Dashwood 1

Juliana Dashwood

Mrs. Farr, English 12 Period 2

April 2, 2017

Mindless Drones

A young girl walks the city streets and all she sees is solemn faces, blank stares, and not a

splash of color in sight except for the government poster which plaster the walls. This girl lives

in a dystopian society, which draws out all of the happiness from people's lives. When people

live in dystopian societies they are suppressed and dont have the ability to be expressive which

is part of human nature. Dystopian societies cause people to live meaningless lives due to the

fact that they limit people's human interactions, expressions, and even how they feel.

Part of being human is making relationships with other people, but in dystopian societies,

their interaction is limited to they don't have this right. It was a physical problem that had to be

that had to be solved; how to get in touch with the girl and arrange a meeting(George Orwell

109). Winston wanted to meet with Julia but it was very hard. Big Brother was always watching

and if they were caught together they could get in trouble, and possibly lead to death. Even

though Winston and Julia both wanted to see each other, the society they lived in made it very

hard for them to have any kind of relationship. Human interaction is difficult because of the

constant watching and fear of being caught, In those societies, it can even be illegal to talk about

certain things with others.

Making connections with people is one of the greatest parts of life, and when what people

has to be in a structured way, it is difficult to communicate and live a full live. He had been

trained since earliest childhood, since his earliest learning of language, never to lie. It was an
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integral part of the learning of precise speech(Lois Lowry 43). In The Giver people are forced

to speak a specific way, and that makes living and interacting very hard. They also arent

allowed to lie, and while that may be good in a way, people arent able to have any fun only

telling the truth. When how people can interact with others in controlled, like in 1984, and The

Giver, people can never truly be satisfied with their life.

In dystopian societies people aren't allowed to express how they truly feel without having

possible consequences from the government. The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate

was not that one was obliged to act a part, but, on the contrary, that it was impossible to avoid

joining in(Orwell 14). In 1984 they are forced to participate in the two minutes hate even if

they don't agree with it. Their government forces them to express hate, and they don't have a say

in how they actually feel, taking away some of their humanity. In these societies their verbal

expression is limited, as well as their physical expressions.

People show who they really are through actions and all sorts of expressions. Without

this freedom, they are restrained from their full potential. It is generally thought rude to touch

someone else who is not within one's family unit (Lowry). In this society, people arent

allowed to touch each other let alone hug or kiss, and that truly limits how much compassion and

feelings one can show. Without being able to hug someone, just to show them that they are their

for them, how can anyone ever feel complete. Living in a society where people can express

themselves would be a boring and empty life.

Emotions are one thing that people feel like they have control over, but in Dystopian

societies that is not the case. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was

finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother (Orwell 298).While
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Winston tries to stay true to his beliefs and feelings, the torture by Obrien is too unbearable and

caused him to break down and change. Winston was controlled by society and was forced to

change his feelings towards Big Brother, taking away the main thing that makes him human.

Emotions in dystopian societies can be altered as well as suppressed.

Emotions shape people and when they are taken away, it hides who someone really is.

Tomorrow morning, skip your injection. I've been doing it for months(Lowry). Jonas knows

that the daily injections suppress their emotions and he tells Fiona to stop taking hers, so she can

truly feel. This dystopian society chemically alters the way the feel, and that is unthinkable and

inhumane. Emotions shouldnt ever be changed because how people feel is what makes them

special.

Dystopian societies may be strict, but without the government control everyone would be

in mass hysteria all the time. People need structure and control in their life because people act

on impulses which drive them to failure, and then societies lose order. Dystopian societies are

too strict and don't let people actually live. Too much structure can even cause more rebellion

because the people can be so surprised, and that they need to break free.

Limiting people's rights and controlling everything the citizens do is what Dystopian

societies do to impact people's humanity. Human interaction shapes people but they are limited,

in how they can make connections. People must be able to express themselves. People emotions

aren't even their own in these societies. Humans can only live fulfilling lives if they can truly be

themselves. While dystopian societies are only a thing of imagination, humanity as a whole

must learn from this type of society and its flaws and diverge as far away as possible. In the

world many people are different, and instead of trying to change that and make everyone the
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same like in dystopian societies, these differences should be celebrated. Without diversity the

world would be very bland and boring, and expression through color and actions should be free

flowing, because what really are humans without their individuality.

Works Cited
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Penguin Group, 1977.