This week, I watched the movie Divergent for a second time, and it got me thinking about Brave New World. The movie is about a dystopian society where there are five categories of life, also known as factions. There is abnegation (the selfless ones), candor (the honest ones), erudite (the smart ones), amity (the kind ones), and dauntless (the brave ones). You are only supposed to fit in to one faction, but the whole movie is about one girl who fits in to multiple. She is known as divergent. The society hates divergents due to the fact that they don't conform and have a mind of their own, meaning that they are hard to control. I bring this up because in chapter three of Brave New World, Lenina's friend Fanny tells her how the Director doesn't like when people aren't involved with multiple people, as expected. It made me question what would happen to someone in their society if they didn't follow what was expected. In the society of the movie Divergent, you would be killed instantly if they found out you were divergent. Would they be that cruel in the society of Brave New World just because you aren't a conformist?
It's interesting how in our society, individuality and being a non-conformist are the things we fight for, and in these two societies we see, those are the things they want to destroy. I know I am personally someone who loves individuality and totally supports it. Go ahead, wear what you want the wear, be who you want to be. It's fascinating how there actually is a chance the mindset of the world can change that drastically into the total opposite of what we are thinking today. We want individuality today, but who knows about the future? Brave New World and Divergent open us up to some of the countless ways society can change. This all then ties in to the main point of all our books, technology can change everything. Just let that sink in.
P.S. I really recommend you watch the movie and even read the book of Divergent, they are wonderful!
A literal answer to your question:
ReplyDeleteIn the World State, people who show abnormal tendencies and unorthodoxy are sent to different 'exile countries,' each populated with all of the others that were sent there for the same reasons as that person.
Technically, being sent there is a reward. You get to escape the meaningless and empty World State and join a group of people that you can relate to for once in your life. You get to think freely. You basically get to do what you want.
Also, #DauntlessFTW
Hello Matthew. I just watched Divergent two days ago and I was thinking the exact same thing. Brave New World and Divergent are very similar. I researched the author of Divergent and I found an interview in which she said that Brave New World was one of the first books she read that introduced her to the dystopian genre. It seems as though she just transformed Brave New World into a more modern story.
ReplyDeleteOur society pushes us toward being different and unique. Everyone always says they want to be original, but I feel like there will always be a part inside of everyone that just wants to fit in. Nobody wants to be an outcast, which causes us to lose our individuality.
It's true that we want individuality today, but I feel like it will be more sacred to us later because of how much technology and people are changing.
Hey Matt! While I was reading Brave New World, it seemed so familiar and I didn't know to what it was similar to. Now that you have mentioned Divergent and Brave New World, I see the connections. The two worlds both have tensions that mirror our present political situations. Society fights for individuality but yet when someone shows to be an individual instead of being the same like others, hatred is inflicted towards that. Why is that?
ReplyDelete