IRP Blog Post 4c

Event/Connection:

“Absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.” -Anonymous
While the power itself did not self-destruct, it is corrupting the people of the World State and making their lives a controlled, demonic nightmare. John went to get away from the world in a lighthouse only to find himself getting drunk and committing suicide. “Just under the crown of the arch [ of the lighthouse staircase] dangled a pair of feet.” (259) When this novel was originally written in 1932, Huxley must have felt threatened that a toleration state would be able to brainwash and manipulate an entire population. While there were a few people that seemed to “rebel” in Brave New World, no one was able to amount to much of a threat to the nation. Aldous Huxley may have underestimated a human’s ability to revolt into successful revolutions. History has shown us that since 1932, all totalitarian states have failed or are in the process of failing (North Korea mainly).

IRP Blog Post 4b

Theme:

After finishing the book, the most pressing theme was the ineffectiveness of totalitarianism. John continued to press the need for arts and science for mankind to grow and have a meaningful, purpose-driven life. The World State argued that it was unnecessary. Mond tells John of the unimportance of science by saying, “Every change is a menace to stability. That’s another reason why we’re so chary of applying new inventions. Every discovery in pure science is potentially subversive; even science must sometimes be treated as a possible enemy. Yes, even science.” (224-225) John thought freedom should reign and wasn’t going to change positions; he would agree with Max Lerner’s famous quote, “To reject the word is to reject the human search.”

IRP Blog Post 4a

Connection:

While in a soma distributer place, John gets sick of the current day order and loses his calm composure. “Listen I beg you, lend me your ears. Don’t take that horrible stuff. It’s poison, it’s poison. Poison to soul as well as body.” (211) John is trying to tell people that the soma is controlling everyone so in order to feel free and independent, people need to stop consuming it. It reminds me of the Matrix when if you wanted to take the blue pill, you would wake up and the story ends while if you take the red pill, you stay in wonderland. So the question is, will John end up taking the red pill or will find a way to keep taking the blue pill?

IRP Blog Post 3c

People (Character Development):

“Bernard's other victim-friend was Helmholtz. When, discomfited, he came and asked once more for the friendship which, in his prosperity, he had not thought it worth his while to preserve. Helmholtz gave it; and gave it without a reproach, without a comment, as though he had forgotten that there had ever been a quarrel. Touched, Bernard felt himself at the same time humiliated by this magnanimity – a magnanimity the more extraordinary and therefore the more humiliating in that it owed nothing tosoma and everything to Helmholtz's character. It was the Helmholtz of daily life who forgot and forgave, not the Helmholtz of a half-gramme holiday. Bernard was duly grateful (it was an enormous comfort to have his friend again) and also duly resentful (it would be pleasure to take some revenge on Helmholtz for his generosity).” (179)

Bernard is a much different man from when he met John. His character has developed and he has seemed to lose personality since then. A possible reason could be the Soma, which I mentioned in another blog post, that takes control of him like a drug. It’s almost as if the World State is indirectly controlling him. Maybe John will help Bernard and develop him back into a some-what independent man again.

IRP Blog Post 3b

Symbol/Idea:

“‘Reducing the number of revolutions per minute," Mr. Foster explained. "The surrogate goes round slower; therefore passes through the lung at longer intervals; therefore gives the embryo less oxygen. Nothing like oxygen-shortage for keeping an embryo below par." Again he rubbed his hands.” (24)
Mr. Foster seems unusually excited about altering the normal life cycle. This is a symbol of from earlier in the book that is now starting to shed light for more actions of the World State.
“The two low work-tables faced one another; between them crawled the conveyor with its load of separate parts; forty-seven blonde heads were confronted with forty seven brown ones. ...” (160)
John is disgusted by the machine like production of humans and this reassures that the hatred for the World State is only growing.

IRP Blog Post 3a

Theme:

The director wants to humiliate Bernard in front of everyone. “A public example. In this room, because it contains more high caste workers than any other in the centre.” (147) A reoccurring theme is power, and the ability to flex that power to prove a point. I feel as if public examples can only scare people up to a point before it starts to get people rebellious.
Here is a link of an article about someone who thought a court case shouldn’t have been made a public example out of. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/05/defense-government-made-lori-drew-symbol-of-cyberbullying/ It just shows how we flex our power too, and need to make sure we don’t overstep boundaries.

IRP Blog Post 2c

Connections

It seems like throughout the book and mainly in this section, the task of government has been to maximize efficiency and disregard any actions that are detrimental to social aspects. The government and class order seems to be the number one priority. As the people keep repeating in the novel, "Cleanliness is next to fordliness."

