1984 And Brave New World Essay Example For Students

1984 And Brave New World Essay In Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxleys Brave New World, the authoritative figures strive for freedom, peace, and stability for all, to develop a utopian society. The Utopian society strives for a perfect state of well-being for all persons in the community, and over-emphasizes this factor, where no person is exposed to the reality of the world. As each novel progresses we see that neither society possesses family values nor attempts to practice them. Neither are passionate nor creative in factors such as love, language, history and literature. Our society today, in general, is unsure about the future: The nightmare of total organization has emerged from the safe, remote future and is now awaiting us, just around the next corner. It follows inexorably from having so many people. This quotes represents Watts fear for the future; George Orwell and Aldous Huxley both explore the future state of civilization in their novels. 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 dealing with this society and all the rules involved. The impracticality of the utopian ideal is explored in Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxleys 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. This lack of familial bonds is evident through genetic engineering, the use of names, and a commonly used drug, soma. One of the first mentionings of family in Brave New World is when the main character, Bernard, asks the Controller, the ultimate leader, about the past and why their society does not believe in families. His response suggests that authoritative figures do not believe that there is need for a mother in society and therefore, the Controller responds, Mother, he repeated loudly rubbing in the science; and, leaning back in his chair, these, he said gravely are unpleasant facts; I know it. But then most historical facts are unpleasant. The disregard for mothers as a valuable figure in life contributes to the lack of familial bonds. In Huxleys Brave New World, human life is conceived in a bottle; the embryo no longer grows in the mothers womb, and therefore no bond is formed between the mother and the baby. There are bottle births rather than the birth of a baby from its mother. There are also conditioning centers, which become a home for all children for their entire childhood. In such circumstances, one does not receive the special attention that you would receive from a family. Since they do not have family, they do not receive love during their upbringings, therefore the products of this society do not develop the values of love nor do they respect themselves as sexual beings. Orwells choice in naming the Partys leader, Big Brother in Nineteen Eighty-Four, gives the reader the impression that all of Oceania is like a huge family. There are no smaller individual families, which results in this societys lack of close and intimate relationships. The first description Orwell gives to his audience of Big Brother is, tanding like a rock against the hordes of Asia doubt about his very existence, seemed like some sinister enchanter, capable by the mere power of his voice of wrecking the structure of civilization. This first impression of Big Brother is a frightening and violent image. It leads families to believe that he is a poor role-model in depicting what the word brother really stands for. The word brother is the name that one would use in a family. The Bi g Brother, the Great Leader in Oceania, contributes to the lack of family values and the corruptness of the Party. It is not a justice comparison. Using Big Brothers name so often takes away from the family ideal and begins to weaken family relationships. The use of soma, the perfect drug, acts as a negative replacement for familial bonds. When an individual cannot cope with the daily stresses of life they rely on soma, to turn their stress into an illusion. This acts as a substitute to dealing with their problems, rather than relying on family for support or advice. Soma is aneuphoric, narcotic, pleasantly hallucinant a holiday from reality. It leaves the individual with unresolved issues and results in an illusioned life; this is not fair to the family, who has to deal with the individuals reliance of the narcotic. Soma has a negative effect on familial bonds, and contributes to the achievement of a perfect sate, which is unrealistic. Authority, in the novels Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four have an immense effect over ones identity and individualism, leading to a dystopic state. This great lack of individuality is due to the conditioning process on the children, and the maintaining of a stable environment. Suspense in The Speckled Band EssayThe depletion of language and history is present in Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxleys Brave New World and acts as a part of the repression of artistic and creative endeavors. Everyone has the need to express themselves; whether it is through poetry, music, writing or painting; it should be a wonderful passion that individuals enjoy. With a ban of creative or artistic activity, there will definitely be a change in society. And passion and neurasthenia means the end of civilization. You cant have a lasting civilization without plenty of pleasant vices. This shows that individuals must be able to express themselves in order to have an interesting and pleasant society. Language and history are slowly being erased from Oceania and brave new world. Newspeak, the local news station on the telesceen of Oceania in Nineteen Eighty-Four, aims to reduce the number of words in the language. The plan continues with the reporters using less and less words to decrease the thinking in the brain, and the eventual dissolve of ones imagination. In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it Now there is no need for the Thought Police because there will be a little amount of words left in the English language. History, in both novels, contributes to the development of stable society. Winston, from the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four works for the Ministry of Truth. This Ministry is completely immoral, where Winstons j ob is to change history constantly so :.. the chosen lie would pass into the permanent records and become truth.. In Brave New World, people have no desire for history and literature because they have been brainwashed to stay away from books. In both societies, people will never learn how to make their lives better or be aware of the illusion that is present. This results in living in a stable society, where nothing will ever change. The people from this society unwillingly paid the price of their creativity and their ability to think, which results in their lack of expression and imagination. These creative and artistic endeavors that are necessary to sustain a utopian ideal, create an unrealistic utopia. Expressed in George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four and Aldous Huxleys Brave New World, is the unfeasibility of the Utopian ideal. There perfect state remains dystopic when a lack of familial bonds, the sacrifice of human identity, and the lack of creative and artistic desires try to create stability in their society. The illusion of the utopian society is obvious. Both of these authors do an excellent job in depicting the reality of utopia ideal: But I dont want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin. In fact, said Mustapha Mond, youre claiming the right to be unhappy. All right, then, said the Savage defiantly, Im claiming the right to be unhappy. Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind. There was a long silence. I claim them all, said the Savage at last. This quote represents the failure of the utopian ideal. John in Brave New World, is the last one to see through this illusion. He recognizes what the controllers have done; they have deteriorated family relationships, lost the individualism in each human, and repressed artistic and creative endeavors to a minimum to ensure a stable society. In Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston has almost reached the state of seeing through the illusion. The Party realizes this and sends his to Room 101, where your worst fear becomes a reality. The purpose of this being to readjust Winstons attitudes. He is conditioned and at the end of the novel comes to a realization, I love Big Brother . The Party is too powerful for Winston to see through this illusion. It is evident through both novels, whereby both societies strive for this utopian state, that in the end, it is proved that with a lack of familial bonds, the loss of human individuality, and the repression of creative and artistic endeavors, both societies remain dytopic.