169 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
169 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Essay on Brave New World]
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[x]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [and Fahrenheit 451 ]
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[ ]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 10/94 # of Words:1506 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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For more than half a century science fiction writers have thrilled and
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challenged readers with visions of the future and future worlds. These
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authors offered an insight into what they expected man, society, and life
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to be like at some future time.
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One such author, Ray Bradbury, utilized this concept in his work,
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Fahrenheit 451, a futuristic look at a man and his role in society.
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Bradbury utilizes the luxuries of life in America today, in addition to
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various occupations and technological advances, to show what life could be
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like if the future takes a drastic turn for the worse. He turns man's best
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friend, the dog, against man, changes the role of public servants and
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changes the value of a person.
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Aldous Huxley also uses the concept of society out of control in his
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science fiction novel Brave New World. Written late in his career, Brave
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New World also deals with man in a changed society. Huxley asks his
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readers to look at the role of science and literature in the future world,
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scared that it may be rendered useless and discarded. Unlike Bradbury,
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Huxley includes in his book a group of people unaffected by the changes in
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society, a group that still has religious beliefs and marriage, things no
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longer part of the changed society, to compare and contrast today's culture
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with his proposed futuristic culture.
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But one theme that both Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 use in
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common is the theme of individual discovery by refusing to accept a passive
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approach to life, and refusing to conform. In addition, the refusal of
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various methods of escape from reality is shown to be a path to discovery.
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In Brave New World, the main characters of Bernard Marx and the "Savage"
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boy John both come to realize the faults with their own cultures. In
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Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag begins to discover that things could be better in
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his society but, sue to some uncontrollable events, his discover happens
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much faster than it would have. He is forced out on his own, away from
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society, to live with others like himself who think differently that the
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society does.
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Marx, from the civilized culture, seriously questions the lack of
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history that his society has. He also wonders as to the lack of books,
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banned because they were old and did not encourage the new culture. By
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visiting a reservation, home of an "uncivilized" culture of savages, he is
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able to see first hand something of what life and society use to be like.
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Afterwards he returns and attempts to incorporate some of what he saw into
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his work as an advertising agent. As a result with this contrast with the
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other culture, Marx discovers more about himself as well. He is able to
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see more clearly the things that had always set him on edge: the
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promiscuity, the domination of the government and the lifelessness in which
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he lived. (Allen)
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John, often referred to as "the Savage" because he was able to leave
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the reservation with Marx to go to London to live with him, also has a hard
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time adjusting to the drastic changes. The son of two members of the
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modern society but born and raised on the reservation, John learned from
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his mother the values and the customs of the "civilized" world while living
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in a culture that had much different values and practices. Though his
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mother talked of the promiscuity that she had practiced before she was left
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on the reservation (she was accidentally left there while on vacation, much
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as Marx was) and did still practice it, John was raised, thanks to the
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people around him, with the belief that these actions were wrong. Seeing
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his mother act in a manner that obviously reflected different values
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greatly affected and hurt John, especially when he returned with Marx to
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London. John loved his mother, but he, a hybrid of the two cultures, was
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stuck in the middle. (May)
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These concepts, human reaction to changes in their culture and
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questioning of these changes, are evident throughout the book. Huxley's
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characters either conform to society's demands for uniformity or rebel and
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begin a process of discovery; there are no people in the middle. By doing
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so, Huxley makes his own views of man and society evident. He shows that
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those who conform to the "brave new world" become less human, but those who
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actively question the new values of society discover truth about the
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society, about themselves, and about people in general. An example of this
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is Huxley's views of drugs as an escape. The conforming members of society
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used widely a drug called soma, which induces hallucinations and escapes
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from the conscious world for two to eight hour periods. Those very few who
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didn't, John included, mainly did not because they thought the drug either
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unclean or an easy escape, one not needed in a society aiming at making
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life very simple. By refusing to "go along" in this escape from reality,
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John is ultimately able to break from society and define his own destiny.
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In Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag, the main character, is able to see
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through the government and the official policies of his society. He does
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so by gradually beginning to question certain aspect of society which most
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simply accept as fact. Montag's job as a fireman serves as a setting to
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show how many people passively accept the absurdity of their society.
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Instead of rushing to put out fires, as firemen today do, Montag rushes to
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start fires, burning the books and homes of people reported to have books.
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This was considered by most people to be a respectable profession. But on
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different occasions Montag took a book out of burning homes and would from
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time to time read them. From this, he begins to to question the values of
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his society.
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Montag's marriage also serves a setting to contrast passive acceptance
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versus questioning of society's values. His marriage is not the happy kind
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that couples today experience but more like a coexistence. He and his wife
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live together and he supports her, though he apparently neither loves her a
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great deal or expects her to love him.
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This relationship and living arrangement, with its lack of love, is
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Bradbury's way of showing what life could be like if people not only stop
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communicating but stop thinking and choosing, thus loosing control over
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their lives. Montag and his wife continue to live together though people
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in that situation today would not hesitate to terminate such a
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relationship. Montag's wife apparently accepts this relationship because
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it is normal for the society in which she lives. (Wolfheim)
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Like Brave New World characters escaping from reality through the use
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of soma, Montag's wife, and many other characters, escape through watching
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a sophisticated form of television. This television system covers three of
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the walls of the Montag's TV room (they can't afford to buy the screen to
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cover the fourth wall), has a control unit that allows the watchers to
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interact with the characters on the program and another unit that inserts
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Mrs. Montag's name into specific places, thus creating the image they the
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characters are actually conversing with them. Montag's wife, having only a
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few friends and ones she rarely sees, spends much of her day in this room,
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watching a program called "The Family", a government sponsored program that
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shows the viewers what life at home should be like.
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The problem with this is that Montag's wife takes the program as a
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substitute for reality. She is almost addicted to the program, much as
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people were with soma in Brave New World. Bradbury uses this television
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and it's programs as a way of showing the escape he is worried people will
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look for in the future. Without actively questioning society's values, he
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is concerned that people will look for ways to idly spend their time.
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But like Marx, Montag chooses not to take part in this addiction. By
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abstaining, he can see the affects it's use has on the people around him,
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much as Marx and more importantly John the Savage saw in their culture.
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Both authors try to show that with life made easier by strong government
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control and a lack of personal involvement people will no longer spend
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their time thinking, questioning or developing their own ideas.
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Through these various diversions from normal behavior in society, Marx,
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John the Savage and Guy Montag are able to see the truths behind the
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societies they live in and are able to learn about themselves. And though
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their discoveries meant that their lives would be changed forever, the
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authors succeeded in showing that the key to humanity lies in thinking and
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questioning. These men found themselves through their own discoveries,
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much as Bradbury and Huxley hope others will do.
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Works Cited
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Allen, Walter The Modern Novel. Dutton, 1964
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May, Keith M. Aldous Huxley. Paul Elek Books Ltd., 1972
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Wolfheim, Donald The Universe Makers. Harper and Row, 1971
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