The Presence of Flaws in Society and Providing Alternative

The Presence of Flaws in Society and Providing Alternative

  • Submitted By: eugenewen
  • Date Submitted: 11/24/2010 12:51 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1031
  • Page: 5
  • Views: 347

It is shown that not only does the novel Utopia, by Thomas Moore acknowledges the presence of flaws in society, it seeks to provide an alternative. Whereas the novels: 1984, by George Orwell, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley and We by Yevgeny Zamyatin explores what happens when this society fails, resulting in a dystopia. Yet they all manifest the concerns of their own society which is reflective on the composer’s context and employment of language features. These concerns are further enunciated in the story through the recurring themes of power and human identity.
In 1984, Orwell portrays an absolute totalitarian society set in the future which acts as a warning to readers about the dangers of a totalitarian government. This dystopia relates to Orwell’s context of advancing technology where tyranny existed in Spain, Germany and the Soviet Union. This totalitarianism exists in 1984 as there is a misuse of power by the government which results in the eradication of individuality, freedom and personal identity. ‘Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, and your one-time existence was denied and forgotten. You were absolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word.’ This accentuates how the party has the power remove the identity and history of anyone who decides to be subversive. Additionally, the irony used in ‘WAR IS PEACE/FREEDOM IS SLAVERY/ IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.’ acts as a propaganda elucidating how totalitarian power seeks to exert influence over its people by constantly using slogans and doctrines. These therefore forewarn the reader of the dangers of what a totalitarian government may do to their society.
Similarly in Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, it also creates a dystopian world in which society is controlled by the powers of a totalitarian government through the use of science and technology. The novel was written in the time of the Great Depression where unemployment was high...

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