Fiction And Non Fictional Dystopias

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.

Dystopian DevicesWhen writing a novel, authors use distinct literary devices to aid in making the genre of their story apparent to their reader. Specifically, many use these literary devices to draw attention to details that establish a dystopian genre. A dystopia is somewhere where people lead dehumanized and fearful lives (Merriam-Webster). Furthermore, in dystopian societies, propaganda, societal oppression, and totalitarian control often elicit fear and obedience. An example of this is the novel 1984 written by George Orwell. This novel contains ambiguous symbols such as Big Brother, the Godlike ruler of Oceania. Aspects such as this contribute to the nature of dystopian genres. After analyzing concepts such as the all knowing Big Brother and the telescreens that are required by the government, the reader notices dystopian aspects. Accordingly, the setting of the city and symbols in everyday life expand the readers view of dystopian aspects. Orwell uses literary devices such as setting, symbolism, and euphemisms in order to portray a dystopian genre through the use of Big Brother, the city Oceania and its citizens, and other concepts in the novel. The government in 1984 controls its population by creating a setting where no one has the freedom to act without a someone watching them. The government does this by requiring all citizens of the Party to own a telescreen. By monitoring the activities of members of the party, the government can keep citizens obedient and

One night, a very dark night, trouble was lurking in the shadows. You could just smell it in the air everywhere you go. It was like choking on a dark cloud filled with danger. Legend has it that it targets one person until they die. It fills them with dreadful thoughts, making them do bad deeds, and leading them to suicide. Today it chose to pick me...

In the novel 1984, George Orwell relates the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning by allowing the reader to see inside of the mind of Winston Smith. Orwell uses Winston’s rebellious thoughts to counteract his actions in order to show the reader how a dystopian society can control the citizens. Although Winston is in an obvious state of disbelief in the society, his actions still oppose his thoughts because of his fear of the government. Winston’s outward conformity and inward questioning relate to the meaning of the novel by showing Winston’s fight to truth being ended by the dystopian society’s government.

Orwell’s novel of 1984 depicts a dystopian society in which people are brainwashed with propaganda and bound to the chains of a strong dictatorship, also known as the Inner Party. Humanity has been filled with lies, as not a single person knows the truth that lies beneath the dictatorship. History is constantly being rewritten to mask their true identity. Any skeptical thoughts may make you disappear."Big Brother" is constantly observing you along with a telescreen watching every facial expression and recording any abnormal body language. However, two citizens called Winston and Julia rebel against "Big Brother's" totalitarian rule which triggers an astonishing warning towards future generations. Orwell is warning future generations of a society

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

In George Orwell’s novel, “1984”,is about a main character Winston, who is an ordinary citizen of Oceania. The totalitarian society is led by Big Brother. Television screens are strategically placed everywhere watching citizens’ every move. Leaving them in constant fear and paranoia. The corrupt society lead to some citizens wanting to rebel. If they were ever caught, they would be severely punished. This kept wearing citizens down. The dehumanization of citizens of Oceania was due to propaganda, mind control, and the lack of privacy.

Totalitarianism, derived from a society which proceeds without cautiousness towards governmental power, can induce many limitations among citizens and every aspect of their lives including individualism. In George Orwell’s 1984, the artificiality of the dystopian country influenced the protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, to try and deceive the government in any way possible. Winston and many others view individuality as immensely important, but a large challenge to achieve due to the diminished hope evident in dystopia. Hope is prominent among Winston in his actions towards the totalitarian government, referred to as Big Brother, throughout the novel. From the beginning of the novel when readers are introduced to a dismal setting to

How would you like to live in a world under constant surveillance and not knowing what is going on in the world? In the world of Oceania, this is true. The Party, led by Big Brother is a totalitarian government that controls every aspect of everyone's lives, through telescreens and even the language, Newspeak. Winston a thirty-nine-year-old who is described as; “...a smallish frail figure, the meagreness of his body merely emphasized by the blue overalls which were the uniform of the Party. His hair was very fair, his face naturally sanguine…” (Orwell 2). Winston is described as a thin, frail, and fearful of the Thought Police. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth or Minitrue in Newspeak, which deals with arts, education, and the media or entertainment. Winston lives in constant fear in Oceania due to the Thought Police; a group working for the Party who look for people with ideas that could be going against the Party and Big Brother. Throughout 1984 Winston becomes known as the protagonist in the story as he deals with many pressing issues and problems, Winston often gains levels and drops them on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and Winston parallels his everyday life to Bentham’s Panopticon.

