Discussing Governmental Control

690 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: what type of government does a dystopian society have

Governmental control is a topic that our class has discussed frequently. We have discussed how a government in a dystopia tries to be a constant and active presence in the life of the citizens. That is exactly how it is in 4 The People. The class system is also present in 4 The People. Anyone who doesn’t work in the government of Deathrow and lives in Southside is a “commoner”. The Party members look down with disdain on the commoners and view them as a waste of life. Three executive leaders rule the government of Deathrow. Each executive leader has specific responsibilities assigned to them. Jon’s father is in charge of the legal justice system of Deathrow. Robb’s father is in charge of the Economics of Deathrows. Jaime’s father was in charge of the police force of Deathrows Jon, Robb, and Jaime’s dad formed a triumvirate that rules over all of Deathrow. All rules and regulations are voted on by the Deathrow’s Party members. Every year, three ideas that the Executive leaders deem “favorable” are passed. New Executive Leaders are chosen every ten years. The Deathrow’s Party members vote from within their Party and the three individuals who garner the highest number of votes will be the new three Executive leaders. These three highest vote gatherers have no choice other than to accept the job. If an executive leader dies in office, then a vote shall be cast for a temporary stand-in until the next election. The main function of the government of Deathrows is to intentionally suppress the commoners. This is to prevent the commoners from rebelling against the Party members. The government suppressed the commoners through two main ways: intentional repression of the food supply and Deathrow’s yearly drawing. The government intentionall...

... middle of paper ...

...hologically and mentally destroys the commoner’s hope and will to live. This relates to dystopian fiction as the commoner’s live in a place that fulfills their worst dreams. Having to kill your neighbors for food and having to watch your loved one’s killed in front of you is a hell. It is a never-ending nightmare for everyone who lives in that environment. The commoners have a fear of the government due to the lottery and the brutality of the police force. These commoners have to live in a dehumanized state because they are always in a constant survival mode for food while at the same time anguishing over the death of their loved ones. The idea of “hope” is non-existent in Deathrows because there is no way of defying the government. Dystopia literature allows ideas such as hope to be abolished due to the harsh conditions that dictate this illusion of a perfect world.

Show More
Related

  • Exploring the Necessity and Benefits of Government

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    We often wonder about the importance of government. Is it necessary? Does it really benefit society? The answer is yes. Many countries have diverse forms of government such as totalitarian, monarchy, theocracy, and much more. The United States of America specifically runs a democratic type of government. A democratic government gives power to the people. Citizens over the age of eighteen are allowed to elect leaders based on their individual opinions through voting rights. The main purpose of the American government is, to protect people’s inalienable rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness as our Founding Fathers intended.

    Read More

  • Conformity In Harrison Bergeron, The Lottery, By Kurt Vonnegut

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    Almost all books have dozens of themes and elements in play that are open to interpretation, but a skillful reader will often be able to pull out a common theme between many different writers and their stories. Although they have very different plots with vastly different characters, a shared idea is cleverly intertwined by the authors of the following stories. “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut narrates a world where no one is allowed to excel in anything, everyone is made equal by scarring natural advantages such as beauty or intelligence, and the government imposes this austerely. “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson shows the story of a town preparing to conduct an age-old barbaric tradition, even though the reasons for the tradition are neither unknown, nor beneficial. The townspeople are determined and compelled, to follow this ritual through. The poem “Harlem,” by Langston Hughes, a profound statement about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. “Harrison Bergeron”, “The Lottery”, and “Harlem” all share a common subject which is the danger and the burden of conformity is this: If an unjust system prevails with the support of the masses, the tyranny by the majority rules.

    Read More

  • Tomorrow When The War Began Essay

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    The presence of death in the novel looms over the characters, making each of them reflect on the

    Read More

  • Allegories In The Lottery

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    “In a simple allegory, characters and other elements often stand for other definite meanings, which are often abstractions” (Kennedy 234). Since everyone in the town is involved in the stoning, they do not view their sacrifice as murder, but as something needed to be done. “‘All right, folks,’ Mr. Summers said, ‘Let’s finish this quickly.’” (Jackson 259). The young boys in the town are excited about the lottery, but the girls stand off to the side because it is in a boy’s nature to be brutal, yet the women of the town seem just as excited as the boys, and the men calm down as the girls. “The boys’ eager and childish cruelty will turn into the sober reluctance of their fathers, whereas the childish apartness of the girls will become the grown women’s blood lust” (Whittier 357). Most people associate winning a lottery as coming into a large sum of money; but on the contrary, the winner of this lottery must pay with their ultimate sacrifice. “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (257). Jackson’s use of allegories is sublime, drawing her readers to the central

    Read More

  • Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton and Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ms by which to live. An individual confronts many challenges in society, whether it be crime and punishment, struggle to grow, or other rapid modifications. Cry, The Beloved Country and Things Fall Apart exemplify how societies can be disrupted and how people react to interruptions to their traditional way of life. Some choose to adapt to society’s new ways, while others resist assimilating themselves with the innovative public. Societal change happens no matter where you are, however, how someone allows it to affect them remains determined by that person. Society maintains their own way of punishment, production of a particular type of person, and causes some to prevent from adapting to its evolving ways.

