IB English A Literature: HL

Written Assignment for part one

Candidate:

Chosen Work: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

The obvious presence of binary oppositions in the language of Zamyatin’s WE

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 Reflective Statement of “WE”

After reading the book We, which is written by Yevgeny Zamyatin, We had lots of discussions
about the book and the way it describes the characters, events and the unique life that was
mentioned in the book. Among many things discussed, one was the characters lack of freedom
as a result of the totalitarian regime’s strict control, and the connection between the novel and
our today’s society.

The book we read has some political theories hidden inside it. Since the book was written by
someone who had experienced life in Communist Russia, he elaborates on how the life was
back then. The Futuristic society, as the one state, has people’s schedules assigned by the
government and has made almost everything strict and controlled in a specific system. The
green wall which is the wall that divides the state from the natural world, is an important part
of the book. People have no names and are called by numbers given by the government and
each person is like a human machine working and achieving their objectives as appointed by
the government. What I learned from the society of the book is that there is no freedom and
they have cultural poverty, though everyone is equal and secure. And the whole state is like a
glass world where solid brick walls are turned into glass so everything could be seen easily. The
citizens are under constant surveillance by the government, indicating that there is no freedom
for the citizens.
 
During the discussions that we had, we were able to connect the world of the novel to our own
life and society. We do have some similar things according to our modern lives For example,
sometimes we have our information easily stolen by the internet hackers and the governments
as they always want to know what we think and what we are doing right now. Also, similar to
the citizens of the One-State, we have our ID numbers used mostly instead of our names and
surnames. Although we believe that we have a big sense of freedom in our society, we
discussed how, in some countries, people are still under surveillance by the government. CCTV
cameras everywhere is a proof of that.

Word Count:370

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Written Assignment:

The obvious presence of binary oppositions in the language of Zamyatin’s WE

Zamyatin’s We was written around the beginning era of the Soviet Union after The
Russian Revolution went on for a couple of years, completely changing the country. The
Communist Party aimed to change the lives of the people by creating equality in society so that
everyone could benefit from the facilities just the same. This was going to be a Utopia everyone
was expecting for years. But to an extent, what was promised occurred and then a whole new
change started to exist with many difficulties and other wrongful things that the people became
oppressed and had to stay silent and were dictated into a vision of which they were not promised
of. So what was described in theory didn’t happen in practice. Referring to the context of Soviet
Russia, Zamyatin creates an imaginary world, and compares it with the previous worlds, using
the language of binary oppositions.
The Protagonist of the novel, D-503, is a character who works for the Government of the One
State. He is a Mathematician who serves the One State and follows everything given to him
without hesitation or complaint. As D-503 works for the Government of the One State, He works
for something which is known as the Integral, A structure like a spaceship in which its objective
isn't referenced yet it's realized that D-503 is a somebody who Chiefs the Projects building.
Throughout the novel, it is clear that D-503’s mind is full of mathematics, as he uses a lot of
mathematical words in his diary. In a society in which everything is controlled by reasonable,
mathematical orders, there is no room for poetry. The only poems were those in complimenting
the State. For example, at the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to “Hymn of the One-
State” (16). Citizens have to listen and sing this everyday. Also R-13, who is D’s friend and a
poet, can only write poems in favour of The One-State. Poetry versus mathematics is one of the
binary oppositions which is made clear in the novel.
Since mathematics and reason overcome emotions and love, the sexual relationship between the
characters are cold and robotic. The One State doled out D-503 a Lover in which she's alluded as
O-90, and they are given pink tickets which are utilized as Sex Tickets between two accomplices
together inside a given time from the government in a disclosed area from the One State. During

