NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... a word like 'bad'? 'Ungood' will do just as well... Or again, if you want a stronger version of 'good', what sense is there in having a whole string of vague useless words like 'excellent' and 'splendid' and all the rest of them? 'Plus good' covers the meaning or doubleplusgood if you want something stronger still... In the end the whole notion of goodness and badness will be covered by only six words; in reality, only one word (Orwell 45 - 46). In essence, one of the main goals of Newspeak is to allow citizens to express entire concepts, such as the difference between good and bad, with only one word and its variations. In this society, the Thought Police are used to censor the thoughts of individuals.
People are only permitted to think thoughts that are in support of Big Brother, and if the Thought Police detect suspicion, the person is dealt with harshly. This police force instills much fear in the populace, and causes a great amount of distrust amongst individuals. People do not know whom they can trust, so this prevents them from discussing things such as rebellion against the party (Orwell 18). A persons own wife may be a member of the Thought Police, just waiting for her husband to say something suspicious. Censorship is a main theme in Fahrenheit 451. Written literature is banned in this civilization, and anyone who is found to be in possession of a book is punished severely.
There is a whole occupation that is devoted to the burning of books, these people are called firemen. The firemen receive calls at the station, go to the place where the books are, drench the home in kerosene, and light it on fire. There are many reasons why books are obsolete in this society. First of all, the people and government believe that books have nothing important to say. Also, since the attention span of people has decreased to almost zero, no one has the time or patience to sit down and read. Lastly, books are seen as a source for stress and anger.
Books supposedly discriminate against minority groups, they contain problems and theories that dont line up, and generally threaten the stability of society (wikipedia). It is for these reasons that the government has decided to put the charge of heresy on anyone found with a book (wikipedia). To replace books, the government distributes comic books, sex magazines, and television shows, which supply the populace of what it desires, entertainment. Technology is the application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives (dictionary). This use of science is used in Huxley's Brave New World for a variety of ends. One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the novel is the advanced technology that is present in the society.
In the World State, technology is used to produce babies and condition children. Technological machines are used to immerse the populace in an ever-present flow of noise and media, which prevents the manifestation of thought and emotion. Technology has also supplied advanced methods of contraception, so that the people can engage in free sex, and pregnancy is totally eliminated (Huxley 50). Lastly, technology has allowed the people to age, while showing no physical signs of it (Huxley 111). Illness and disease are not present in society as well. Life in the World State begins at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre (Huxley 1).
It is here where eggs are fertilized, incubated, decanted, and conditioned as children, so that they may one day be released, to go out into the world as fully functioning members of society. In this society, eggs are produced using the Bokanovsky process. In a normal world, one egg equals one embryo, which equals one adult; however, the Bokanovsky process allows the hatchery leaders to manufacture up to ninety-six normal adults from one fertilized egg (Huxley 4). Stability is the primary concern for leaders, and being able to control the worlds population like that is desirable. Once these fetuses are decanted, or born, they begin conditioning, which lasts from infancy to the late teens. The goal of conditioning is for the leaders to impart the ideology of the World State into the minds of the youngsters.
By the end of conditioning, each young adult will have centralized the ideology, and will obey it without question. The main medium of conditioning is known as hypnopdia (Huxley 24). Hypnopdia is when certain catch phrases are replayed over and over while the children are sleeping. For example, the phrase everybody's happy now is repeated 150 times a night for twelve years. This type of technology allows the ideas of the government to manifest themselves in the children. Technology also provides citizens of the World State with complicated methods of entertainment, known to them as games.
They are not permitted to play any game that does not require many expensive parts. Some of these games include Centrifugal Bumble-Puppy", "Riemann Surface Tennis", and "Electro-Magnetic Golf" (Huxley 29, 44, 56). The reason why only these complicated games are allowed is because the government is trying to promote its exaggerated capitalism (Huxley 22). More parts lead to more labor, which leads to more jobs; all of this keeps the economy rolling.
