Reading Assignment 5: Chapters 12-14

Three specific incidents that illustrate the clash between John and the people of the new world:
1. John refuses to meet with the Arch-Community-Songster of Canterbury
John feels that he is being used for Bernard's own gain by meeting with prominent figures in the new world. He always went along with it before but not this time. Bernard is forced to announce that the Savage will not be attending this meeting.
2. In the hospital beside Linda's death bed John screams at the small children.
While no one else in the Park Lane Hospital for the Dying could understand why John was upset by Linda's death he reacted violently. The children there for their conditioning were astonished at the sight of ugly Linda lying there dead and a hysterical John leaning over her bedside. Their blunt questions and rude behavior anger John until he snaps, pushing a young child to the floor and storming out of the department.
3. John confronts the doctor about he amount of soma he is giving Linda.
When the doctor gives into Linda's pleas for enough soma to go on holiday for months he realizes that this will eventually kill her. John tries to confront the doctor about the excessive amount of soma being given to Linda but eventually gives in and realizes this is the only thing Linda really wants at that time.


1. Bernard tries to get John to come meet with the Arch-Community-Songster but fails. Bernard knows that not delivering the meeting he promised will hurt his standing in the eyes of the Controllers.

"Just to please me, Won't you come to please me?" Bernard persuasivly asks. John replies with a flat, defiant "No."
I agree with John's point of view because he realizes that Bernard is using him for his own gain. He now understands that Bernard is using 'the Savage' as a stepping stone to a higher standing in the community and to gain more respect for himself.
2. John erupts with anger at the children because they are amazed at the sight of someone grieving. The children, there for their conditioning, are very inquisitive. This bluntness strikes John as very insensitive.
"They met his eyes and simultaneously grinned. One of them pointed with his eclair butt. 'Is she dead?' he asked"
John responds by pushing the child away and leaving.
To answer the question whether or not I agree with John's point of view depends on who's world I am living in. The children are not used to this so naturally they are curious. In this case I would disagree with John's point of view. On the other hand John's mother has just died and although this does not seem to matter to these people who have no realationship with anyone John did have a relationship with this woman. A very close one as a matter of fact so looking at it through the eyes of a grieving son you can't help but say that why John did was well deserved.
3. The doctor agrees to give Linda all the soma she wants even though it will kill her respritory system. John sees a problem with the fact that even though this is going to harm Linda the doctor hands over the soma.
"The doctor shrugged his shoulders. 'Well, of course, if you prefer to have her screaming mad all the time...' "
John gives in.
It is understandable that John wants his mother to live but this soma holiday is what she has wanted for decades. For this reason i disagree with John's point of view.

Lenina knows how she is feeling. On the complete other side she knows how she is supposed to be feeling. This confuses her. She wants to be with John, possibly even exclusively, but she does not understand the exact idea of committing to someone forever officially through marriage. The idea of love that is suggested in the book to you through these contradictions is that you might know what you are feeling but you don't always know if it is what you really want to act upon. You can see what was acceptable, the love in Romeo and Juliet, what is acceptable in and uncivilized world, marriage, and what is acceptable in this Lenina's current world, promiscuity.

In the begining of chapter 3 you see Lenina tending to her embryos when she forgets if she injected one with the sleeping sickness injection. She cannot remember so she moves on without running the risk of giving one embryo two injections. This proved to be a mistake.

John, Hemholtz and Bernard are all questioning the ways of this new world. John cannot get himself to understand anything that goes on in this new place. He cannot even imagine not having emotion, or taking soma just to get away from your problems. He believes in respect, for his body and his mind. Hemholtz feels that what he is doing is meaningless. Bernard questions relationships, sports, and even most other events in the community. I already know what happens to these three and it is pretty much what I expected. I don't know for sure what is going to happen to Lenina but I'm guessing that she will try to forget this period in her life and conform to become the Alpha ideal once again.