Much like the society of Denmark, corruption crept its way into Big Brother’s society in 1984. Big Brother has absolute control over every aspect of its citizens from physical to emotional. The fear that it brings upon its people emphasizes the control and constant reminder that “Big Brother is always watching you” (Orwell, 4). Winston barely survives these emotional roller coasters that the totalitarian government has put them in and straddles along in a government job, trying to piece together how he feels and what he should do with his life. The society influence can be seen in hate week, hate rallies, and the two-minute hate. Winston finds himself conforming to the crowds chants and people having no control over their own minds as they would drop there own beliefs just as an assigned speaker changes sides. To the extreme, the government is turning kids into these mindless spies, robbing them of their innocence. Madness, again, drives citizens in these rallies that “[were] not that one was

“BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston's own." These images fill the reader, leading him or her to realize the darkness that lies in Winston’s community before the advent of his adventure. As James A. Tyler explains the situation in his article “Self and space, resistance and discipline: a Foucauldian reading of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four”: “Orwell's concerns regarding the abuse of power, the denial of self, and the eradication of both past and future continue to resonate in contemporary discussions of politics and society.” This take on the world that Orwell creates makes it clear that the world of Winston Smith clearly conveys a “waste land” type of environment. In fact, the ugly nature of the “waste land” that Winston find himself in employs qualities of extracting freedom and thought from its inhabitants. This type of dwelling clearly manifests the idea that Orwell successfully puts forth which is that the place where Winston lives is symbolic of the “waste

Imagine living in a world where you could not make your own choices, or be your own person. In the novel 1984, this is exactly what happened. In a place called Oceania where there is no such thing as privacy and personal freedom (Roelofs), the main character Winston Smith, is living a strict life under the demanding party known as Big Brother. Winston decides that he wants his life back to normal and tries to rebel against the Party. Meanwhile, he is thought to be a lunatic because he is living his life how a normal person would, but everyone else is now living under what is thought to be a utopia society. Throughout the book Winston strongly disagrees with the fact that every second he is being keep under surveillance. Though at some points he believes he is being discrete, in reality someone is always watching. In 1984, George Orwell depicts the lack of privacy and loss of individualism which affects the characters and the society as a whole.

The setting, themes, and characters in dystopian fiction are an appropriately suitable with the intellectual changes that occur during adolescence. As adolescents develop, they are able to grasp bigger, more abstract concepts and consequences in the world around them and can engage in more critical thinking; they also show increasing interest in issues related to society at large ( Larson & Richards, 1994 ; Steinberg, 2005 ). Dystopian novels that wrestle with deeper societal and moral issues are often well received by young minds that are developing the ability and even willingness to grapple with complex ideas.

Imagine this: a world where the lives of every individual who ever existed is controlled by the government. To the extent of their very memories altered. To the extent when you think “I remember that kid next door I used to hang out with…” you begin to question, did he really exist. It is a world where everything is in the government’s hand, even places that should not be violated in an individual's existence. It is nothing more than a living nightmare. And that is exactly what George Orwell’s dystopian narrative, 1984, is. It is about a man named Winston Smith whose life is one in fear from the Party, their form of government. He begins to unravel more about the society he lives in, questioning it, until he is brought to an ultimate state of “tranquility.” And despite the coming and going of 1984, the time frame presented in the novel, Orwell’s vision of the future still exhibits a tight grip on modern society. Orwell displays a series of problems that have been ongoing since 1949, connecting with our society and therefore, having such significance. 1984 is a timeless novel despite the differences in ages with these universal themes present in any society, the message and warning offered throughout the course of the story, and the very fact that Orwell had such an eerie vision of the future which cannot be passed off as a mere tale.

I have recently developed a fondness for dystopian novels, novels that deal with a futuristic society that is characterized by extreme hardships or evils. This more modern genre of science fiction often examines the extreme consequences of society should it make unwise decisions concerning heated topics. In example, the Hunger Games deals with a futuristic North America that is now ruled by an oppressive government. The novel calls into focus heavily debated concerns of society such as governmental power and the ability of citizens to challenge that power as well as ethical issues including violence, poverty etc. My appeal to this particular type of fiction stems from the complex issues that characters encounter combined with exciting storytelling that makes discussing these issues enjoyable.