University:
Bradley University
Course:
ENG 235 | American Literature 1865 to Present
Academic year:

2023
Views:

298

Pages:

32
Author:

Gudrunecg9m

Community Identity Stability Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World • 1894-1963 • Family had many notable members, including great uncle, poet Matthew Arnold • Plagued with vision problems throughout his life • Denied by the British army, so became a teacher Aldous Huxley • Published Brave New World in 1932 • Combined thoughts on the morality and nature of man with scientific findings and predictions • Focused many of his works on the conflicts between the individual and society • Writings became especially popular during the 1960s • His works often featured the use of various drugs, which he experiments with as well in his lifetime • His work The Doors of Perception was the inspiration for Jim Morrison to name his band The Doors. His Writings Brave New World • Published –1932 • Genre –Dystopian Future Setting- Time • 2450 A.D. – 632 years “After Ford” • Meaning after the invention of the Model “T” • This is symbolic of the societal shift in thinking—time is referenced in terms of a technological breakthrough versus a religious landmark • Civilization as we know it has gone through a devastating war. • The use of anthrax bombs and poison gases exhausted both sides, leaving the people that remained a choice between World Control and devastation. • After a further so-called nine years’ war, the dictatorship got control and brought stability • Stability is maintained by rigid control of the number and type of people Setting- Place • England and a place referred to as the “Savage Reservation” – England is known as “the brave new world” – The “Savage Reservation” is where people still feel emotions like love and grow old What’s his point? • Mustapha Mond, Resident Controller of Western Europe, governs a society where all aspects of an individual's life are determined by the state, beginning with conception and conveyor-belt reproduction. • A government bureau, the Predestinators, decides all roles in the hierarchy. • Children are raised and conditioned by the state bureaucracy, not brought up by natural families. • There are only 10,000 surnames. • Citizens must not fall in love, marry, or have their own kids. • Brave New World, then, is centered around control and manipulation • He instills the fear that a future world state may rob us of the right to be unhappy. • Abroad Historical Context – Russian Revolution – Challenges to the British Empire – Raised the possibility of change on a world scale • At home – Expansion of transportation and communication—the cars, telephones, and radios made affordable through mass production—also – Brought revolutionary changes to daily life. • New technology – Distances grew suddenly shorter and true privacy rarer. • Industrialized societies – Welcomed these advances, – Worried about losing a familiar way of life, and perhaps even themselves, in the process. • The nightmare vision of the fast-paced but meaningless routine of Brave New World reflects this widespread concern about the world of the 1920s and 1930s. History • New questioning of traditional morality – Especially regarding sex • Dress, language, and especially fiction expressed a greater openness for both women and men in their sexual lives • Change – Beginning of true individual freedom – End of civilization itself • Irony – Lenina being scolded for her lack of promiscuity – Sexual rules may change • Power of convention remains the same • This novel is more applicable today than it was in 1932. This is a time of: propaganda, censorship, conformity, genetic engineering, social conditioning, and mindless entertainment. • This was what Huxley saw in our future. His book is a warning. History • Huxley creates a world in which all the present worrying trends have produced terrible consequences. • Socialism in the 1920s – Totalitarian World State. • Questioning of religious beliefs and the growth of materialism – Religion of consumerism with Henry Ford as its god. • Model T’s roll off the assembly line in the present – Human beings will be mass-produced, too. “Our Ford”: Henry Ford • Invented the Model T car • Mass production & mass consumption • Assembly line = Improved efficiency • Vertical structure = self sufficient Ford’s Model T: The Tin Lizzy • Designed so that everyone could afford to own a car • Came in only one color: BLACK Literary Focus Point of View Dystopia • Omniscient Third Person • The unique thing about the narration is that it is used through the perspective of various characters • This allows the reader to see inside the minds of people who belong to the different castes in the society • A “Brave New World” predicts a future where people don’t have serious relationships, where they don’t have opinions and are classified from birth into a caste • People sleep carelessly with many different partners • People are filed into five castes: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, or Epsilon Caste System • Alphas (Α)– highest, grey • Betas (Β)- bottle green/mulberry • Gammas (Γ)- leaf green • Deltas (Δ)- khaki • Epsilons (Ε)– lowest, black • There are also pluses and minuses. So one can be an Alpha Plus or a Gamma Minus. • Differentiation achieved through oxygen deprivation. • Each caste is assigned a color. Literary Focus Themes and Conflicts • Technology and Its Ability to Manipulate • Control versus Emotion • Religion versus Technology • Free-Will versus Stability • Fantasy versus Reality • Science versus Technology • Corruptive Nature of Power Satire • By making the Dystopia of the “Brave New World” so extreme, it is easy for readers to see the ridiculousness of the society • A piece of literature designed to ridicule the subject of the work. • While satire can be funny, its aim is not to amuse, but to arouse