After his mother dies John grieves. The nurse and the children around him cannot understand this. While the nurse tries to keep him quiet fearing that he will decondition the children they ask questions and stare at this unorthodox sight.

Reading Assignment 4: Chapters 10-11

Looking at the director's statement from the point of view inside the world state I guess I would have no choice but to say I agree with it. Having even one individual questioning, thinking and feeling can put the stability of the entire Society in danger. Especially Bernard because he tries to make other people feel the same way he does. From a point of view in today's world, this quote obviously sounds harsh. Difference in opinions and thinking allows most aspects of our world to continue. Without this thinking and questioning we would walk around similar to robots, almost like the people in this book.

At this point in the novel I am annoyed with Lenina but for reasons she has been conditioned to do. She questions the norm of the world-state but quickly falls to conformity whenever she talks to anyone else. Also when she is correcting Bernard on his feelings or reciting statements used in hypnopaedia she never really seems to know what she is saying. She just recites. I guess that isn't saying much about her just reciting because it is what she is supposed to do but i find it aggrivating. Bernard is also annoying but for the same reasons. When he first spoke about how differently he thought and how wrong he saw this world to be it was for the right reasons. It was because that is what he honestly felt, even though he's not supposed to. Now, he is out for his own gain. Two expamples of this are bringing John back so that he won't have to go to Iceland and how differently he acts once people start to notice him because of the Savage. I think Helmholtz is starting to feel more distant from Bernard. For the same reasons, Bernard has changed and not necessarily for the better.

Both John and Lenina's feelings for eachother intesnsified after the feely. Unlike Lenina John was ashamed of his physical feelings for Lenina and he went home. Crushed, Lenina skulked away and took some soma.

Reading Assignment 3: Chapters 7-9

The irony in Lenina's comment is that she herself should feel small. In a world where her being alive really matters to no one, and where she is just one of many clones you would expect Lenina to feel insignificant but she doesn't see it that way.

The effect of Lenina's reaction to the mother nursing her child shows just how repulsive a family and emotional connections seem to Lenina.

If Lenina was left on a reservation like Linda was I think that she would end up almost the same. The only things that I wonder about is if she would be able to handle the social abuse Linda went through and would she want a baby. I guess after many years on the reservation Lenina would be able to deal with the other women on the reservation abusing her because she has very little to no self control. The thing that Linda said was her biggest comfort, John, I think would be one of Lenina's biggest annoyances. Without much of a choice of giving basic care to her child I highly doubt that Lenina would go much beyond that. I don't think that Lenina would do extra things like Linda did such as teaching John to read.

Reality?

Is the world in Brave New World that far off? Someday will we be cloned instead of knowing our mothers and fathers? Will there be mass production of people? Will we be conditioned to what some higher ranking person sees is right? Is there the possibility that all morality can be lost and the idea of right and wrong will just cease to exist completely?

Thinking all these questions really reminds me of things prevalent in today's world. Not only in terms of people, although many aspects of our lives today seem to be heading in this direction, but other things such as puppy mills. I know that sounds like a weird connection but think about it. Puppy mills are all about getting the most out of one animal. Sound similar to getting the most out of one egg? We breed for certain traits and exact copies, almost like clones and yes some animals are even being cloned. Another similarity is that the young are often taken away from mothers as soon as they are born so that the mother can be bread again. Mass production of dogs in order to complete tasks, make money. Finally, the idea that there is no morality. Very few people actually take the time to think if the puppy they are buying from that pet store came from a reputable place. Conditions in puppy mills are almost always absolutely horrific. What does that say about what we see as right and wrong? What does that say for the direction humanity is going?
"A nation can be judged by how it treats its animals." -Gandhi
This quote to me perfectly justifies the relationship of people in Brave New World, and animals in our world. These people are being treated like herds of animals.