In addition to games, people can visit the feeling, which are incredibly high technology movie theaters. In the theater, each person places their hand on a metal knob, which allows them to feel the physical sensations that the actors are experiencing (Huxley 34). Also, other forms of entertainment include the scent organ, which combines music with pleasant smells; the synthetic music boxes, and the colour organs, which combine music with a light show (Huxley 70). Transportation in the World State is also very technologically advanced. Most people travel around town in helicopters, taxi copters, or sporticopters (Huxley 29, 203). The lower caste civilians travel around in monorails (Huxley 73), and global travel is done in a rocket plane, which is color-coded according to where it is headed (Huxley 58).
There are a few remaining ways in which advanced technology is used in society. First, most of the clothing worn by individuals is composed of high-tech materials, such as acetate or viscose (Huxley 50). Also, most of the buildings are skyscrapers, made of materials including vitra-glass, and ferroconcrete. Men shave with electrolytic razors, and sex-hormone chewing gum dominates the market (Huxley 60). When a citizen comes home from a hard days work, they can use one of the many vibro-vacuum massagers to relax (Huxley 53); and if this doesnt quite do the trick, they can take a few grams of soma to send them into a dreamland. The purpose of most of this technology is to keep the citizens in a state of sublime happiness, and it certainly works.
The technological situation in George Orwell's 1984 is almost the exact opposite as it is in Huxley's novel. In this society, technology is used for only two things: surveillance, and weaponry (Orwell 71 - 72). Big Brothers use of telescreen's is one of the main ways that technology is put into use. Telescreen's are two way televisions, through which the government can monitor its subjects. They are on twenty-four hours a day, in homes and in public places. It is impossible for citizens to turn them off, and they are constantly spouting off pro-party propaganda.
They are also used to ensure that a citizen is doing their duty at all times. If a person gets lazy and takes a rest from their work, a voice from the tele screen will order them to get back to it. Aside from telescreen's, there are a few other areas in which technology is used. For example, Winston uses a speech-recognizing typewriter when he works at the Ministry of Truth (Orwell 34). Also, there are novel writing machines, which compose volumes full of propaganda (Orwell 12). Since capturing rebels is one of the main concerns of the government, a lot of the governments technology is channeled towards finding new methods of interrogation, and new ways to detect thought criminal.
There are almost no technological advancements made in any other field, because only technology that suits the needs and purposes of Big Brother is fit to be used. In Fahrenheit 451, most of the society's technological efforts are directed toward the media, and finding new ways of distracting the citizens. In this society, the minds of citizens are constantly flooded with visual and auditory stimulus, which numbs them to what is important. There are many technological advancements that play a part in this, including giant television screens. In most homes, there are two or more walls that are covered by an enormous television screen.
These televisions are almost always on, and the shows that they play are loud, and have no meaningful plot at all. Itll be even more fun when we can afford to have the fourth wall installed. How long you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall-TV put in? Its only two thousand dollars If we had a fourth wall, why itd be just like this room wasnt ours at all, but all kinds of exotic peoples rooms.
We could do without a few things (Bradbury 20 - 21). The thing that is strangest about the televisions is that the programs that are shown mean absolutely nothing. Even the viewers themselves have no idea what the shows are about. The only thing that matter is that they are entertaining, and that they distract the mind.
What was on? Programs. What programs? Some of the best ever. Who?
Oh, you know, the bunch. (Bradbury 49). As is evident from this dialogue between Guy and Mildred, she spends her whole day watching these programs, yet is unable to tell him what they were about, or who was in them. Along with television walls, seashell radios are another technological advancement that preoccupy peoples minds. Seashell radios are small radios that are inserted into the ear; they are turned on during any time span when other distraction is unavailable. Guy Montag's wife, Mildred, always has these little devices in her ears, which makes him incapable of carrying on conversation with her. Lastly, technology has allowed the government to create something that is called the mechanical hound.
The purpose of this animal is to accompany the firemen to their calls, and aid them with their work. The mechanical hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse The animals were turned loose. Three seconds later the game was done, the rat, cat, or chicken caught half across the areaway, gripped by gentling paws while a four-inch hollow steel needle plunged down from the proboscis of the Hound to inject massive jolts of morphine or procaine (Bradbury 24 - 25). This hound is a frightening creature, and demonstrates how technology is used in this society to invoke fear in all those that oppose the censorship policies of government. One of the most prominent characteristics of a dystopian society is the governments use of brainwashing. Brainwashing is the application of a concentrated means of persuasion, such as an advertising campaign or repeated suggestion, in order to develop a specific belief or motivation (dictionary).
