Lucas Utopias and Dystopias Blog Blog

 Like every person ever Winston has negatives and positives as a person. He is problematic in his treatment of Julia, however I think his desire to incite change is admirable. Like the leading characters of many dystopian novels he finds himself near alone in his desire for change and is ultimately unsuccesful. In some ways he represents the sensibilities of an average person at the time of writing plopped into this dystopia. Orwell probably did this intentionally to make the novel more impactful.

I think it is only fair that I dedicate a blogpost to comparing the two novels we have read in this class so far. Brave New World is a lot more satirical and tongue in cheek while 1984 is very gritty and dark. They both however, explain the authors concerns about the society they lived in and their worries for the future. They both represent the potential for society to go awry if it continues down its current path.  

 Another Dystopian novel which bears similarities and differences to 1984 is V for Vendetta. In V for Vendetta there is a similar system of surveilance and government control. V for Vendetta ends with a successful revolution where a lot of people day. However, it is slightly more optimistic. 1984, like I have said before is largely a warning of what could happen. 

 1984 largely creates a world in which things feel like they have gone too far to be fixed. Those who try to rebel against the status quo are ultimately unsuccessful. In this way 1984 seems to suggest, act now before its too late. While maybe the world we live in now is a few rungs off fully devolving into the fascist realm in 1984, it could progress to that if we are not careful. 

 When I read 1984 I can't help but compare it to the multitude of other Dystopian novels I have read. Specifically ones like Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451. These novels share a lot fo key similarities, an oppressive government looking to suppress culture. Meaningless social structure, rampant violence and war. Bradbury's work is much more positive, as the ending is one of hope and looks towards a future where people can return to a civilized society. 1984 has a somber and disheartening ending, almost a warning to its readers. 

Big Brother is probably one of the most referenced elements of 1984 in modern culture today. The constant surveillance of the populous in our current age draws many comparisons to Orwell's magnum opus. This leads me to consider how similar are they actually? My limited knowledge of the patriot act and other similar measures by the US government put a damper on my ability to make a true comparison. However, I think there are a lot of fundamental similarities. The people are at the whims of their government when it comes to privacy and complete and total control is given up to the government. In 1984 we see a government which uses it almost entirely for evil so-to-speak, but in the modern day the moral status of surveilance is murkier. However, the key similarity is that they give the government complete leverage over its people.