Trying To Find No Place

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Trying To Find No Place

By: Alec Glenn-Cooke

For: Mr. E. Mellow

Period 1, Grade 11 University Preparation English

Thursday, January 18, 2007.

Alec Glenn-Cooke

Mr. E. Mellow

Period 1, Grade 11 University Preparation English

Thursday, January 18, 2007.

Trying To Find No Place

        A dystopia does not pretend to be good, while an anti-utopia appears to be utopian or was intended to be so, but a fatal flaw or malefactor has perverted it (Maven Word of the day).  Far to often these two terms are thought to be synonymous.  Although they are similar, as said in the quotation above, there is a difference between dystopias and anti-utopias.  The concept of an anti-utopia is quite prevelant in George Orwell’s 1984, Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, and Siegfried Sassoon’s  The Hero.  The lifestyle somebody leads may seem to people to be acceptable, fun, or even create the illusion of a utopia, when in actuality their actions either wind up hurting themselves or the ones they love.  The danger of false allies can also tie in with this concept; somebody who is making a character feel safe, may actually be a person who would do nothing to hinder the character’s demise, or even be the one plotting it.  Characters take actions that they think will improve their situations, but deluded by hubris they often cannot. Rather than free them their actions put them in jeopardy.  The protagonist of each work I discuss, Winston in 1984, Alex in A Clockwork Orange, and Jack in The Hero deludes himself that he can create a utopia when in reality in each case misguided actions lead to death or imprisonment.

The feeling of leading a self-beneficial lifestyle is often a misleading one.  For example in the poem The Hero, Jack, who is the war hero in the poem, decides to go away to war.  “ ‘Jack fell as he'd have wished,’ the mother said.” (Sassoon, S. The Hero) This quote is expressing Jack’s patriotism, and how he wished to die for his country.  This also implies that Jack was excited to go to war, and viewed it as a positive thing, or even fun, to go and fight for his country.  When he got there he was nothing but horrified, this is made obvious in this passage from the poem: “He thought how Jack, cold-footed, useless swine/
Had panicked down the trench that night the mine.”  The battlefield was initially viewed as a glorious place to be, and an excellent way to serve your country, but in actuality is a horrifying, dreadful place that will do nothing but generate violence, and many senseless deaths.  In saying this, this was is a place made out to be a utopia, but in actuality, it is an anti-utopia.

In A Clockwork Orange the main character, Alex leads his life of crime knowing that nothing bad will come happen to him, because he has his droogies behind him.  Not only his close circle, but also people around the town willing to create an alibi for him and his friends.  He loves his criminal lifestyle simply because it feels good.  It is not for the money that he does these horrible things, it is simply for the pleasure it gives him.  Anything that gives somebody that much freedom, and that much pleasure is clearly a perfect world to them.  This was Alex’s perfect world.  “ ‘Oh just keep walking’ I said. ‘And viddy what turns up, oh my little brothers.’” (Burgess, A. 6)  Here Alex is assuring his droogs that they will be able to perform some ultra-violence that night.  This illustrates how much they love this life of crime and that the four of them get gratification from their violent acts.  While being violent, committing rape, and dishing out horrorshow tolchocks, these kids feel invincible.  Little to Alex’s knowledge, his acts will eventually lead to him being beaten by his victims, and tortured by the very people he hurts to in the construction of his own apparent utopia.  This of course would change his little world from a place where everything is perfect, to a place where things only seem to be as such, and actually are horrible for little Alex.  People begin to turn on him, and he loses his control over his droogies and society.  At this point even his closest friends are contemplating a mutiny in their group.  Once Alex is reformed, and unable to commit the ugly deeds that used to give him so much pleasure, he is still viewed by society as a hell-raising monster.  People that he has done wrong unto in the past seek out revenge upon him.  Even his parents have replaced him, and have a lodger living in his bed.  Alex’s actions that used to bring him such great joy are now the cause of his great emotional and physical pain.

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In 1984 the protagonist Winston Smith, is a very depressed fellow, due to the oppression of his government.  He, much like Jack from The Hero, and Alex from A Clockwork Orange, chooses not to follow a boring lifestyle. Instead he searches for something that will bring them some excitement and happiness, something that will give them the illusion of a perfect world.  Winston however seeks love out as his saviour from the cage that is life in 1984.  He meets a girl named Julia, and he falls in love with her.  Of course he never shows this in public, out ...

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