Comapring George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orewell’s 1984 were both composed surrounding times of war in the twentieth century. The authors were alarmed by what they saw in society and began to write novels depicting the severe outcomes and possiblities of civilizaton if it continued down its path. Although the two books are very different, they both address many of the same issues and principles.

The author of the novel 1984, George Orwell, is a political critic. Therefore, he used very precise descriptions of situations and words to provide the reader a clear understanding of the entity he is criticizing. When Winston describes the destruction of past records to create new ones to Julia, he says: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” (pg. 162). Here, instead of only saying “Every record has been

     1984 and Brave New World, written by George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, respectively, are both books that reflect the authors vision of how society would end up at the course it was going at the time of the writing of the book. Both books were written more than fifty years ago, but far enough apart that society was going in a totally different direction at the time. There are many ways to compare these two books and point out the similarities. On certain, deep levels they are very much the same, while at first glance, on the surface, they are very different. One point that in some parts is the same and some very different, is the governments in each of these books method’s of control.

Totalitarianism diminishes the idea of individuality and destroys all chances of self-improvement, and human’s natural hunger for knowledge. In George Orwell’s famous novel, “1984”, totalitarianism is clearly seen in the exaggerated control of the state over every single citizen, everyday, everywhere. Totalitarianism can also be seen in the book “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, in which humans are synthetically made and conditioned for their predestinated purpose on earth. The lack of individualism will lead a community towards a dystopia in which freedom is vanished by the uncontrolled power of the state.

Different societies have risen and fallen in the continual search for the “perfect” society. The definition of this utopia is in constant flux due to changing times and cultural values. Many works of literature have been written describing a utopian society and the steps needed to achieve it. However, there are those with a more cynical or more realistic view of society that comment on current and future trends. These individuals look at the problems in society and show how to solve them with the use of control and power. Such a society is considered undesirable and has become known as dystopian society.

War, torture, and constant fear, all of these are key elements in the distopia George Orwell creates in the novel, 1984. In this book, Orwell creates a society which is based solely on hate and controlled by those who seek only power. Orwell, however, is not the only author to ponder the possibility of an extreme, futuristic society. In particular, The Giver, by Louis Lowry relates a great deal to the themes found in 1984. Unlike 1984, Lowry's novel focuses on the idea of a utopia as opposed to Orwell's distopia. What is the most interesting is how though the fundamental idea of the novels are opposites, the methods by which each society is maintained are surprisingly similar. When one analyses The Giver versus 1984, it becomes clear that

1984 and Fahrenheit 451 are both novels telling us of a possible scenario for the development of the world with no place for a sense of personal identity. This world is filled with dystopia, decadence, crisis of morality, loneliness. The main characters in both books are men with their own fears, suspicions and temptations. Each of them has a woman who stimulate their conflict of interest. Their professional duties oblige them to support ruling elites and fight against human rights. While Guy Montag, after a conversation with Clarisse, suddenly feels the need for spirituality, and finds its expression in books, Winston is so burdened by the pressure of the system, so constrained that the formula 2 + 2 = 4 becomes a desired but inaccessible dream and a certain symbol of freedom.

If people give the government or leadership enough power, they will surely take it and try to make the most of it. People are letting these governments change the way they think, feel, see and act. They have a way to control what their community can see on the news and in advertisements. They are able to manipulate all of the people for their own good. As well as their own selfish reasons. Forcing the way a society acts as well as lives as a whole isn’t humane or even a realistic proposition on the government's part.

Two classic novels, 1984 written by George Orwell and Brave New World penned by Aldous Huxley both possess similar topics and themes. In both novels societies are striving for a utopia, or a perfect society. These novels also take place in societies with versions of totalitarian governments, which is a government that rules by coercion. Not only are the topics similar, but in both novels a rebellious character is the protagonist; Winston Smith from 1984 and John the Savage in Brave New World. Another parallel in the books are the tactics that the government uses to instill fear and power over the citizens. A common theme expressed in Orwell’s novel 1984 and Huxley’s novel Brave New World is that government uses

     As I read Brave New World and 1984, I noticed how some of Aldous Huxley and

Both 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 predict a dystopian future where information is tightly controlled and the populace seems to care little for the fact that they are being lied to and manipulated into working for the ambitions of their government. Both governments in the story have taken control of the media and this the population, and both characters are apart of agencies that help keep the government in control of the people. In Fahrenheit 451 the man is a fireman and burns all of the books that he can find, this keeps the population dumb and easily controllable. In 1984 Winston works for the Ministry of Truth, its job is to help edit news and entertainment in order to keep the party in line and be able to misinform the prolls. Both of these characters unknowingly worked for the party and political establishment.

In a perfect world we would all live together in peace. But we don’t live in such a world. In Liliana Heker’s story "The Stolen Party" we are reminded of the real world and the thin line that separates the lower class from the upper class. In an instant we see all the discrimination and inhumane treatment some people feel they have a right to inflict on those whom they consider "not one of them."

     An issue which Orwell addresses in his book “1984” that is and has been effecting society throughout history is class differences. In Oceania who ever belonged to the Inner Party was upper class. The Proles are people of the low class who are not regarded as significant to society by the party. All other such as Winston and Julia were considered the Outer Party, which were working middle class, and they were the ones who the Party wished to control. Neither the Outer Party nor the Proles had any influence what so ever on the direction their country was going or the rules that governed their lives. The Inner Party manipulated the media and gained access to citizens’ private lives in order to haven absolute control over every characteristic of human existence including

The novels, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell, each setup societies in which the government has almost complete control of the people. One of the most effective ways of gaining the loyalty of a society is to gain the loyalty of the youth. In Brave New World, the government does this by raising the children itself. Children are produced by the government and spend their young lives learning by hypnopædia, or sleep-teaching. On the other hand, in 1984, children are still raised by their parents, but they are taught by the government to distrust them. Overall, in both novels the children are cultivated by the government to be their ideal citizens, but while Brave New World does this by making sure that they have a direct and single line to the child’s mind, in 1984 they instead influence the children that loyalty to the government is the best possible choice rather than thinking for themselves, and in the end, it is shown that both of these processes are effective.

Through literature, "Those whom the poet makes live have their myriad emotions." (2214) To be able to emphasize life in writings make literature a superior.