This means of persuasion is seen heavily in all three novels. In Aldous Huxley's novel, Brave New World, the citizens are brainwashed from birth through the use of hypnopdia. Hypnopdia is the repetition of certain words or catch phrases over a long period of time. As the children are sleeping, little speakers in their beds emit these phrases hundreds of times per night, for many years (wikipedia). Some of these phrases include ending is better than mending, the more stitches, the less riches, and everyone belongs to everyone else (Huxley 39). Each of these phrases helps to indoctrinate a belief of the government.
The first two make the citizens believe that if something is broken or torn, it is much better to simply throw it away, rather than mend it. This promotes the exaggerated capitalism of the World State, and keeps the economy strong and stable. The last phrase promotes the idea that everyone is the same, and there is no individual identity. This idea gets rid of all forms of jealousy, envy, anger, and love. Since everyone belongs to everyone else, there are no strong feelings between individuals. Also, in order to keep its citizens in a sublimely happy state at all times, the government distributes soma, a hallucinogen, which will cause a person to slip away into a dreamland.
The citizens take soma on a daily basis if they are upset in any way "you do look glum! What you need is a gramme of soma" (Huxley 54). Soma supposedly has all the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects (Huxley 54). Basically, soma is meant to lift up a person to a state of well-being, but it has no side effects. Even as children, the citizens of the World State are conditioned to just pop in a soma anytime they are feeling a tiny bit upset. The hypnopdia phrase that is used for this is: A gramme is better than a damn" (Huxley 54).
One good example of how soma is used in this society is when Lenina, one of the main characters, visited the savage reservation. She was so upset by the horrors of what she saw there, that she decided to go on a soma holiday. When she got back to her room, she swallowed a large amount of soma, in hopes of finding relief As soon as they got back to the rest-house, she swallowed six half-gramme tablets of soma, lay down on her bed, and within ten minutes had embarked for lunar eternity. It would be eighteen hours at the least before she was in time again (soma quotes). The citizens use soma as an escape from anything unpleasant that could occur in their lives. The government uses it to keep the citizens happy, and happiness means stability, which is the ultimate goal (Huxley 53).
For the governing body in George Orwell's novel, 1984, the main goal is for every citizen to love and be completely devoted to Big Brother. To accomplish this, the government makes use of various forms of brainwashing. The Ministry of Truth is in charge of distributing literature in favor of the party (Orwell 39). In fact, all literature that is available in society comes from the government; so, all written words speak in favor of Big Brother. For example, the Ministry of Truth is in charge of managing history. This would seen odd because history should be somewhat fixed.
History happened, and it is impossible to change things of the past. This is true in a normal society; however, in the world of 1984, history changes almost daily. History is what Big Brother says it is, and nothing more. If what the history books say does not concur with the teachings of the government, it will be rewritten (Orwell 40).
Government has control of everything, all the way down to the history of the world. Due to Big Brothers ultimate control over the historical record, citizens must doubt their own knowledge. If a citizen knows that they were born in the year 1975, but Big brother says that they were born only 3 years ago, that is truth; and all newspapers, history books, and birth records will be written to support Big Brothers version of the truth. Therefore, the person is only three years old, regardless of what they think they know or remember (Orwell 10). This brings into question the place from which truth is drawn.
In this novel, truth is drawn from the government, not from experiences and memories of individuals. The Ministry of truth also functions in distributing other forms of brainwashing. It distributes all of the newspapers, films, textbooks, tele screen programs, plays, novels, instructions, and entertainment that are to be found in society (Orwell 39). Every word that can be read by a citizen comes from Big Brothers mouth to the people through the Ministry of Truth. If there is nothing in opposition to these ideas, there is nothing else to believe. Also, the Ministry will make up historical figures that support the party, even if these people never existed (Orwell 42).
