There were many so-called “prophetic” dystopian novels released throughout the 20th century: Orwell’s 1984, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Brunner’s Stand on Zanzibar, etc.. These books certainly have their moments of divination, but even casual readers see that western governments are not going down the path of totalitarian control, book burning, or mind control. However, one dystopian novel does stand in the minds of readers out as having frighteningly accurate predictions: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. On an initial read, Huxley’s novel sounds incredible prophetic. Readers attempt to draw parallels between every aspect of the novel and the real world - the decline of religion, drug use, open sexuality, government control, mass conformity,…
At first glance it would seem that Orwell’s ‘1984’ is completely without of hope. Everything is monitored, there is no freedom and the thought police are rampant and ruthless on though criminals. In such a seemingly decadent society it would seem impossible for hope to exist. However, throughout the text there are a few subtle symbols of hope; the most obvious of these is the “Golden Country” that Winston dreams of. It is described by Orwell as a “rabbit bitten pasture with a molehill here and there, with a slow moving stream nearby,” this is clearly a stark juxtaposition of the dirty, industrial society that exists in the “real world”. This utopia exists only in Winston’s subconscious, yet it reveals a lot about Winston. This “Golden Country” is what Winston is searching for, it illustrates that even though it would be nearly impossible to overthrow the party, the hope of this happening still lives on in his sub conscious. However, this dream is tainted by the presence of O’Brien, which makes us think that maybe this utopia is unattainable, and ultimately just a dream.…
A Utopia turned wrong would cause suspicion, discomfort, curiosity, anger, malevolent behavior and all loss for true love. Riots would occur turning civilized people to become savages and barbarians. Half of this is true for the country of Oceania. A Utopia that is not so perfect is depicted in George Orwell's famous novel, 1984. Some citizens are turned against the government and its officials when they discover the falsehoods and corrupt ideas of their Utopian government. Oceania citizen Winston Smith discovers the many false aspect of his society and tries to rise against this tainted government. The citizens of Oceania are stuck in helpless situations full of insane laws, are punished cruelly by a controlling government, and are ripped of their privacy and individualism.…
Huxley’s Brave New World is an attack on Utopian Society. Having a perfect society seems ideal since it takes away the pains and struggles of the real world. Things such as finding a loved one, heartbreak, deciding on a career path, being successful, and raising a family. This novel focuses on what the world would be like if it were a utopian society, and the reader can see that it is not as perfect as it seems. It shows how technology and engineering can get to a point where it is too much, and has the ability to control almost every element of society and the human race. Every person is engineered, and born to a certain caste. Each person is “conditioned” so that they only perform certain tasks and have no ability to excel at anything else. A person’s fate is decided for them. The lower castes especially, since these castes perform laborious tasks, they are cloned so the work performed becomes identical to the others. Just as the humans are clones, so are the products they produce. As Marilyn Monroe once said, “imperfection is beauty…” If there are no imperfections to the human race, than what is the beauty of the humans and each individual’s uniqueness? This so-called perfect society is actually the complete opposite. Everything unique about humans is taken away, and people are “manufactured,” not born. Although humans strive for perfection, when one actually gets a taste of what it is like, it is not what they expect. John, comes from the real world, he is thought of as a “savage.” When he arrives in this New World, he is disgusted by society and the lack of passion it contains, so much that the novel results in John’s suicide. A Utopian society, in reality actually becomes the dystopian society. Lois Lowry’s The Giver shows ideas of dystopian society similar to Huxley.…
There are a few things wrong with the society in Brave New World. The first of the problems is the complacency of the people. Everyone in this world like where they are but this is because they have been conditioned to. The second problem is the soma that is almost constantly taken. Lastly most people do not know how anything works and moreover they do not try to improve how it works because it's a job for sections of higher castes.…
In his 1932 novel, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley introduces us to a dystopian civilization in which the advancement of science is only used to maintain “social stability” among the five castes divided in this society: Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, Epsilons. Within this community, scientists expose certain chemicals and substances to certain embryos to breed humans that fit in these groups, whether it be by the way they look or their intelligence. However, with such an organized society with predetermined ideals, it is difficult to adapt to its lifestyle when coming from an outside area that has its own established beliefs, and trying to figure out what is morally correct. In his transition from Malpais to the World State, John the Savage…