As mentioned in this online article by "The Guardian," North Korea has been failing to meet growth targets due to the harsh laws set forth on the people. When an entire government tries to put too much emphasis in conformity and serving the country, efficiency quickly falls.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/dec/05/northkorea

IRP Blog Post 2b

Symbol

A huge use of symbolism by Aldous Huxley was the use of soma (an alcoholic beverage). Soma, as other alcoholic drinks do, alter ones way of thinking and perception of the life around them. Bernard drank soma only before having sex with Lenina, something he did not at all want to do but what was acceptable by society's standards. Soma, like the government, has been forcing people to make irrational decisions so far in the book.

http://www.drugs.com/soma.html

IRP Blog Post 2a

Part Two
Chapters 5-6

People:
-Lenina- worker at the Hatchery, in the helicopter
-Henry- “with” Lenina, in the helicopter ride also
-Bernard- awkward tension with Lenina “She looked at Bernard with an expression of rapture, but of rapture in which there was no trace of agitation or excitement.” (85) He later has sex with Lenina but only after getting drunk. He wants to act more “mature.”
-Fifi
-John

Events and Places:
-Helicopter ride over cremated bodies
-Giant orgy
-Wrestling match
-Reservation
-Lenina and Bernard get “freaky”

Symbols:
-Phosphorous recovery- cremated people are used to make plants grow, this shows the dropout of religion and treating bodies reverently
-Orgy- shows a lacking of respect for unity and morales
-Ford- They keep mentioning Ford because of his immense power

Themes and Ideas:
-A growing feeling for rebelling (especially Bernard now)
-Fitting in
-Releasing your wills and inhibitions
-Atheism
-Good vs. Evil


Connections and Questions:
-How many people are going to eventually revolt?
-Will Lenina and Bernard’s love affair somehow continue throughout the novel?

The people are seeming to really let go of themselves and just go with society’s norms. I feel like even in the United States today that kids are viewing sex as being less sacred and more of a recreational activity. While this book is a little extreme, it somewhat does predict this changing belief.
http://www.hi-ho.ne.jp/taku77/refer/sexnorm.htm
[Link about changing views for sex]

IRP Blog Post 1c

Part One
Chapter 3-4

People:
-Crying boy- Doesn’t like playing a game in the nude with kids his age, finds it too erotic so he’s disciplined
-Babies- Get shocked when they approaching books and flowers so they know not to like them
-Director- Keeps giving a tour, he gets interrupted by crying boys

Events and Places:
-Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre- Place where babies are made so society can utilize them with the characteristics they like. Babies are trained
-World State- Name for their “perfect society”
-Classrooms
-Playgrounds

Symbols:
-Technology used to control masses
-Family terms are considered “pornographic”
-Balance between happiness and truth

Themes and Ideas:
-Propaganda (through technology)
-Perfection
-Accepting the norm
-Atheism
-Language barriers
-Teaching elementary kids about sex


Connections and Questions:
-Was this book written at a time of conformity?
-How can anyone believe this suppression would work? (North Korea)

Technology is playing such a crucial role in containing people in Brave New World. Also, we see people in Egypt having their revolution with technology playing such a crucial role.
http://www.businessinsider.com/egypt-211-start-of-a-new-era-post-911-2011-2

IRP Blog Post 1b

Part One
Chapter 2

People:
-John- A student watching the tour of the human factory.
-Babies- Get shocked when they approaching books and flowers so they know not to like them
-Director- Tells a story about a polish man, Reuben.

Events and Places:
-Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre- Place where babies are made so society can utilize them with the characteristics they like. Babies are trained
-World State- Name for their “perfect society”
-Classrooms

Symbols:
-Early hatred through shocking
-Family terms are considered “pornographic”

Themes and Ideas:
-Propaganda
-Perfection
-Accepting the norm
-Atheism
-Language barriers
-Teaching elementary kids about sex


Connections and Questions:
-How long will it be until John snaps and breaks into action?

There is a lot of talk of when a school district should start talking about sex with kids. Of course elementary school is too young to have full-on lessons but when should they teach it?

IRP Blog Post 1a

Part One
Chapter 1

People:
-John- A student watching the tour of the human factory.
-Director- Giving the tour and describes how great this factory is for making an ideal world.
-Mr. Foster- Intelligent man with many questions at the hatchery

Events and Places:
-Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre- Place where babies are made so society can utilize them with the characteristics they like.
-World State- Name for their “perfect society”

Symbols:
-Splitting/duplicating embryos- a sign that many people lack individualism and human element is lost
-Comparing replicating humans to animals (15).

Themes and Ideas:
-“Bokanovsky’s Process is one of the major instruments of social stability.” (Huxley 7)
-Perfection
-Accepting the norm
-Atheism


Connections and Questions:
-1984 was very similar because human individualism was minimized and a classless society was being forced to form
-How long will it be until John speaks against the “World State?”
-Will John die fighting or create a change in society?


Here is an article about why North Korea is such a backwards nation. While reading Brave New World, it sounded a lot like social injustices in North Korea.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/28/welcome-to-north-korea-you-will-love-it-115875-21394846/

Quote:
"Hot tunnels alternated with cool tunnels. Coolness was wedded to discomfort in the form of hard x-rays."
This is a very descriptive passage.

IRP Blog Post 1

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley