Would one rather have a life with no control over what happens; or would one want to have a life with some power, but a limited pursuit of happiness? The Government in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 let the citizens do whatever they want to do. The only exception is that they are not to be left alone to think about life and the enjoyments that are involved; they are supposed to live and forget. Illegal activities are considered normal in these novels. America’s society compared to these two Utopias is completely different. Things that make one happy might be illegal in America’s society, but are considered normal in the novels.
With society today, people say that things are socially or politically incorrect. There is no law stating that it is unlawful to do these things. In today’s society, if one had meaningless sex with another person, they would be considered a whore, or a man-whore. If a person took a pill and overdosed on it, they would be considered an addict. In these two novels anyone can do whatever they want and nothing is considered politically incorrect .
Drugs are offered at free will to anybody that wants them. In Huxley’s Brave New World, “there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday” (Huxley 55). This is the citizen’s way of escaping reality. Most crowds in this book take soma just before an orgy-porgy and everybody has sex with one another. In Bradbury’s novel, people overdose on sleeping pills frequently. People truly are not happy if they are trying to commit suicide time after time. According to the handymen, “We get these cases nine or ten a night. Got so many, starting a few years ago, we had the special machines built” (Bradbury 15). Th...
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...nge at the thought of having a mother and a father because they think that having a child is repulsive.
These futuristic societies show what can happen if we follow governmental rule without questions. Huxley shows us that this can be a “possible shape for things to come” in America’s society if we keep doing what we are doing (Schmerl 38). This can even occur if people stop thinking critically and just follow along. Instead of people choosing their own pursuit of happiness and freedoms, they have the governments choose it for them.
Works Cited
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine Books, 1953.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Pernnial Classics, 1998.
Matter, Wiliam W. "The Utopian Tradition and Aldous Huxley." SF-TH Inc (1975): 146-151.
Schmerl, Rudolf B. "Aldous Huxley's Social Criticism." Chicago Review (1959): 37-58.
Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 clear opposition to these subtle entrapments was voiced in similarly convincing ways. They first all established, to varying degrees of balance, the atmosphere and seductiveness of the “utopia” and the fear of the consequences of acting in the non-prescribed way through character development. A single character is alienated because of their inability to conform – often in protest to the forced conditions of happiness and well being. Their struggle is to hide this fact from the state’s relentless supervision of (supposedly) everything. This leads them to eventually come into conflict with some hand of the state which serves as the authors voice presenting the reader with the ‘absurdity’ of the principles on which the society is based. The similar fear of the state’s abuse of power and technology at the expense of human individuality present within these novels speaks to the relevance of these novels within their historical context and their usefulness for awakening people to the horrendous consequences of their ignorance.
If one doesn’t know that they’re sad, they’re always happy. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is set in a future where books are banned and conformity is pressured. Firemen burn books, and information is censored. Without an ability to question, one cannot question their own happiness. With censorship, anything that can cause you to is removed, and this effect is increased. With reliance on technology, one is so immersed that it becomes almost impossible to question anything, let alone think for oneself, and they can be made to think that they are happy, when in reality, they aren’t. Because the government in Fahrenheit 451 removed the ability to question, censors books and ideas, and creates a reliance on technology, the people in Fahrenheit 451 have deceived themselves into believing they are happy and content.
Different societies have risen and fallen in the common search for the “perfect” civilization. In the books 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, both authors portray a dystopian society with some troubling similarities. Orwell and Huxley each stress the use of power to control the masses. This influence is always situated with a small group of individuals that uses it to control every aspect of the people’s lives. Using such a method brings to mind a severe totalitarianism of rigid control that terminates individuality. Each society makes use of a caste system. Each caste has certain tasks and rules it must follow. Any sign of individuality is immediately disciplined and the societies are set up so the people will never question the morals or humaneness of their situation. Such concepts have been stopped from common thought so the people in power remain in power. Religion has been eliminated and logical thought have been destroyed. The days are continuously filled with worthless everyday jobs and a wish to be alone is considered a dangerous. In both books the...
The future of the world is a place of thriving commerce and stability. Safety and happiness are at an all-time high, and no one suffers from depression or any other mental disorders. There are no more wars, as peace and harmony spread to almost every corner of the world. There is no sickness, and people are predestined to be happy and content in their social class. But if anything wrong accidentally occurs, there is a simple solution to the problem, which is soma. The use of soma totally shapes and controls the utopian society described in Huxley's novel Brave New World as well as symbolize Huxley's society as a whole. This pleasure drug is the answer to all of life's little mishaps and also serves as an escape as well as entertainment. The people of this futuristic society use it in every aspect of their lives and depend on it for very many reasons. Although this drug appears to be an escape on the surface, soma is truly a control device used by the government to keep everyone enslaved in set positions.
The philosopher Aristotle once wrote, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” This famous quote compels people to question the significance of their joy, and whether it truly represents purposeful lives they want to live. Ray Bradbury, a contemporary author, also tackles this question in his book, Fahrenheit 451, which deals heavily with society's view of happiness in the future. Through several main characters, Bradbury portrays the two branches of happiness: one as a lifeless path, heading nowhere, seeking no worry, while the other embraces pure human experience intertwined together to reveal truth and knowledge.
