The actions of these collective groups lead only to frustration, a lack of responsibility, ineptitude, and inefficiency.
hat sort of world does this lead to? The people who are most capable seem to be disappearing, while the least capable are left in charge. Dagny wants to know why the capable people are disappearing, and she has to find the answer to this question in order to understand what is happening throughout society. The old virtues, virtues that sustained the business community and that made America great in the past, are no longer in force. People once took pride in their work and in the act of earning their own way. These things seem to have disappeared just as have the capable workers. The consequences are all around as things keep breaking down -- systems, machinery, people.
The villains in this story are socialists, or more descriptively those who oppose individualism and…...
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Works Cited
Ames, Russell. Citizen Thomas More and His Utopia. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1949.
Movie Dystopia
In Time (2011) is a dystopian satire set in the year 2161 in which the ability to increase the human lifespan by purchasing time has become the new currency and the entire basis of the capitalist economy. These life-years (living years) can be bought, sold or traded, although they are mostly available to the wealthy elites while the poor and the working class literally survive from one day to the next. New Greenwich is a wealthy gated community and an enclave for the old and rich, who live in a bubble completely segregated from the larger society in the ghettos. On the other hand, the poor also engage in time theft against the rich, and the film's hero Will Salas meets the elderly Henry Hamilton by saving him from a gang of robbers -- the Minutemen. Hamilton wants to die in any case because he is tired of…...
The degree to which they are shown as incapable of doing so -- and to which French society is shown as being equally incapable of interacting with them -- illustrate the degree to which a certain cinematic panopticon has been placed around the subjects. From the omniscient perspective of the viewer, there is no apparent escape provided from this disposition.
And in this immobility and the resultant anger that drives the idle lives of the young men in the film, the Kassovitz film emerges as part of an increasingly saturated body of modern cinematic work dedicated to exploring the dystopian realities of modern urban life. hile so many depictions of this experience center on the privileged experience of industrialists in generations past, post-industrial life has given way to the cinematic obsession with such experiences as those faced by Vince, Hubert and Said. According to Shannon-Jones (2011), we can define the…...
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Works Cited:
Friedberg, A. (1994). Window Shopping: Cinema and the Postmodern. University of California Press.
Shannon-Jones, S. (2011). Dystopian Cinema: Feeding on Fear. Oxford Student.
In a somewhat more imaginative work, Yury Olesha explores more extreme actions and motives for rebellion against the new regime. His 1927 novel Envy is at once a critique of the lack of individuality and emotion in Soviet Russia and a lamentation for the failures of the human spirit in the face of the large Communist machine. Again, it is expressly and simply difference that leads to the primary conflict in this novel and the ultimate failure of the hoped-for-utopia, at least in the minds and lives of some. Kavalerov, the hero of the novel, at one point muses, "If I were a child…how many poetical, magical fabrications would flow out of my childish imagination…I'm a grown up now, and now I grasp only the general outline" (Olesha 1927, pp. 341). This can be seen as a comment on the Soviet way of making all minds the same, where individual…...
Like the Pope, he is cast off in isolation, but willingly so. Like the Pope he has lost his occupation -- but again, willingly so as he has been able to retire from his former civil service job. He has chosen to live underground, that is, away from other people. Over the course of the novel, he self-fashions himself as a superior person. He sees himself as well-read, cultivated, and above the minutia of everyday existence.
However, the reader likely sees him differently. Left with nothing to believe in, the Underground Man simply inflicts his purposelessness, bottled sense of rage against himself, forcing himself to suffer needless physical and psychological pain. He is physically constrained, like the Pope, but by his own will, and his decision to deny God has made him less mobile, less free, in contrast to what advocates of religious denial might suggest. The modern project of…...