Since the government is the ultimate source of truth, there is no reason for citizens to question whether or not these people existed. The last form of brain washing that the government in the novel uses is called the Two Minutes Hate. This is a daily occurrence, during which the citizens are shown a video depicting the partys greatest enemy, Emmanuel Goldstein. During this video, the observers are worked up into a complete frenzy. They often thrown things at the tele screen, scream, yell, jump around, and hiss at the characters on screen (Orwell 13 - 16). This ritual is so convincing that even when Winston Smith is determined not to participate, he still gets sucked into the frenzy of hatred.
This daily practice is even extended into a weeklong festival, called Hate Week (Orwell 5). These things force the citizens to adopt a deep hatred for enemies of the party, and a great love for Big Brother. The citizens in the futuristic world of Fahrenheit 451 are brainwashed by the massive amounts of media that they are exposed to, and they are brainwashed to believe that books hold no real value. Since citizens in this society are constantly absorbed in media and television, the government uses this as a means of imparting its beliefs. The government wishes to keep people distracted, so it shows programs that are heavy in visual and auditory stimulus. These stimuli keep the people totally engrossed in what is going on in their television screens, so that they do not know or care about what is going on in the world.
This is desirable by the government because throughout the novel it is trying to cover up a huge war that threatens to destroy the world. Also, the people have been persuaded that books are not necessary. Books have been replaced by the government, and sex magazines and comics remain in their place. To further this aversion to books, the government set up the firemen, whose job it is to enforce the laws against books.
People have come to believe that life should be lived fast, books are irrelevant, and the television is family. If a government exerts too much control over those whom it rules, rebellion will naturally occur. There is no possible way for a government to persuade, even brainwash, every individual into believing its ideology. There will always be someone that does not conform, goes against the norm, and discovers the truth. Bernard Marx is the first rebel that is seen in Brave New World. He tries desperately to conform to this hedonistic society, but unfortunately he can not.
Bernard is set apart from his peers by the fact that he is very short. His friends decided that his shortness is due to alcohol being inserted into his blood surrogate by mistake (Huxley 46). His lack of height separates him from the other Alpha-plus and he even has to yell at Epsilons to get his orders obeyed. Other characteristics that set him apart are his dislike of the feeling, soma, and his lack of promiscuity (wikipedia). Bernard feels a great amount of jealousy for his sexual rivals, even though this type of feeling is not supposed to occur.
Bernard seems to be more of a human, as opposed to his robotic peers who are walking, talking extensions of the government. Bernard is a rebel because he doesnt fit in with his counterparts due to his size. He also dislikes the normal, everyday things of society, and he experiences thoughts and emotions that he should have been conditioned not to feel. He is an anomaly in this perfect society. The next rebel is named Lenina Crowne; she works at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Center. Lenina demonstrates several behaviors that are not what is considered normal.
For example, she dates one man exclusively for nearly two months straight (Huxley 39). This is extremely unconventional, because she was conditioned to be very sexually promiscuous. Also, she sleeps with Bernard Marx, who is not a very handsome or well-liked man (Huxley 58). Lastly, she develops a great liking for John the Savage, almost to the point of being in love with him (Huxley 191).
She does not understand these feelings, so she tries to act upon them in the only way she knows how to, through sex. Unfortunately, John is appalled by her behavior and treats her violently (wikipedia). The last rebel from this novel is named John, or John the Savage. John lived with his mother, Linda on an Indian reservation.
John is mocked there because of his fair skin, and because his mother is very promiscuous (Huxley 125) ). When Lenina and Bernard visit the reservation, they bring John back with them. He is very popular amongst the World State citizens. However, he does not fit in with their world.
He has been conditioned by the works of Shakespeare, and desires pain, love, and sin (Huxley 132). He cannot find any of these things in the World State, and he is disgusted by their promiscuity and use of things like soma. He eventually isolates himself and performs regular self-purging rituals. He is eventually commits suicide, beaten by the brave new world. Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-east, east, south-east, south, south-south-west; then paused, and, after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back towards the left.
