Preview

Dystopian Themes In 1984 And Brave New World

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
162 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Dystopian Themes In 1984 And Brave New World
Although the modern dystopian novel and dystopian works of the early 20th century may share many of the same principles and components, the overall purposes behind them are poles apart. The popular novel, The Hunger Games and its sequels can be considered prototypical of our contemporary dystopian themes that emphasize; the act of rebellion against a state of oppression, the power that comes with being motivated by love, the presence of hope and the triumph of the protagonist over a totalitarian regime. George Orwell and Alex Huxley—authors of 1984 and Brave New World respectively—did not write stories that inspired resistance. They used allegory to pinpoint the faults in society and prophesy the end of human intelligence and freedom. Orwell

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    George orwell’s 1984 and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 share similar main characters corresponding with their extraordinary alike themes. Setting in a dystopian society where literature was not allowed. History re-written to fit the government's or society’s needs to stay in this dystopian manner.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Both Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World portray a dystopian societies where authoritarian control has been established and has replaced the individual’s freedom and identity by effectively altering the thoughts and actions of its population through the use of various control methods which will supposedly protect the majority against the threat this poses to their happiness and stability. But is in reality, a method through which they can maintain totalitarian control. In both novels, leaders have attempted to create a Utopian society, one that they consider to maintain peace and stability but in which have become oppressive and tyrannical. To do this, history is distorted or ignored completely and control is used as a means to keep…

    • 132 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley has many of the same basic ideas as 1984 by George Orwell, but the two are more different than alike. In both books a totalitarian government is in complete control of the people, but A Brave New World shows a more positive side of this type of government than does 1984. 1984 doesn't show any good things that have come out of having this form of government, and is a warning of what can happen if people stop thinking for themselves and don't question the government.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The dystopian genre that exists in literature and film is a result of authors and filmmakers who are influenced by current societal conditions today. An appropriate example is how major technological advancements are making people realize the extremity of our society through a dystopian story. With the use of novels, movies, video-games, and more; writers of these stories not only make them for entertainment, but also as a form of acknowledgement for what our world will turn out to be if we keep up with certain acts that will contribute to a dystopia. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury allows his readers to explore the effects of technology by writing about burning books. In another dystopian novel/series, Legend, Marie Lu writes about the government…

    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Leila Haynesworth Mr. GS AP CoLa 11 8 September, 2014 Brave New World and 1984 are not so much warning, but wise examination by both authors that we have total control of our own lives. We have enhanced tools and created things for our well-being, but it is up to us how we choose to handle them. For example, cell phones, they have become so technologically advanced that it is hard for us to stay off of them. They have a web browser and an app for everything including several social media sites. Social media can be quite an invasion of privacy if you let it be.…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Examining Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984, there are some accurate depictions of public discourse in 1984, but Huxley’s novel includes more relevant examples. Postman bounds the idea of television, a cherished part of our life, as the means of self-destruction in accordance to Huxley’s views. Postman’s assertion of the more accurate Brave New World is evident in freedom, technology and the media.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Children in many stories are depicted as small and insignificant, but in 1984 and Brave New World they are much more. The governments in both books realized that the power lies within the kids. Both governments figured out that if they could control the children they would control the future. Both governments went about gaining their power in slightly different ways, but each method was very powerful. The children in both Brave New World and 1984 are taught their belief systems by their government, but the children who live in 1984 are much more of a danger to those living in their society.…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Teen Dystopia by Sophie Boyer is an opinionated piece that explains the reason we are so attracted to novels such as The Hunger Games. A reason such a novel is so appealing is because of the action packed plot and powerful symbolism weaved throughout. A story set in future North America, where climate change has destroyed society is where teenagers participate in a gruesome fight to the death called the Hunger Games. That heady combination results to complex yet relatable characters and most of all, a meaningful story. Hence, that is the reason why Boyer regards The Hunger Games as a “well-constructed allegory that also reflects a more realistic portrayal of our world .” Personally, I also admire authors who can create an abstract world so flawlessly that they still remain relatable. Even though The Hunger Games takes place in a different time period; where the world is overly violent, it leads to a new social awareness. As Boyer pointed out, “this awareness leads to a more tragic understanding of the world, but never without the hope of a better future.” When I read The Hunger Games it felt like it was situated in a world so seemingly different from ours, that I didn’t realise until the end, that it is based on a bit of reality. The Hunger Games highlights social issues of poverty, devaluing human life, and classism to make us aware that it still exists in the world, our world. Overall, The Hunger Games is a book that reveals the depressing reality of some places in the world, yet Boyer and I believe that The Hunger Games sends a good message to us readers: to live life to the fullest and never take life for granted.…

