• Home Page
  • Brave New World Conflict Between Individuality And Conformity

Brave New World Conflict Between Individuality And Conformity

Improved Essays
Show More
Joy Morounfolu
Mrs. Weiss
Honors English 10
4 August 2014
Choosing Between Individuality and Conformity Individuality consists of one’s own thought and freedom which is not known in these societies and conformity is the social influence which involves a certain belief and or a certain behavior to fit in with a group. Anthem by Ayn Rand and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley believe their societies are a utopia. Both novels are a society without individuality, and solitude is forbidden. Both novels Anthem and Brave New World analyze the conflicts between individuality and conformity in their society, which impacts the protagonist in Anthem, Equality 7-2521, and the protagonist in Brave New World, John the Savage, to attempt to bring freedom …show more content…
In Anthem there is no “I or me”, meaning the use of singular pronouns is not known. There is only “we and us”, their knowledge of the plural pronouns. At the age of fifteen, the Council will assign children jobs and they begin working immediately. It is also forbidden for men not to be happy because they believe, “…men are free and earth belongs to them; and all things on earth belong to all men; and the will of all men together is good for all; and so all men must be happy” (Rand 45-46). This society compels the people to believe they have freedom and equality instead of actually realizing they do not. In Brave New World soma and hypnopaedia are used to control the people of the World State. According to the hypnopaedic lessons, “A gramme in time saves nine” (Huxley 89). They receive a gramme of soma, which is a narcotic that puts individuals in a state of unfeeling unconsciousness so whenever individuals do not feel happy; they remember the phrase and take soma. The use of hypnopaedic lessons allows the leaders to keep the people of the World State thinking in a specific way, keeps societies in line and allows control and …show more content…
In order for people to be their own person, they must think for themselves. Others should not be able to control how other people act, feel, or think. Also everyone has their own opinion on everything. It is okay not to agree with others’ opinion because it just shows the expression of one’s opinion. The ideas people must reject in order to conform are opposite of the ideas people accept to live as an individual. In order to conform, it means that one is trying to belong. Acting and behaving as others shows how to conform

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Analysis Of A Dystopian Society In Anthem By Ayn Rand
    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analysis Of A Dystopian Society In Anthem By Ayn Rand

    Many people view the society in Anthem as a dystopian society, where each individual’s life is controlled by the government. If the question, “Is the world in Anthem more like today or in 1776?” was asked to a group of students who have read the book, a good majority of that group would answer 1776, including me. To illustrate my point, the people of the United States in 1776 wanted to find ways to survive through the nation as a whole. The thought of independence did not delight them, nor did it ever come to their mind. Everyone was so into the idea of using “We” instead of “I”, therefore, avoiding individualism.…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Social Control In Brave New World
    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Social Control In Brave New World

    Soma is used by the citizens to escape reality when life gets overwhelming and it is described as a vacation reality in the book. The soma is a form of social control because it keeps the citizens from thinking anything is wrong because the moment they do they are conditioned to take soma to solve the problem. Lenina uses the soma and she desperately wants the soma when she visits the Savage Reservation with Bernard because the shock of the Savage’s lifestyle is too much for her (Huxley 94). The Savage’s mother Linda comes back to civilization and she then eventually dies from taking too much soma to escape the reality of her life and to feel good because she believes the only soma can offer that (130). Lastly this drug keeps the people from being free according to the Savage and this social control because the people are so unaware that their being controlled that the children try to kill the Savage when he is throwing the soma out the window instead of thinking about what the Savage is saying or that the bliss they have is a lie…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Word 'We' In Ayn Rand's Anthem Society
    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Word 'We' In Ayn Rand's Anthem Society

    In the book Anthem, every character uses only the words “We. Them, Our, etc” never the words “Me, Mine, I, Etc.” it is a transgression or sin, to think of oneself, if you do so then you can be put in jail. You must not think for yourself, about yourself, favor something or someone over another thing, it is also a transgression to look at women. All men and women are to work towards of the greater…

