Dystopian Comparisons Essay - 1431 Words

In the Book A Clockwork Orange, the short stories Harrison Burgeron, The Lottery and the movies Gattaca and the Truman Show by Anthony Burgess, Kurt Vonnegut, Shirly Jackson, Andrew Niccol and Peter Wier respectively. These pieces of literature(and cinematography) all have a society that controls and manipulates the individual or Protaganist. The society does this because it wants total control over both the individual and the society as a whole. A Clockwork Orange is futuristic look at England. Where teenagers rule the streets and neglect the somewhat standing laws of society. The novels main character, fifteen-year-old Alex, and his three droogs (friends) Pete, Georgie and Dim, take place in all-night acts of random violence and†¦show more content†¦They used what they learned about him in the treatment center to drive him to suicide. The community manipulated Alex only to regain complete control over the society. The state is also willing to take away freedom of choice and willing to replace it with force-fed good behavior. This is an example of control in a state/society because the state choose to sacrifice liberty (and sanity) for the well being of the society as a whole. In the short story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, the futuristic United states society which has created a totally ‘equal’ society. Where handicaps are given out to all patrons of the society. The society manipulates and controls the main character(s) by giving them handicaps instilling fear in taking them to go against their ways an example of this is when George says â€Å"Two years in prison plus a two thousand dollar fine for every ball I took out, I don’t think that’s a fair bargain†(HB). This demonstrates how the society not only controls their life but also instills fear into the individuals living in the society. They do this by giving out harsh punishment for the crimes they do. They also do this by making the handicaps far more extreme then needed. Another expression of manipulation and control on the society’s part is â€Å"Diana Moon Glampers reloaded the shot gun and aimed at theShow MoreRelatedThe Year Of The Flood By Ma rgaret Atwood1993 Words   |  8 Pageswell as reinforce the information in my memory. In addition, if I wanted to review that information later, I could have it handy. Margaret Atwood is indeed an interesting author. She sees society from a unique point of view and likes to write dystopian novels which depict the eventual fate of humanity if we continue down the path of unforeseen and uncontrolled technological advancements and greed filled politics. She does not oppose progress or technology but is rather mainly concerned about theRead More Humanities’ Irrational and its Effects on a Utopian Society1690 Words   |  7 Pagesare the source. 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