South-south-west, south, south-east, east (Huxley 267). John was a true outcast, denied both in his Indian tribe, and in the World State. The rebels in Orwell's novel, 1984, are more conscious about their acts of rebellion. Winston Smith is a man who works in the Ministry of Truth. His work there leads to a preoccupation with the real truth (Orwell 68 - 69). He begins to question Big Brothers policy.
At the ministry of truth, he meets a young woman named Julia, a mechanic. They begin to have an illicit sexual relationship, meeting in the country, and other secluded places (Orwell 100). As this goes on, Winston continues to grow in his questioning of Big Brother, and the English Socialism that is in place. He and Julia see their relationship as a way to rebel against the Party, and they are eventually arrested by the Thought Police. They are each questioned separately in the Ministry of Love, and Winston is tortured numerous times (Orwell 186). His captors are seeking to change Winston's very thoughts, and they are successful in bringing Winston back to loving Big Brother.
In this case, the overpowering, and ever-present government was able to suppress rebellion. In Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, there are five major rebellious characters. The first that is seen is a seventeen year old girl named Clarisse. Clarisse meets the main character, Guy Montag, outside on the street near their homes.
She immediately comes off as strange and mature for her age. Clarisse has a deep appreciation for nature and people. She is one of the only characters that is not caught up in the fast paced society. They want to know what I do with my time. I tell them that sometimes I just sit and think.
But I wont tell them what. Ive got them running. And sometimes, I tell them, I like to put my head back, like this, and let the rain fall in my mouth. It tastes just like wine.
Have you ever tried it? (Bradbury 23). Clarisse introduces Guy to nature and thought. She grabs him by the arm and slows him down. He begins to have a deep appreciation for her, and for her original way of thinking, although he still finds it strange.
Unfortunately, Clarisse is killed in a high-speed car accident. This is ironic, because she talked frequently of how fast cars went, and how they never slowed down to see anything. After the death of Clarisse, Guy becomes increasingly interested in what exactly books have to say. This interest was sparked by a special call he got at the fire station. They got a call to go to an old womans home and burn her books. When they got there, she refused to exit the house, and ended up lighting her home on fire with herself in it.
Guy decided that there must be something in books if an old woman is willing to be burned with them, rather than having them be burned for her. There must be something in books, things we cant imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You dont stay for nothing (Bradbury 51). This womans act of rebellion drove Guy to find out what merit there was in books. Eventually, he met Faber, a retired English professor. Faber deeply loved books, yet was too afraid of the consequences to rebel.
Towards the latter end of the story, Guy Montag ended up on the run from the hound. He came across a group of people, led by a man named Granger, who memorize entire texts as a way to preserve literature. Guy joined them, and they continue in their act of rebellion, preserving the written word. Dystopian societies are a world in which no human would ever want to live.
They are dysfunctional societies, in which person rights and freedoms are sacrificed to further the government, and its goals. The governments are always very powerful, and exert complete control over the lives of its subjects. People are usually divided up into social classes, and they have no control over them. This warped view of life leads to the development of skewed relationships between people, and a skewed sense of identity. People do not see themselves as humans, but as possessions, or government drones.
The government censors written literature, television, plays and the like, and replaces them with their own, promoting their own goals. Technology, which is capable of making a country a superpower, instead helps to make the government a superpower. Technology is used to invade peoples space, thoughts, and privacy; it strips the individual out of every natural human right. The government also implements brainwashing, to ensure that all citizens believe what the government believes. Brainwashing takes away individual thought, and makes each person an extension of the government.
However, despite all this, there are always a few individuals who rise up and challenge the authority. Sometimes this rebellion is intended, sometimes its not, and unfortunately it is rarely ever successful. Each of the above traits can be seen heavily in the three most famous dystopian novels of all time; Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley, 1984 written by George Orwell, and Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury. All of these authors are presenting a warning, by showing the direction in which the world is heading. Every piece of literature has a purpose.
Perhaps the purpose of dystopian fiction is to keep the world from making a horrible mistake, and paying the ultimate price in the sacrificing of human right in return for power.
Free research essays on topics related to: south south west, ministry of truth, brave new world, visual and auditory, one of the main
Research essay sample on South South West Brave New World
