Brave New World reflects some of the same ideas that authors such as George Orwell wrote about in 1984. Adolphous Huxley warns that excess focus on technology and social “advancement” may lead to, in fact, detrimental results for the societies affected. Similarly, George Orwell revealed that an all-powerful government dedicated to “bettering” society, from only one perspective will create analogous results. Furthermore, the author Technopoly adds that technology typically goes hand-in-hand with culture, even the religion, and develops how this relationship further shapes these societies into what he calls “technocracies,” or places where technology rises above all other aspects of life. People no longer are singularly motivated by religion for salvation from poverty, as they can utilize technology to build themselves a better life, for example. All three of these authors, point in their own ways to both the positive, but predominately negative results of governments systems as these.
Although people in these places seem outwardly content, they lack the spirit and knowledge of true happiness. They can only gauge happy from what they have been allowed to experience, and lack the ability to feel, really feel the satisfaction that comes from a strong family, relationships, and learning without limitations. Both societies in Brave New World and 1984 claim that people are being improved, or will somehow benefit from their treatment, yet this is a subjective opinion. It takes a powerful individual who is willing to step out of the state of conformity and confront what is normal, for the reader to “see” what these oppressed citizens are missing. In these novels the men who do this are Winston and Bernard, respectively. Although they face dangers and unwelcome peers, daring to dream and object sheds light on the problems suggested by both authors.
To seek a new world may seem like a good idea, but poses dangerous consequences due to the negative realities of the authoritative governments, or even “technocracies.”
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