Happiness plays an important and necessary role in the lives of people around the world. In America, happiness has been engrained in our national consciousness since Thomas Jefferson penned these famous words in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). Since then, Americans have been engaged in that act: pursuing happiness. The problem however, as Ray Bradbury demonstrates in his novel Fahrenheit 451, is that those things which make us happy initially may eventually lead to our downfall. By examining Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451, and the world he lives in we can gain valuable insights to direct us in our own pursuit of happiness. From Montag and other characters we will learn how physical, emotional, and spiritual happiness can drastically affect our lives. We must ask ourselves what our lives, words, and actions are worth. We should hope that our words are not meaningless, “as wind in dried grass” (Eliot).
Imagine a society in which its citizens have forfeited all personal liberties for government protection and stability; Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, explores a civilization in which this hypothetical has become reality. The inevitable trade-off of citizens’ freedoms for government protection traditionally follows periods of war and terror. The voluntary degradation of the citizens’ rights begins with small, benign steps to full, totalitarian control. Major methods for government control and censorship are political, religious, economic, and moral avenues. Huxley’s Brave New World provides a prophetic glimpse of government censorship and control through technology; the citizens of the World State mimic those of the real world by trading their personal liberties for safety and stability, suggesting that a society similar to Huxley’s could exist outside the realm of dystopian science fiction.
There were quite a few changes made from Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World to turn it into a “made for TV” movie. The first major change most people noticed was Bernard Marx’s attitude. In the book he was very shy and timid toward the opposite sex, he was also very cynical about their utopian lifestyle. In the movie Bernard was a regular Casanova. He had no shyness towards anyone. A second major deviation the movie made form the book was when Bernard exposed the existing director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, Bernard himself was moved up to this position. In the book the author doesn’t even mention who takes over the position. The biggest change between the two was Lenina, Bernard’s girlfriend becomes pregnant and has the baby. The screenwriters must have made this up because the author doesn’t even mention it. The differences between the book and the movie both helped it and hurt it.
Drugs are used to escape the real and move into the surreal world of one’s own imaginations, where the pain is gone and one believes one can be happy. People look on their life, their world, their own reality, and feel sickened by the uncaringly blunt vision. Those too weak to stand up to this hard life seek their escape. They believe this escape may be found in chemicals that can alter the mind, placing a delusional peace in the place of their own depression: “Euphoric, narcotic, pleasantly halucinant,” (52). They do this with alcohol, acid, crack, cocaine, heroine, opium, even marijuana for the commoner economy. These people would rather hide behind the haze than deal with real problems. “...A gramme is better than a damn.” (55).
The world changes so rapidly, so how could anyone predict the future? People have different beliefs of how the world will be in the next few generations, but a main concern is whether the society will improve or downgrade. Huxley is a renowned author, but after Brave New World, he can be perceived as a theorist. Aldous Huxley suggests that happiness is slowly becoming an emotion that relies on superficial experiences as it is in Brave New World.
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World portrays a society in which science has clearly taken over. This was an idea of what the future could hold for humankind. Is it true that Huxley’s prediction may be correct? Although there are many examples of Huxley’s theories in our society, there is reason to believe that his predictions will not hold true for the future of society.
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, portrays a future society where people are no longer individuals but are controlled by the World State. The World State dominates the people by creating citizens that are content with who they are. Brave New World describes how the science of biology and psychology are manipulated so that the government can develop technologies to change the way humans think and act. The World State designs humans from conception for this society. Once the humans are within the society the state ensures all people remain happy. They program these humans to have needs and desires that will sustain a lucrative economy while not thinking of themselves as an individual. Huxley describes the Worlds State’s intent to control their society through medical intervention, happiness, and consumerism which has similarities to modern society.
In 1984, George Orwell explores the many facets of a negative utopia. Orwell seems to focus on the measures that the government takes to maintain a public of plebeians who have no personality or identity and believe that they are not unique individuals, but instead are part of a greater senseless mob of people who constantly work for a hostile and oppressive government which is involved in incessant wars. These people are taught to love. They then learn to fear their government because they believe all of the propaganda that is constantly instilled into their minds. They willing follow their government without contest for the duration of their meaningless lives. The government controls all forms of the media (thus denying the people the basic right of free speech) and use it to personify the government (known as “big brother”) .The government therefore seems omnipotent, or all knowing and always correct. Forecasts are changed from one week to the next always proving the government was correct. As was mentioned before, many of the rights that present day Westerners take for gran...
For example, in the 1920s, addictive drugs could be found in everyday products that people consumed. Despite the fact that “The Roaring Twenties” was also the time of the Prohibition Era and the time of the banning of various drugs, Americans increasingly turned to drugs in order to feel better. However, this “period of prosperity” came to an end when the stock market crashed in 1929. Huxley’s work displays the possibilities of what could happen if people become too dependent on a artificial pathways to satisfaction with life. He uses soma in order to spread the message that over-dependence on drugs can lead people to become blind-sighted to the problems in their society, which could have been part of what caused America to go from prosperous times to a time of economic depression so rapidly. Since Huxley’s time, drug-dependence has become an even larger problem in our society. With the increasing amounts over-medication, abuse of drugs, and deaths due to drug overdoses, Huxley’s novel continues to serve as an important reminder of just how dangerous taking the “easy” route to happiness can potentially
I believe Huxley would agree that happiness is the end of man. Brave New World is a world where everyone is always happy. The moment one feels a little off balance, they take soma. They experience no other emotions which basically made everyone a zombie/robot. Huxley made this society to make a point. He is against most of the things that exist in BNW. A world where everyone is constantly happy is a dead world. Huxley’s belief is opposite of BNW. He believes in emotions. BNW makes a point about the importance of emotion by showing a society with only one emotion. Everyone is happy,