1984/Brave New World Literary Analysis Essay
For this essay, you will use your assigned novel and one other dystopian novel, film, or short story to write an essay
analyzing one of the following prompts. Your essay will:
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be 750-1000 words in length (3-4 pages typed and double-spaced)
use at least FIVE direct quotes from the text (s) to demonstrate your points
focus heavily on literary analysis with minimum plot summary
1. Are the two works you selected written in earnest, or are they works of satire? Construct an argument regarding the
way the two works should be read. Do the authors have similar goals and points of focus, or do they create completely
disparate texts? Explain.
2. Do the two works you selected offer a believable and/or realistic view of the future? Why or why not?
3. Explore how your two works explore the idea that a social caste system is necessary in creating social stability. Is it
realistic to think that a person could ever be satisfied as a member of a lower social stratum? Do you think our current
society sets people up to belong to a specific social class? Should it? Use your personal experience and the two works
you selected to defend or refute your position.
4. In many dystopian works, the needs of the community are valued over the needs of the individual. Analyze how this
conflict operates in the two works you selected. What do you believe is more important, the good of the individual or
the good of the community? Apply this question to a current political debate, such as the question of NSA surveillance.
5. In much of dystopian fiction, the citizens pay a heavy price for the “ideal world” that their governments provide.
Some would argue that to the ends justify the means, and that restricting freedom is a small price to pay for keeping the
masses in relative security and contentment. Others would argue that this is too high a price for happiness, stability,
and security. Take a stance and explain your view using the works you selected for support.
6. Why do you think dystopian fiction is appealing as genre? Use the works you selected to answer this question.
7. Compare and contrast the subject matter of a 20th century dystopian work with a 21st century work. Discuss some of
the writing conventions and topics we discussed in class as well as how women, race, and/or ethnicity function in the
works you chose. Finally, are 21st century authors continuing the dystopian tradition that Huxley and Orwell began, or is
recent history producing a new brand of dystopian literature? If so, what is it and why has it changed?
8. We already discussed the concept of a tragic hero with Hamlet, but dystopian heroes are far from a classical definition
of tragic hero. They are anti-heroes—a more modern, flawed version of Aristotle’s ancient definition. The anti-hero is
either a non-hero or the antithesis of a traditional hero (ex: Jay Gatsby, Montag, Holden Caulfield). While the traditional
hero may be dashing, strong, brave, resourceful, or handsome, the anti-hero may be incompetent, unlucky, clumsy,
dumb, ugly, or clownish. Argue whether the protagonists in your two works are heroes or anti-heroes. Examine why
your author chose to present the characters in this manner. Is it necessary to the plot that the character is a hero or
anti-hero, or would the plot crumble with a different character? Explain.
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