Utopian Societies in Literature
There are quite a few similarities between Terry Gilliam’s film, Brazil, and George Orwell’s novel, 1984. The protagonists in each story have very similar personalities, thoughts, and actions. Along with the connection between the main characters, the perspective governments in each story are extremely similar and, in general, the plot and overall feel of the stories are similar. While the novel 1984, and the movie Brazil compare greatly, so do they both compare with the film version of 1984, starring John Hurt. The two movies have a great deal in common; certain scenes seem to be interchangeable between the two films.
Part I: The Protagonists
The plots of these two stories are extremely comparable, and it is easy to see why. Both tales have a protagonist that doesn’t really fit the role of a hero, and each hero ends up failing after it is all said and done. Winston Smith and Sam Lowry are essentially antiheroes who both work for fascist governments, and the paths that these two antiheroes take leads them to similar ends. In fact, the great similarities between the two plots lead to great similarities between the two heroes.
The comparisons between Sam Lowry (Brazil) and Winston Smith (1984) are evident throughout both works. Their lives, in general, are quite similar. Winston Smith lives in a tiny, run-down apartment, as does Sam Lowry. The only difference is that Sam doesn’t have Big Brother watching over him, but the level of fascism between the two pieces isn’t that different.
Along with both characters living in pathetic little flats, they both hold boring, middle-management type jobs for their respective governments. Winston Smith works in the Ministry of Truth...
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...mt up so many years ago.
Works Cited
Brazil. Dir. Terry Gilliam. With Jonathon Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, and Kim Greist. Universal, 1985.
Deutscher, Isaac. “1984 – The Mysticism of Cruelty.” George Orwell: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Raymond Williams. New York. Prentice Hall, Inc. 1974. 119
Dickson, Christa. “Bugs in the Machine: Anti - and Post-modernism in Terry Gilliam’s Brazil.” http://www.public.coe.edu/~crdickso/brazil.htm Dec. 12, 2001.
Every, Peter. “Gilliam’s Brazil: The Last Modern Dystopia?” http://www.csad.coventry.ac.uk/IDN/neopraxis.brazil.htm Dec. 5, 2001.
Orwell, George. 1984. Penguin Putnam Inc., 1961.
Strachey, John. “The Strangled Cry.” Twentieth Century Interpretations of 1984. Ed. Samuel Hynes. New Jersey. Prentice-Hall Inc. 54.
In “1984,” Orwell portrays Winston’s secret struggle to undermine the totalitarian rule of Big Brother and the Party in Oceania. The different government agencies, such as the Thought Police and Ministry of Love, exercise unrestricted totalitarian rule over people. Winston actively seeks to join the rebellion and acquire the freedoms undermined by the Party. On the other hand, Heinlein’s brief narrative, “The Long Watch,” depicts a contrasting struggle championed by Dahlquist against the power hungry Colonel Towers and the Patrol. In his struggle to prevent the total domination of the world by the Patrol, Dahlquist chooses to sacrifice his life. Le Guin’s “The Ones who walk away from Omelas,” illustrates a communal form of injustice tolerated for the benefit of the entire city but necessitating the inhumane imprisonment of a child. He portrays the ambiguity of human morality and the individual struggle to determine right from wrong. The authors address social change and power in different ways, reflective of their individual perceptions. Hence, in each narrative, the author illustrates the individual’s role in effecting social change and the conditions under which such change becomes possible.
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.
Both Jan van Eyck and Fra Angelico were revered artists for the advances in art that they created and displayed for the world to see. Their renditions of the Annunciation were both very different, however unique and perfect display of the typical styles used during the Renaissance. Jan van Eyck’s panel painting Annunciation held all the characteristics of the Northern Renaissance with its overwhelming symbolism and detail. Fra Angelico’s fresco Annunciation grasped the key elements used in the Italian Renaissance with usage of perspective as well as displaying the interest and knowledge of the classical arts.
Tragic events occur daily around the globe in 2015, these occurrences have become routine. The world has considerably changed in the past five years; this is mainly due to the Arab spring (A term that symbolizes the fall of oppressive regimes in the Middle East. While in the Middle East the Arab Spring is TAKING PLACE, in America gun control is a major issue. One of the many letters written by George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty Four is that of oppressive governments and the basic freedoms of humanity. This specific article and 1984 share similarities in how both discuss the nature of humans. The main themes they discuss are: Death, Loss of innocence, as well as hope.
1984, by George Orwell, depicts the psychological progression of Winston Smith, a rebellious citizen among an oppressive government. In such a government, each ministry deals with the polar opposite of its namesake, stupidity is as necessary as intellect, and Big Brother is always watching. Conformity is not the ultimate goal of the Party. It is a side effect of Two Minutes Hate, relentless torture, and a lack of meaningful relationships aside from the love of Big Brother. Orwell so vividly illustrates the crushing brutality of the Party in order to warn the reader that an absolute government with the power to drive a citizen to his or her breaking point will inevitably destroy the core of human drive and independence. Those with the power to exploit personal fears and control levels of commitment through torture can crush anyone, for “in the face of pain, there are no heroes” (Orwell 213).
