he comes to realize the flaws in his civilization. By comparison, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 illustrates the dangers of the unnatural dependency on technology that causes citizens to be ignorant and shallow in order for the government to control their thoughts and actions. As the story progresses, the main character, Montag, experiences difficult circumstances after discovering the hidden value of books and the cruelty of his authority.
The corruption of society in George Orwell’s 1984 and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet results both in the loss of innocence and the destruction of sanity. Winston from 1984 stood his grounds throughout the book, but the society standards and rules created by Big Brother soon consume him. Similarly, the entire Kingdom of Denmark bombarded Hamlet with betrayal amongst his own family and loved ones such that drove him into madness. This madness spread through both books in revenge of what the corrupted society has done to the character’s lives.
The process of creating communism within a country requires the use of fear tactics in order to homogenize the mentality of the people in order for a successful rule. Within the ruling class of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was Joseph Stalin, a strict dictator who believed in the rules of communism, successfully accomplished the main feat: instilling fear within the society. To help enforce this effect, he created a Secret Police to silence the rebellious groups of “Kulaks” as well as several projects to help build his nation. Although Stalin understood that the requirements of communism have similar beliefs to those of the successful governments of Gilead and Oceania, he still had come to his downfall. In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and George Orwell’s 1984, the administrations utilize strategies such as mind manipulation to establish a successful foundation, whose outcome differs from other communist rulers that have caused their own demise. Holding similar characteristics, the governments of the Soviet Union, Gilead of The Handmaid’s Tale and Oceania of 1984, all help ensure that their rule is enforced through the creation of a special workforce, placement of citizens into strictly organized groups, and forcing all the people to work for the administration. The men of Gilead created a workforce called the Eye, and had their women categorized according to what their purposes were.
To live in a country such as the United States of America is considered a privilege. The liberties that American citizens are entitled to, as declared in the Constitution, makes the United States an attractive and envied democracy. It would be improbable to imagine these liberties being stripped from American society. However, Margaret Atwood depicts the United States as a dystopian society in her novel The Handmaid’s Tale. The first society is modern America, with its autonomy and liberal customs. The second, Gilead, a far cry from modern America, is a totalitarian Christian theocracy which absorbs America in the late 1980s in order to salvage it from widespread pollution and a dwindling birthrate. The principal flaw in Atwood’s Gileadian society is the justification of human rights violations. This justification only limits the liberties citizens experience, and taunts their once freeing rights, such as the prerogative to explore sexuality. Gilead’s only freedom, is freedom from all other liberties, or as Aunt Lydia would describe, freedom from the anarchy that unveiled in the first society.
Throughout the world, failures seem to occur all around. Whether it be in the form of losing oneself or losing the people around the individual, many failures commonly occurs with the accumulation of power. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, Winston Smith is a low-ranking government official under the oppressive reign of his leaders, Big Brother. He is just one example of the many characters in written works that will eventually be defeated in one way or another. In British literature, it has become evident that characters affected by tyrannies have ultimately experienced loneliness, paranoia, and defeat.
Society Dies When Individuality Dies. Conformity plagues one’s existence and stature in today’s society. Due to government intervention in citizens’ daily lives, many writers have questioned the morality of conformity in a society by the means of control. When control becomes rampant, fascist and totalitarian governments are formed, and because of the rise in fascism and totalitarianism, many people are led to conform to social ideals. Therefore, George Orwell critiques conformity within society through the use of Big Brother, Proles, and Winston.
Ladies and gentlemen, when I read this shocking tale I was overwhelmed by its contemporary relevance. The comparison between the Alpha and Beta to the western civilisation is unmistakable. Likewise, the resemblance between the Gamma, Delta and Epsilon to the deprived and poverty stricken is apparent. This class ceiling and hierarchy is in every way crystal clear. So call me foolish or fanatic, but how can a world plagued by inequality, injustice and deprivation truly claim to be anything dissimilar to this World State? When I read this novel, I was instantly reminded of the Civil Rights movement for black Americans, the
Humans are easily impressionable. They are susceptible to the physical and psychological pressures of society. One of the most common elements of encumbrance in today’s world is peer pressure. Whether it is within children, teens, or adults, oppression is everywhere. In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, oppression of groups in society is more prevalent than any other element of a dystopian government. In the Republic of Gilead, the protagonist Offred is a Handmaid who serves her Commander and his wife by bearing children for the family. Her freedoms are completely restricted, as well as the Commander who presides over the family. There are specific sets of rules for everyone and every move is watched by the ever present
Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Orwell’s 1984 are excellent examples of cautious tales warning about acting against society under the influence of the id alone. In both novels, the protagonists stray from societal standards by following the impulses of their ids without inhibition from their superego. Although Hamlet and Winston attempt to stay within societal rules, their ids eventually overpower any sense of reality they have, causing them to act on their deepest desires without care for the potential consequences. To illuminate the dangers of diverging from the societal status quo, Hamlet and Winston are dehumanized by the societies they rebelled against. Perhaps it is better to remain miserable doing something unenjoyable, but accepted by society, than to act on controversial actions.
In 1984, George Orwell presents an overly controlled society that is run by Big Brother. The protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a dehumanizing, totalitarian regime. Big Brother possesses so much control over these people that even the most natural thoughts such as love and sex are considered taboo and are punishable. Big Brother has taken this society and turned each individual against one another. Parents distrust their own offspring, husband and wife turn on one another, and some people turn on their own selves entirely. The people of Oceania become brainwashed by Big Brother. Punishment for any uprising rebellions is punishable harshly.
In the two dystopic novels, The Handmaid's Tale by Margret Atwood and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, they lack essentials freedoms that are necessary for a functioning society to exist. In these novels, each individual in the society has been deprived of their freedoms by their government Their particular government has made sure to control every aspect that makes us human such as our individuality, knowledge, and the relationships we from with others. Both of these governments share a common goal, which is to create stability in a weak society.
Dystopian novels such as Orwell’s totalitarian ‘1984’, and Atwood’s theocratic ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, explore how governmental bodies often misuse the power that they have in order to exert their own complete control of their society. Both novels enforce this through the use of surveillance, the inclusion of public acts of hatred and. This is done so regimes can ensure that they have complete control over their society, ensuring none may feel the need to start rebelling against them, some going to the extent of murder to ensure this, all whilst completely misusing the power they have. Both Orwells totalitarian ‘1984’ and Atwoods theocratic ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, feature their regimes using their overwhelming power over their citizens in order
Love. It’s an emotion we have all experienced whether with a significant other, friend or family member. But what would you do if the person you loved was taken away from you? Would you risk everything to save them? If so, you will be able to relate to the main character in Oktapodi.