Through the readings of, “Brave New World”, it states that a utopian society is to achieve a state of stability, loss of individuality, and even the undoing of Mother nature must occur. Accomplished engineers conditioned produces a world in which people are going to live a happily ever after life but at a great cost. As in for today there are many strong debates and questions about the extraordinary breakthroughs in science such as cloning, in communications through the Internet with its never ending pool of knowledge and the never ending movement to censor it, and the increasing level of immersion in entertainment. To many cloning, censoring, and total immersion entertainment are new, but those who have read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley,…
Although high school curricula exposes students to numerous novels of high literary merit, many students still begin college without having read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The book describes a highly disciplined society in which everyone’s happiness is guaranteed by complete submission to science and government. Reading and analyzing Brave New World is critical to teaching students, specifically those in Depaul’s Honors Program, the significance of free thought and the abstract development of human identity.…
Brave New World In what appears to be a perfect world, the World State is displayed as the idealistic program of human existence and cultivation, but hidden beneath the layers is the glance at a scene of a true dystopia, where human conditioning is talking to a higher level then ever seen before. There is no free will. There is no love. A Brave New World is a warning of the power of control as well as the extreme and logically developed society and its bizarre points of what “true” economic value stands to be.…
There are many similarities and differences between Looking Backward and News From Nowhere. The two societies vary in several ways including their attitude towards labor and education. Ultimately the government’s control of its people or lack thereof would allow the societies to fall. The societies lack the ability to advance and grow due to the two extreme versions of government displayed in the works. While having traits that create a peaceful, working society, both have at least one characteristic that highlights a flaw. This flaw would create a society in today’s world that would fail.…
In the novel “1984” by George Orwell he shows readers what a negative utopia is. Winston Smith is the main character and the plot revolves around how Winston feels frustrated by the control of the party. The party has a strong control over its citizens and the use telescreens, the thought police, and the youth league to maintain their control through psychological manipulation.…
Brave New World is a fictional story written by Aldous Huxley. In the story, Huxley tries to create the image of a utopian society. In the novel he predicts many possibilities for what the future might hold, including overpopulation, use of drugs, promiscuity, and the elimination of religion and family. Utopias are societies that possess highly desirable or perfect qualities. However, the society in Brave New World does not possess these desirable or perfect qualities and is therefore a dystopia.…
Lastly, in our world today authors that write dystopian novels are trying to educate the new generation that the world that we live in is in fact dystopian. The author is sending a message that the emotion of fear drives choices. The thing someone fears losing the most becomes their reality and is a consequence of a fear made choice. There is always more to the story like how Mika believed Helen is a psychiatrist but when she tells him the truth she is taken and her apartment is raided. Children are bullied because of their differences like Mika was bullied. People don’t always think of consequences before making a choice or they think they can bypass the consequences. Doing the right thing sometimes means. As discussed, we live in a dystopian…
The moment we take a deeper insight into this society, ideal perfection, or utopia, immediately disappears. The human kind is artificially generated, people are conditioned to suit their social roles in the Community, they are unconscious that their lives are carefully planned, manipulated and controlled by a few leaders. This picture does not imply a Brave New World to be a utopian society. Opposite to utopia stands dystopia, defined by dictionaries as „an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives“ (Hornby, 1995: 362). A little bit softer tone of this definition can be applied to Huxley's society. People do not live in a fear, they do the job they are predestined to and therefore comfortable with, they lead the life they are made for, without making any arguments, and the most of…
In the books 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury all have a theme of dystopia. Dystopia means an imperfect society. It is the opposite of utopia, which means a perfect society with no flaws. Dystopia is the word that comes to mind with the stories and political horrors with government control, politicians, and community leaders being those who are most opposed by the audience and the main characters in the stories throughout Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451.…