George Orwell's The Flying Machine

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Recommended: Technology as a destruction

Although such a thing seems to be entertaining to most everyone, technology is certainly an object that deems itself worthy of destruction and violence. The Emperor in the story, “The Flying Machine”, knew of this statement. He knew that if the brilliant yet perilous idea of the man’s invention had been spread out to his rivals or even the local civilians, China would be in danger.

Schemes progressing, armies soaring, the surrounding countries would glide over the great wall of stone that no longer protected China. The possibility of this was just too precarious. So what did the mighty Emperor Yuan do? What did he have to do so that peace would be kept across the land? He had to rip the dreadful masterpiece into as many bits as possible and had to make sure that the only person who knew how to create it would never make any more. The executioner was summoned and the very thought of human flight would vanish only to be kept by the man's meandering spirit. …show more content…

Endings in most stories, especially short ones, are a bit happier. Assuming that this one was on the lighter side, I would think that the author believed that getting rid of the machine and the maker was the right thing to do. Which would lead me to make the inference that that the author thought alike the Emperor. Both the author and the emperor thought that technology was something that breaks apart peace and tranquility, and therefore wrong. In the story The land was described as a well maintained perfect little country, and then this description was interrupted by a servant crying “A miracle! A miracle!” and Emperor Yuan says, “Yes, the air is sweet this morning.” He goes on about how his country and all the nature in it is perfectly miracle-like. Nothing he mentions is advanced, because nothing was then. Everything was technology

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