Obviously, as a way of retaliating against urgess' alleged Socialist state, Alex and his
"droogs" have adopted a very old method which has been proven highly effective in relation to obtaining and dispensing power and influence, namely, a social phalanx known as a gang, a somewhat "loosely organized group of individuals who collaborate together for anti-social reasons" (Nawojczyk, 1997, Internet). In this context, Alex occupies the position of gang leader while Georgie, Dim and Pete serve as his underlings and as a sign of their collaborative relationship, Alex and his "droogs" wear distinctive clothing-white, pseudo-combat style shirts and pants, black combat boots and black bowler hats or billycocks, almost as if "aping" a typical English businessman or stuffy accountant. They also utilize a very distinctive form of communication which urgess calls a Nadsat dialect, a private language composed of a "stream of gibberish, pop slang, onomatopoeic expressions" (Coyle, 66) which only…...
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ciment, Michel. "Kubrick on a Clockwork Orange. 1995. Internet. Accessed November
Dystopia
Discussion on Perspectives of Violence Based on Three Readings
Violence and tragedy are a fact of life that the human condition has yet to rid itself off. Misfortune can come from many sources. It can come from within a person, from within a family, or from within a community. It is the way people explain and come to terms with such events that define the life that persists afterwards. In the three stories selected, violence is portrayed in each. However, the source of the violence is attributed to different causes. It is a natural human response to try to make sense of tragic events and people do this in different ways. In this analysis, three stories will be used to compare and contrast how some individuals cope, or fail to cope, with violence or misfortune. Each story provides a different perspective on this issue.
Flannery O'Conner
Flannery O'Conner was a controversial figure in…...
The two well-known science fiction films that are critiqued in this paper -- all-E and Blade Runner -- will be critiqued and contrasted as to the following dichotomies: utopia and dystopia; technophobia and technophilia; and futurity and nostalgia. Thesis: these films both delve into the potentially disastrous environmental future for the planet, and each in its own way provides an alternative future.
all-E and Utopia: This ravaged planet is no utopia in the traditional sense, for sure, but all-E has evolved over the past 700 years; some kind of mutation perhaps is what has allowed him to survive in a highly radioactive environment. To survive alone with the exception of a cockroach (which is one of the few species that can survive horrendous polluting events like radiation) is proof of his survivability. After all, utopia is always…...
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Works Cited
Bennett, Jane. The Enchantment of Modern life: Attachments, Crossings, and Ethics.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 2001.
Brooker, Will. The Blade Runner Experience: The Legacy of a Science Fiction Classic. New York: Columbia University Press, 2013.
Jenkins, Mary. "The Dystopian World of Blade Runner: An Ecofeminist Perspective. The Trumpeter Journal of Ecosphy. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from http://trumpeter.athabascau.ca .
Vogt, Ellison and Arendt
The idea of a utopian society, a perfect Eden, has been a recurring theme in human literature, philosophy, religion, and commentary almost from the beginning of civilization. This recurrent theme is no accident: most cultures have, as a basis for their creation mythos, a utopian view of either the pre-human world or the post-human world. Sociological, this is a functionalist approach that serves to "validate, support, and imprint the norms of a give, specific moral order" and to authorize its moral code "as a construct beyond criticism and human emendation" (Campbell and Fairchild 221).
In opposition, a dystopia, becomes part of the anti-heroic paradigm in that all the benefits of an overall utopian society are almost backwards. hat was good, now seems evil, what was light, dark. Political philosopher Hannah Arendt, in Ideology and Terror: A New Form of Government, sees one of the maxims of the 20th…...
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Works Cited
Arendt, H. "Ideology and Terror: A Novel Form of Government." June 2004. Cooper.edu. May 2011 .
Campbell, J. And J. Fairchild. Myths to Live By. New York: Penguin, 1993.
Ellison, H. "Repent Harlequin! Said the Ticktock Man." Ellison, H. Troublemakers: Stories by Harlan Ellison. New York: IBooks, 2001.
Van Vogt, A. "The Weapon Shop." The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1. Ed. R. Silverberg. New York: Orb Books, 2005.
extend the lines, if necessary, without being wordy.
