Influences Behind Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 - Literature Essay Samples

To many modern readers, the science-fiction genre is a genre built upon utopic visions of peace and intellectual advancement, of idealistic worlds where logic always triumphs over primal instinct. Although the hopeful scientific novel is not written in vain, the science fiction genre has been used throughout history as a way for concerned writers to warn if not prophecy against forthcoming events. This dark sub-genre of science fiction is usually known as à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"dystopian literature,à ¢Ã‚€? and has become a popular literary mode in the twentieth century (Holmes 37). The antithesis of the Utopia, the term à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"dystopiaà ¢Ã‚€? comes from the Greek word for à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"bad place,à ¢Ã‚€? and is traditionally set in a harsh society in which self-expression and individuality are forcibly repressed (Holmes 39). Although dystopian fiction is traditionally associated with science fiction and fantasy, it should not be dismissed as mere story, as it is often based upon social and political trends that the author has observed in the primary world. Both Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, and Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, were able to accurately depict the intellectually dangerous trends of their times, while making startling observations about the future. Although Bradbury and Huxley wrote during different time periods, both were exposed to the political, social, and economic turmoil that spanned the time period from World War I to the end of World War II, eventually leading into the rise of Communism as a major world power in the Soviet Union. Shortly after World War I, two basic themes became prominent in literature à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"isolation and relationship within a decaying moral order (Keanu 237)2Eà ¢Ã‚€? Both authors deal with these themes in their dystopic masterpieces, with Huxley focusing more on the isolation factor and Bradbury exemplifying the need for relationship within even the most rigid social structure. Huxley chillingly portrays a disenchanted world dehumanized by scientific achievement, while Bradbury focuses his attention more on the power of individuals despite the restraints of society. Perhaps the best examples of these two contemporary themes are the characters within the novels themselves2E In Huxleyà ¢Ã‚â‚ ¬Ã‚â„¢s John à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"the Savage,à ¢Ã‚€? we see a man literally and figurative isolated from the World State, while Bradbury gives us Montag, a lonely fireman who must face the question posed to him by a young girl à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"are you happy?à ¢Ã‚€? Aldous Huxleyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s ideas were formed before Bradburyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s, and this is reflected in his writing. Brave New World focuses on many early twentieth-century ideas, as is clear from the many references to Ford that are sprinkled throughout the book. Huxley, having come from a strong intellectual background, was heavily influenced by the literary scene of his time. In fact, Brave New World is modeled largely on an earlier book by H.G. Wells called Men like Gods, which deals with similar dystopic themes (Brave New World: Historical/Literary Background). Additionally, a prototype for the methods used by Huxleyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s World State can be discovered in the pages of Wellsà ¢Ã‚€Â™ Experiment in Autobiography, as well as in the scientific works of the period. These include Charles Darwinà ¢Ã‚€Â™s Origin of the Species, Pavlovà ¢Ã‚€Â™s Conditioned Reflexes, and Bertrand Russellà ¢Ã‚€Â™s The Scientific Outlook (Holmes 139). From these works, Huxley acquired a keen understanding of the scientific way of life, but also realized that an overemphasis on science could lead to the destruction of the individual self, as was evident from the impending secularization of American thought. Huxleyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s lifestyle and upbringing are also of key importance to understanding the context of his writing. Born into a staggeringly intellectual family, Aldous Huxley spent most of his childhood in various preparatory schools for high class children, indulging in his familyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s various intellectual pursuits in his spare time (Brave New World: Historical/Literary Background). During his school years, Huxley noted the rigid à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"caste systemà ¢Ã‚€? that seemed to exist even in a democratic society, with the upper class separated from the lower classes not just by their wealth, but also by their intellectual abilities. In Brave New World, that perceived social system is brought to life through the genetically engineered classes Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Epsilon. On the other hand, Ray Bradbury was aware of many of the same principals that had influenced Huxley, but was writing from a later, post World War II time period. Fahrenheit 451 is much less focused on science than Brave New World, its topic being censorship and intellectual repression. At the time of Bradburyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s writing, the threat of censorship was a reality, both in the United States and overseas. In Nazi Germany, for example, Hitler controlled the thoughts of the masses by destroying thousands of books that he saw as a threat to his government (Keanu 384). After World War II, Stalin did much the same thing in the Soviet Union, censoring materials that threatened Communism while supporting writers who depicted the government in a positive light. Despite the extremes of foreign censorship, Bradbury realized that the American response to the Soviet Union was no better than the initial problem. Under the leadership of Senator Joseph McCarthy, an intellectual witch-hunt beg an to seek out and eliminate materials considered à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"subversive to American Interests (Background Information on Fahrenheit 451).à ¢Ã‚€? Libraries came under fire for owning copies of the Communist Manifesto, and in some instances books were removed from overseas libraries and even burned. Another historical factor that lurks beneath the surface of Bradburyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s narrative is the theme of nuclear war. More than any other theme, the advent of the atomic bomb is useful as a guide for dating Fahrenheit 451; it is conspicuously lacking from Brave New World, due to the fact that Huxley wrote his book prior to the Hiroshima incident. Further tying Fahrenheit 451 in with the Soviet Union time period, Bradbury was most likely influenced in his writing by the apocalyptic fiction that reflected the fears of 1950s America namely Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank, and On the Beach, by Nevil Shute (Holmes 231). The threat of nuclear war is by no means central to the plot of Bradburyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s book, but permeates the background of the story, and subtle references are made to prior wars involving atomic weapons. Many readers associate the destruction of Guy Montagà ¢Ã‚€Â™s city with a nuclear blast (Keanu 98), but that is left ambiguous. From what is told in the story, however, it seems likely that the bomb that destroyed the city was a conventional warhead, as a nuclear attack at such a close distance would probably have killed Montag and his companions, if not from the explosion than at least from the radiation. Despite the fact that Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 are powerful reflections of earlier historical climates, both books reach beyond the moments in which they were written and demonstrate a keen sense of foresight. By the time Huxley wrote Brave New World, the cultivation of the embryos of small mammals and the cloning of parasitic insects had already been accomplished (Brave New World: Historical/Literary Background). The novel prophetically predicts that those technologies would eventually be applied to human beings, as they are today in the twenty-first century. Scientific pioneers like Darwin and Freud had already begun supplanting ethics, religion, art, and philosophy with science at the writing of both dystopic novels, yet many of the predictions made by these books had not yet come to be at the time of their writing, but are now a reality. One need only make a cursory reading of Fire Chief Beattyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s monologues in Fahrenheit 451 to understand just how close to a dystopia the modern world really is. In conclusion, Ray Bradburyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s Fahrenheit 451 and Aldous Huxleyà ¢Ã‚€Â™s Brave New World need to be understood within the historical context of their time in order to better apply the booksà ¢Ã‚€Â™ messages to the contemporary world. The post World War I and II period was a time of monumental change and instability, and a heavy cloud of anxiety was upon all people. Because of this chaos, many sought a simple formula that could be a panacea to all of the worldà ¢Ã‚€Â™s social and economic problems. The totalitarian regimes of Bradbury and Huxley are such a panacea, but the authors illustrate how a government-controlled welfare state can never truly be the answer to global concerns. However, these novels need not be read only as testaments of a bygone era, because the warnings contained between their covers are needed more today than ever before. Both books depict societies that most readers would consider pessimistic or even nihilistic, but it is the way in which the charmingly human characters function in these brave new worlds that strikes a chord of hope. In that formula of pessimistic society versus optimistic humanity, the writers make their mutual point with the strongest resonance the fact that a government can never simulate true peace and prosperity, which must be sought within the individual. Works Cited à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"Background Information on Fahrenheit 471.à ¢Ã‚€? Library Reading Room. Novemeber 11, 2002. Northbrook Public Library. November 25, 2002. à ¢Ã‚€ÂÅ"Brave New World: Historical/Literary Background.à ¢Ã‚€? Monkey Notes. September 16, 2002. PinkMonkey.Com. November 25, 2002. Holmes, H.R. Dystopian Themes in Popular Literature. Boston: McDougal Littel, 1987. Keanu, Jennifer. In the Shadow of War. New York: North Atlantic Press, 1994.

