There is always an explanation, a reason, or a story as to why something happens. Revolutions have explanations, tyrants have reasons, and history is their story. In 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, both characters in power have reasons as to why they are in those positions. The arguments these characters use can be analyzed for their effectiveness, seeing as both achieve the intended goals. While the 1984 and Brave New World societies differ, the arguments each leader uses are similar, though they have their variations. Throughout these arguments many literary devices are employed to help the speaker prove his point, and to help him fully explain why things are the way they are in these societies.
In 1984 by
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George Orwell, O’Brien tortures Winston, all while “re-educating” him as to how their society works. “The first thing for you to understand is that in this place there are no martyrdoms. You have read of the religious persecutions of the past,” (Orwell). O’Brien is directly alluding to the Inquisition era, and he quickly asserts the fact that this current society is very different from past ones. O’Brien talks about the Russian revolutions and the Nazi’s, and how different this government is from any of those. This current society is different from any that history has ever seen, and that is why it will succeed. Then, O’Brien moves on to pathos to continue his explanation as to why those old societies did not work. “Men were dying because they would not abandon their true beliefs. Naturally all the glory belonged to the victim and all the shame to the Inquisitor who burned him,” (Orwell). If a man believes in something so much that he would die for it, many find that honorable and brave. In fact, many victims throughout history have been martyred for their refusal to give in to the societal pressure surrounding them. However, O’Brien is commenting on the fact that those rebels-turned-martyrs have been removed for the reason that they are the cause of revolutions. A rebel’s passion can spread like wildfire to people who only mildly question the government, and a revolution can start overnight. O’Brien continues on his re-education speech, using a metaphor to prove how powerless Winston is to the control of the Party. “You will be lifted clean out from the stream of history. We shall turn you into gas and pour you into the stratosphere,” (Orwell). O’Brien’s comparison of turning Winston into a gas has immeasurable effect on readers. A gas is known for easily slipping away, and for hardly being noticeable at all. By O’Brien stating that he will turn Winston into a gas, he is saying that he will turn Winston into an airy being, that can easily disperse and float out of existence. Continuously, O’Brien uses a brief anaphora to drill the idea of how meaningless life is in this society into Winston’s head. “You will be annihilated in the past as well as in the future. You will never have existed,” (Orwell). O’Brien is trying to prove to Winston how little he matters, yet how his obedience is prudent to the society. A gas is unnoticable when it’s present, but it is sorely missed when it is gone. Humans take oxygen for granted, but if it’s absent, human life cannot continue. This society relies on the compliance of its citizens, yet for each citizen to realize how insignificant they are. Each particle of oxygen by itself does not matter, but the whole working composition does. They are small unimportant pieces in the large spectrum of the society, and O’Brien does a miraculous job at explaining this to Winston. While 1984 and Brave New World are both oppressive societies, Mustapha Mond is more honest about his society to John.
Mond uses anaphora as O’Brien did, though Mond uses it in a more positive way. “All the people who, for one reason or another, have got too self-consciously individual to fit into community-life. All the people who aren’t satisfied with orthodoxy, who’ve got independent ideas of their own,” (Huxley 227). These people that go to live on the remote islands are lucky, because they are able to be themselves. Mond is making it obvious to John that there can be individuality in this society, though it is impossible to occur in large scales. Readers can see Mond being fleshed out into an actual character as he explains why John, Bernard, and Helmholtz are actually lucky for being sent to these remote islands. They are able to be themselves there and pursue their passions without all the distractions of this materialistic society. Mond also uses logos later on in his speech, when he says “What’s the point of truth or beauty or knowledge when the anthrax bombs are popping all around you?” (Huxley 228). Human beings aim for survival at all costs, and they are willing to lose personal freedoms or privacy in order to live. In the case of Brave New World, its citizens were willing to give up knowing the truth for happiness and security. The people living in this society don’t know anything about the past or the actual truth of things because they just don’t care. They would rather be happy and alive, compared to knowing the truth and being miserable or
