Dongyi He
Professor Ashraf
English 130
02 December 2017
Throughout the world, censorship occurs in our society with its media, teaching and other manipulation tools to stop one from having individualism. Through media, information displays unique viewpoints and ideas, and when consumer only intake one source, they become bias towards other views. Similarly, teaching may twist certain details, and there is also information that is wiped out from the history thus making students ignorance to the truth. Overall, censorship makes one blind to information infant of them thus leaving on quickly be controlled and used. Brave new world by Aldous Leonard Huxley set a great example of censorship through their setting and symbolism by their usage of stripping the citizen identity for social stability. Animal Farm by George Orwell also contains censorship through their violence, media, and dictatorship. (Use secondary sources for animal farm here) One work even goes inept with the concept of censorship in the Brave new world is “A Foucauldian reading of Huxley’s Brave New World” by Bilal Tawfiq Hamamra speak of the way emotions and thoughts of the citizen was a condition for their state’s stability. By which it shows without a feeling of fear and anger, one would not question or rebel against something they are not against. To have possession of someone, the mind is by drugging people. The drug soma is repeatedly reminded of the story. “Conditioned that they practically can’t help behaving as they ought to behave. And if anything should go wrong, there’s soma” (Huxley 151). The usage of soma is to keep people in control and to keep them from being too knowledgeable. It also stops others to question things because why would one rebel against something that has a sense of happiness whether fake or not, it would stop people from trying to get rid of what makes them feel relief. As Bilal stated, “reading books and enjoying nature arouse the individuals' imagination and curiosity that leads them to the den of truth and spiritual awareness.” (Hamamra) Thus it is reasonable to see why they are the condition to like and hate certain items because it would lead to self-development and would eventually start to question the societal structure. By making them become ignorant masses, no one would doubt what the government tells them to do.
There are other methods used to censor one from acting out of line or to try and gain independence is by causing them fear. An example used from Animal Farm is the way Napoleon creates fear among his comrade by using violence and to control their populace. “No one dared speak his mind…when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes. There was no thought of rebellion or disobedience in her mind ” (Orwell 87). States the use of violence and fear, lead the animals shock to the point of submission. It is a tactic used to show the other animals of what happens to those that disobey or rebel against their leader Neapolitan. Thus they have shut off the animals sense of voice, freedom by placing fear into their mind. Secondly, Squealer someone who is well known for having a compelling argument whether they were justified. However, it leads to the spread of false information to other animals, manipulating them to believe one fact while another. Thus it becomes much easier to influence others mind and make the animals to believe one story when it was a lie. Orwell’s Fables by George Soule analyzed George Orwell’s work by using the Marxism theory. He states “Squealer, works hard to make them less conscious of what has happened…political gangsters who are destroying freedom and truth. That is the first step in the legend that Snowball is the source of evil. ” (Soule 120) It displays the manipulation used to change the truth as Squealer blinded the other animals from knowing what indeed happened. By having someone to blame for an event and be label as the source of evil. It makes Neapolitan look like the hero that saved the animals from doom.
Different ways where one censorship specific information. Whether it is by banning certain work from being shown or placing a law particular conversation one is allowed to speak. The Logic of Censorship by Frederik Ohles speak of how the German govern created lists for banned books with someone work that insulted Prussia and as well as how other countries would pressure others to censor their printing press from spearing lousy news. By doing so, the readers will no longer get the other side of the story and would make one ignorant of what is going on. Causing people to blindly follow a precise idea, much like Squealer spreading false information to make the other animals to only hear certain facts and making them being fully obedience to Neapolitan. While The Soviet Censorship and Samizdat by Geoffrey F. Peterson show how the writer used other publishing methods to express themselves, without the government censoring their works by publishing their work by themselves. The administration would like limited specific theme one could write and to also praise patriotic views. Thus only particular information is known by the people. Much like Brave New World where the different class system was told specific information. ‘The best banned in the land’: censorship and Irish writing since 1950 by Donal O. Drisceoil examine the censorship of Irish writing. How it may have affected on writers work, such as their creativity since they are limited on what they are allowed to do may lead writers to struggle around their work and expression in their stories. Adolescent tends to be gullible to stories given to them thus censorship often occurs in children’s books. Censorship in three metaphors by Fenice Boyd and Nancy Bailey displayed what is removed from public schools such as work with homosexual theme and books have been burned due to parents believing it would poison the adolescent’s mind. Though it would give students a mean to find oneself. Likewise, John in Brave New World was able to discover his passion by looking into literature even though literature is banned from that society. It is the very reason why they were not allowed to read because it leads them to self-discovery and creating their own identity instead of becoming a flawless citizen.
Some countries instill censorship into their populace. Such as North Korea, they are well known for the ways the government treats their citizen when they step out of bound. Stated in Huffington post “The regime metes out harsh punishments for anyone accused of accessing uncensored information or sharing news from countries that it consider its enemies” (Jerreat). North Korean government have full control of their media thus they would only show information that would twist their citizen view of the outside world. The display even just an accusation is possible to lead to one's death. Thus most citizen would not be dear to go against the government and shiver up in fear for their safety. Secondly, the use of technology to keep the people in check. “Ultimately, these products were carefully designed to control and monitor information” (Jerreat). Even things as personal as a mobile device, the government monitors everything people do on it. Thus it would force people to not suspicious
activities. Our world has evolved during the past decades; there are still places where people are controlled.
Annotated Bibliography
Boyd, Fenice B., and Nancy M. Bailey. "Censorship in three metaphors." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 52, no. 8, 2009, p. 653+. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A200558550/GLS?u=cuny_queens&sid=GLS&xid=08f312e3.