Brave New World Reading Assignment 2 Chapters: 4-6

Bernard's main problem, and the thing that he is troubled by most is his size. Whenvever he is around a lower caste he feels that he needs to express himself if bigger ways such as yelling to get them to do what he wants. I think Bernard is 'much more alone' and 'utterly miserable' during the solidarity service than anyone else because he went into it with the attitute that he was not going to fit in. That is the way he goes through life. Because of this, yes in some regards I do believe that Bernard is responsible of his own problems and unhappiness.

In a world of happiness true happiness means very little. Being happy in the World State is being under the affects of soma. With someone like Bernard his happiness will need to come from becoming who he wants to be. He will never be happy by just doing what is 'normal.' I think that in the book only he knows what can be done to ensure his happiness.

Both Helmholtz and Bernard feel that their lives are somewhat meaningless. They are both successful at things but something is missing for each of them.

Bernard and Lenina interact in a strange way. Bernard is backward and more to himself when around Alphas other than Lenina because that he is so different. When around Lenina Bernard is more outgoing doing what he thinks is right rather than what is accepted. This represents the idea that there is almost always another side. Even in a world that seems to be completely the same where everyone feels, acts, and does the same thing people are different. When it seems as though there presonatlities have just one aspect Bernard shows that this is not the case, and that he can be a different person depending on who he is with.

When Bernard learns that is actually going to Iceland he becomes more reserved. He starts to rethink his rebel attitudes and all the times it outwardly went against his conditioning.

Brave New World Reading Assignment 1: Chapters 1-3

The Hatchery uses the Boskonovky process to produce, on average, 96 embryos from one egg. The word hatchery means a place for hatching eggs usually of hens, fish etc. Especially for a large commercial or government site where the young are hatched, cared for, and sold or distributed. This is exactly what the Hatchery in the book is like only instead of eggs of hens or fish it is humans. The Conditioning Center is where the newly produced humans are put through strategic tactics so that they will fulfill their role in the World State as best they can. The lower castes such as Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons cannot think. They are put through things such as hypnopaedia when they sleep and electric shock when they touch pedals from a rose or a book. These practices and others are done from infancy until adulthood. Conditioning is defined as a process of changing behavior by rewarding or punishing subjects each time an action is performed until the subject associates the action with pleasure or distress. This is a perfect definition of what goes on inside these centers so the World State can form each caste to do exactly as they want.

The five categories of people are Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons.

The Director's and Mr. Foster's definitions are very rarely definitions at all. They try to explain something in a scientific way that may be related or may not be. The answers are not very direct and the Director makes it obvious that it is a bother to try and answer these questions. Possibly, because he himself does not know the real answer. This makes the Director's and Mr. Foster's explanations very annoying.

The Boskanovsky process is a major instrument in social stability because the clones are preconditioned to perform identical tasks that keep the World State running just as it should be.

Huxley's presentation of the Director is saterical because the Director often laughs at ideas and morals that are prevelant in today's society.

In this world state the primary functions of the Hatchery and Conditioning Centers is to prepare the people for what they will be doing for the rest of their lives. The Hatchery is to ensure the continuation of the World State.

This society has "all but solved" the problem of the maturation process. There are plenty of other issues that are revealed that are not solved but this is the one the Director points out to his students.

For the future, Huxley sees a world with very little morality. This society is all about doing things the way they are supposed to be done and when life gets a little difficult you can be removed from it all by taking soma. When the soma wears off you don't remember what happened so you just avoided your problem. Another idea that is very obvious is instant gratification. You want something, you get it right away.

To achieve the goals of community,identity, and stability people are giving up themselves. They no longer do what they think is right, to follow the set ways of the World State. Most can't even think or they refuse to think that there may be more than this way of living.

Huxley is mocking religion by referring to Henry Ford as "his fordship", the characters say things like oh my ford, and instead of A.D. Huxley uses A.F. when referring to dates. Also, crosses have the tops removed, so a 'T' shape is formed. This is to represent Henry Ford's Model T car.