dead. Mond also uses effective “one-liners” to comment on how this oppressive society formed, though why it is necessary for this society. “Universal happiness keeps the wheels steadily turning; truth and beauty can’t...One can’t have something for nothing. Happiness has got to be paid for,” (Huxley 228). The people living in this society value happiness above anything else, and Mond knows the heavy cost of this luxury. He personally has sacrificed his own happiness to ensure that the society stays stable and happy, just like what the people want. The cost of universal happiness is the truth and beauty that Mond loves, yet he has given these up to ensure that the society can continue on. Also, Mond compares this current society to old Chinese societies, to prove that they are indeed a powerhouse. While China is known for inventing dynamite, paper, silk, and fireworks, Mond says that this scientific curiosity is actually a weakness of the empire. “But truth’s a menace, science is a public danger... China’s was hopelessly insecure by comparison; even the primitive matriarchies weren’t steadier than we are,” (Huxley 227). China’s history is known for strong rulers, yet Mond says that with the removal of scientific curiosity, the Brave New World society is stronger. Also, this implies that this society will last longer than China’s, and China’s dynasties are known to last hundreds of years all while being the oldest developed society on earth. While O’Brien and Mond’s arguments are similar, the 1984 and Brave New World societies differ greatly. The 1984 society is highly oppressive and controlling, with no way out other than death. Brave New World’s society is greatly oppressed through their lack of curiosity and knowledge, though some citizens can escape alive if they really try. However, both men in power agree that free thought must be discouraged and controlled, and that they are in power simply because they love power. The arguments that explain each man’s respective society are understandable once analyzed, as each man truly believes that they are doing what is best for their people. These tyrants have their stories, and they’re fighting to keep down the revolutions explanations.
Between the poem, ¨ No one died in Tiananmen Square¨ by William Lutz and the novel, 1984 by George Orwell there are multiple similarities. Subjects such as their government, their denial of history, and the use of doublethink and re-education are all parallel between the novel and the poem. For instance, both the governments have a highly strict government. Their governments are so controlling of their people that they use brute force in order to help re-educate them. For example, in 1984 the main character, Winston Smith was trying to go against their government, The Party, and because he tries to do so, he is placed in The Ministry of Love and brutally beaten by the man whom he assumed was a part of the Brotherhood, O'Brien. O'Brien claimed
Many people argue whether George Orwell’s 1984 was written purely to criticize, or if it portrays society today. I believe that George Orwell wrote 1984 in order to express his feelings about how society is governed. There are many examples of irony that support my position. 1984 is a political satire, the Orwell used to criticize man’s use of power. The slogan of Oceania is War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. These three phrases reflect some of the disturbing factors of our society today, which is why I believe that 1984 resembles Orwell’s dystopian creation.
In Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley and 1984 written by George Orwell the dystopian societies depend on technology to create a totalitarian society. Brave New World is a sequel to 1984, because Brave New World is an established dystopian society which uses technology in a much more pleasureable way, whereas in 1984 the technology is used in a much more aggressive manner. The technology used in both novels aids both governments in creating a totalitarian society, technology helps the government take control over all citizens, influence all of the peoples actions, and determine the people’s emotions. In 1984 technology inflicts fear and pain, whereas Brave New World promotes happiness and pleasure.
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 novel 1984 is one that has sparked much controversy over the last several decades. It harbors many key ideas that lie at the root of all skepticism towards the book. With the ideas of metaphysics, change, and control in mind, George Orwell wrote 1984 to provide an interesting story but also to express his ideas of where he believed the world was heading. His ideas were considered widely ahead of their time, and he was really able to drive home how bleak and colorless our society really is. Orwell wrote this piece as a futuristic, dystopian book which contained underlying tones of despair and deceit.
According to Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death, Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World both predicted that society would eventually be governed by a global totalitarian system; however, the key difference between both their predictions is the method by which society’s cognizance would be undermined. Orwell claimed that contemporary society would be controlled by overt modes of policing and supervising the social hierarchy, whereas Huxley stated that society’s infatuation with entertainment and superficial pleasure alone would be enough for the government to have absolute control over the public. Unfortunately, today’s society is not an Animal Farm. All jokes aside, Postman’s assertion of Huxley’s theory, “what
Fahrenheit 451 and A Brave New World: How does the setting affect both the novels?