    Read More

  • Totalitarian Government Essay

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    Totalitarian regimes take over control of every aspect of an individual's life in which the state holds total authority. The only thing Totalitarian regimes do for its community is cause the basic rights of humans to be destroyed by brutality and terror. The Totalitarian society of any regime is constantly moving toward some end goal, even though the totalitarian state never reaches it. It instead creates the illusion of doing so. As soon as one goal was reached, it was replaced by another and such was the case in Stalin's Russia.

    Read More

  • Isolation in The Metamorphosis by Kafka and Heart of Darkness by Conrad

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... authors conclude that it is through alienation within a small society that ultimately leads to the primary characters’ demise and death. Whether their individual cases are self imposed or externally imposed, the results and the impact are the same, annihilation of the human soul. Their craft make emphatic use of setting to the successful depiction of this theme. Both characters ultimately fall into the abyss of loneliness and despair proving that human existence cut-off and on its own is more destructive than positive . Thus their message seems to suggest that as humans, we need society in order to truly belong and have a connection, purpose and worth in this life, in order to truly live.

    Read More

  • Power, Authority, and Conflict

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    Power is a difficult concept to identify; it has been defined in several ways by many scholars. Hinings et al. (1967) state that power is analogous to bureaucracy, while Bierstedt (1950) and Blau (1964) state that it is purely coercion (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Moreover, Hall and Tolbert (2005) identify that there are five types of power, reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert (Stojkovic et al, 2008). According to studies these five types of power are important and needed in a criminal justice agency for greater effectiveness and efficiency.

    Read More

  • God and Government

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    Integrating Faith and politics can be difficult. Arguments can be made for whether to have complete separation of faith and politics, or to fully integrate the two. A balanced middle-ground between separation and integration can be looked at also. Examples of each can be looked at in history. Complete separation of faith and politics has consequences (both positive and negative). Government that is separated from faith can be efficient, but very inhumane and controlling. Complete integration of faith and politics is influenced by God and the Bible, but it can be just as controlling as complete separation. Multiple disagreements in the Christian doctrine would also cause more challenges in the government. Having a middle ground where only some aspects of the government are influenced by religion can pose problems in certain areas. The middle ground could allow Christians to spread the Gospel (which is the goal of the church). When these three options are compared, one may see an option stand out as an obvious choice. The middle ground between separation and integration is where the church can both stay relevant in politics and participate in the great commission.

    Read More

  • Individualism in "Anthem" by Ayn Rand

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    This book teaches the importance of self-expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful of what is going on. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Oppression In The Handmaid's Tale

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    Margaret Atwood reviles in her book how standardized oppression can easily cause personalized oppression, and how if one accepts oppression they get from being in a society which is oppressive then that person starts to feel internally oppressed. Almost all of the characters in this book feel both of these oppressions. Through out the book Margaret Atwood used short phrases to exaggerate the personalized oppression which the characters felt. The way in which the novel was written allows the reader enter the mind and thoughts of the narrator, which helps us understand that the oppression the characters are feeling from the society leads to the personal oppression they feel. Margaret Atwood shows us the continues cycle of oppression and how it is a continues cycle, she shows us the connection between standardized oppression and personal oppression and that group oppression leads to individual

    Read More

  • The Government's Effect on Everyday Life

    380 Words  | 1 Pages

    Government effects my life everyday in a vast variety of ways. From the quality of the milk that I drink in the morning, to the license and Insurance I need to drive my vehicle to school and work. Government also effects the taxes that are deducted from my salary. The government uses this money to protect consumers and provide services for the public amongst many other things.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Fahrenheit 451 And V For Vendetta

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dystopia represents an artificially created society to where a human population is administered to various types of oppressions, or a human population lives under the order of an oppressive government. The novel Fahrenheit 451 and the film V for Vendetta both effectively display this dystopian concept in their works. The nature of the society, the protagonist who questions the society, and the political power that runs the society are examples of how the novel and the film efficiently capture the main points of a dystopian society. The authors of the novel and the film use their visions of a dystopian future to remark on our present by identifying how today’s society is immensely addicted to technology and how our government has changed over the past decades. Furthermore, the authors use our modern day society to illustrate their view of a dystopia in our

    Read More

  • Limited Government Essay

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Democracy has been the root of a limited government, the system of which government powers are distributed so that one group of leaders do not have too much influence. The limited government has been structured to keep peace amongst all parties that are involved in the government. And under the U.S. Constitution, citizens are given ultimate power by their right to choose their representatives through the democratic process of voting. Each levels of the government are limited as they have their own responsibilities. The city government has the most local level of government as the residents elect a city council and mayor to represent their interest at the city level. All city governments establish housing and health regulations, and are responsible

    Read More

  • Government Responsibilities

    316 Words  | 1 Pages

    As citizens of the United States, and as people living under a democracy, the government has certain responsibilities to us. We are guaranteed union, justice, tranquility, defense, welfare, and liberty. These rights are all very important to the well being of our country and the states that exist in it. I feel that there are three that are a little more important than the others.

    Read More

More about Discussing Governmental Control

Open Document