One observation that keeps occurring for me is the seamless string of irony webbed throughout the novel. This irony even begins at the title, "Brave New World." When ironically, the book depicts people with exact opposite traits of bravery. Is this because they fear punishment to stand up to the system? Or because they are truly that ignorant that they don't know what life could be outside of the grasp of the World State? I don't understand how a society can be so reliant on a drug to give them happiness, or at times, even meaning. Huxley flawlessly creates a world where scientific engineering, predetermined social roles, daily drug consumption, and casual sex paired with contraceptives are all of the social norm. The World State influences almost every aspect of life within the society, ranging everywhere from what they think, say, and do. Which brings me to my next question: Why does no one question anything? Why don't they seek answers for themselves as oppose to just accepting what the World State wants them to think? I feel Huxley's novel is so successful because it can be applied to any generation. Huxley creates a world that combines all that we fear, with all that we dream of. In short, Huxley's "Brave New World" portrays the theme of searching for identity and freedom for individuality, and achieves this by stripping society of all its humanity.
First off, wow you blew my mind with this analysis. As for your second question, consider the conditioning, from the day of birth they are repeatedly told what to think and why and they're told from the ultimate authority.The light motif of "straight from the horses mouth" indicates, a little satirically, how the people believe they are learning through primary sources when they aren't. And besides, Their questions are answered for them already so there isn't any need to ask; time could be better spent taking drugs and having sex. Perhaps the society was conceived at the very core with the ideal that questioning was dangerous to the society. However, I agree there are always exceptions in this world, (as nothing's perfect, even when its constructed to be so) like Bernard, who did question which ultimately ended the society.
Good job, Megan and Chase! Your insights honestly widened my view of how this novel is seen in other people's perspectives. Well, to answer your question Megan from what I got out of the book. Huxley conveys no type of individuality in this "Brave New World" because of how people (like Lenina) don't show that motive to do anything they personally want to do. A few days ago we talked about how Lenina preferred on spending time with Bernard when there are a lot of people around them, This symbolizes how Lenina, and most of the people in this "Brave New World", is part of the majority and will always be on the side of the majority. They have no individual voice for themselves to actually take action and stand up for what they believe. The people don't do anything to stand up to the system because they fear of being punished. They have grown throughout most of their life with the kind of violent brainwashing we saw with the babies and books experiment. So, this makes the people scared to be involved with any harsh punishment just like those experiments they experienced in the past. A person that disrupts the momentum of the "Brave New World" society is the arrival of "the savage", or who is also called John. He is viewed by the people as very strangely like a unique animal you see at the zoo and nowhere close to being treated as an equal. Another person in this book that is viewed as being different compared to everyone else is Bernard because he tries to build that individual voice. Why does society treat Bernard and John differently even though they both demonstrate that "out-of-the-norm" personality?
I am glad that Megan asked the questions that I also had in my mind. My personal insight on that question is that they don’t question anything because of their fear. As we can see in the novel, the Brave New World consists of the State World, meaning that inside of their world, people are happy with the abundant resources. They believe that there is no reason for them to question their lives, however, they also fear because of their lack of self-confidence. We can find the evidence of this through them relying on soma. They are scared of not knowing what is outside of their world. Now, my question is this. What is Aldous Huxley’s purpose of writing this novel? For Thursday’s journal topic we wrote about whether Huxley is a genius for writing the novel. Huxley used a completely different subject of what has been used before. Is Huxley saying that our world today is the world that he is portraying through “Brave New World”? Or is he just writing a fiction novel and telling his imagination through words?
That's a well-composed question, Jisu. My answer is that Huxley didn't write "Brave New World" to purposefully portray a world identical to ours, literally or metaphorically. In my opinion, I think Huxley wrote the story to awake people/make people realize that if we want to "fix our society", we can't expect success if we completely restructure the world we live in as it may lead to undesirable results included the novel (i.e. elementary sex). Step by step everyone can positively change our world, however if we put off doing so it may lead to a technology, drug, and sex-crazed world as seen in the story. No one ever questions it (except for The Savage) because I think since it's meant to be a perfect society, no one speaks up against it or rebels against it as it would create conflict and degrade the world as not being "Brave" or" New". No society can be perfect, however if one desires to have a perfect society/world, by stripping everyone form individuality no conflicting heads will but each other and no problems will arise as everyone is identical to the person next to them, creating a uniform place where no one questions their lifestyles or government. Huxley is writing about something that could happen in real life in more subtle ways as a fictional story. Huxley is creating a hell where people can wake up and realize the dangers and cautions that our society can be put up against if people let it occur.
That's a well-composed question, Jisu. My answer is that Huxley didn't write "Brave New World" to purposefully portray a world identical to ours, literally or metaphorically. In my opinion, I think Huxley wrote the story to awake people/make people realize that if we want to "fix our society", we can't expect success if we completely restructure the world we live in as it may lead to undesirable results included the novel (i.e. elementary sex). Step by step everyone can positively change our world, however if we put off doing so it may lead to a technology, drug, and sex-crazed world as seen in the story. No one ever questions it (except for The Savage) because I think since it's meant to be a perfect society, no one speaks up against it or rebels against it as it would create conflict and degrade the world as not being "Brave" or" New". No society can be perfect, however if one desires to have a perfect society/world, by stripping everyone form individuality no conflicting heads will but each other and no problems will arise as everyone is identical to the person next to them, creating a uniform place where no one questions their lifestyles or government. Huxley is writing about something that could happen in real life in more subtle ways as a fictional story. Huxley is creating a hell where people can wake up and realize the dangers and cautions that our society can be put up against if people let it occur.