contempt. • Ridicule, irony, exaggeration, and several other techniques are almost always present. • Some examples of the over-thetop nature of the novel – Frivolous sexual encounters – Reverence for Henry Ford – Humiliation of over having a child Soma • The government uses a drug called Soma to symbolize the control and power of the government over the people Symbols Savage Reservation • Representative of the old ways—the ways when humans felt emotion and love Soma • An anti- depressant and somewhat hallucinogenic drug used by World State citizens to escape their troubles • Soma really exists and originated in India Soma Holidays: “Half a gramme for a halfholiday” . SOMA Do we have a modern soma? • Consider the number of ads for prescription drugs, which are permitted only in the United States and New Zealand • Doctors and consumer advocates believe these ads drive up health-care costs and seduce millions into asking their MDs for drugs they don’t need for diseases they had never before heard of, like restless leg syndrome Overview • Huxley offers a fictional future in which man’s free will, ability to love and ability to be an individual has been marginalized at the expense of the stability of society • Huxley’s work, in essence, forecasted many of the world’s future conflicts such as Hitler’s rise to power, World War II and the Cold War • Humans living in “a brave new world” are filed into five different castes. • The Highest caste is for the leaders and thinkers • The lowest caste is for those who will perform menial labor • The State, in order to bring stability, has attempted to eliminate human emotion, human desires and human relationships • The State’s strict control is shown in sharp contrast with the religion, aging and strong emotions seen on the “Savage Reservation” More Overview • When an outsider from the “Savage Reservation” is brought back to the “brave new world” he is met with awe and curiosity • This outsider named John rebels against the controlling government and leads a riot • The ultimate questions arises: It life worth living when a human is deprived all feeling of exploration, wonder and love? Bokanovsky Process • Fertilization process used to create Deltas & Epsilons (lowest castes) • Divide fertilized eggs to produce identical twins • Produces up to 96 embryos, but 72 is the average • Primary instrument of social stability Ivan Pavlov • Russian physiologist, physician & psychologist • Developed classical conditioning • Pavlov’s Dogs – Noticed dogs salivated before receiving food – Rang a bell each time before giving dog’s their food – RESULT: Trained dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell, even without giving food Sigmund Freud • 1856-1939 Psychiatrist • Believed that mental health and illness spring from a child’ upbringing, not his heredity. • Psychoanalysis • Dream analysis • Talk therapy • Subconscious • Hypnosis Hypnopaedia “The greatest moralizing and socializing force of all time” • Sleep teaching • Moral education • Class conditioning • “The child’s mind is these suggestions, and the sum of the suggestions is the child’s mind”. Other Orgy Porgy • A sexual experience used to unify all people. • NOTE: Sex is not the focus, unity is. SOLIDARITY SERVICE • Group of 12 men & women • Drink strawberry flavored soma • Chant to music • Spiritual experience The Characters Bernard Marx • Part of Alpha Caste • Has unusual views and combined with his unusually short height is somewhat of an outcast • Bernard takes advantage of his relationship with John John the Savage • Grew up outside of the confines of the “brave new world” • Grew up in the “Savage Reservation” • John’s new ideas about relationships, love and individuality challenge the system of the State More Characters Mustapha Mond • One of only 10 World Controllers • In charge of censoring scientific discoveries and exiling people who have beliefs that go against the State • Despite his job, Mond himself was a prolific scientist and an avid reader Hemholtz Watson • Friend of Bernard’s • He questions the State on a far deeper and more intellectual level than Bernard • By the end of the novel Watson is ready to leave the restrictive boundaries of the State More Characters The DHC • The Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, • Called “Tomakin” by Linda • Occupies an important position in the brave new world – Loses it when Linda announces that he is the father of their son, John. Henry Foster • An Alpha who is seeing Lenina Crowne • A typically conventional Londoner. More Characters Lenina Crowne • A technician • Attracted by Bernard • In love with John • Drawn unconsciously toward danger • Represents ideal beauty for John Fanny Crowne • Lenina’s friend • Represents the conventional views of the brave new world • Encourages Lenina to pursue John sexually if he will not take the lead More Characters Linda • John’s mother • Born in the brave new world • Commits ultimate sin by bearing a child • Deals with her shame by finding comfort in peyote, mescal, sex, and soma Pope • Linda’s lover in Malpais – Inspires John’s hatred for sex Mitsima • Old Indian man • Teaches John basics • Represents the beginning and end of John’s involvement in the traditional life of Malpais Essential Questions to connect the literature to today’s culture: • • • • • • • • • Is it better to be free than to be happy? Is freedom compatible with happiness? Is the collective more important than the individual? Can children be taught effectively to think in only one certain way? Can young people be taught so well that they never question their teachings later? Is stability more important than freedom? Can alterations made by advanced science to mankind be made permanent at the DNA-level? Can mankind be conditioned by science? Should the individual be limited/controlled for the greater good? If so, how much?

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