Three specific instances of irony in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" are:
a) ____The title: no one ever asks Connie these questions.
b) ____Connie is the one preyed upon in this tale, but she invites in this demonic provocation.
c) Arnold Friend's remark about holding her so tight she won't try to get away because it will be impossible, is an ironic remark as it represents much of the symbolism at work throughout the story.
In "Young Goodman Brown," a) Brown represents ____The easily corruptible human.
b) the forest represents ____The practice of evil.
c) the peeling, cacophonous sounds represent ____Temptation
3. Explain the mother's attitude towards Emily in "I Stand Here Ironing"; what specific EVIDENCE supports your position? ____The mother's attitude towards Emily in the story is one of distance, rather than motherly attention. She regards Emily as someone that she is watching from a…...
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References
Hawthorne, N. (2012). Young Goodman Browne. New York: Start Publishing .
Joyce, J. (2010). Dubliners. London: Cricket Books.
Marquez, G. (1993). The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World. New York: Paulinas.
Oates, J. (1994). Where are You Going? Where have you been? Trenton: Rutgers University Press.
Weapon Shop
What is the difference between a modern utopia and dystopia in fictional writing? Perhaps that is the very theme of A.E. Vogt's The Weapon Shop. What is ideal to one might be a terrifying and reversal of ideal for another. In The Weapon Shop, originally published during the early years of World War II, focuses on a small businessman (Fara) who faces what is to him, a dystopian reality in that despite his complete devotion to the Empress of the Solar System, he faces a number of personal and professional troubles. In fact, he is livid when a weapon's shop that sells advanced and fantastic technology, but uncontrolled by his "government" materializes. He fails in his efforts to have the shop removed from the town, continues his downward slide, and is even personally humiliated when his son helps the other townspeople scam him.
Backward and We: A Comparison
When writers think about the future it's often in dichotomous terms. Writers generally see the future in shades of black and white, with very little deviation between the two. This is particularly the case in the novels Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy and We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. The former is an optimistic tale about a socialist utopia which essentially describes a future full of improvements. The latter describes a futuristic dystopia where humans lack autonomy and privacy. In spite of these incredibly different descriptions and notions about the future, there's still a significant amount of overlap between these two novels. Exploring the different shades of each can provide a deeper understanding of each respective author's inner fears and wishes. As different as these two novels appear to be, they are both actually stories about societies which have made the ultimate (and wrong) sacrifice: they've given…...
The book even goes beyond this assertion because in Oceania Big Brother even controlled the thoughts of the people. This made it impossible for people to rebel because rebellion cannot be carried out without ideas and the cooperation of many people.
The novel also focuses the reader to consider the power of their thoughts. In the book a government believed that though was so powerful that it created a system in which free though was discourages and even punishable unto death. Big Brother understands that thoughts lead to action and rebellious actions could threaten the authority of the government. In addition, punishing people for thinking the wrong way was designed to deter others from having thoughts that were not sanctioned by the government. This was a fear tactic used to maintain control.
Interestingly enough Orwell had great difficulty publishing many of his novels because of the thoughts that he expresses. In…...
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References
Atkins J. Orwell in 1984 College Literature, Vol. 11, No. 1 (1984), pp. 34-43
dystopia. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved March 26, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http: / / dictionary. reference.com/browse/dystopia
Lyons J.O. And Orwell G. (1961) George Orwell's Opaque Glass in "1984" Wisconsin Studies in Contemporary Literature, 2 (3), pp. 39- 46
Meyers J. (1997) George Orwell. Routledge Resch R.P. (1997) Utopia, Dystopia, and the Middle Class in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Boundary 2, Vol. 24 (1), pp. 137-176
His most famous work is his Utopia, a book in which he created his version of a perfect society and gave his name to such conceptions ever after as "utopias." The word is of Greek origin, a play on the Greek word eutopos, meaning "good place." In the book, More describes a pagan and communist city-state in which the institutions and policies are governed entirely by reason. The order and dignity of the state in this book contrasted sharply with the reality of statecraft in Christian Europe at the time, a region divided by self-interest and greed for power and riches. The book was also an expression of More's form of Humanism (Maynard 41). The term can also have broader application as a reference to any plans of government or schemes for social improvement which present the possibilities of a good society.
