A prophecy

[MJS]

Personally, I found Brave New World more depressing than 1984. In 1984, I caught some glimpse of hope, even though Orwell discredits it later--the sentence about there being hope in the proles. In BNW there is no hope like that offered. The social structure of BNW is a fully foolproof system. There is no possibility at all for change. There is no salvation at all in the "proles". Even if shown a free soceity they would not accept it. Every member of society is complacent--they are satisfied with the way things are, and wish it to remain that way. They CANNOT think about their situation any other way--they are raised to accpet their status.<br>In order to keep power in 1984, the Party depends on suppression and force. In BNW, they don't need to use force--people have already embraced their fate.<br>(This leaves out, of course, the top level of the Alphas, who sometimes dissent (but are easily silenced.) But, ultimately, it makes no differnece--the "proles" would not rebel with them.)

[Natasha]

Actually, in my opinion both of them are so depressive because they depict the future of the world. I hope that we do something about it very fast or we will all end up like both Winston and John Savage. Don't you think so? Perhaps I did not express myself clear enough when I said "but this time without rose-tinted spectacles" because Huxley does everyhing but look at the world through such specs. And you are right about the accepted way of life in the BNW, but doesn't Winston accept the way of life imposed by the Big Brother in the end too? Yes, there was a glimpse of hope in his relationship with Julia but he betrayed the only thing that could pull him out of his misery and that was love. On the other hand, the only symbol of hope in the BNW was John Savage who succumbs to the drug and hangs himself. All in all it I think that we can conclude that there is little hope for the future of our civilization because we are bannishing old values and traditions. What do you think MJS?

[Natasha]

A chilling story that goes to the center of human existence. We encounter basic human need for an interior, spiritual, emotional life and a purity of vision that the main character is deprived of. The writer leaves us speechless with a new vision of the Brave New World (in Huxley's terms) but this time without the rose-tinted spectacles. The vision is the one of severe depression and devastation, lack of respect for national feelings, confirmed displacement, poverty and starvation, global and local epidemics and the lasting spectacle in the minds of devastated regions, broken bodies and lost identities. <br> <br>