INTRODUCTION
“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, “1984” by George Orwell, “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells and “A Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley are all novels of the dystopian genre, that explore a post-apocalyptic world. The genre of the post-apocalypse is becoming ever more popular in the post World War Two English speaking world. The authors of these novels I feel, have a very distinct voice and style they create themselves to explore this world. A recent novel that really struck me as a novel in which the writer creates a unique tone in which to write his book in is Cormac McCarthy’s, “The Road”. In “The Road”, McCarthy has a distinct and plangent tone. The English used by McCarthy differs from the English used in novels of
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So, in my essay, through the analysis of the language in specific depiction of settings, themes, ideas and the author’s voice, how the writer creates a language to fully depict the setting of his post-apocalyptic novel.
MAIN BODY
In the novel “The Road”, Cormac McCarthy presents and creates a language to comprehensibly describe and create an image of hell. “Literature differs from life in that life is amorphously full of detail, and rarely directs us towards it, whereas literature teaches us to notice…” I feel this quote is particularly relevant to McCarthy, as his description in novels, although seemingly in analysis rather barren, his use of descriptive language creates and extremely vivid image. McCarthy uses simple adjectives, repetition and narrates the novel in a godlike omnipresent voice, as well as employing biblical style language and sentence structure. His language in the novel is “as minimalist as ever” , as indeed it is in his style to write simplistically. One can compare, any line from any of his novels, and see this. This can be seen in his other novels, for example “No Country for Old Men”, which was written too in this style of language and is described as “nothing if not pre-apocalyptic”. If one reads this novel, or any of his novels, this style is obvious, but it is arguably particularly effective in “The Road” to create a language of the post-apocalypse.
McCarthy
The introduction must set the scene for the reader. It should describe why the report has been written, give background information on the subject matter, and explain the method of investigation used along with key ideas.
Cormac McCarthy creates a sense of what a post-apocalyptic society in the novel ‘The Road’. He does this by including dreams, description of the physical landscape and human behaviour. This helps create a sense of a post-apocalyptic world because it gives us insight into what it looks like and how the people think.
During my summer, I read The Road, written by Cormac McCarthy. The novel, broadly summarized, is about the journey of a father and his son (both of which are never named throughout the story), heading southward in a post-apocalyptic setting that is covered with ash. The exact place in which the two are in is unknown, but it is widely assumed the United States. Along the way, they encounter little people, most of which are nefarious. They also encounter numerous conflicts, including starvation and grueling attacks by Mother Nature. After concluding this novel, you will come to realize McCarthy’s primary message in his work: Throughout all of the hellish things that occur in this world, there is still hope somewhere.
Within the first few pages of “ The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, the setting becomes the most crucial to the reader to begin their understanding of this book. For the land surrounding the road is informing the reader of the distressed post apocalyptic state, and how the characters, a father and his son, have to now fight for their lives to survive from a new, hostile and treacherous world with only fear and love for each other to keep going forward. During their journey of southeastern portion of the United States, both have not resorted to rape, murder, or cannibalism despite their grueling winter with limited supplies. Despite all efforts the father’s health begins to deteriorate and ends up dying in the woods with his son by his side. The son having to leave the father behind in order to embark on a new journey was a pleasant ending to the previous unfortunate events that transpired. In “The Road”, Cormac used the
Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is a post-apocalyptic novel that uses a literary style that most authors do not dare to use when writing. McCarthy’s style is very mysterious, given that he doesn’t give the main character’s names at any point and his use of grammar is unorthodox. The lack of quotation marks when characters are speaking adds a certain wispy quality to the book. McCarthy’s technique unquestionably enhances the book’s eerie aura; post-apocalyptic novels can often be overdone or predictable, but The Road was not.
Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic fiction novel, The Road, tends to receive mixed reviews and interpretations from its readers. Some people think the book tells a depressing and nightmare-inducing read, while others think it tells a hopeful story about the prevailing human spirit. Some interpret the novel as a cautionary tale about how life depends on the environment, and some view it as an exploration of Christian and atheistic beliefs. All of these interpretations are correct, but every reader chooses to agree with some analyses over others, and those decisions are helpful for learning about each of their ideologies.
From zombie apocalypses to alien invasions and climate change to nuclear warfare, novelists worldwide have visualized diverse ways in which the world has come to an end. The post-apocalyptic genre has grown in popularity which is demonstrated through many novels, films, television, and video games. What is it about the present-day that makes these post-apocalyptic visions so fascinating? Do these post-apocalyptic visions portray the loss of hope for the future? Are these stories frightening as they relate to the dystopian future? The Road, by Cormac McCarthy and World War Z, by Max Brooks deal with similar fears in the apocalyptic genre including the fear of uncertainty and the unknown, terrors pertaining to modern society, and panic of surviving in disastrous events in order to provide insight into some of the cultural fears of society.
