Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and The Matrix Trilogy by the Wachowski brothers show us unique futuristic societies in which the advancement of technology and conflict have lead to societies that guarantee human survival but compromise individuality. The texts explore personal and political issues through personalities with conflicting ideologies, Utopian and Dystopian situations and events.
Both texts have the theme of comfort versus freedom, strongly implying that an efficient society is dependent not only on complete control, but on controlling subjects who would happily choose it for themselves. Both show societies in which humans are no longer born, but created as useful tools rather than as individuals (The Matrix taking the more literal
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The eradication of imperfections or human qualities is how each society sought to control it’s inhabitants. In Brave New World humans are created to fit a certain role from test tubes, eliminating the possibility of individual, uncontrolled humans existing. Despite these strong attempts to repress any feelings of individual connections, many characters are shown to experience love, which suggests that certain human emotions cannot be suppressed. The director was made to resign out of embarrassment when it was revealed that he showed feelings of love towards Linda. John the Savage outwardly expresses his love for others, is treated with a manner of disgust and confusion for this - particularly in his love towards Linda, which he doesn’t understand. Lenina responds to Bernard and John’s love as “odd”; yet interestingly she begins to hold the same feelings for the Savage herself, only she doesn’t know how to describe the feeling. Lenina, despite being a symbol of the propaganda’s effects on people - reciting slogans like “Orgy Porgy, Ford and Fun…” - is known to be rather less promiscuous than many of her fellow companions. In chapter eighteen, Bernard, Helmholtz Watson and John share a moment - “In spite of their sadness - because of it even, for their sadness was the symptom of their love for one another - the three young men were happy.” Unfortunately this disrupts and contrasts the ideologies of the World State. The theme of love is important for different reasons in The Matrix trilogy. When Neo met with the creator and controller of the Matrix system - The Architect - in a scene somewhat reminiscent of the meeting with Mustapha Mond in Brave New World, he was told that complete control was impossible “as a consequence of the imperfection inherent in every human
Popular fictions texts expressing views of the future educate audiences about current issues and the dystopias that develop from them. Texts such as the film ‘Gattaca’, directed by Andrew Niccol and novel ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury explore futuristic societies and the implications that become of their innovation. Although entertaining, texts such as these are didactic and must be taken seriously, as they communicate messages to audiences regarding prevalent concerns and possible futures based on society’s choices.
Both the film Gattaca (directed by Andrew Niccole) and the novel Brave New World (written by Aldous Huxley) are of the dystopian genre and explore the notions of mass control and freedom; or lack of freedom. Both societies are controlled by a totalitarian dictatorship that push their suppressive ideologies- genoism in Gattaca, and the complete eradication of viviparous births and the implementation of a caste system in Brave New World. Characters in both dystopian worlds challenge the rules and expectations of their societies. In Brave New World, Bernard Marx and John Savage rebel against the World State, albeit to different extents. In Gattaca, Vincent Freeman and Jerome ‘Eugene’ Morrow oppose their society ruled by genoism.
The novels Anthem by Ayn Rand and Slated by Teri Terry are similar, yet different at the same time, in many ways. These two books compare by the way they are written and by their settings. Both “Anthem” and “Slated” are set in future. “Anthem” talks about the ‘unmentionable times’ which is most likely referring to present day. In “Slated” they talk about back in the times of war, gangs and a whole lot of violence.
Even prior to birth, they are genetically and physically conditioned to a certain degree, depending on their predestined caste and occupation. Once born, they are conditioned, by caste, to each bear identical morals using a technique called "hypnopaedia", or sleep-teaching. These morals are indoctrinated into their brains, and follow them throughout their entire lives. The people's existence is now secured, as there is little the individual can do to change anything about his or her life. Even a person's emotions have been decided for them, primarily through the use of the quick fix "happy" drug, Soma. Happiness, however shallow it may be, prevails over any other emotion. "And that," the Director explains sententiously, "that is the secret of happiness and virtue-liking what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their inescapable social destiny" (Huxley 16). Only the individuals whose conditioning has been flawed, such as Bernard for example, have the ability to see beyond the workings of society and question their lives and surroundings. John the "savage" also notices the defects in the New World Society. Defying the moral values of the New World Society, John wishes for "god poetry danger freedom goodness sin" (Huxley 237). Although these individuals may not always be happy, Huxley uses them to represent a more humanistic and benevolent type of existence, which is
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley shows how scientific advances could and have destroyed human values. Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1932, and most of the technologies he examines in the book have, to some extent, turned into realities. He expresses the concern that society has been neglecting human-being distinction in the progression of worshipping technology. In the story there are no mothers or fathers and people are produced on a meeting line where they are classified before birth. They also use a drug called, soma, to control themselves which illustrate the lack of personal freedom. Everyone in the state world do whatever they were taught since they were growing. For example, one of the tasks they give people is sexuality which is
Imagine being the only person in the world to know an imperfect society. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and, Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy are two novels about a a corrupt government trying to create an ideal society. Both novels address the different social classes that exists in the new societies. Literary critic Elke Brown wrote an article about how Brave New World is in fact a new world. In these two novels the societies are broken up into different social classes and, how the government controls the citizens to make the world perfect.
