Thoughts And Teachings The Government example essay topic

1984 vs. Brave New World 1984 and Brave New World, written by George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, respectively, are both books that reflect the authors vision of how society would end up at the course it was going at the time of the writing of the book. Both books were written more than fifty years ago, but far enough apart that society was going in a totally different direction at the time. There are many ways to compare these two books and point out the similarities. On certain, deep levels they are very much the same, while at first glance, on the surface, they are very different. One point that in some parts is the same and some very different, is the governments in each of these books method's of control. The first thing to think about is how the governments control the newborns, infants, and children.

In 1984, children are taught as early as possible all the thoughts and teachings the government wants them to. With these teachings being carved into their brains also comes intense loyalty, each child of the Party is ready and willing to turn their parents in to the authorities at the first sign of heretical thoughts. They are taught this as early as possible to keep them from having time of form independent thoughts of their own. The newborns of Brave New World in some cases are not even alive long enough to have thoughts of their own. People are no longer born, they are grown and hatched to fill a need of the society. Some people are intentionally stunted so that when they are born they have no presence of mind to do anything other than what is asked of them.

Those fortunate enough to be "hatched" more intelligent, are conditioned to dislike and like what the government wants them too through electric shock, high pitched noises, and other forms of non invasive torture. One generic way that all children are controlled is thorough a technique called hypnopedia, which is repeating things over and over during sleep until the words are memorized. So from childhood, both governments have control through not allowing the children any time to think any anti- government thoughts and filling the spaces instead with the thoughts they want to be there. The way of controlling the rest of the population is where a big difference can be seen. In 1984, the government relies on fear and total physical control to keep people in order. There are ways of spying on both people's physical actions as well as there audible words, through either electronic devices or one of the many spies under payroll of the government.

Their idea is that if anyone finds anything dissatisfactory with the government they must put up with and not show it if they want to live. Those who cannot follow this are "purged" of their heretical thoughts through torture and then usually killed. None of this happens in Brave New World because the government has altered everything so that there is nothing to be unhappy about. Even if there is a tiny dispute or problem it can always be solved by taking a little soma holiday until tensions cool and problems go away. The people with bad jobs do not realize they have a bad job, because they were hatched with not enough intellectual mind power to see that things should be different.

Those that could realize that things are unfair do not care, because they live easy and happy lives. This government relies on conditioning to keep everyone in its civilization happy and under control. Although both governments agree on the same basics for keeping control, they use radically different means to get there: one through fear and oppression, and the other through inbred desire to be with other people of society and by giving no reason to be unhappy. Fortunately, neither of these author's visions have come to be in such an extreme manner, and we still live in a free, not totally controlled society.