One observation that keeps occurring for me is the seamless string of irony webbed throughout the novel. This irony even begins at the title, "Brave New World." When ironically, the book depicts people with exact opposite traits of bravery. Is this because they fear punishment to stand up to the system? Or because they are truly that ignorant that they don't know what life could be outside of the grasp of the World State? I don't understand how a society can be so reliant on a drug to give them happiness, or at times, even meaning. Huxley flawlessly creates a world where scientific engineering, predetermined social roles, daily drug consumption, and casual sex paired with contraceptives are all of the social norm. The World State influences almost every aspect of life within the society, ranging everywhere from what they think, say, and do. Which brings me to my next question: Why does no one question anything? Why don't they seek answers for themselves as oppose to just accepting what the World State wants them to think? I feel Huxley's novel is so successful because it can be applied to any generation. Huxley creates a world that combines all that we fear, with all that we dream of. In short, Huxley's "Brave New World" portrays the theme of searching for identity and freedom for individuality, and achieves this by stripping society of all its humanity.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, wow you blew my mind with this analysis. As for your second question, consider the conditioning, from the day of birth they are repeatedly told what to think and why and they're told from the ultimate authority.The light motif of "straight from the horses mouth" indicates, a little satirically, how the people believe they are learning through primary sources when they aren't. And besides, Their questions are answered for them already so there isn't any need to ask; time could be better spent taking drugs and having sex. Perhaps the society was conceived at the very core with the ideal that questioning was dangerous to the society. However, I agree there are always exceptions in this world, (as nothing's perfect, even when its constructed to be so) like Bernard, who did question which ultimately ended the society.
ReplyDeleteWell said!
DeleteGood job, Megan and Chase! Your insights honestly widened my view of how this novel is seen in other people's perspectives. Well, to answer your question Megan from what I got out of the book. Huxley conveys no type of individuality in this "Brave New World" because of how people (like Lenina) don't show that motive to do anything they personally want to do. A few days ago we talked about how Lenina preferred on spending time with Bernard when there are a lot of people around them, This symbolizes how Lenina, and most of the people in this "Brave New World", is part of the majority and will always be on the side of the majority. They have no individual voice for themselves to actually take action and stand up for what they believe. The people don't do anything to stand up to the system because they fear of being punished. They have grown throughout most of their life with the kind of violent brainwashing we saw with the babies and books experiment. So, this makes the people scared to be involved with any harsh punishment just like those experiments they experienced in the past. A person that disrupts the momentum of the "Brave New World" society is the arrival of "the savage", or who is also called John. He is viewed by the people as very strangely like a unique animal you see at the zoo and nowhere close to being treated as an equal. Another person in this book that is viewed as being different compared to everyone else is Bernard because he tries to build that individual voice. Why does society treat Bernard and John differently even though they both demonstrate that "out-of-the-norm" personality?
ReplyDeleteThanks for elaborating on my questions!
ReplyDeleteI am glad that Megan asked the questions that I also had in my mind. My personal insight on that question is that they don’t question anything because of their fear. As we can see in the novel, the Brave New World consists of the State World, meaning that inside of their world, people are happy with the abundant resources. They believe that there is no reason for them to question their lives, however, they also fear because of their lack of self-confidence. We can find the evidence of this through them relying on soma. They are scared of not knowing what is outside of their world. Now, my question is this. What is Aldous Huxley’s purpose of writing this novel? For Thursday’s journal topic we wrote about whether Huxley is a genius for writing the novel. Huxley used a completely different subject of what has been used before. Is Huxley saying that our world today is the world that he is portraying through “Brave New World”? Or is he just writing a fiction novel and telling his imagination through words?
ReplyDeleteThat's a well-composed question, Jisu. My answer is that Huxley didn't write "Brave New World" to purposefully portray a world identical to ours, literally or metaphorically. In my opinion, I think Huxley wrote the story to awake people/make people realize that if we want to "fix our society", we can't expect success if we completely restructure the world we live in as it may lead to undesirable results included the novel (i.e. elementary sex). Step by step everyone can positively change our world, however if we put off doing so it may lead to a technology, drug, and sex-crazed world as seen in the story. No one ever questions it (except for The Savage) because I think since it's meant to be a perfect society, no one speaks up against it or rebels against it as it would create conflict and degrade the world as not being "Brave" or" New". No society can be perfect, however if one desires to have a perfect society/world, by stripping everyone form individuality no conflicting heads will but each other and no problems will arise as everyone is identical to the person next to them, creating a uniform place where no one questions their lifestyles or government. Huxley is writing about something that could happen in real life in more subtle ways as a fictional story. Huxley is creating a hell where people can wake up and realize the dangers and cautions that our society can be put up against if people let it occur.
ReplyDeleteThat's a well-composed question, Jisu. My answer is that Huxley didn't write "Brave New World" to purposefully portray a world identical to ours, literally or metaphorically. In my opinion, I think Huxley wrote the story to awake people/make people realize that if we want to "fix our society", we can't expect success if we completely restructure the world we live in as it may lead to undesirable results included the novel (i.e. elementary sex). Step by step everyone can positively change our world, however if we put off doing so it may lead to a technology, drug, and sex-crazed world as seen in the story. No one ever questions it (except for The Savage) because I think since it's meant to be a perfect society, no one speaks up against it or rebels against it as it would create conflict and degrade the world as not being "Brave" or" New". No society can be perfect, however if one desires to have a perfect society/world, by stripping everyone form individuality no conflicting heads will but each other and no problems will arise as everyone is identical to the person next to them, creating a uniform place where no one questions their lifestyles or government. Huxley is writing about something that could happen in real life in more subtle ways as a fictional story. Huxley is creating a hell where people can wake up and realize the dangers and cautions that our society can be put up against if people let it occur.
ReplyDelete