Compare and Contrast Essay
Compare and Contrast Essay
By: Nicole Griesman
For: Mrs. Nathanson
Date: March 14th 2013
Topic: What does it mean to be human in the two texts 1984 and The Island?
As Dalai Lama, a head of state and spiritual leader of Tibet once said, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”. In The Island, the inhabitants are not physically human, and are fighting to stay alive. Meanwhile, in 1984, the inhabitants are physically human but the characteristics that make them human are being taken away from them. In both 1984 and The Island, the ultimate goal of the ruling parties is to dehumanize their inhabitants; thus the question of what it means to be human becomes a frequent theme in the two texts. Both the inhabitants in George Orwell’s 1984 and Michael Bay’s The Island face continuous pressure from the ruling parties in their respective societies to abandon their humanity; however, the two texts define humanity and dehumanize their citizens in different ways.
Winston and Lincoln, being the protagonists throughout the play are the two prime characters fighting for humanity. The protagonists in the two texts are comparable in that they care deeply for humanity, but Lincoln and Winston differ greatly in how they define what it means to be human. In the two texts, majority of the society have already been stripped of their humanity, however few individuals stand as rebels, and are determined to find ways to save humanity. Winston lives in a society where the inner party, a central governing body, has dehumanized a majority of the inhabitants. However Winston is one of the last whose goal is not primarily to survive, but rather to preserve humanity. This is apparent when Winston is speaking with Julia, a companion of his, about the difference between being human and staying alive. He states, “It's not so much staying alive, it's staying human that's important. What counts is that we don't betray each other.”. (Orwell, ADD
By: Nicole Griesman
For: Mrs. Nathanson
Date: March 14th 2013
Topic: What does it mean to be human in the two texts 1984 and The Island?
As Dalai Lama, a head of state and spiritual leader of Tibet once said, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”. In The Island, the inhabitants are not physically human, and are fighting to stay alive. Meanwhile, in 1984, the inhabitants are physically human but the characteristics that make them human are being taken away from them. In both 1984 and The Island, the ultimate goal of the ruling parties is to dehumanize their inhabitants; thus the question of what it means to be human becomes a frequent theme in the two texts. Both the inhabitants in George Orwell’s 1984 and Michael Bay’s The Island face continuous pressure from the ruling parties in their respective societies to abandon their humanity; however, the two texts define humanity and dehumanize their citizens in different ways.
Winston and Lincoln, being the protagonists throughout the play are the two prime characters fighting for humanity. The protagonists in the two texts are comparable in that they care deeply for humanity, but Lincoln and Winston differ greatly in how they define what it means to be human. In the two texts, majority of the society have already been stripped of their humanity, however few individuals stand as rebels, and are determined to find ways to save humanity. Winston lives in a society where the inner party, a central governing body, has dehumanized a majority of the inhabitants. However Winston is one of the last whose goal is not primarily to survive, but rather to preserve humanity. This is apparent when Winston is speaking with Julia, a companion of his, about the difference between being human and staying alive. He states, “It's not so much staying alive, it's staying human that's important. What counts is that we don't betray each other.”. (Orwell, ADD