Both stories, Gattaca and Brave New World, are similar because the civilizations support conformity more than they support individuality because if individuality is expressed the outcome is unpredictable.
This theme pertains to the possibility that the world may fall into the hands of the government in the name of a “utopian” society, resulting in a robot-like world without any feelings or imaginative thought if the world becomes too technologically dependent. Huxley portrays this theme through many occurrences, such as when the main character, John the Savage, is arguing with the head of the society, Mustapha Mond. John, in response to Mustapha saying that society should be based on efficiency and comfort, states “But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin” (Huxley 240). The theme of oppression and restraint of emotion is characterized by Huxley’s decision to give the characters of the novel insight as to what is actually going with this “utopian” society. The absence of diversity among people and the social barriers caused by technology asserts Huxley’s overall theme of the falling of society due to technological advancements. In the society that the characters of the novel are living in, technology has made it so that people are designed to work to create more people, all in a thoughtless, monotonous manner. All in all, Huxley is able to convey a theme of Brave New World which portrays a new world run by technology in which all that
In many cases when you read a novel you may find comparisons between the "fictional" society and your realistic one. The author may consciously or unconsciously create similarities between these two worlds. The novelist can foresee the future and write according to this vision. In Brave New World, Adlous Huxley envisions the future of our society and the dangerous direction it is headed in.
A Comparison of the Themes of Blade Runner and Brave New World ‘Humanity likes to think of itself as more sophisticated than the wild yet it cannot really escape its need for the natural world’ Despite different contexts both Aldous Huxley within his book Brave New World and Ridley Scott in the film Blade Runner explore the idea that humans feel themselves more sophisticated than the natural world, yet are able to completely sever relations between humanity and the nature. Through various techniques both texts warn their varied audiences of the negative ramifications that will come from such disdainful, careless opinions and actions. All aspects of the ‘New State’ within Aldous
The two text are similar for various reasons. They are generally similar because they both have someone attempting to deny or rebel against society or government and they both get are unsuccessful and killed in the end. As seen in Harrison Bergeron this conflict occurs when Harrison
Altough both the movie “Gattaca” and the book “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley are based on perfections done on the future and how science has taken over the world, they both have similarities and differences. Vincent, the main character on Gattaca has more inner strenght than Bernard and John (main characters of Brave New World) who were not happy with themselves for not been a perfection.They are also similar in the way that they rebel against their societies.
Dystopian novels have become more common over the last century; each ranging from one extreme society to the next. A dystopia, “A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control,”[1] through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, criticizes about current trends, societal norms, or political systems. The society in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is divided in a caste system, in which humans are not individuals, do not have the opportunity to be individuals, and never experience true happiness. These characteristics of the reading point towards a well-structured
What one may think of as being a Utopia could be a dystopia to another. Lowis Lowry’s 1993 novel “The Giver” may seem like a remake of the 1932 “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley given their similar plot lines, but these two novels also have their differences. Jonas and Bernard, the protagonists of the novels, both have an intelligence that wants to know more, that wants to know what is outside of this Utopian place they live in. Both Lowry and Huxley have very different family situations. Lastly, both these societies live in their own definitions of Utopia, but the roots of their government have a resemblance to Plato’s Republic.
Everyone wonders how the future will be. What will change, what will stay the same? Everyone has their own views and scenarios on the future just as Brave New world and Divergent do. Brave New World and Divergent both take a look at the theme of social stability by analyzing setting, perspective and control. They both depict the future to be divided into five factions or castes where everyone is designated to a specific one. However, that may not always be the case as these two works show.