On brave new world and 1984

Like 1984, Brave new world is also a book against utopia. But different from 1984, which creates a dark, nervous society full of extreme power and high handed means policies where all people are condemned to death if they think differently from ruling government, Brave new world seems like a earthly paradise, where people live a long life, enjoy their social status, live with childish happiness. But in both book, the ruling power think ignorance is strength or happiness.

In 1984, Winston gives up fighting, and submits to the unshakeable power. He “wins” himself a battle by convincing himself, “I love big brother.” with his soul “white” at last. In the brave new world, there are still people who want “unhappiness.” they choose to experiencing hardships by exiling in an island..

I like the brave new world better than 1984, I like author’s writing skills, to present a vivid picture,, which makes me feel that this society is in front of my eyes many times. I guess, the story, and characters in the novel are edited by author based on stories that happens in the real life, because sometimes, I can feel author standing in front of metelling me his life stories with tears, and fears. His languages are sometimes dreamy like.

“A man can smile, and smile, and be a villain.” Sometimes, there is metaphor in it.

“It’s better that one should suffer than that many should be corrupted.” (Isn’t it the law that governs the modern society, the interests of most people?”

“Her heart seemed to stop beating.” (I feel my heart stop beating too.)

Every word he chooses hit the nerve system of reader, and makes reader feel with him too.

I like the philosophy of the book. To be honest, like people in the brave new world, before, I also think the childish happiness is the real happiness in the world. I have fear of growing old,suffer, being hurt by others, and being abandoned by the fortune. The author tells me feeling old is the real happiness. Just as we will never cherish what we have if we haven’t lose something before. The phrases happiness in Chinese has two characters, “pain(痛), and pleasure.（快）” in fact, it’s quite a simple philosophy. Only we experience the pain, can we feel what pleasure looks like. If we spend a long life without love, and passion, we will live calmly like a pig but we are unhappy at the same time.

So if we lose all we have, we feel pain;but if we start from scratch and get we want to have is happiness. Looking back the past twenty three years of life, I experience the mishaps of losing all I have, and fortune of starting from scratch, and getting what I want, so I have experience the pain and pleasure. I am happy now. those entangled pains keep telling me to be alert and never let happiness slip through my finger again.

One thing I feel amused in the brave new world is that Liena can’t understand Mr Savage’s love, and wants to have sex with him, while Mr Savage can’t understand Liena either, and calls her whore. Indeed,Liena judges Mr Savage by her own vulgar standard, for most people, including her are common people who don’t know what pain look like. But the fact is that in the brave new world, no real love exists, but sex. Mr Savage is doomed to be alone.

Anyway, the ending of the brave new world seems more acceptable to me than 1984. 1984 is a real tragedy. Everyone betrays his original beliefs. It;s better to believe that there are still people who are themselves just as in the brave new world, rather than the death of faith in 1984.

（作者：冯萍，外国语言文学系英语104班学生。2014年通过了复旦大学研究生的考试，还收到了波兰华沙大学、波兰波兹南密茨凯维奇大学、波兰弗罗茨瓦夫大学的录取通知书。）

(作者：佚名 编辑：waiguoyu)