The society depicted in Never Let Me Go…...
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Works Cited
Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. New York: Vintage Books, 2005.
Maynard, Theodore. Humanist as Hero: The Life of Sir Thomas More. New York: Macmillan, 1947.
Octavia Butler's novel Parable of the Sower depicts an America that has crumbled into complete chaos and disarray. ithin the dystopia of 2024, Lauren Olamina reflects on her family background and her past in order to help create a more ideal future for humanity. The key to the future is liberation, both personal and political. Therefore, the message of Parable of the Sower is revolutionary. Lauren does not just need to be a true leader; she needs to change what it means to be human. Butler reportedly said about the potential for female heroines to create a utopian society out of the ashes of the patriarchal dystopia: "I don't believe that imperfect humans can form a perfect society," (Zaki 239). Butler does not expect Lauren and the Earthseed community to become a Utopia because no matter how revolutionary and idealistic she might be, Lauren remains constrained by her past and…...
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Works Cited
Barr, Marleen. Lost in Space. UNC Press, 1993.
Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower. New York: Warner, 2000.
Miller, Gavin. "Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower." In Hoagland and Sarwal (Eds.) Science Fiction, Imperialism, and the Third World. McFarland, 2010, pp. 202-213.
Salvaggio, Ruth. "Octavia Butler and the Black Science Fiction Heroine." Black American Literature Forum, Vol. 18, No. 2, 1984, pp. 78-81.
1. The symbolism of the caged bird in Maya Angelou's autobiographical work, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." 2. The theme of captivity and freedom in Harper Lee's novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird." 3. Analyzing the oppression and confinement of women in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper." 4. The symbolism of the birdcage in Henrik Ibsen's play, "A Doll's House," in relation to gender roles and societal expectations. 5. Comparing the experiences of the caged birds in Richard Wright's novel, "Native Son," and Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, "The Handmaid's Tale." 6. Exploring the theme of captivity and liberation in Jean Rhys's....
1. Analyze the role of gender in classic literature 2. Explore the theme of love and loss in Shakespeare’s works 3. Compare and contrast the portrayal of society in 19th century British novels 4. Discuss the use of symbolism in modern literature 5. Examine the impact of historical events on literature from different time periods 6. Interpret the significance of the hero’s journey in epic literature 7. Investigate the role of race and ethnicity in contemporary literature 8. Analyze the representation of mental illness in literature 9. Explore the theme of identity and self-discovery in coming-of-age novels 10. Discuss the evolution of the anti-hero in literary works.
11. Investigate the....
1. Explore the theme of power and corruption in Animal Farm. 2. Discuss the significance of the characters Napoleon and Snowball in the novel Animal Farm. 3. Analyze the role of propaganda in Animal Farm and how it is used to manipulate the animals. 4. Investigate the theme of loyalty and betrayal in Animal Farm. 5. Compare and contrast the leaders in Animal Farm with historical figures or political leaders. 6. Examine the role of technology and innovation in Animal Farm and how it contributes to the animals' rebellion. 7. Discuss the role of language and communication in Animal Farm and how it influences the animals'....
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury serves as a potent critique of societal trends prevalent in the mid-20th century, warning against the dangers of censorship, the erosion of critical thinking, and the unchecked influence of technology on our lives.
Introduction:
Amidst the ashes of a dystopian future, Fahrenheit 451 paints a grim tapestry of a society where knowledge and intellectual freedom are ruthlessly extinguished. Firefighters, once guardians of safety, have become agents of censorship, tasked with incinerating books and extinguishing any embers of independent thought. The novel's protagonist, Montag, initially embraces this duty but gradually awakens to the horrors it perpetuates. Through....
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