Fra Angelico was one of the greatest artists of the early Renaissance. He used classical artistic principles and rational postures. His faces had realistic expressions and there was a harmony in the proportions. He created volume by the use of light and shadows. Using a linear perspective, Fra Angelico was able to bring more depth to the paintings by having angels in the background in proportion to their distance from the foreground.
1984, a book by George Orwell, offers an alternate reality for what the future could have been. The concept of a totalitarian society is but a far off, if not long dead, ideal. In the past totalitarianism was not just an ideal but an actual living, breathing menace to people of the late 1940s. Totalitarian governments would go to horrific lengths in order to sustain and increase their power. In the novels 1984, by George Orwell, and Anthem, by Ayn Rand, propaganda, class distinction, and naivety are explored in fictional societies. Orwell’s and Rand’s stories are based on dystopias and the individuals of those societies who dare to stand out. George Orwell uses Winston Smith, the timidly rebellious protagonist; The Party, the ruling government; and Big Brother, the face of The Party; and Ayn Rand utilizes Martyrdom, the sacrificing of oneself; Naming, a process using words and numbers as a means of identification; and Collectivism, everyone is the same and refers to themselves as we, to illustrate how dangerous a naïve working class, spin and propaganda, and an unacknowledged class distinction can be in a society.
What does it mean to be human? Is it the millions of cells that you’re composed of? Or is it something more? In George Orwell’s book 1984, through the use of his protagonist, Orwell looks at what it really means to be human. In a world that is built on destruction and manipulation, Orwell takes a look at how a totalitarian government affects humankind and a person’s ability to stay “human”.
When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of his local monastery in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517, Europe was plunged in political and social turmoil. With only a few notable exceptions, a wave of political unity and centralization swept across the Western world. Papal power was perhaps not at its height, yet its corruption and increasingly secular values could be seen from St. Peter's in Rome to John Tetzel in Germany. Furthermore, in the economically prospering towns and cities, the middle class was facing an increasing volatile political situation with the growing national monarchies. All of these factors were to only catalyze the reactionary religious movement which would begin to sweep across Europe by the 1520's. The Protestant Reformation, as it would soon be called, set back years of national centralization by strengthening the aristocracy and dividing countries and regions religiously. Moreover, the strict religious and ethical guidelines of the new Protestant sects forever changed the culture of cities and town across Northern Europe; thereby bringing drastic social reform along with widespread religious fervor. In the first half of the sixteenth century, however, these Protestant movements were only beginning to form, yet their impact has had a lasting effect on the politics of Europe and the rest of the world well in the 20th century.
In The Kite Runner, readers learn holistic atonement can only be achieved when peace is made with God, the people you have hurt, and yourself. Although Afghanistan is a largely religious country, Baba is portrayed as decidedly secular. At the beginning of the novel, Amir questions Baba about sin, and through this conversation, Baba reveals his lack of faith. He says, “if there is a God out there, then I would hope he has more important things to attend to than my drinking scotch or eating pork” (Hosseini 18)....
Works Cited for: Orwell, George. 1984. The 'Standard' of the ' London: Penguin Books, 2008. Print. The.
Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2004. Orwell, George. A. A. 1984. The. New York, NY: Signet Classics, 1977. Print.
Magill, Frank N. Ed. “Nineteen Eighty-Four” Masterpieces of World Literature. New York NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989. 582-585. Orwell, George.
Cell phones are an integral part of everyday life. People use them for everything from creating lists and making appointments, to communicating for work and handling important documents. The uses for cell phones are endless. As such, their applications for school use are broad and still expanding. Lisa Nielsen, a Director of Digital Engagement for the New York State Department of Education, and Willyn Webb, adjunct professor of social ethics at Colorado Christian University, performed a survey to see the different ways students use cell phones in school. They found that 69 percent of students use phones to write down notes, 64 percent use them to view textbooks online, and 56 percent use them to assist with homework (Nielsen & Webb 70). Students
Cell phones appear to be all around now and the gadgets, which were previously an extravagance for liberal adults, are presently in the hands of numerous children and youngsters. Nonetheless, would they say they are truly essential at school? Mobile phones have been urgent a piece of advanced life and these have likewise been helpful contraptions for learners. Be that as it may, phones in the classroom advantages and disadvantages have been subjects of verbal confrontation around parents, teachers and students. Some claims that cell phones play essential role in boosting learning but there are those who attest that cell phones in classroom are linked with unpleasant issues. Individuals got different viewpoints regarding these matters. During lectures, most of the students possess a mobile phone. Whatever the tenets are at their school about cell phones, students use them. Frequently they are gotten by their instructors, yet more often than not, students escape with it. Having a mobile phone at school accompanies numerous focal points; however there are additionally negative things th...