Dehumanization In The Machine Stops

1722 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Influence of technology in modern society

Technology causes the dehumanization of society when it is used to control people, which takes away the innate human sense to search for the truth and freedom, thus preventing people from realizing oppression and rebelling against it. The dehumanization done by the Machine enables it control and eventually bring the death of humanity by keeping the people weak and ignorant to their emotions. Technology in “The Machine Stops” makes people overly dependent on it, which causes them to blindly worship and become enslaved to it. While people in the Machine world generally regard the Machine as a necessary component in their lives, in the beginning of the story, they do not consider it to be god-like. The Machine world is described as having rooms that are “hexagonal in shape, like … cell[s] of … bee[s],” which makes a direct comparison to the honeybee lifestyle (Forster). Bees are altruistic creatures, which means that they give up their lives for the benefit of the entire colony and the queen bee. Similarly, the people in the Machine world are deprived of “consciousness and [are kept] … forever weak and childish” (Dunn, Erlich 47). Like bees, these people are kept loyal to their leader by “losing” conscious thought and becoming entirely dependent on the mother figure. The Machine is like the queen bee, for which all the worker bees or people owe their lives to. The Machine is able to control the people and be worshipped as a god and brings humans into an evolutionary standstill. It is because of the Machine dehumanizing people that also prevents humans from adapting to new situations, which causes their eventual extinction. The society in “The Machine Stops” is one of isolation and one that discourages direct interactions between pe... ... middle of paper ... ...t he has while being strapped in a chair inside of a power station cooling tower (Brazil). Sam has become crazy and is now unaffected by the System, which cannot access his mind. Salman Rushdie, a famous literary critic, explains that the retreat into one’s own imagination is the only way “[totalitarian] reality can be smashed so it may subsequently be reconstructed” (Rushdie 122). While the System can try to make people conform by telling them how to act on the outside, they cannot penetrate the inside mind. This is a stark contrast to the Party in 1984, where O’Brien is able to penetrate Winston’s mind using fear and alter his inside thoughts and fantasies. Unlike “The Machine Stops” and 1984, the inherent failures in the System account for the abilities of people to take advantage of technology as a form of escapism from the bureaucratic structure.

Show More
Related

  • Ilya Varshavsky Perpetual Motion Summary

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ilya Varshavsky’s “Perpetual Motion” is the story of humanity’s relationship with technology. During a human council meeting, where humans superficially decide how their world will function, Class A robots demand equality with humanity. The human council is initially appalled, but after these robots explain they will supplement their labor with the labor of a new race of robots humanity grants their wish. Twenty years later, during a Class A robot council meeting, the topic of equality for Class B robots is introduced in a similar manner to the way Class A freedom was discussed. In order to grant equality to Class B robots, the Class A robots discuss the need to teach humans how to survive without them. They resolve to teach humans how

    Read More

  • Grapes of Wrath

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    machine.” This quote demonstrates the loss of individuality; the man was nothing but a pawn in industrial game. Throughout the journey to California they run across many

    Read More

  • Analysis Of August 2026 There Will Come Soft Rains

    1495 Words  | 3 Pages

    Use of technology is expanding from day to day, more things in life are depending on machinery. Machines are meant to bring us a comfortable life, and technology is meant to enhance our living standard, yet. Half a century ago, Ray Bradbury issued an enlightenment in the short story “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rain”. In E. M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops”, a similar enlightenment is made. Both edify people that things will go wrong when technology is dominant over humanity; our dependence on technology lead people lost humanity, lead people lost control of human creation, and eventually lead humanity to devastate. The didactic works at the level of form in Bradbury, while in Forester is works at the level of content.

    Read More

  • Technology And Modernization In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

    757 Words  | 2 Pages

    Technology is influencing people for the worse because it is being used for the wrong reasons and is therefore causing people to be manipulated, confused, and taken advantage of. This idea is seen in literature, through Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and in today’s society, through “How Uber Uses Psychological Tricks to Push Its Drivers’ Buttons.” by Noam Scheiber. Fahrenheit 451 takes us to a futuristic society where books are illegal and technology is everything to the people. Bradbury shows how technology is influential by writing, “They didn’t show the man’s face in focus. Did you notice? Even your best friends couldn’t tell if it was you. They scrambled it just enough to let the imagination

    Read More

  • Elan Gale's Article: Saving The Lost Art Of Communication In The World

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    Technology has changed the way the world generally communicates negatively by not allowing true interaction with each other, technology is changing the way we used to read physical books by preventing them to make the brain work better, and people can easily get their hands on technology and use it to do wrong towards others.

    Read More

  • Pinker The Noble Savage Summary

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    This thought suggests that humans are, by nature and without political intervention, peaceable, cooperative, and selfless (2002, p. 6). Pinker explains that this belief underlies much of politics, the hope for cultural improvement, and a peaceable vision of future society (2002, p. 26). However, this belief effects not just proactive policy, but also inspires fear by invoking the slippery-slope argument of innatist theories, arguing that they are grounds for all the social ills we fear (racism, socio-economic prejudice) (Pinker, 2002, p. 28). The Ghost in the Machine provides the last piece in Pinker’s framework: the theory that the body and mind are distinct from one another, the mind acting independently from the body and providing an indivisible meta awareness and guidance to the human being (2002, p. 9). This thought seems to be supported by a creationist viewpoint, as it alludes to a being similar to a puppeteer that forms and initially animates the mind of living beings in their beginning (Pinker, 2002, p. 29). Pinker points out early on that one key inconsistency is individuals’ efforts to improve society (2002, p. 28). Improvements made to society by products of that society seems to be a circular logic and ineffective approach to the perfecting process (Pinker, 2002, p. 28). Indeed, how do we know what would ameliorate society? But according to this way of thinking the ghost, the mind as a separate entity, guides this process (Pinker, 2002, p.

