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Help ! I need more "perceptive" ideas in my CW on 1984 and Brave New World

I need more perceptive ideas to get into band 6 anyone have any ideas ? My question is "The societies portrayed in George Orwell’s “1984” and Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” are too depressingly bleak. How far do you agree with this view?"
Original post by CharmanderA
I need more perceptive ideas to get into band 6 anyone have any ideas ? My question is "The societies portrayed in George Orwell’s “1984” and Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” are too depressingly bleak. How far do you agree with this view?"


Going to put this English for you.

What ideas have you had about this so far? :smile:
Original post by CharmanderA
I need more perceptive ideas to get into band 6 anyone have any ideas ? My question is "The societies portrayed in George Orwell’s “1984” and Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” are too depressingly bleak. How far do you agree with this view?"


This is the coursework question of my dreams!!

Have you read the Newspeak appendix at the end of 1984? Some critics have read that as an extension of the novel. It's written in exactly the same past tense and it can be interpreted as actually implying a hopeful end to the story (as opposed to a 'depressingly bleak' portrayal of society). It's written in standard English (and as I said, refers to Ingsoc, The Party and so on in the past tense, suggesting that it is a thing of the past) rather than corrupted Newspeak. If you fancy reading more on this, Margaret Atwood has discussed it far more eloquently than I have. Also, if you do decide to make this point, refer back to society and how they could have potentially overcome their government so that you're focused on the specifics of the question.

As for BNW, if you haven't already, I suggest unpicking the wording of your question - what is 'depressingly bleak' exactly? The line between utopian and dystopian society is blurred - the notion of 'stability' and a world free of disease is hardly 'depressingly bleak'! And in this light, soma is actually referred to as being 'Christianity without the tears,' so people are protected from harsh, conscious reality. So perhaps society IS depicted as bleak, but not depressingly so.

Also, the character of Helmholtz offers hope. He's rationally critical of his society and actually lives to the end - so maybe hope doesn't die with John the Savage.

Of course, this is all counter argument, but I presume you aren't struggling for agreement with the question! Apologies if this post made absolutely no sense - my own literature revision has broken me!

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