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the novel, we can see that love is “Organized and reduced to mathematical order. About three
Hundred Years ago, our Historic Lex Sexualis was proclaimed: Each number has a right to any
other number, as to a sexual commodity” (21). There are sexual departments in which citizens’
hormones are controlled. Also there is a table of sexual hours. Although the narrator of the novel
speaks about the benefits of having mathematical sex, i.e. no envy, thus more happiness (24), his
language changes later on when he falls in love with I-330 and experiences emotional
relationship and passionate love, “dissolving in her” (145). This happens a short time after he
equals love to death, using the language of mathematics again: “If we designate love as ‘L’ and
death as ‘D’, then L=f (D)” (135). The binary opposition of reason versus emotion comes to
surface here.
The One State governs everything aiming to create this arithmetical Perfect Utopian Society
using the social engineering of Logic and science and all being backed up with Mathematics. The
One State is said to be saving humanity from its destruction by denying their individualistic
qualities, thus producing a single mass in which everyone is the same and a part of the whole.
The One-State feared that people would be changed into individual thinkers who could distort
the way the One state was built, by having the ability to think and create thoughts that could
evolve into the need of self-power. This would bring the whole system of which the One State
had built its perfect society, into complete destruction, that is why imagination is considered an
illness which should be cured through operation.Anything perceived to be beyond reason, i.e.
dreams, feelings, and thoughts is threatening for the government. Everything should be based on
Mathematics, Logic.The citizens cannot think, express their feelings and ideas freely. They even
cannot wear whatever they want: “Blue uniforms” is must so that everyone looks the same.
Here individuality stands versus totalitarianism.

The One State had Created a perfect society with no errors as seen by its Rulers and with a full
Closure to the people of having this Perfect life they are living in being all programmed into it,
being given their course of life and to what to do. Within that, the One State created a society of
which does not compile with emotions or anything of such notice similar to it. The One state had
removed such thinking of acquiring emotions or feeling them. Leaving the Society from the
complete harm of emotions and to what it could cause the Brain into thinking by itself and
creating thoughts and emotions that could distrust this Perfect society created for them.

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Removing the Basic base of Humanism, excluding emotions to which is the one very simple
difference between humans and other beings of such to say like Robots or such other machines
that could think or do. Eradicating emotions would confiscate the ability to have self-thinking
which would leave the people into a void and be pointless. But to such thing, that’s what the One
State wants to achieve as there will be no motivation or anything for such inspiration to do things
by themselves, Giving the One State’s Government the Ability of controlling them, filling their
voids by letting them do as programmed to do, giving orders, making their lives worth living by
following what’s given to them and that is all that they must do. The Discouraging of
Individualism and Indulgence.

As stated in the Book, a Two-Hundred-Year war existed that had brought a lot of destruction and
left the world into having a small population of just to several million. This is used by the One
State to create fear within the Society in Manifesting this visualization that the War had
devastated the World they used to live in and didn’t bring them any good. The Structuring of
such Idea would Benefit the Government of the One State into giving the people this Belief that
what they had come into now is the Perfect Society they all deserve that is away from danger and
the Savage state of freedom that exists behind the Walls. The walls in which could be suggested
as the Border Wall Built by the One State to separate two populace, One that is of Civilized
manners and actual creation that made the One State and Built it with the modern attribution of
their Perfect Society. From the uncivilized others to which live in such barbaric ways and having
their savage way of freedom and lifestyle. Everything Built of glass, All the buildings are see-
through and nothing is invincible from anyone, Making this perfect society that nothing is
hidden. Besides the Ancient House, the only building that had survived that is built of Bricks and
Stones. Which the One State had left and not destroyed to show the People of what the past was
and how corrupt it was for it was the reason why such War had existed and Demolished
everything and brought devastation to everything around it. It is a lesson to learn from, Of which
the ancient House is like a library that has of what the One State’s Governments call the
Mistakes of the past that are kept for this Perfect Society to learn from.

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I-330 to which is a female character that is met by D-503 in which she does numerous unlawful
things when out in the open and doesn't adhere to the Strict Code or law Given by the One state.
She resembles a Rebel to the State, she plays with D-503 and begins to connect with him in quiet
events to which she isn't allowed by the One State. D-503 feels the fascination and I-330 begins
to go out with him more than expected, They go out together into the Ancient house in which she
instructs him to get a wiped out note for a specialist, yet on that case, D-503 would need to report
her to the Bureau of Guardians to which they ensure everybody is following requests yet
shockingly, D-503 couldn't report her. He begins dreaming and having sentiments which he
clarifies as Symptoms of Mental Illness.

I-330 opens herself to D-503 clarifying that she is associated with Mephi in which they are an
association attempting to cut down the Border Wall between the One State and the Outside world
which in it exists the Green and the Color. Something happened in which O-90 was impregnated
by D-503 to which I-330 assists with sneaking her outside the dividers since the infant would be
setting off to the hands of the One State and raised by them. These demonstrations are of
unlawful Conduct to which none ever report it. I-330 is caught and is sent to death by the
Benefactor's Machine and it happened as a result of D-503 having been changed again by the
One State and detailing Everything to the Government. The Wall is Partly destroyed and an
Uprising occurs Against the One State.