For more than half a century science fiction writers have thrilled and challenged readers with visions of the future and future worlds. These authors offered an insight into what they are expected man, society, and life to be like at some future time. One such author, Ray Bradbury, utilized this concept in his work, Fahrenheit 451, futuristic look at a man and his role in society. Bradbury utilizes the luxuries of life in America today, in addition to various occupations and technological advances, to show what life could be like if the future takes a drastic turn for the worse. He turns mans best friend, the dog, against man, changes the role of public servants and changes the value of a person. Aldous Huxley also uses the concept of society out of control in his science fiction novel Brave New World.
Brave new world also deals with man in a changed society. Huxley asks his readers to look at the role of science and literature in the future world, scared that it may be rendered useless and discarded. Unlike Bradbury, Huxley includes in his book a group of people unaffected by the changes in society, a group that still has religious beliefs and marriage, things no longer part of the changed society, to compare and contrast todays culture with his proposed futuristic culture. But one theme that both Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 use in common is the theme of individual discovery by refusing to accept a passive approach to life, and refusing to conform. In addition, the refusal of various methods of escape from reality is shown to be a path to discovery.
The Essay on Change the World
If I could change the world, how would I change it? Of course, I must first decide what I want to change and what into. Afterwards, I must think of a way on how to achieve that change. As a young individual, I think that the best way to change the world is rather than doing anything too big, I just have to make it a priority to go out of my way in small amounts to bring that world about. Everybody ...
In Brave New World, the main characters of Bernard Marx and the Savage boy John both come to realize the faults with their own cultural. In Farenheit 451 Guy Montag begins to discover that things could be better in hi society but, sue to some uncontrollable events, his discover happens much faster than it would have. He is forced out on his own, away from society, to live with others like himself who think differently that the society does. Marx from the civilized culture, seriously questions the lack of history that his society has.
He also wonders as to the lack of books, banned because they were old and did not encourage the new culture. By visiting a reservation, home of an uncivilized culture of savages, he is able to see first hand something of what life and society use to be like. Afterwards he returns and attempts to incorporate some of what he saw into his work as an advertising agent. As a result with this contrast with the other culture, Marx discovers more about himself as well. He is able to see more clearly the things that had always set him on edge: the promiscuity, the domination of the government and the lifelessness in which he lived. (Allen, 2) John, often referred to as the Savage because he was able to leave the reservation with Marx to go to London to live with him, also has a hard time adjusting to the drastic changes.
The son of two members of the modern society but born and raised on the reservation, John learned from his mother the values and the customs of the civilized world while living in a culture that had much different values and practices. Though his mother talked of the promiscuity that she had practiced before she was left on the reservation and did still practice it, John was raised, thanks to the people around him, with the belief that these actions were wrong. Seeing his mother act in a manner that obviously reflected different values greatly affected and hurt John, especially when he returned with Marx to London. John loved his mother, but he, hybrid of the two cultures, was stuck in the middle. (May, 5) Like Brave New World characters escaping from reality through the use of soma, Montags wife, and many other characters, escape through watching a sophisticated form of television.
This television system covers three of the walls of montags TV room, has a control unit that allows the watchers to interact with the characters on the program and another unit that inserts Mrs. Montags name into specific places, thus creating the image they are actually conversing with them. Montags wife, having only a few friends and ones she rarely sees, spends much of her day in this room, watching a program called The Family, a government sponsored program that shows the viewers what life at home should be like. The problem with this is that Montags wife takes the program as a substitute for reality. She is almost addicted to buy the program, much as people were with the soma in Brave New World. Bradbury uses this television and its programs as a way of showing the escape he is worried people look will look for in the future.
The Term Paper on World State Bernard Society John
Outcasts are those who have been excluded from a society or a system. Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World contains two sets of people within a somewhat utopist society. Ideally within a utopist society, everyone is alike and there are no differences. Huxley's utopist society has norms just like any other utopist society but the exception is that there outcasts. Specifically, Huxley has included ...
Without actively questioning society values, he is concerned that people will look for ways to ideal spend their time. Through these various diversions from normal behavior in society, Marx, John the Savage and Guy Montag are able to see the truths behind the societies they live in and are able to learn about themselves. And though their discoveries meant that their lives would be changed lies in thinking and questioning. These men found themselves through their own discoveries, much as Bradbury and Huxley hope others will do. 323.
