---RESTRICTION OF FREEDOM, INFORMATION AND INDEPENDENT THOUGHT
The most important part of dystopia which is present in every dystopian fiction is restriction of freedom, information and independent thought. It is a very broad aspect which is strictly connected with propaganda, censorship and other forms of manipulation. Manipulation can even take form of eradicating certain words or using euphemisms to hide a scary truth behind them. Governmental control influences not only human body (e.g. like in case of restriction of freedom), but also mind. Eventually affected people may start to blindly believe in the righteousness of the government and become a fully obedient citizen. Citizens’ conviction that this is the only proper way to lead their lives despite the clearly
…show more content…
In some cases citizens’ daily routines are strictly controlled in order to increase the discipline in the society. Thus, dystopian citizens do not have a choice in what they can or cannot do, they are “imprisoned” in the system.
In Never Let Me Go there is no brutality or “secret special police unit”, the tragedy happens quietly. The lives of clones are carefully planned; first Hailsham, Cottages, then becoming a carer and finally a donor. Sense of the powerlessness of the individuals in the face of the inevitable fate is emphasized throughout the whole novel. The reader keep waiting for even one of the donors to rebel, but it never happens - no matter how terrible things get, no one ever shows any outrage against the system. Instead, they cling to the only ray of hope they have – the deferrals (deferring for three or four years before getting killed), but it soon turns out to be non-existent. Clones simply reconcile with their fate and face death without putting much of a fight for their right to live. It is a society in which human resources (harvesting clones for their organs) are widely
Dystopia is common theme which dates hundreds of years in literature worldwide. Dystopian novels and short stories often depict a society repressed by a totalitarian government which comes to power after a cataclysmic occurrence, wielding unforgiving power and control over inhabitants for their own good. These dystopias are often perceived by the average citizen as a normal or unavoidable way of life, sometimes even a better way of life, yet there is often a single person or group of protagonists who question the justification of such living arrangements and threaten upheaval of the utopia sold by the ruling class.
The trend in dystopian societies is very intriguing and so vivid. Dystopian societies dictate many characteristics as leaders and followers usually one coming out from the shade to lead their small groups to rebel against order. Through, James Dashner literature the maze runner series he greatly displays challenges of the protagonist in a fallen society. He also takes his text to the next level by being able to display hopelessness in a series of challenges, with struggles with fear in courage as the protagonist in the book go through their trenches, long and dangerous journey. Basically the control the dystopian society creates. Since their beginning they all went through the same thing. On pg. 1. “he began his new life standing up, surrounded
One of the ideas that relates to a dystopian society is lack of freedom for citizens. In many dystopian novels citizens lack freedom. For example the novel “Brave New World” have many characteristics of a dystopian society. The irony of the world being promoted as perfect despite being the opposite is also shown in the novel. So what exactly makes Brave New World a dystopian? The society in Brave New World takes away the citizens identity and expression. The society limits the citizens ability to think on their own. In the society life basically means nothing. One of the ways that made Brave New World a dystopian society is the way the citizens were controlled. The conditions of your birth basically determined who the citizens were their entire life. The citizens were put in a caste system based on how they were born. The alphas and Epsilons. The citizens were not allowed to be or think for themselves.This makes it a dystopian society because the
A dystopian society is an illusion of a perfect society. Think of a world where having fun isn’t allowed. Nothing that has been created is fun no sports, no computer games, no music and everything in life has a purpose. You are forced to work for the rest of your life a job that the government chose. The government chooses who you are going to marry, where you are going to live and how much you are going to make. However, one person is assigned a job that he enjoyed and is fun. It is so fun that he become the best in the field. He then goes on to become the boss of everybody in that field and starts to boss around the people at the firm. If somebody says something that he does not agree with they get fired. The keys aspect of a dystopian society can either be a control of information, a singularity in power or ruling in fear and the purpose of these stories to the reader is what would happen if we let it run its course?
A dystopian society is one with restricted freedom, whose values are worshipped by citizens who live in fear of surveillance or punishment. In 1984 by George Orwell, the protagonist lives in a futuristic world, controlled by big brother and the inner party over aspects of human life. In Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, the fear of egalitarian policies, and the dangers of equality take over. In The Purge by James DeMonaco, the citizens relief to self-regulate violence and to protect themselves and their family from the protagonist. All dystopian literature shares similar characteristics, winston which is the protagonist in 1984, he lives in a society where the government takes over and tries to brainwash the citizens making them believe they live in a illusion of a perfect world. Winston is depicted and physically ill, but strong enough not to give in. “Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past.” (Orwell 12). George Bergeron is the protagonist in Harrison Bergeron, the government makes him wear a radio, which broadcasts noise over these radios to interrupt the thoughts of smart people like George. ‘’Screams and barking cries of consternation came from the television set’’ (Vonnegut 2). Sergeant was the protagonist in the purge, he risked his life by saving others life for a night of horror. The Purge, Harrison Bergeron, and 1984 were all based off government, society where there is limiting and controlling the population. ‘’We
Years ago, Charles Darwin developed a theory of evolution. The strong will readjust and change while the weak die off. This became known as natural selection. The world is ever changing and in order to survive, one must adapt to their surroundings. Without doing so, the chances of survival are slim. Much like society today. Society has the top 1%, who are adjusting just fine to this ever changing world. But what about the other 99% of people? Majority of them are the ones struggling to change their life. Whether it be by going to school to earn a degree and a higher paying job, or cutting back on expenses to afford the necessities of life, one must adapt. Dystopian literature gives people an idea of what could happen in this ever growing, refined world. Most dystopian literatures install a sense of fear in people. A fear that society could be taken over by a select few, an unnatural force, or Mother Nature herself. The movie, In Time¸ and the story by Ray Bradbury, The Murderer, give chilling examples of what could, or could not, become of just Earth, but society as well.