    Read More

  • 1984 Dehumanization Analysis

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1984, George Orwell presents an overly controlled society that is run by Big Brother. The protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a dehumanizing, totalitarian regime. Big Brother possesses so much control over these people that even the most natural thoughts such as love and sex are considered taboo and are punishable. Big Brother has taken this society and turned each individual against one another. Parents distrust their own offspring, husband and wife turn on one another, and some people turn on their own selves entirely. The people of Oceania become brainwashed by Big Brother. Punishment for any uprising rebellions is punishable harshly.

    Read More

  • Machine Vs. Man In Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Kurt Vonnegut’s “Player Piano” the theme of machine versus man is a major subject matter. In this novel, the machines force man to give up their individuality to be categorized as an engineer or manager. Vonnegut tries to give men back their power without having to depend on machines. Machines have replaced men to the point where they feel that their self-worth and value in life is no longer important. One of the main characters in this novel is a prime example of machine dependency.

    Read More

  • The Machine Stops

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Machine Stops, E.M. Forster projects life years from now where people live underground with extreme technological advances. Also, people live separated in little rooms where they find a variety of buttons they can press in order to perform any task they desire. They do not communicate with people face to face as often as we do now. Without a doubt, their society is very different from ours. All of the inhabitants are used to living along with the Machine and it is hard for them to imagine life without everything the Machine is able to facilitate. People are so caught up with technology that they find it absurd to spend time in nature. Because of the dependence people have towards the Machine, they have somewhat lost their humanity and become a machine themselves. The characters Vashti and Kuno perfectly represent how inhumane or humane a person could potentially be in such an environment.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Ray Bradbury's 'The Veldt And August 2026'

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today’s world is full of robots that vacuum the floor and cars that talk to their drivers. People can ask their phones to send a text or play a song and a cheerful voice will oblige. Machines are taking over more and more tasks that are traditionally left to people, such as cleaning, navigating, and even scheduling meetings. In a world where technology is becoming increasingly human, questions arise about whether machines will eventually replace humankind altogether. In Ray Bradbury’s short stories, “The Veldt” and “August 2026,” he presents themes that technology will not only further replace the jobs of humans, but it will also outlast humankind as a whole. Although this is a plausible future, computers just cannot do certain human jobs.

    Read More

  • Humor In Alexander Weinstein's Saying Goodbye To Yang

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the story, the family depends on a robot to be a teacher and caretaker for their child. When he malfunctions, they realize how dependent they are on him. Weinstein also brings attention to the white American middle and upper class. He includes issues ranging from white supremacy to racial profiling and xenophobia. Lastly, the author critiques society’s tendency to be judgmental without considering all of the circumstances.

    Read More

  • What is the Difference Between Realism and Antirealism in the Movie Capitain Phillips?

    1932 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...n against machine in a noticeably strained battle, but they also despise that the humans are more machine like than they ponder, and that the machine possesses human qualities as well. The humans, for their part, are as persistently compelled as machines. The incredible fighting skills and superhuman strength of the character seem to put them in machine type category. It showed how dependent man and machine actually are, or might be. One terror of fake intelligence is that technology will trap us in level of dependency. It emphasized the idea that artificial intelligence enslaves the human race. With the time we people are also becoming slaves of the machines that we have created. In time people will be so dependent on machines that they can no longer survive without them. This is the implicit idea of the film matrix, idea which hardly people would have noticed.

    Read More

  • Technology: Helping Us or Hurting Us

    1888 Words  | 4 Pages

    Whether technology is with us or hurting us, we still have to use it and it affects our lives daily. We need it to get a hold of someone. We need it to do our jobs. Most importantly, we need it to keep our lives away from harm. There are many ways to manipulate technology, but technology has more good to it than bad. There are those who use it for good, like investigators so they can figure out the real story. Then there are those who use it for bad, just like those who commit cyber bullying along with other minor and major things. We need technology regardless if people argue they like or not. There is no way to stop technology and keeping people from making it better. With the developments in technology, we may be able to enjoy all the pricey luxuries and still enjoy life at the same time.

    Read More

  • The Matrix: Fear of Technology in a Dystopian World

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Matrix, technology dominates society. The push to automate and link the world is a perpetual theme of modern society. As technology rapidly advances, implementation of computer-driven robotic devices and software programming has inundated the world and changed human perspective. There is a cost to pay when redefining the population with AI technology. This cost is identified in Barlett and Byer’s, “Back To The Future: The Humanistic Matrix” “The Matrix metaphorizes our willingness to fantasize that the ‘freedom’ rhetoric of e-capitalism accurately reflects our

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects of Technology on Society

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...Joes to torture animals in so called training. Texting in school by students and teachers takes away valuable class time. Videogames become addicting and let people become numb to violence. Parents and their strive for constant communication, also holds them responsible for the technology epidemic. The Internet makes cheating and multitasking inevitable. Internet Porn easily allows crude films in the American home. Technology cannot be reversed so now we have to suffer with consequences of technology.

    Read More

More about Dehumanization In The Machine Stops

Open Document