Firearm Violence - Free Essay Example

Firearm violence has been an growing issue in the US, along with argumentative debates on what should be done . A segment of the citizenry is worried that forbidding firearm proprietorship or extremely constraining the entitlement to utilize weapons will be an violation of their rights. In any case, the ongoing increment in mass shootings gives a room to the arrangement of points of confinement on weapon proprietorship and utilize. This paper contends that firearm control is important both for the time being and in the long haul. Controlling guns, for example, constrains the quantity of new firearm proprietors in this way restricting the probability of more wrongdoing being submitted. Firearm control will, as it were, spare lives. To begin with, the biggest number of murders is normally connected to the law segment, where manslaughters by firearm represent the best number of setbacks. Secondary School in Parkland, Florida, which brought about 17 killed and 17 more injured, stunned individuals the nation over, impelling understudy walkouts and walks in help of stricter firearm control laws, including all inclusive, far reaching record verifications and a restriction on ambush weapons(Ramin Skibba, Conveying science to endure, finally, on firearm control banter). One of the key reasons why weapon control is important is the expansion in shooting cases, especially in schools. A few honest school kids have already kicked the bucket because of the commonness of a high number of firearms in the hands of regular citizens. This has urged shooters to utilize the arms improperly. Moreover, a portion of the rivals of firearm control express that chasing is a key movement in their life and that they expect weapons to chase. In any case, a portion of the weapons utilized for chasing are attack and self-loader. Actually, ambush weapons, which represent a noteworthy number of weapons held by private subjects, isnt intended to be utilized for game chasing purposes. A case of abuse, The Las Vegas slaughter. The slaughter at the Beat club in Orlando. The film theater shooting in Aurora, Colo. The Virginia Tech butcher. The slaughter at the Texas First Baptist Church(Robert Gebelhoff, This is the way we spare lives from firearm viciousness). Utilizing quick firing weapons for chasing purposes add up to abuse. Programmed and quick firing weapons are the best decision for mass shooters henceforth such weapons in wrong hands is to a great degree unsafe. Such weapons should be in the hands of law authorities as it were. Handguns can do fine and dandy for chasing purpose s. People and gatherings that contradict weapon control additionally point to the Second Change which enables regular citizens to possess guns with the end goal of individual and societal assurance. Be that as it may, such rights seemed well and good amid minutes when private natives did not confide in the national government. The American common war of the mid nineteenth century gave regular folks such a shot. However in present day days where private residents have swung to hoarding a few guns with no unmistakable danger to their lives, it is important to seek after the Second Change with alert. Instances of furnished regular people shooting cops dead have been on the ascent in the previous five years. In such manner, the quest for the Second Correction must be careful, and firearm control should be implemented. To conclude, firearm possession and utilize should be controlled. It is a disagreeable however essential choice. Such a move would not just restrict access to guns consequently spare lives, yet it will likewise decrease the wild instances of mass shootings and high rates of manslaughters that characterize the present society. Law requirement offices should be engaged to ensure   regular citizens and regular citizens need to confide in law masters to do their work. Use of the Second Alteration ought to be careful. List of sources: https://undark.org/article/firearm control-banter joined states/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/designs/2018/suppositions/weapon control-that-works/?utm_term=.82c77296674c