The movie and the book are different in many ways but at the same time they have a lot of things in common, the movie doesn't have as much details as the book does but it is a very good movie. In the movie you can very easily see and understand what's going on being you are watching the whole thing with your eyes. The movie also shows you how the students have to fight each and everyday just so that they protect themselves in the streets, the streets is all they know because well they were born and raised in the streets so they learned all about it & are about it. In the movie you can clearly see the struggle they go through, and how the streets are & when they're in school. School is supposed to be a safe place for all kids.
”The values, beliefs and attitudes of George Orwell’s can easily be seen in the novel 1984, as no text is neutral. These values attitudes and beliefs have shaped the novel to reflect socio-cultural context and by the use of certain discourses, ideologies, and historical influences support the idea that) “The explanation of a work is always sought in the man or women who produced it “Bathes Roland (1977).
Undoubtedly, the thought of living in, or forming a utopian society has flashed through nearly every person’s mind. A few people have even tried to make this ideal dream society a reality. Unfortunately, within the pursuit of these societies the leaders become corrupt and begin to become paranoid with the fear of rebellion. Hundreds of people were murdered during the reigns of Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin in what they considered measures to maintain peace and stability within their respective “perfect” society. One must also consider the hardships that the citizens were forced to endure while living under these oppressive governments.
This Perfect Day belongs to the genre of "dystopian" or anti-utopian novels, like Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984. Yet it is more satisfying than either. This Perfect Day is probably Ira Levin's greatest work of his career. Levin's work, despite being written in 1970, is very plausible having realistic technology, such as scanners and computers which watch over the entire family, the entire population of the world. This novel could be used to show the dangers of a Utopian society as well as being full of anti-Communist and anti-racist sentiment. This Perfect Day also displays the feeling that communist and segregated institutions can be defeated, as the protagonist Chip over powers the "family" and their vile Uni Comp as well as rising above the segregated community he reaches after fleeing the family. This work could best be placed in an area of the curriculum where it is the students job to learn that although everyone might not be equal, nor should they be, they are still human and deserve to be treated with the respect and kindness we would expect to be treated with. This work could be used in conjunction with other works of literature that display the same ideals against communism and discrimination as well as a lack of compassion for others. Other works that could be used in cohorts with Levin's This Perfect Day, are Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and even the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Both of these novels show the dangers of trying to create a Utopian society and the chaos it causes. In Harrison Bergeron, handicapping has become an American institution and it is the governments responsibility to make sure that everyone is equal in every way which ends up causing chaos and rebellion. The Handmaid's Tale shows the dangers of when an extreme group takes over the United States after a nuclear holocaust, with women being placed in a submissive role to men, only being used to reproduce. This Perfect Day could also be used in a section with novels such as Uncle Tom's Cabin which portray the evils of racism and discrimination, just as the land where Chip ends up after escaping the family, is very racist and segregated. He is forced to endure the taunts and tortures of the folks who had fought Uni from the beginning, yet he rises above these bounds to return and destroy Uni Comp, thereby destroying the family.
They both warn us of the dangers of a totalitarian society. Both books express a utopian ideal, examine characters that are forced into this state and are compelled to deal with this society and all the rules involved. The impracticality of the utopian ideal is explored in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxley’s Brave New World. Both authors suggest that a lack of familial bonds, the repression of human individuality, and the repression of artistic and creative endeavors in order to attain a stable environment renders the achievement of a perfect state unrealistic. The lack of familial bonds, in both novels, contributes to the development of a dystopian society.
After reading the book and watching the movie 1984 there were similarities and differences between the two. The novel is about manipulating people in believing in something that isn’t really there and about erasing history. Both the book and film focused on: authority, government, and war. The book and film follow the theme of conformity to control society.
Dystopian novels are written to reflect the fears a population has about its government, and they are successful because they capture that fright and display what can happen if it is ignored. George Orwell wrote 1984 with this fear of government in mind and used it to portray his opinion of the current government discretely. Along with fear, dystopian novels have many other elements that make them characteristic of their genre. The dystopian society in Orwell’s novel became an achievement because he utilized a large devastated city, a shattered family system, life in fear, a theme of oppression, and a lone hero. Orwell’s novel begins with a horrid description of the living conditions of his main character, Winston.
There are lots of ways to compare 1984 by George Orwell to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. They both have to do with very futuristic ideas.