dystopian theme: censorship Flashcards
are the communication methods for WOTW effective?
-news travels fast
-the news is not true and reliable
why may the news spread by the public not be reliable?
-to protect one another
-put others at ease
-make profit
what is a quote that shows the innaccuracy of the news shared?
-in a newspaper: ‘the martians have not moved from the pit in which they landed, and seem incapable of doing so’
-narrator: ‘in that text, leader-writers expanded comfortingly’
what is the trouble with news not being effectively shared
-urgency to save oneself disappears and they can be in trouble
-people will not prepare if they dont have any sense of alarm
how does the narrator join the concerning amount of fake news?
-once returning to his wife after investigating the pit, he tries to calm her nerves by assuring her there’s nothing to worry about. they calmly eat a meal, believing and being comforted by the idea that they understand the science
what is an quote of people profiting off of the invasion through the spread of news?
-his brother finding people selling the news
-‘my brother met a couple of sturdy roughs who had just rushed out of Fleet Street with still wet newspapers… he paid threepence for that paper’
what is the disturbing effect of people profiting off of the invasion?
-the disturbing rate of how fast critical information can be sensationalised
-greedy exploitation of how humankind’s attraction to danger is a misuse of power in media. any news that can help humans should be shared simply
what is the irony behind the papers selling the news?
misunderstand that once the aliens invade and take over, money will have no value and they will only be able to rely on their human connections. trying to capitalise off of it to ignore the impending doom
how does the spread of news relate to context of WOTW as a novel during its contemporary era?
-released in installments in a newspaper
-ironic - seems to criticise using sensationalist writing for capitalistic gain but appears in a highly commercialised format
how is censorship a dystopian theme?
fahrenheit 451 in 1953, censorship is a large theme as books and literacy is taken away and people are left with televisions and radio to have information chosen and passively delivered directly to them. gives all power to the government in what most of the people believe.
why is censorship often used as a transition from reading to television?
-transition to modern technology
-passive income of knowledge, removes the personal belief from it and the importance of the source as there is no other
-removing brain activity and increases apathy to remove opposition to the gov
where is there a clear reference to censorship in passive media in THT?
‘people stayed home that night, watching television, looking for some direction’
-no one actively fights. the danger that comes from not standing up, and allowing the gov to deliver their messages of what they want the public to believe
-‘have you turned on the TV?’ moira helping offred understand but offred has somewhat infuriatingly not done anything to do so. tv is seen as a reliable source
where is there themes of physical censorship in THT?
-the language of the handmaids. pre-determined greetings for each other that are infused with religious references
‘blessed be the fruit’
‘may the lord open’
what may the language of the handmaids be in reference to?
‘newspeak’ of 1984.
gov gives the people a language that faces consequence if not used