Henry Foster is an Alpha, he is the man Lenina was with exclusively for several months. He spoke about their relationship casually which aggrivates Bernard Marx.
Lenina is a young Alpha, she is wanted by many characters but sometimes her thinking becomes unconventional. At one point Lenina questions the accepted behavior of having relationships with several people but is quickly corrected by her friend Fanny. Lenina does not require much convincing and eventually gives in to conformity with the World State's ideas toward relationships.

Hypnopaedia can be used to instill beliefs and emotional attitudes but cannot be used to learn science because after hypnopaedia the subjects don't really know and understand what they were told. They can just repeat what was played while they were sleeping.

The name Mustapha Mond suggests a powerful character since the word 'mond' means world. I think this word relation has alot to do with how Mond is regarded in the World State. He has a very strong position in this society and people look up to him similar to a ruler.

The next paragraph holds the idea that in this modern society history, art and all of the accumulated wisdom of man means nothing. Only the new society and its strict conformist beliefs matter.

The contradiction between what Mond is saying and what Lenina, Henry, Fanny, and Bernard would be that Mond is speaking from his own free will. He is using his actual knowledge while the rest are simply speaking from conditioning and hypnopaedia.

Soma is needed because they need to forget that they were made to think a certain way. They are not supposed to have emotions and knowing something goes hand in hand with feeling something so they need to be taken away, into this empty space. Felling something is wrong but once you take soma it's okay.

I noticed that the shifting of speakers is done very quickly and without any warning. I think this is done because it really doesn't matter who is talking, they are all conditioned, taught, and conformed to say the same things.

The controllers of the new world define happiness with stability.

So much effort is put into conditioning people to be consumers because this ensures the continuation of stability, one part of their motto. Huxley is satirizing his own society in the idea of wanting nothing. The Great Depression affected us as consumers because we went for year without so many things. Now we go without nothing, instant gratification.

Fascism

Fascism relates to the novel because of "his fordship" Mustapha Mond. He decides what will be acceptable in the community. The people have no rights and nothing left up to personal decisions. He does not want people to read because that might expand their minds and of course people should not think. Also, he wants people afraid of certain things so indirectly he can control what they do and don't do. These tactics allow "his fordship" to control every aspect of these people's lives. This is pretty much a dictatorship. All the people look to Mustapha Mond almost like a god.
As scary as it sounds this almost relates to certain parts of the United States government. Not in the form of a dictatorship obviously but in certain things such as trying to control what we think. By instilling fear in citizens the government can get us to agree or go along with almost anything they want. Sometimes that even means lying to us or taking away basic liberties. An example of this is wire tapping, infringing on a basic right such as privacy.

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
--Benjamin Franklin

Brave New World 2

I agree with Carrie's blog about losing your identity as an embryo. The Bokanovsky Process does not have anything to do with individuality, the only care is making as many babies from one egg as possible. This is to ensure the controlled and strict existance of the community. People don't think for themselves, that is absolutely unheard of. They are trained from infancy to do everything the way “his fordship” Mustapha Mond wants it to be done. The actual creating of children to ensure the stability of the community is where I disagree. I think the stability of the community comes in by the categorization of Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon. This is the main sturucture of the community.

Brave New World continued

The Great Depression did not just have a national affect but a global affect. In 1929 nearly half of the banks crashed causing depositors to lose 2 billion dollars. Both stocks and national trade plummeted. Stocks went down 80% and trade fell 66%. This led to loss of jobs, meaning lower incomes and less spending. From there businesses collapsed and the economy reached a historic low.

Brave New World Blog 1

An unexciting truth may be eclipsed by a thrilling lie.
--Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)

Aldous Huxley was born in England on July 26 to an upper-middle class intellectual family. His father, Leonard Huxley was a poet, editor, and biographer. He was also the son of a famous leader in Darwinism when it was first becoming accepted. Aldous's mother, Julia, was the niece of a poet and critic.
Aldous originally wanted to become a doctor. This was not a realistic possibility after he contracted a sickness that almost caused him to become blind. When one eye healed just enough to be able to read through a magnifying glass he followed through with a degree in English Literature and philosophy. He lived in California for the later part of his life.
Aldous Huxley wrote not only novels but also poems, essays and short stories.


