Oppression In Brave New World

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1. In Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World, the most interesting aspect which warrants closer inspection is the way by which the society in the novel is controlled and oppressed. In general, oppression is naturally associated with tyrannical dictators, in which the masses are brutally suppressed through violent means and are therefore unsatisfied with their state of being. However, this generality is not followed in Brave New World. The rulers, also known as the ’10 controllers’, rule by peaceful means. Instead of ruling through violence, the controllers control their subjects through conditioning during the embryonic stage human development, along in early childhood through hypnopaedia. Interestingly, the embryos of the alpha, beta, gamma, delta,…show more content…
In essence, the controllers ensure that “one believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them” (205). This mind control means that all members of society are happy with their position in society, and sincerely believe in the principles of the controllers. At this point of reading, one might wonder how and why a happy and peaceful society derived from conditioning constitutes oppression. The oppression, in simply terms, is seen in the fact that no members of the society are able to think or act for themselves, meaning that they cannot develop unique perspectives on the world they live in and act independently. In conclusion, this form of indirect oppression, in which society is peaceful and happy, is the most interesting aspect of Brave New…show more content…
Although Brave New World, and George Orwell’s 1984, are antithetical in the sense that the society in Brave New World is a utopia, while the society in 1984 is under a dystopia, there are some extremely interesting similarities between the two texts. The first, most prominent similarity is seen in the fact that the protagonists in both texts are outliers of society who are in opposition of the current society in terms of its values. Moreover, both protagonists know that their society contradicts basic human nature. To elaborate, Bernard Marx and Winston Smith both desire the emotions of love, passion, and sincerity; along with the principle of corruption in respect to their society’s values. To provide a specific example, Marx desires moral corruption in the form if mourning the death of a loved one, marriage, and childbirth. Likewise, Winston desires this moral corruption in the form of sex and intimacy. The similarity is seen in the fact that each protagonist violates the moral conduct in their own respective society. Another intriguing similarity is the presence of a hallucinogenic substance in both novels, which is used to provide temporary respite from reality. In 1984, this substance is in the form of victory gin – an artificial, toxic beverage. In Brave New World, this substance is the form of a recreational drug – Soma. Despite minor difference in the application and effects of these products, their purpose remains the same: to momentarily alleviate the strain of
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