As human beings, there are distinct characteristics that separate us from feral animals; the ability to create, to appreciate art, to curiously question the world and most importantly to sympathize for our kind. However, when that exact nature is stripped from us, we tend to become mindless, restricted, cold, and degraded as an entire race. This is the setting of George Orwell’s last book, 1984. A world where human thought is limited, war and poverty lie on every street corner, and one cannot trust nobody or nothing. It is all due to the one reigning political entity, the Ingsoc Party, who imposes complete power over all aspects of life for all citizens. There is no creative or intellectual thought, no art, culture or history, and no
The Road to Wigan Pier’, an autobiography written by George Orwell, was first published in 1937. The first half of this book documents Orwell’s observations about the poor living conditions amongst some working class families belonging to Yorkshire and Lancashire, in the period before World War Two had begun. In the second half, Orwell wrote a long essay about his own experiences in the book where he covered topics such as his middle-class upbringing, the developing ideas regarding his political conscience and also questions British attitudes towards socialism. As well as this, Orwell wrote about his own political beliefs about socialism and also explained how he felt that people would be able to benefit from socialism. Orwell addresses many issues that were prevalent during this period, allowing a historian to gain more of an insight about the impact that this had on people’s lives as well as beginning to understand the effects that this may have had on British society as a whole. In many ways, Orwell’s detailed and vivid descriptions allow a historian to see and understand British society from a different perspective. It can also be identified that to some extent the autobiography allows a historian to be able to begin understanding more about the ways in which British society had become divided during the wars and to be able to understand exactly how this can be shown throughout the text. Although there are many interesting and useful ways of interpreting this document
George Orwell focuses his belief of the “[disbelief] in the existence of the objective truth because all the facts have to fit in with the words and prophecies of some infallible fuhrer”. He envisions the decay of future society and implements his ideas through his creation of “Nineteen Eighty-Four”. Indications of a psychological fear are examined initially through the progression and change of the human mind, which is built upon the oppression of the Party. Through the construction of a world with no freedom and individuality, the human mind adapts the change of truth and pay utter submission from the Party, to escape the presence of their ultimate weakness. With those who are rebellious of the rules of the Party gradually brings out the ugly nature of humanity. Through the fragility of the human mind, it reinforces Orwell’s idea of a corrupted society, as there no longer remains a variety of human emotions for the next generation to pass onwards. Thus conclusively portraying the defeat of human mind unable to withstand the physical and mental tortures from the Party.
Cormac McCarthy’s 2006 novel, The Road, is set in a post-apocalyptic world where an unspecified disaster left very few people and resources. The novel focuses on the journey and survival of a father and son, who are never given names, as they travel in search of the coast. They believe if any hope of rescue or a better life exists the coast is their best option. Every day is cold and gray, which begins to take a toll on their bodies physically and mentally as hope wanes with each passing day. Creating a permanent settlement is too dangerous because it would attract attention and the resources in any given location
Dystopian classic is a novel by George Orwell which was published in 1984, and it primarily talked about the changes which the society was meant to undergo. George Orwell concepts in the novel have been experienced in the modern society in the United States of America has explained by various articles. There are three sections titled Sorry, It's not 1984, Spying and lying and Dragnet surveillance and the English language, which have critically analyzed Orwell's ideologies and their impacts on the modern American society. This paper clearly indicates and explains various Orwell's doctrines as evident in the three articles.
Chapter Nine: Throughout this chapter, Winston begins to explore his feelings regarding the girl that has been following him in previous chapters. He originally thought that she was a member of the Thought Police and he thought she would attempt to execute him for his crimes, until she passed him a note that read, “I Love You,” which startled Winston, because he knew the risks associated with love. This chapter went on to further explain his hesitations with love, and his attempts to contact this girl, that turned out to be the girl from his dream. In the future, this chapter could provide the basis for the plot of the rest of the book, show Winston’s actual purpose for life, or foreshadow the reason for his death.
The novel 1984 is a futuristic totalitarian society where everyone is kept under close surveillance and is forced to follow all rules and laws of the state. The novel 1984 was written by George Orwell and published in 1950. The main characters were Big Brother, Winston Smith, Julia, O’Brien, Syme and Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston Smith is a low man on the totem pole when it came to the ruling Party in London, Oceania. His every move is watched by the Party through devices called telescreens. Posted everywhere around the city is the face of their leader, “Big Brother” informing them that he is always watching. He works in the “Ministry of Truth” which is ironic seeing that they alter history to fit the liking of the Party. As this book continues Winston challenged the laws and skirts around the fact that he is always being watched. His shocking and rebellious act is “falling in love.” Throughout this novel George Orwell utilizes symbolism to further enhance the totalitarian features of the society. In many ways these symbols represent the things that this society hasn’t experienced and doesn’t understand.
Born Erick Arthur Blair, Orwell disregarded his birth name and changed it to George Orwell. After Orwell changed his name, he transitioned from a supporter of the British imperial to a literary political rebel. Orwell lived in India in his younger years, and later attended a preparatory boarding school in 1911 on the Sussex Coast. Orwell did not come from a rich family but a hardworking family. His mother was a French extraction in India and his father was a minor British official in the Indian Civil Service. In preparatory school, Orwell was known to be a brilliant, poor student, and was treated differently than the middle-class students. Growing up, he was shy and an ill-tempered boy who told his stories through autobiographical essays and satire stories.