Comparing Dystopia In The Giver And Half-Life

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At least once in a life, one will dream about having a perfect world. However, one must think, whether a utopia will always turn out to be what mankind wishes, and what the result of an attempt will be. This question is answered by a single word, dystopia; a dystopia can be the result of many attempts to create a perfect world, so a utopia will not always result in a world that mankind wishes. But what really is a utopia, or dystopia? A utopia can be defined as a flawless, orderly world where there is no competition, jealousy, or hate. Everyone in the society is content and well satisfied with their ordeal, perfect lives. However, like many societies that try to create a perfect world, they are unsuccessful, resulting in a dystopia. A dystopia gives the citizens an illusion of a perfect world and can be considered an anti-utopia. In addition, in a…show more content…
This instance of a failed utopian world can be seen in all three works, The Giver by Lois Lowry, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, and “Half-life.” These three societies attempt to create a perfect world, although each is unsuccessful, resulting in a dystopian world. Essentially, these three societies were unsuccessful as utopias because individuality was restricted and independent thinking was not allowed. Prohibition of independent thinking is definitely a factor of an unsuccessful utopian world. In countless societies that have failed to become a utopia, independent thinking is not allowed; therefore, the citizens of the community have restricted freedom, as the society or government controls their emotions. In a dystopian society, one’s thoughts are controlled, as in one example that states, “The buzzer sounded in George’s head. His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm.” (Vonnegut 1). Intelligent people like George, by authority, are required to wear mental handicaps, which produce distracting noises to

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