    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Equality 7-2521 In Ayn Rand's Anthem
    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Equality 7-2521 In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    Having to face countless amounts of hardships in a cruel, twisted society proves no easy task for anyone to accomplish, however, Equality 7-2521 was able to break this barrier and step into a new, reformed world. Throughout the course of the novel Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, Equality’s motivations allowed him to see the society people were living in from a different point of view. In a society where everyone lives by the quote “‘We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever.’ ”…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Theme Of Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem
    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Theme Of Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    Individuality in Anthem Society influences the way people think and behave throughout their entire lives. However, the dystopian novel Anthem by Ayn Rand presents a society that controls the behaviors, actions, and even thoughts of their citizens. Rand’s two main characters Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 represent common archetypes found in many other literary works. These archetypes help Rand develop the theme that suppression of individuality depletes peoples’ happiness because it is an essential part of humanity.…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem
    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    “I am myself; you are yourself; we are two distinct persons, equal persons…provided with faculties necessary to our individual existence...” This quote -- taken from a letter written by former ex-slave Fredrick Douglas to ex- “master” Thomas Auld -- explains the overall meaning of Individuality. It is the possession of characteristics that help to set an individual apart from others and thereby make him unique. In Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem, Rand expresses the importance of individuality by showing its effect on the main character’s happiness, ability to acquire new ideas and the society’s ability to acquire new ideas. The evident lack of individuality seen in this book is also present in the novel Uglies by Scott Westerfled.…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem
    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    Anthem by Ayn Rand is written as the journal of Equality 7-2521. Equality 7-2521 lives in a society where Individuality does not exist and differences are evil. He has been taught since he was a child, “… If you are not needed by your brother men, there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies” (Rand 22). Equality has been cursed since birth because he is smarter and taller than his brothers (Rand 21). Because he enjoys science, and wants to be assigned to the Home of the Scholars; he is guilty of the Transgression of Preference.…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Power Of Equality In Anthem By Ayn Rand
    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Power Of Equality In Anthem By Ayn Rand

    The first rule in Anthem is that nobody has agency. The community has a place called the Palace of Mating. “This is the time each spring when all men older than twenty and all the women older than eighteen are sent for one night to the City Palace of Mating. And each of the men have one woman assigned to them by the Council of Eugenics. Children are born each winter, but women never see their children and children never know their parents”(Rand 41).…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem
    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    The society believes that nothing positive can come from one man, that one man cannot decipher the same as numerous minds together. The society delineation in Anthem is not one you would want to live in, due to the lack of camaraderie in the community.…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    How Does Huxley Use Individualism In Brave New World
    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does Huxley Use Individualism In Brave New World

    Each and every person on the planet has a different appearance, a different personality, and more importantly, a different point of view. It is these differing aspects that make an individual who he or she really is and promote the wellbeing of human beings as a whole. In the novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, John faces a predicament of his own values against those of the World State. John's decision to defy the absurdity of the situation results varying degrees of rebellion. Huxley uses these acts to convey that individuality is necessary for human well being.…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Isolation In Brave New World Essay
    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Isolation In Brave New World Essay

    In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the motto of the World State is ‘Community, Identity and Stability’. This utopia desires to be a world where pain and suffering are eliminated for all citizens, but pleasure is perpetual. Consequently, this unknowingly ceases the freedom of the citizens of the World State. Ultimately, citizens of Brave New World’s society are in a constant state of imprisonment due to their inability to feel unhappy. Brave New World focuses on how happiness and truth cannot coexist through the use of soma, the use of science, and the theme of isolation.…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Brave New World Individualism Analysis
    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Brave New World Individualism Analysis

    Is social stability worth the price of giving up your individualism in exchange for a life filled with nothing, but joy? Is this not what everyone thrives for? In the book Brave New World the society that everyone is accustomed makes sure everyone is happy, has a role and title, and there is no crime nor religion. For a society to become a utopia in my opinion, must have these essentials: a society that everyone can be themselves without any worry, crime is a thing of the past, everyone contributes to society and are equal, and everyone lives a long and fulfilling life. Social stability comes with a price along with everything else, and I say that even though it has its advantages, people, along with myself are not ready to give up their rights and lose their individualism to achieve this so called utopia.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Conformity In Brave New World Vs Gattaca
    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Conformity In Brave New World Vs Gattaca

    The individual, a strong independent person who can rise to success by their own accord. Conformity, to be able to work with a group harmoniously, to fit in with everyone else. With these two contrasting ideas begs the debate of when to be an individual and when to conform to the group. In book Brave New World the entire dystopia is built around the stability of conformity and rejection of the individual. While in the film Gattaca their society is not focused on conformity as much so the success of the individual.…

    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Freedom In Brave New World Essay
    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Freedom In Brave New World Essay

    In a time when freedom isn’t an option and opinions didn’t exist, being an individual was a extensive challenge for any member of the World State. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, independence is never experienced, this is made clear through the characters Bernard Marx, Helmholtz Watson, and John the Savage. Freedom is understood in many ways, these three characters all struggle for liberty, each of them want to feel what they believe to be individualistic, despite all wanting to be free in different senses. In a so called “perfect world,” each human is given the life they’re expected to live, which undeniably follows with no outlook or perspective. The three subjects that struggle with this lifestyle, are the same people that genuinely need individuality to feel complete.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Soma In Brave New World Symbolism Essay
    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Soma In Brave New World Symbolism Essay

    Brave New World: The Symbol of Soma Being judged, exposed, laughed at, and made fun of is something no one would ever wish upon themselves. In this novel, Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley there is a solution for it all. Characters in this story do not experience the pains and the hard truths that most humans have to endure with the use of one small, powerful drug called soma. Aldous Huxley uses soma as a symbol of uniformity and complete control over all users in the World State. Uniformity can be good if one is looking for leadership and instruction, yet it can be a deadly concept if it impacts a society.…

    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings