Comparing 1984 And Brave New World

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Former President Gerald R. Ford once said, "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." This quote embodies Aldous Huxley's vision of the future in Brave New World. He envisioned a world, similar to today's society, where the government uses pleasure and a perceived freedom as tactics to control its people. Through sex, drugs, and fabricated happiness, the people of Brave New World's society are governed in such a sly manner that they don't realize the lack of privilege they face every day. On the other hand, in 1984 by George Orwell, an overpowering character, Big Brother, had control over society through fear and surveillance.
While both 1984 and Brave New World depict views of the future, they differ significantly in their portrayal. In 1984, Winston, an Outer Party member, harbors thoughts that contradict Big Brother's propaganda. After attempting to join the Brotherhood, Winston is captured and tortured until he complies with Big Brother's demands. The novel's underlying theme is that fear is an inescapable part of our lives that controls us. In contrast, Brave New World's government allows its citizens to indulge in their desires, effectively controlling them through their wants. Bernard, a member of Brave New World's society, introduces John, a man from the Savage Reservation, to the Brave New World. John is extremely rebellious because he cannot conform to the society's lifestyle. Eventually, he succumbs to the nation's will and breaks his promise of not having sex before marriage. Overwhelmed with shame and the effects of Brave New World, John hangs himself. Although control is often achieved through fear and pain, it can also be obtained through luxury and satisfaction.
To a degree, today's society has taken on that mindset as Americans throw out 1 million pounds of material per person, per year. Sex was also viewed as an insignificant act that would take place at orgy porgys, with whoever was around, and where "everyone belongs to everyone else" (Brave New World Sex Quotes). Although society is not as liberal with sex as Brave New World, men today have an average of seven sexual partners in their lifetimes, while women have four. Materialism and sex have become a measure of what people are expected to live up to, even if it is wasteful or licentious. Along with consumerism and sexual pervasiveness, the media is used as a means to control and litter the public's minds. The media has become an ever-present force in today's society. In Brave New World, hypnopedia can be compared to the media in present culture. In the book, hypnopedia, "the greatest moralizing and socializing force of all time" (Quotes), infused children's minds with information that brainwashed them to behave as Brave New World's society taught them. Today, people are bombarded with information from the internet, televisions, and radios that can cloud and overwhelm the mind.

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