Satire (n): 1- a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn
2- trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly

Fascism (n): a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition



sources: Merriam-Webster online dictionary
bookrags.com/biography/aldous-leonard-huxley/

Reading Assignment 3: Chapters 6-7

"Quackenbush was studying me to see if he could detect a limp. But I knew that [he] would never detect my trouble"

This is said because Gene even almost starts to feel that maybe his guilt is so great that he is showing it physically. Perhaps he was trying to say that Quackenbush would never understand the way he was feeling so he could not yell at Gene for small things such as being late for the meeting.

Quackenbush reflects Gene's feelings about himself by telling him that his actions are unacceptable. He even gets into a fight with Gene very similar to the one he is suffering inside himself.

The students at Devon have lost a few luxuries due to the war. First and most noticeably men (other than the students) are in very few numbers. Maids are also missing because of the war effort. The realization of the war, although it is a much more positive view than reality, is really made clear when Gene is shoveling snow off of the railroad tracks and he sees the soldiers. This heroic feeling that Gene gets makes him even want to serve his country.

In this section for the first time Gene is the nonconformist. For one of the first times in the novel Gene blatantly disagrees with Finny. He does not cave when Finny talks about the realness of the war. Gene dares to go against Finny and hold his point of view.

Reading Assignment 2: Chapters 4-5

Gene comes to the conclusion that Finny is not concerned about school like he is. He feels that Finny is only cares about sports and having fun.

Gene decides to set aside his school work and go to the tree with Finny because he feels almost like he owes it to Finny. He feels that perhaps in interest of their friendship he put their fight behind them and go have fun at the tree.

Gene puts on Finny's pink shirt because he misses Finny being around all the time and he wants to become more like Finny. He feels like Finny, or the person Finny is, completes him. Finny is almost everything Gene wants to be. Finny is popular, easy-going, naturally good at things. Maybe Gene almost even wants to replace Finny.

Finny does not want to believe that Gene would possibly cause him to fall but he had thought about it. Finny even felt bad for suspecting his best friend of causing him to fall. Because of this Gene feels even more guilty than he had before because his friend fells bad for suspecting something that was the truth.

In the hospital room Gene comes to the conclusion that he has very little confidence and faith in his friend while Finny has complete faith and trust in Gene. Just one more thing to make Gene feel guilty.

Reading Assignment 1: Chapters 1-3

"Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even a death by violence."

What jars the reader in this statement is that something thought of so horribly as a violent death can be forgotten and can at some point no longer matter. The idea that nothing lasts forever, that everything will at some point come to an end is what is implied in this quote.

I think the mood that is conveyed in the first five pages of the novel is reminiscent. This is reinforced when Gene looks at how things have changed and how they have stayed the same since he left Devon fifteen years ago. In the last part of the chapter the mood turns to playful as Gene and Finny play their games and wrestle making them late for dinner.

In the first chapter it becomes obvious that Finny will also be a major character in this novel. You find out that Finny is impulsive and brave. You also find out that Finny and Gene are great friends.

Chapter two ends as Gene loses his balance when preparing to jump out of the tree and Finny catches him.
On the same topic chapter three starts with Gene looking back on this and realizing that Finny probably saved his life by reaching to catch him.

Gene says that "It made Finny seem too unusual -- not friendship, but too unusual for rivalry" because Finny's attitude toward the swimming record leaves nothing to be rivaled against because Finny doesn't need to prove anything to anyone else, as long as he knows it himself.

Surprising even himself Gene agrees to ride to the beach with Finny and stay there overnight. He did simply to please Finny and keep the respect Finny has for him.