Comparing the Dystopian Society in Brave New World and Modern Society

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The meaning of happiness is a vague concept. Mankind has always tried to achieve this state of well-being even though there isn’t a clear definition. Brave New World tells the story of a society where there is nothing but happiness, just like a utopia, but it is considered a dystopian setting by the modern society. In modern society, there is a simple road that most people follow to achieve happiness: earning enough money for education, getting a university degree, a prestigious and high-paying job, and a stable marriage. To some, the road is mostly about a circle of finding ways to earn and spend money. It seems like a bleak lifestyle when looked at from a different perspective. From a modern perspective the world of BNW is the dystopian one. To understand why BNW is considered dystopian and how different (or not) it is from the modern life; the methods of creating happiness in BNW and modern life should be analyzed, and the values of the modern society and the values of the society of BNW should be compared. In BNW, there are many methods that are used to induce happiness. One of them is classical conditioning. People are not free to choose a life that they want to live, they are given a life and they are conditioned to like it. As the director puts it in the beginning of the novel, “All conditioning aims at that: making people like their inescapable social destiny.” (11). Not only that, but classical conditioning is also used to increase consumption, just like real life. While not as complex as the methods used in BNW, most commercials use subtle classical conditioning techniques. There is a reason why people are always happy in the world of commercials. By associating positive feelings with the product, the a... ... middle of paper ... ... is bliss, and a society where the lower class is ignorant and distracted enough to keep mindlessly turning the gears of society is the perfect society where everyone is oppressively happy. Works Cited Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Chatto & Windus. Internet Archive. PDF File. https://archive.org/details/ost-english-brave_new_world_aldous_huxley Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World Revisited. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1958. Print. Kaplan, Brian, “Antidepressants and Our ‘Brave New World’.” Dr Brian Kaplan RSS. 24 Jan. 2012. Web. http://drkaplan.co.uk/2012/01/homeopathy/antidepressants-evidence-and-our-%E2%80%98brave-new-world%E2%80%99 Smith, Nicole. "Brave New World by Aldous Huxley : An Analysis of the Themes of Consumption and Utopia." Article Myriad. 13 Jan. 2012. Web. http://www.articlemyriad.com/brave-world-aldous-huxley-analysis-consumption-utopia

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