    • 291 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The idea of a dystopian society is that of complete control, either through the use of a police state that has ultimate control over humanity and or the idea of man abusing technology to further gain control of its subjects. These ideas are very present in both novels. In 1984, the totalitarian state is technically and urbanely engineered to spy on and see people's very thoughts. In Fahrenheit 451 a similar idea is used in the outlawing of literature and the use of denunciations to capture and punish those deemed to have broken the law. This essay is going to explore the idea of Man’s struggle against…

    • 1989 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    A utopia is a perfect society. One in which everything works according to plan, and everything is how it is imagined it should be. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, and George Orwell’s 1984, utopian societies are built upon varying terms. Each society, while proclaimed to be perfect, has it’s inevitable flaws. The main characters in these novels, Winston and John, deal with the flaws in both similar and opposite ways. They are created to highlight the ways these utopian societies fall into dystopia, when looked at through an analytical lens. Winston and John have similar traits, as well as different traits, and their characters eventually find their way to almost identical…

    • 113 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When comparing two outstanding literary pieces 1984, written by George Orwell, and Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, media critic Neil Postman expresses his favoritism towards Huxley’s point of view for what the future would turn out to be in a point of view from the 1930s. While both novels have very little in common, both authors expressed their outcome of tragedy that they believed the future beheld. Where Orwell believed society would be destroyed by everything we hated, Huxley opposed with the thought that society would crumble to the things we loved. Huxley distresses the future society becoming a trivial culture, overloaded with information leading to egoism, and lost sight of the relevance of truth.…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious” (41). 1984 and Brave New World were written by men who encountered much of the violence and hardships of the twentieth century. Disturbed by the society presented to them both authors created compelling stories in an attempt to warn the world of futuristic societal possibilities. Huxley generates the World State a well kept society in which everyone is carefree and the production of goods are vital to keep everything balanced and under control. John the Savage, an outsider introduced to the civilized society is incapable of adapting to their manipulations and takes a tragic end. On the other hand, in 1984 Orwell presents a society where the people live in poor conditions and constant war. The Party keeps a very close watch on those members of society who are deemed capable of disrupting it. Winston Smith, the novel’s protagonist is depicted with similar issues yet in the end becomes subservient to the Party. In both stories, the heroes feel that there must be more than State-constructed reality.…

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Dystopia Analysis

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dystopia. The idea is explored in a now, quite saturated, genre of novels, many of which predict propaganda integrated into daily life, “controlling” the minds of the masses. 1984 is no longer the future, and neither is the twenty-first century. Many would believe that we still have yet to live in such conditions, but the truth contrasts this more than they may be aware. Propaganda is more prevalent than ever, with the advent of the internet, a powerful tool that when wielded can instantly connect one to vast amounts of knowledge. The internet, however, has become a powerful medium for propaganda. This isn’t even necessarily limited to blatant spreading of opinions, but also to news articles, and companies that exist today. This is not…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To conclude, the dystopian stories “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, both share the same theme by using characters action. The theme demonstrated in both stories is, rebelling against an oppressive government to stand up for what you believe in. Katniss’s and Harrison’s behavior and actions will leave you with the question, will you ever go against the government to stand up for what you believe…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The contemporary critic Neil Postman contrasts George Orwell’s vision of the future, as expressed in the novel 1984, as well as Aldous Huxley’s in the Brave New World. Orwell makes assumptions about society as a whole, that by the year 1984 a totalitarian government would take over the country. In Orwell’s novel, society is revealed as a dark vision of the future “controlled by inflicting pain”. On the other hand in Huxley’s novel, Huxley fears that what we love will ruin us and society is “controlled by inflicting pleasure”. Postman’s assertion that Huxley’s vision of the future is more relevant today than Orwell’s is correct as revealed by society’s rising need for instant gratification for technology, as well as the need for distractions from important concepts.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays