Knowledge as a Double Edged Sword in the novels Oryx and Crake as well as A Canticle for Leibowitz

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.

Imagine a world in which one is taught how and what to think. In this world no one is given the opportunity to form their own opinions. Books are illegal because they might generate ideas other than those which are taught. Knowledge is what allows a person to understand right from wrong, but if it is ingrained in a person to follow a set of rules without having an understanding for them, it’s most likely that the person will rebel. That is what occurs in Fahrenheit 451. Books are banned and, if found, are burned along with the house they are located in. This rule instilled fear and curiosity in the hearts of certain people within their society. Fear of getting their house burned and curiosity about the contents of these books people are sacrificing their houses and even some lives for. The answer is simple: knowledge. In Fahrenheit 451, the power and value of ideas allows one to see the world’s beauty clearly through their own eyes, comprehend and cognize the rules, and instigate conflict.

Knowledge can be defined as the acquaintance with facts, truths, and awareness. Inquiry is the act of questioning. In the dystopian world of Fahrenheit 451, there is a prominent lack of both knowledge and inquiry. Meaning, society, happiness, media, and entertainment all infer the absence of thinking and questioning in the book.

In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury shows the importance access of other people’s knowledge. We need the knowledge of others and of our past. We need this knowledge so we can learn from our mistakes and will not repeat the mistakes from our history. In Fahrenheit 451 the society has forgotten its past and is slowly dissolving into mayhem. This is a perfect example of the theme. The theme of Fahrenheit 451 is, we need the knowledge of others to survive.

A theme for Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is that knowledge can prepare us for the future. According to Fahrenheit 451 it states,”Montag had done nothing. His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief.” This supports the theme because the only reason Guy Montag stole the books was because he wanted to know more about his job to see if his job isn’t helping his society which supports the claim since he taking resources from the scene of where the fire was and using the books to his advantage to see if he can stop the problem of his job. According to Fahrenheit 451 it states, “Do you ever read any of the books you burn?” He laughed. “That’s against the

In both novels Rand and Orwell use the idea of dystopian culture and societies, and the

“There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches”. This quote was put into words by the great author, Ray Bradbury, explaining his point of view that books are useless and could be burned in many ways, and lack of knowledge should occur. Fahrenheit 451 is one of Bradbury’s famous dystopian fictional novels that were published in 1953, which showed lack of knowledge as one of its concepts. Lack of knowledge exists throughout the novel because firemen burned books, people of the society had no time to think, and the society relied on technology more than anything else.

Furthermore, Crake is able to understand Jimmy’s incredible attraction to Oryx from the first time they glimpse her on the HottTotts website. He saves her image, possibly with the intentions of one day finding this girl to use against Jimmy. What Crake understands is Jimmy’s love for Oryx, but what he doesn’t know is that Jimmy will choose in the end to not let him and Oryx re-enter the Paradice Dome. Jimmy accepts that for complete renewal of the human race, not only Crake, but Oryx as well, must die, “for both have sinned against the potential goodness of humanity” and “she is a hinge in Crake’s attempt to re-enter Paradice” (DiMarco 191). Whereas Jimmy had been known to Crake to be one to be fearful and easily controlled, this time he takes a powerful stance against Crake’s plan and proves that Crake

In the books 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, both authors depict a dystopian

Another main character in Oryx and Crake was Crake. Crake’s real name was Glenn, but he and Jimmy would always play a game where a code name was required and

Both the novels '1984' and 'The Handmaids Tale' provide warnings of how each author sees certain problems in society leading to dystopian states. Dystopian genres exist in both novels, but arise for different reasons. Resulting from Atwood's concerns about political groups and aspects of feminism; 'The Handmaids Tale' illustrates how declining birth rates could lead to a state where women are forced into bearing children. In contrast, '1984' depicts a terror state where poverty is rife and tyrannical leaders force citizens to live by their rules. Although both novels share such themes as surveillance, deprivation and loss of identity, they describe two very different dystopian worlds, often by using identical literary techniques but also

Ray Bradbury and George Orwell share a very similar theme in their two novels, Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. Winston Smith and Guy Montag work within an authoritarian organization, in which, they have opposing views of the authority. The novels are placed in a dystopian setting that the authority believes is a utopia. The dystopian fictions both have very similar predictions of the future. The predictions from these novels have not happened. However, it could be a short matter of time until the authors predictions on the future become reality.

Famous for futuristic and apocalyptic storylines, award-winning authors George Orwell and Margaret Atwood challenge the strength of relationships within several of their works of literature. Specifically, within the novels 1984 by George Orwell and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, characters find themselves haunted by their unsuccessful relationships and grasping at the remains. However, romantic relationships in the novels’ dystopian societies are dealt a bad hand from the very beginning and are unable to thrive under the oppression created within society. Whether it be the unorthodox social views on intimacy or the undesirable effect on character trait, oppression abolishes significant relationships within the two novels. Unsustainability

Plato once said, “Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” Some believe that the desire for knowledge and the emotions that arise from it can be dangerous. This assumption is incorrect because possessing vast amounts of knowledge causes many positive impacts everywhere. Knowledge is not dangerous because it causes advancements in the lives of others which leads to a more harmonious society.

Crake’s main goal for his society from the start of the novel is to create a perfect version of humankind. He planned to do this through the creation of the Crakers. Crake wished to create an immortal