Compare And Contrast Utopia And Dystopia

Did you know dystopia comes from the word utopia? The word dystopia comes from adding the Latin prefix “dys” which means bad. Dystopia is the complete opposite of a utopia. In dystopian societies, Dystopia represents a created world or society that lives under the rule of a stern and demanding government. Dystopias usually abuse a certain theme such as collectivism, communism, or individualism, socialism etc.

Both political theorists are extreme in their visions and neither seem entirely attainable but they are both inspiring ideals of what society could achieve. Although Arendt makes a very persuasive argument for economics and freedom as separate from one another, Marx’s argument is more convincing. Socialism presents every individual with the opportunity to live the best life suited for their own creative development. If every individual is creating what they want to create and the benefit of their creation goes towards the entire community than there is no reason for economic classes. The idea of socialism and communism may be slightly unrealistic and challenging to implement but in a utopian society, Marx’s view of the political structure is ideal.

Two Dystopian Literatures “They were equal every which way”(vonnegut 1).”Harrison Bergeron” and Anthem are both a collectivist society, that try to make the world smooth and have more peace in their society, but instead becomes a dramatic dystopia. Although “Harrison Bergeron” and Anthem are both dystopian literature, they both differ in their families and technology. In harrison bergeron, they have families, and this is seen when the story says… “George and Hazel bergeron 14 years old son.”(Vonnegut 1).This proves that in this society, they have Families. In “Harrison Bergeron” they also have technology, it states in the passage…”George and Hazel were watching TV” (Vonnegut 2). This shows that in the Novel “Harrison bergeron” there

Within his core, the essence of man’s being remains encapsulated, serving as “a first cause, a fount of energy, a life force, [and] a Prime Mover.” When the substance that constructs man is subdued, however, the flow of liquid creation that gushes from the fountain of innovation empowering mankind dries up. In Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, the quintessential society of the modern day is reversed, consequently leading to the emergence of a darkened futuristic world where humans are forced to become masked shadows behind the cloak of an altruistic society. From the perspective of Equality 7-2521, the grapple between surrendering to conformity or rising to freedom takes place within himself as he navigates through the current lifeless state of his

Science is dangerous; we have to keep it most carefully chained and muzzled" (Huxley 231). Mond explains, in this quote, how science cannot remain the sole factor in achieving happiness. Throughout the story, the Controllers condition the people to view science as the greatest good, but new discoveries often lack what makes an individual happy. Process often infringes on what people as a whole consider as happy. They feel contentment but individuality and passion push brilliant individuals to discover more scientifically.

‘Positive characters … usually prove miserably ineffectual when contending with ruthless overwhelming powers’ claims Amin Malak, noting on such protagonists as Winston Smith and Offred in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and, when looking at the dystopian genre as a whole, he certainly seems to be correct. Dystopian fiction does seem to portray the worse side of human nature than the better, leaving the positive traits to the struggling protagonists. While utopian writers seemed to think that the essence of human nature was to do good, dystopian writers seem to think very differently and it is from this notion that these novels seem to be written. Nineteen Eighty-Four certainly seems to do this, with almost every member of the society representing one or more negative aspects of humanity. Throughout the novel, Winston constantly references the fact that ‘Today there were fear, hatred and pain’ and that in this society of Ingsoc ‘No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred’ and this is displayed in many, various ways.

Conformity is gradually oppressing the world in which we live in. This ideal is prominently illustrated in the film Pleasantville which is directed, and produced by Gary Ross. Pleasantville is a great demonstration of the dangers of abiding by society’s expectations, and the freedoms that come with rebelling to these expectations and embracing change. Gary Ross uses several literary techniques such as; colour (symbolism), and character development to indicate the lack of creativity, and originality in society. Throughout the film, Ross illustrates how obstructive conformity can be to society, and how rewarding rebelling to societal norms can be for not only self growth, but societal advancement as well.

“It is a sin to write this,” (Rand 17) Equality 7-2521 says as he writes fearfully about his society’s real sins. Harrison Bergeron and Anthem are about collectivist societies, whose intentions were to make a perfect world, but in the process was turned into pure destruction. Although, Harrison Bergeron and Anthem are both pieces of dystopian literature, they differ in their portrayal of the ideas of families and technology. In Harrison Bergeron, their society has families, relationships, and their technology has advanced. Unlike Anthem, Harrison Bergeron does allow families.

One theme in particular is happiness. Bradbury’s message in the story is that life will be unhappy in a society like Fahrenheit 451. It is important to prevent the world from becoming like it. Although Fahrenheit 451 has advanced technology, it is obvious that it is causing harm to the citizens, thus turning into a dystopian society. For example, Montag realizes that he is not happy.

The two parallel worlds between the novel, ‘The Giver,’ written by Lois Lowry, and within the award-winning movie, ‘Pleasantville’ directed by Gary Ross, explore similar attempts, by society to create an idealistic world that contradicts the nature of living a satisfying life. Unlike the life that we are familiar with, the lives of the characters in these universes, live under strict conformity as they strive for perfection. This however, has a deeper meaning than what meets the eye- that denies the key qualities for living a satiating life that includes the presence of: memory, rebellion and freedom. Lowry and Ross further discuss the importance of diversity within these societies that lead characters into discovering a more rewarding life.