Oxford dictionary defines dystopia as “an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically totalitarian or environmentally degraded to one.” In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron the government uses censorship to make everyone equal. Censorship cause utopian societies to become dystopian due to a false perception of happiness, untruthful statements and strong outliers.
In every dystopia, the government is the face of tyranny; it rules with an iron fist, monitors the peoples and implants fear and terror in the lives. Moreover, the government has absolute control over all the society’s systems like the educational systems. Through education, the government forms the ideologies of the following generation making sure that they remain submissive like the previous ones. Basically, the government brainwashes the minds of the citizens depriving them of the freedom of choice and creating slaves that will always be loyal to the ruling system. Accordingly, Gregory Claeys explains”dystopia embodies unfreedom, and exposure to the constantly capricious rule of a supremely powerful force, which may be human, natural, superhuman or utterly artificial’’ (Claeys). Hence, the methods that the government takes, by forming peoples’ minds from childhood, make sure that the people will never question the authority or violate the social
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.
People read books about dystopians all the time, you know those books that have everything possible go wrong. Books like The Hunger games, or Fahrenheit 451, Ect. Some people look at them as just stories, just fictional books. Those books are all about censorship and having the government controlling and watching your every move. What most people don't realize is that there is censorship happening right now, every time you send a text or make a phone call, the government can see/hear it. There is censorship on books at schools and ratings on movies. There is censorship happening all around you and most of us don't even notice it. That's because they are minor, but, over time things can progressively get worse. Someday those
The short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is considered an example dystopian society because it demonstrates many attributes of a typical dystopian society. According to the handout a dystopian society has information, independent thought, and freedom restricted from the citizens. In the story the narrator talks about how, “the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains”(1). These transmitters prevent people from thinking creatively and imaginatively, which is a restriction of free thought and an example of a characteristic of a dystopian society. Also in the handout it describes how bureaucratic control is when society is controlled with strict rules and
Dystopia: a society characterized by human misery and oppression. A Dystopian world is controlled by a government that can do no wrong. They weed out the individuals and groups that have the thought or intend to commit their lives to “dethroning” the ruler; Big Brother. The government will do anything to protect their way of life. They will go to the extremes of changing the past to control the future. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the citizens live in a definitive dystopian world where the government forces the comrades to fit Big Brother’s purpose.
A dystopian society, usually illusory, is the reverse of an idyllic utopia: it is generally tyrannical and inhibited. Dystopian societies mirror our future- they are usually a hyperbolic familiar society with satirical exaggeration. This kind of literature is written to amend other people 's idea of the kind of society they should thrive for. As well as that, they are written to express their concerns about the future and humanity. Societies of this nature appear in many works of fiction, predominantly in novels set in a speculative future. Dystopian culture is often mused by societal collapse, dehumanization, poverty, and deprivation.
The definition of a dystopian society is “an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible.” What makes them this way is that the vast majority of people living in them have zero control or power over themselves, even if they think they do. The select people in the society (i.e. the government, the rich) are the one who pull the strings behind the scenes for the majority that are ‘below’ them. The ones with the power are in the minority and are vastly outnumbered by those without power, yet the systems are so efficient at control those without power do not have the will to rebel. Control is enforced through surveillance and monitoring of the actions of the citizens. There is also the fear of discipline if you are caught acting out of line. In each society there is an atmosphere of bleak helplessness and a lack of individuality. A dystopian society fits the definition of Foucault’s Panopticism, the society has an efficient, systematic control in which power is exerted by the few to control the many, although the system is not always a negative.
Dystopian literature and film has been quite a popular genre for readers. In most texts, they are set in a post-apocalyptic or dystopian world where the protagonist struggles to fit into these corrupted worlds and these protagonists rebel because they feel like the government has turned their backs on them, leaving them treated unfairly. The protagonist fight back in the hopes of restoring society to its sensible state. All the main protagonists in the plots are put into inhumane situations as they are controlled by the government in order to fit their ideas and beliefs or just the plain simple reason, for their own entertainment. Through the actions and perspective of these protagonists, it shows a reflection of how we deal with certain issues