Comparing Dystopic Worlds in George Orwell's 1984 and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

It is commonplace for individuals to envision a perfect world; a utopian reality in which the world is a paradise, with equality, happiness and ideal perfection. Unfortunately, we live in a dystopian society and our world today is far from perfection. John Savage, from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, V, from V for Vendetta by James McTeigue and Offred, from The Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Attwood, are all characters in a dystopian society. A dystopia is the vision of a society in which conditions of life are miserable and are characterized by oppression, corruption of government, and abridgement of human rights.

The idea of being ruled by a totalitarian power has never ceased to scare an audience that fears of being controlled. It is in this case that we can establish from the reality we see today in certain countries, that we create our own story of how dystopian societies can many ways be seen. Dystopian societies in movies and novels have played a huge role in our lives, from: Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games, Alduous Huxley’s Brave New World and Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Cementing humanities faults by exploiting them through harsh ideals of suppressing power. But among those movies and novels and many more, two have resonated in our minds; not only mimicking what is seen today in Syria and North Korea, but also presenting foreshadow of what is possibly going to be. The film 1984 and the novel Fahrenheit 451 use fear and illusion to capture the horror of dystopian societies that use totalitarian power to control the masses.

The movie, “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, expresses many situations which we might still live in. Ray Bradbury showcased many examples where the government validated what was right for society. People were so comfortable living under censorship that they did not even imagine they were giving up their freedom of expression. The main character in the novel, a 30-year-old man named Guy Montag, became a fireman whose duties were to search for books in people’s homes and burned them. He performed his job and did not think he was harming anyone. His dad was a fireman and so was his grandfather. He felt being a fireman was a family tradition. Throughout the movie, Guy Montag rebelled against control and conformity. He had realized

The dystopian American society presented in Fahrenheit 451 has an omnipotent government that inhibits the people through censorship and surveillance. When the book was written in the 1950s, spies, nuclear weapons, and new technology had just arouse from the Cold War and gave Americans an ominous and pessimistic perspective on their future. Throughout the opening pages, the government's absolute power allows them to manipulate reality and regulate the life of the populace. This adversely affects the life of the citizens and restricts their ability to think freely and be cognizant of the authoritative regime.

Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, is a dystopian novel about a society living under the concept that no one should be sad, and this goal is achieved by mandating all the firemen to burn books. Firemen being ordered to burn books seem strange, but books have the ability to make people sad, with the ideas that are in them, however, this is a misconception that the characters of Fahrenheit 451 have. The government wants everyone to be happy, and by banning books, the government thinks they are doing the right thing. The author, Ray Bradbury, is explaining that the government banning something as an attempt to solve a problem actually makes the society suffer more.

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.

In George Orwell’s 1984 and Ray Bradburry’s Farenheit 451, both Winston Smith and Guy Montag struggle to attain happiness under a manipulative society. Two main factors that hinder the character’s actions are manipulation and dysfunctional relationships. In both texts the protagonists are overwhelmed and ultimately is controlled by the government. However Guy Montag overcomes the conflict by fleeing away from the cruel society while Winston smith in 1984 is forcibly manipulated in control by the society.

The society within 1984 though much like the society in Fahrenheit 451 has many differences mainly in the way it is set up and how the government runs. The Inner party makes up only 2% of those that live within Oceania. They make all of the policies, and

A dystopia is an imaginary, imperfect place where those who dwell are faced with terrible circumstances. The novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley illustrates the concept of a dystopia. A utopia is an ideal place where everything is perfect, but in the novel, it becomes apparent that the author is trying to demonstrate the negative effects on a society when it attempts to become an unreachable utopian society. Brave New World is seen as a dystopia for many reasons, as citizens are deprived of freedom, programmed to be emotionless and under the control of a corrupt dictatorship. These points illustrate the irony of a society’s attempt to reach utopia by opposing ethics and morality; citizens are tragically distanced from paradise,

literature the people cannot experience life to the fullest. Its colors are dulled because the individual never has the chance to feel the vast spectrum of life. Emotions like anger, sorrow, love, trust and caring do not exist. As the Savage explains, he never knew he hated Pope until he felt the emotions through the works of Shakespeare. Thus, by destroying forms of art, all emotions are destroyed as well. Only happiness at its simplest state is spared, for blind happiness is necessary for stability. As an individual, there comes an ability to recognize and value what beauty truly is, such as the waves crashing upon a shore or the innocence of a child. But with the denial of literature and language, the individual is a mindless member of society.

The reader can see that the firemen in Fahrenheit 451 and firemen today have a lot more differences than similarities, and have completely different beliefs because of the world being so corrupt. The firemen in the novel are the enforcers of the censorship laws. Just as the firemen today they protect people by rescuing them from fires, the firemen in Fahrenheit 451 protect people by saving them from

The concept of power has been seen through the decades, from the establishment of ancient civilizations such as the Romans and the Persians, to modern day countries such as North Korea. There has been no change in the fact that countries now and then want to possess power over the people that enlist under it. This is also known as a totalitarian government. A totalitarian government is defined as political authority or group that exercises absolute control over all aspects of life of an individual. The centralized government, known as The Party or INGSOC, in the book, 1984 by George Orwell demonstrates a totalitarian style of government over the Inner and Outer Party members in Oceania. The Party is headed by Big Brother, who is the original

The perfect world has never existed nor will it ever. Someone persons view on something great could be another worst nightmare. In some cases people mistake utopias for dystopias. A utopia is an ideal place of state or living (“Utopia”). A dystopia is a society of characterized by human misery, a squalor, oppression, disease, or overcrowding (“Dystopia”). In George Orwell’s book 1984 the society is depicted as a utopia when in reality it’s not the perfect place, it’s written to represent a dystopia. It takes place in 1984 in a dystopian America where it’s actually called “Ocieana”. The book tries to make itself seem like a perfect society, using propaganda, and presented government. They would look like the perfect society to some people

Aldous Huxley and George Orwell address the major oppressive issues by composing futuristic dystopian novels. Their societies, whether it be London or Oceania, were created in order to emphasize humanistic values. In the novels Brave New World and 1984, the authors display the resemblances and disparities of modern ideals. Both of Huxley and Orwell’s viewpoint of relationships, technology, and brainwashing reveal the underlying theme that a totalitarian state is dangerous; displaying them in various ways. For instance, the two share and diverge on the topic of social exchange.

By most, if not all, of today's standards, death is not an appropriate crime for thinking badly of someone. George Orwell's 1984 is a fictional novel that shows how a totalitarian government can control every aspect of life including thoughts, punishable by death. Most members of the society see it as a utopia for the fact that all are equal and no crimes and laws exist. However, a utopia is a rarity in the real world and fictional novels. They always seem to fall apart and develop into a dystopian society where all members are constantly controlled and under surveillance. The difference between these two is that a utopia is generally seen as good, even by the Webster dictionary, “a place of ideal perfection, especially in laws, government, and social conditions.” On the contrary, a dystopia is portrayed as a failure and, “an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives” (“Dystopia”). Now in the current world, Scientology is a tricky topic. Almost all of the members call it a great religion, a utopia, while outsiders view it as a controlling dystopia. The ideas of 1984 and how the society functions can be closely related to Scientology in the world today. In both the novel and Scientology, members have views greatly different from the outsiders who see them as dehumanized, brainwashed, animals.