Comparison Between 1984 And Fahrenheit 451 - 1404 Words

Close examination of the respective protagonists and antagonists of both 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury reveals how the texts in question challenge and restructure the outdated ‘myth’ of moral absolutism through characters which do not comfortably fit the mould of ‘hero’ or ‘villain’. With reference to these characters and evaluation of their morality in relation to three key branches of normative ethical theory – namely deontological ethics, virtue ethics and care ethics– this essay will explore this statement, in addition to the flaws inherent within moral absolutism and the subsequent need for a degree of moral ambiguity in fiction. Deontology is an ethical theory which assesses the morality of an act, and by†¦show more content†¦Winston does not stop with what The Party terms â€Å"thoughtcrime† however, directly breaking the law in action as well as thought by repeatedly paying for sex, despite the fact that according to Party law â€Å"consorting with prostitutes [is] forbidden†. In contrast, the actions of Big Brother – Oceania’s great leader whose name is synonymous with power and the law, and the apparent villain of the novel – become the very height of morality. It is Big Brother’s idea to utilise a new, vastly censored and truncated form of English, called Newspeak, to â€Å"narrow the range of thought†. This language aims to eventually render the citizens of Oceania without the words required to mentally frame or communicate concepts like rebellion, dissatisfaction or resistance and thereby â€Å"make thoughtcrime literally impossible†. If moral actions are quantified, in alignment with deontological ethics, as those which protect and uphold the law, then rendering an entire populace unable to conceptualise disobedience must qualify as the ultimate act of ‘goodness’ – challenging the norm of an absolutely morally reprehensible antagonist or ‘bad guy’. However, if viewed according to the theory of virtue ethics, the actions of Big Brother must instead be classified as fundamentally wrong. Virtue ethicists argue for a more conventional understanding of morality, placing a high significance on the attributes of the mind and individual character, which would place the antagonistsShow MoreRelatedThe Loss of Personal Freedoms in a Totalitarian Government Essays1810 Words   |  8 Pagesspeak freely, they do not enjoy any personal freedoms or privacy, and the media is aggressively censored. This is the world of George Orwell’s 1984 and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. The protagonist of Fahrenheit 451 is Guy Montag, and he is a fireman. His job is to destroy books completely by setting fire to them. Winston Smith is the main character in 1984, where he works as a civil servant in the lower class ruling party. Both of these men become entranced with the past and how life was before aRead MoreThe Road By Cormac Mccarthy, Ray B radbury, And 19842199 Words   |  9 Pagescurrent state. The works that I used to investigate this genre were The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and 1984 by George Orwell. All of these books are categorized in the dystopian genre but have very different symbols, styles, and implications. Each of these novels have different styles because some include a society with overbearing rules, such as Fahrenheit 451 and 1984, whereas The Road has virtually no society. Despite their differences, the purpose of these novelsRead MoreRay Bradbury s Fahrenheit 4512323 Words   |  10 PagesPicture a world where one must meet the expectations of being normal, where diversity is not accepted, or even worse, a detached society where emotions no longer exist. By reading the first few pages of Fahrenheit 451, readers immediately get the feeling of a dystopian society. Firemen creating fires, instead of extinguishing them, and technology that has taken their society to a who le new level of entertainment. These are exaggerated ideas right off the bat, yet Ray Bradbury carries the readersRead MoreEssay The Myopia of Dystopia3805 Words   |  16 Pagesdeem the modern-day world as the good place(Hermon, Holman) but rather one of the indescribable atrocities of war, disease, hunger etc#8230; A utopian world is a difficult, if not impossible, one to forge. Novels such as Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984 are dystopian novels, with often-satirical undertones within their pages. This works are allegories, sardonic depictions of our societies ills. Each work contain strong hard-hitting political messages with common themes such as the fine lineRead MoreFahrenheit 451: The Future is Now Essay2640 Words   |  11 PagesTruffaut’s treatment of the Nazi regime in comparison to the firemen in his film shows the type of government he desired to depict, one that â€Å"succinctly and successfully institutionalized mass schizophrenia,† a governme nt founded on the â€Å"murderous ideologies† of â€Å"Communism and Nazism† (Gonzalez 1), a totalitarian society mirroring the world in Bradbury’s novel among other dystopian novels of the time. His society fits the idea of totalitarianism in the fact that it is a â€Å"form of government that theoreticallyRead MoreAnalysis of The Bluest Eye and Other Works2035 Words   |  9 Pagesis not sure if her eyes are the bluest eyes. She also is going insane, talks to an imaginary friend, and thinks that her mother treats her coldly because she is jealous of her blue eyes. Claudia describes Pecolas as the giver of beauty since in comparison to her ugliness the rest of the community felt beautiful, and superior. Pecola was the scapegoat for the entire town, she is the place where they all dump the self-hatred they harbor in themselves for not fitting into Americas standard of beautyRead MoreMy Personal Narrative : My Literary Journey1641 Words   |  7 Pagesmiddle o f the school year. Moving schools is already a terrifying experience for a young boy, I had to leave my friends and make new ones and what if the kids at my new school didn’t like me? All of my early fears of moving schools were miniscule in comparison to what I actually discovered when I got to my class. At my previous school we had just mastered the alphabet and were beginning to learn how to read single words so you can imagine how aghast I was when I found out that every kid in my new classRead MoreAnalysis Of Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury And 1984 By George Orwell1784 Words   |  8 PagesMENTALITY OF CONFORMITY The societies in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and 1984 by George Orwell clearly show the serious effects of conformity. Despite the lack of freedom to think independently, both societies maintain their general happiness. Conformity is the most common and most persuasive form of social influence. The matching of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are signs of conformity. It has become an unconscious, natural part of everyday life; however, it has been occurring for centuriesRead MoreCritics of Novel 1984 by George Orwell14914 Words   |  60 Pages1984 In George Orwells 1984, Winston Smith wrestles with oppression in Oceania, a place where the Party scrutinizes human actions with ever-watchful Big Brother. Defying a ban on individuality, Winston dares to express his thoughts in a diary and pursues a relationship with Julia. These criminal deeds bring Winston into the eye of the opposition, who then must reform the nonconformist. George Orwells 1984 introduced the watchwords for life without freedom: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. WrittenRead MoreIntroduction : How ve He Do That?10829 Words   |  44 Pagesperfected with lots of practice and understanding memory, symbol, and pattern; this only enhances the reading and provokes the reader to analyze the text in a more productive way. Once you become a more avid reader you will be privileged to make comparisons, connections, and your own conclusion from the literary work you’re reading with certain aspects of many different literary works you’ve read along the way. Not only does this bring depth into the work for your better understanding of the â€Å"big idea†