Dystopianism The Fallacy For The Future Analysis

Since the age of Thomas Moore, intellectuals have been fascinated by the idea of an ideal society where all is well and total happiness is readily available to all of its members. Such ideals of a ‘utopia’ continued throughout the centuries until it reached a major pivoting point in the nineteenth century. Historical events such as the Second World War, the Cold War, the emergence of McCarthyism, and the creation of a nuclear bomb left people with a heavily misanthropic view of the world. People started to question the practicality or realistic possibility of a utopian society, thus creating the genre of dystopian literature. (Gerhard, 2012)

‘Positive characters … usually prove miserably ineffectual when contending with ruthless overwhelming powers’ claims Amin Malak, noting on such protagonists as Winston Smith and Offred in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and, when looking at the dystopian genre as a whole, he certainly seems to be correct. Dystopian fiction does seem to portray the worse side of human nature than the better, leaving the positive traits to the struggling protagonists. While utopian writers seemed to think that the essence of human nature was to do good, dystopian writers seem to think very differently and it is from this notion that these novels seem to be written. Nineteen Eighty-Four certainly seems to do this, with almost every member of the society representing one or more negative aspects of humanity.

Wes Moore’s A Utopian society is a world that is considered perfect. Unfortunately , a society that is seeking perfection usually becomes a dystopian society . A dystopian society that is dehumanizing and as unpleasing a possible. Harrison Bergeron ‘ s world and N. korea both shared these traits.

Worlds in fictional books have always had an ever-changing style. A society has a big effect on the personality of a character. There are two main types of society’s in a fictional book, a utopian and a dystopian society. A Utopian society is one that is jubilant whereas dystopian society is doleful and cheerless. The qualities of a dystopian society are in the books, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Anthem by Ayn Rand.

A dystopian society is an illusion of a perfect world but individuals aren’t allowed freedom, and are under constant surveillance. In George Orwell’s book 1984, the protagonist Winston lives in a society where they were under Big Brothers control and were watched by the thought police. In the short story Harrison Bergeron, written by Kurt Vonnegut, the society lived by equality using handicaps to regulate the above-average people. Dystopian literature – whether novel, short story or film – focuses on similar characteristics and themes.

Individuals are deprived their basic rights of individuality, mental freedom, and physical freedom. They are taught that “it is not good to be different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to them” (21). To further limit the freedom of individuals, the Council decrees that “everything which is not permitted by law is forbidden” (31). Though civilians are unware of what they are missing, they all live a dull meaningless life controlled by fear. Through their amoral means, the Council has successfully turned the suffering civilians of their world into mindless zombies, striped of their rights, oblivious to the joy once possessed by

With injustice and cruelty running rampant in the world, it is unsurprising that people become determined to make things better for tomorrow. The cliché saying that the ends justify the means is often quoted by those aware of the moral greyness of their actions. Commendable yet unreasonable, leaders whose sole purpose in life is to fix what they see as “wrong” with the world fall prey to thinking there is only ally or enemy. In the long run, they harm those they try to liberate.

An utopia is a place that is perfect and everyone in society follows the set rules. This is the complete polar opposite of a dystopia, which is a place where people are controlled with an illusion of a “perfect society”. For an example in George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, citizens of Oceania are under steady surveillance with the use of telescreens. They have become ignorant to the oppressor’s, the Party, power and comply with their reign of power. Also, in Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Harrison Bergeron” society is seen as an utopia.

Contrary to popular belief, a society can be successful without being flawless. To prosper, one simply needs modest inhabitants. While utopias consist of humble citizens, they are also places with faultless economies, places of equality and perfection. On the contrary, dystopias are places of ideality where everything goes wrong. The government is typically a totalitarianism one where a self-absorbed leader degrades most inhabitants, like in Animal Farm.

He disagrees with the society’s way of living and is arrested for it, but he takes a step forward to change it. The author takes on different varieties of tone throughout the story such as gloominess, despair, and joy, which clarify the idea that he disagrees with this society’s

In the Brave New World, a book written by Aldous Huxley,, he writes about a utopian future where humans are genetically created and pharmaceutically anthesized. Huxley introduces three ideals which become the world's state motto. The motto that is driven into their dystopian society is “Community, Identity and Stability.” These are qualities that are set to structure the Brave New World. Yet, happen to contradict themselves throughout the story.

Modern Society and Brave New World Community, Identity, Stability. These are the ideas that are thrown at you from the very beginning of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. However, it is quite ironic that this is the motto chosen to represent the world state. Community is understood to be a group of diverse individuals coming together as one, yet in brave new world they predestine their citizens and sort them into different castes. Identity is understood to show individualism, yet the caste system limits anyone’s capability to be an individual.

The utilize of technology in Brave New World highlights the theme of control because of the way Huxley presents the advanced technology. The residents of the World State are dependent upon artificially stimulated happiness or entertainment, and this “addicting mass culture” prompts the government’s desired impact for stability; as much as the World State agrees with science and advancement, the more they bastardize it because of its impacts of the soul and mind. Science can prompt humanity’s primordial need for individuality, and Mustapha Mond, the State Controller, believes individuality prompts instability. According to the World State, stability is the “primal and ultimate need” (Huxley 43). The World State utilizes what is useful from science but does not agree with science itself; it uses what it can to promote the stability it craves.

Totalitarianism is a political and social concept that explains a form of government where the state has all control over the civilians. Such government assumes full power, without any limitations. As put by Juan Linz, a totalitarian scholar, the three main factors of a totalitarianism government are “a monistic center of power; an ideology developed, justified and pursued by the leadership; and mass participation in political and social goals encouraged and even demanded by that same leadership” (Silberstein 42). Throughout the 20th century the manifestation of totalitarianism was an extreme measure of harsh political occurrences.

The government told the human race that nothing is wrong, it was just the citizens’ fear of the worst. So people did not worry about their lack of food or unsafe working conditions because they had no reason to distrust the government. They never realized that their idea of a utopia slowly slipped through their grasp. Rather than maintaining utter perfection in respect of laws, politics, customs, and conditions, the government remained in oppressive societal control; everything appeared ideal, but once examined closer, the true horrors came to light.