which book is easier to do research paper on, nineteen eighty-four, by Orwell or heart of darkness, by Conrad?

Question

for anyone who has read either of these books, some input would be great.

Answer 1

1984 is not about communism, it is about authoritarianism. It is about absolute control by an absolute leader -- the philosophy of the leader is irrelevant (Orwell makes that quite clear).

The reason 1984 would be interesting is that you can compare the strategies used by the state in the book with the strategies which are being used by the American government today.

Here are some articles on the Orwellian nature of GW Bush:
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0922-07.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0707-06.htm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/07/28/IN244190.DTL
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1963023,00.asp

Answer 2

I think "Nineteen Eighty-Four" is easier since, one of the reasons, it is relatively contemporary regarding politics or the changing world after World War II amidst the cold war as well as a few superpower countries then seemed eager to rule via dictatorship supported by scientific advancements rather than democracy. As for "The Heart of Darkness", it is more complex and remote from us, in other words, Conrad wrote the novel some 100 years ago in the time of colonialism in which we might not be interested and thus do not understand regarding its origin, ideology or impact on any particular country or people.

Answer 3

Sorry.. but i'm going to have to disagree with everyone.. It depends on which book you're really interested in .. For me, I thought Heart of Darkness was more interesting because it deals with Nielism and the thought that every man's nature is evil and thus "dark." You can also discuss how Conrad shows his racism by the portrayl of the two women within the novel. The african tribal woman is seen as the embodiment of evil and pushes Kurtz into this mindframe, while the innocent white woman is her foil, showing she is pure and naive.

With 1984, it pretty much the idea of creating an utopia and how this will never come to pass.

Answer 4

1984 would probably be easier because there is so much there that you can relate to today's political situation, Homeland Security bugging people's phones, identity theft, racial profiling etc.

Heart of Darkness is a very dark, deep book and while it is wonderful, it would be a tougher paper for you I think. Good luck. Pax - C.

Answer 5

I would suspect 1984 because it is tied up so much in the Red Scare and the fear of communism. There should be a good deal of material, from history, dealing with this novel.

Answer 6

1984 is a much easier read.

I thought Heart of Darkness was very dense.

Answer 7

1984.
Heart of Darkness is more complex on many levels.