Similarities Between The Island And Anthem

Dystopias: How Leaders Attempt to Achieve Stability Throughout history, many leaders have tried with varying degrees of success to create various utopian societies in an effort to ensure a stable way of life. This is no different in the film The Island or the novella Anthem, where the leaders desperately attempt to reign ultimate power and control over their citizens to create a strong society. Despite The Island being very technologically advanced compared to the community in Anthem that is trapped in the dark ages, both circumstances allow the leaders to have complete control, achieving stable societies where information is withheld from the citizens. Additionally, through different means of propaganda, the leaders of both dystopias are …show more content…
In The Island, the society is so technologically advanced that clones have been created for the rich to buy as an ‘insurance policy’ to help them live longer. In a presentation to potential buyers, the leader Merrick said, “‘The Agnate, an organic frame engineered directly into adulthood…. Within twelve months, it’ll be harvest-ready, providing a carrier of your baby, second pair of lungs, fresh skin all genetically indistinguishable from your own,’” (Bay, The Island). Merrick is hiding the truth from these investors in order to grow the dystopian society that he has created of clones. The investors do not realize that an identical clone of them will be created and that a society of clones exists. They believe that the medical company has made technological advances that can help them live longer, not that they have created thousands of clones. No one from the outside world knows that the clones exist, and if no one knows that the clones exist, no one can stop Merrick from having ultimate power over the clones. Merrick has hid the truth from the outside world so that he can have complete control over the clones in the society, creating a stable community. Additionally, technology also …show more content…
This is evident when those selected to go to ‘The Island’ hear, “You’re special. You have a very special purpose in life. You’ve been chosen. The Island awaits you,” (Bay). The civilians have been brainwashed into believing that the island is special, and it is a privilege to be chosen to go, when in actuality, those chosen to go to ‘The Island’ will die. However they do not know that, so they live with the sole purpose of going to the island. Merrick has used propaganda to gain complete control of the dystopian society that he has created. He has given the society false hope, and the civilians will do whatever they are told to do because they believe in ‘The Island’. Merrick is able to hide the truth because no one questions ‘The Island’, because propaganda has forced them to make it their sole purpose to be chosen. No one in the society can think for themselves and choose their own path because propaganda has made them believe in the same purpose. Merrick has complete power over them due to the use of propaganda, and has established a stable society. Propaganda has the same effect when it is used to get the society to believe that they survived a world wide catastrophe. When Lincoln begins to question why things are, Merrick responds by saying, ‘“But don’t you realize how lucky you are? That you survived the contamination. That nature has left you a Garden of Eden to