The censorship in classroom and metaphors that parent demands to be removed. Fenice B. Boyd is a professor at SUNY Buffalo and is part of the department of learning and instruction. Nancy Bailey works in Canisius college focus on teaching mythology. Compare to Dona Drisceoil, this work focus on classroom instead of on specific countries. This work illustrated the removal of information from children that may be educational to them but was removed from the parent’s fear.
Drisceoil, Donal O. "'The best banned in the land': censorship and Irish writing since 1950." Yearbook of English Studies, vol. 35, 2005, p. 146+. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A133405976/GLS?u=cuny_queens&sid=GLS&xid=36ac1d5c.
The fight on the oppression in the censorship of Irish writer. How the censorship have influenced the Irish writer’s work. Such as suppressing specific theme in fear of being banned. Donal Drisceoil works in the Department of History in University College Cork, Ireland as a researcher, administrator, and teacher. He was one of the historical advisors to an award-winning film of the Irish revolution and many other works. The intended audience is those who have no background in Irish culture and those interest in learning the effects of censorship. Compare to Geoffrey Peterson; it includes the way it has impact their culture as a whole. This work helps illustrate the sexual theme censorship in writing.
Hamamra, Bilal Tawfiq. "A Foucauldian reading of Huxley's Brave New World." Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, 2017, p. 12+. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A488510291/GLS?u=cuny_queens&sid=GLS&xid=75339b00.
This work gave a deeper insight into Brave New World by analyzing the ideology of that society and the mass production of human being. Bilal Tawfiq Hamamra is currently an assistant professor of Renaissance drama and is part of the English Language and literature department of An-Najah National University. His work focus on cultural studies, feminism, Shakespeare, etc. The intended audience for those that are looking for more information on how the Brave New World’s society conditioning people. Compare to George Soule’s work it focuses more on the reading itself instead of on the writer and how it has affected the world. Gives insight into how the citizen is condition by removing their individualism.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper Brothers, 1932. Print.
The brave new world set in a dystopian society where people are willing to sacrifice their individualism and family for social stability. This work is one of Aldous Huxley best-known work. He was an English writer, novelist, philosopher and had written about fifty books. The intended audience of the brave new world is those that want insight into a dystopian society and usage of Ford’s concept of mass production. Another work that has a similar theme is Animal Farm. However, it tells their stories through the utilization of animals. These actions are one of my primary sources, and it helps explain the broader theme of censorship through the setting and symbolism in the story.
Jerreat, Jessica. “North Korean Censorship.” Huffington Post , 24 Apr. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/north-korean-censorship_us_58fe78afe4b086ce58981445.
North Korea surveillance it’s people by developing their own markup hone, tablets, etc.
Jessica Jerreat is senior editor at the committee to protect Journalism. She has a master’s degree in war, propaganda and so society from the University of Kent at Canterbury. The intended audience are for people who have little knowledge about North Korean tactic on surveillance. This work shows how censorship still is an occurring issue we are still dealing with.
Ohles, Frederik. "The Logic of Censorship." Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, edited by Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker, vol. 156, Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1420066559/GLS?u=cuny_queens&sid=GLS&xid=971c8489. Originally published in Germany's Rude Awakening: Censorship in the Land of the Brothers Grimm, The Kent State University Press, 1992, pp. 88-108.
The process of censoring a work in German and what makes a particular book to be removed as well as listed of sensor work. Charles Frederick is an Interim Director of Kent State University. The intended audience is those that have an interest in censorship book list in Germany during the 1840s. Compare to George Soule, focus on the technical data on what occurs during the process of censorship. The work detail the process it takes to review the manuscript and how far the government is willing to go to stop the populace from knowing too much.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm: A Fairy Story. New York, NY: Signet Classics, [1996. Print.
The animal farm uses the animal to concave a deeper message on communism and another factor that dictator use on their people. The writer George Orwell or Eric Arthur Blair was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is mainly on literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. The intended audience of Animal farm is for those who may not have a full grasp on the political world. By using talking animals, it gives an easier understanding of what is going on. This work also helps explain the theme of censorship with the character traits in the animals on their interaction with others.
Peterson, Geoffrey F. "The Soviet Censorship and Samizdat." Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, edited by Linda Pavlovski, vol. 154, Gale, 2004. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1420061012/GLS?u=cuny_queens&sid=GLS&xid=1ec41072. Originally published in The Images of the Twentieth Century in Literature, Media, and Society, edited by Steven Kaplan, University of Colorado, 2000, pp. 79-84.
This article focuses on the censorship in Russia and the Soviet Union, on ways people try to overcome the restriction by publishing work outside the conventional methods. Geoffrey Peterson was once CAP coordinator in The Legal Center for People with Disabilities and Older People, as well as a program coordinator in Disability Law Colorado. He also has a master in nonprofit management at Regis University. The intended audience for this work is looking into the solution, or other methods writer in Russia go through to express themselves freely without backlash. Compare to Charles Frederick; it shows writer struggle to communicate their work and to do so they used samizdat publication. It illustrates what information where banned from Russia
Soule, George. "Orwell's Fables." Children's Literature Review, edited by Jennifer Baise, vol. 68, Gale, 2001. Children's Literature Review Online, HTTP://link.galegroup.com.queens.ezproxy.cuny.edu/apps/doc/UMEJOZ555556877/GLS?u=cuny_queens&sid=GLS. Originally published in The New Republic, vol. 115, no. 9, 2 Sept. 1946, pp. 266-267.
George Soule was a labor economist, he graduated from Yale University and was a contributor to The New Republic. His intended audience is those that do not have pier knowledge on Animal Farms. Compare to Bilal Tawfiq Hamamra; he uses Marxism and other theories to analysis the overall text along with the author's views. This article gave more inept information on the stories of Animal Farm and the author's intention with his work.