The Destruction of the Romantic Relationship
“Don’t waste sunsets with people who will be gone by sunrise”-Unknown
Remember those times, when a date involved going out to the movies and dinner? Or do you remember the common courtesy of bringing flowers to your young lady? You don’t remember any of that? I know what you mean; adolescents today are slowly destroying the romantic relationship. This is what Brave New World was trying to warn us about. Our contemporary American society is turning that dinner and a movie into a make-out fest, regardless of romantic attraction. Thus, Brave New World warns our contemporary American society about the dangers of having a non-romantic relationship through the effects of STI’s, risky consequences of alcohol
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We see this through the idea of “orgy-porgy”, the act of group sex under drugs for ceremonial purposes. This “idea” has turned normal relationships into mindless sex as it was shown in the Solidarity Service. The book tells us how the,” Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun, Kiss the girls and make them One. Boys at one with girls at peace; Orgy-porgy gives release (Huxley 84)”. The Orgy Porgy ceremony is a way to use sex to channel lust and physical attraction instead of love towards one another. However in contemporary American society, recreational sex isn’t advisable due to the increased chances of STI’s, unexpected pregnancy and even psychological effects to the mind and body. For their part, people in Brave New World have taken special steps since birth to protect themselves from these issues through conditioning. As we haven’t been conditioned, we have no such protection from these issues, which makes recreational sex …show more content…
Lenina and Fanny discuss this in the novel, for Fanny exclaims, “I really do think you ought to be careful. Its horribly bad form to go on and on likes this with one man. At forty, or thirty-five, it wouldn't be so bad. But at your age, Lenina! No, it really won't do. And you know how strongly the D.H.C. objects to anything intense or long-drawn. Four months of Henry Foster, without having another man—why, he'd be furious if he knew…"(43 Huxley). This shows relevance towards our teenagers, because in the World State, any drawn-out relationship is shunned and looked down upon. We can compare this to contemporary society, as more and more relationships become short term with the increase of hooking up, thus having shorter and shorter relationships. This new situation can compare closer to Brave New World. Because of that, our society is transforming into the populace of the World
According to events from the past, history today has repeated itself due to the sustained and increasingly high levels of drug and alcohol use as well as the popularity of casual sex displayed on media platforms. Huxley’s idea of the “utopian” society is manufactured, just as it is being artificially created today; in the modern world, euphemisms are frequently used to cover up the real truths. Similarly, the “brave new world” hid
Belongingness is an emotion that everyone longs to feel throughout the course of their lives. Starting in adolescence, we as humans are naturally attracted to others in a romantic way. Girls in junior high start wearing make-up and dressing nice in order to impress the boys and get their attention. During this time, both girls and boys want a boyfriend or girlfriend, and are interested in this idea of “dating.” As boys and girls progress into high school, dating becomes even more of the thing to do. As a young teenager, I wanted to date, but my parents were against it. Many parents have a negative outlook about dating because of the consequences it may lead to, mainly sexual activity. Some believe that dating has changed drastically for the worse, but Beth Bailey believes differently. In Bailey’s article entitled “From Front Porch to Backseat: A History of the Date,” she analyzes the history of dating and how numerous people have not conceptualized this idea correctly. By showing authority, evidence, and values, Bailey presents an effective argument about the history of dating.
Despite the previously mentioned cases, there are examples of how today’s society is not changing to replicate Brave New World. In the story, there were no mothers or fathers, no family, and no general monogamy. Today’s society still believes in marriage, parental roles, and the family structure.
One of the points Freitas makes in the beginning of the book is, “The rise and “progress” of hookup culture rests in the fact that young adults are simply getting better at being uncaring.” (13). Is it “uncaring” of the active independence of choice to engage in hookups without the shame? Women for centuries have been sexually repressed by societal pressures, so when they choose to become liberated from the shame, they are met with the idea that they are ambivalent to sex. She says that hookup culture hinders people from becoming successful in her terms, “ We cannot encourage our students and children to become whole, integrated, empowered, and virtuous people if we fail to adequately address hookup culture and to articulate how it works against these goals.” (15). So, not only does it make people “uncaring” to Freitas, it also somehow discredits your capability to be successful. Those ideas sound very much like the rhetoric used on women for centuries to defuse their empowerment. She also includes, “Ultimately, we need to empower them to seek the kinds of relationships they want…”(16). Freitas neglects to acknowledge that some women might want to engage in hookups and not desire a relationship in the traditional sense. There is constant ignorance of choice behind sexuality and expression, confused with a lack of
It is of particular interest to look at sexuality in relation to the modern daily life. What may seem abnormal and even abject in daily life is constitutive in human sexuality. It goes beyond normal functioning, rationality, and purposefulness, making sexuality inherently excessive. The discrepancy between the sexual and daily life connotes the otherness of sexuality. Freud mentions this in Three Essays on The Theory of Sexuality in his contention that perversion should be used a term of reproach: “no healthy person, it appears, can fail to make some addition that might be called perverse to the normal sexual aim.” Although he may have been focusing on the abnormal particularities in normal sexual life, this idea expounds ...
Uninhibited sexual freedom provides happiness to this society’s citizens, the Fordians. Promiscuity is encouraged, and monogamy is discouraged. There is no room for love, or real emotional ties. John Savage does not agree with these ideas, but he fails to see the implications of loving others. In our society, love and sexual desire are the causes of murder, suicide, and rape. “Everyone belongs to everyone else”(pg.35). This is one of the many hypnopaedic messages that are repeated to the Fordians. It prevents them from feeling passion, desire, lust, jealousy, and true love. In absence of these feelings, they are free from emotional ties and have no reason to rape or murder someone because of inner desires. They are able to express their sexuality with others, and release sexual tension. Hurt and pain is eliminated from their minds, and these people can live the rest of their lives with child-like bliss. John Savage disagrees with these ideas and objects by stating,
Huxley also uses distortion as a way to make people "see" in his depiction of human relationships. In the book, sex is looked upon as a tool for sharing with multiple partners. The frequency with which people sleep with each other is a disturbing aspect Huxley chooses to portray. Lenina Crowne symbolizes Huxley's portrayal of the complete lack of sexual morals and self-respect. Along with Soma, sexual promiscuity is another form in which the governm...
Throughout time scientists, philosophers, and laymen alike have discussed questions of the complexity of sex. These questions range from what sex is, to what is a sexual perversion, and far beyond exploring every nook and cranny of the subject. One of the authors that is well know for this type of discussion for idea of how to explain sexual desire is Alan Goldman. During his writing of “Plain Sex”, Goldman tries to define what sexual desire is, what a sexual perversion is, and other claims relating to sexual desire, often shrugging off previously believed theories. His ideas lead away from the idea that sex has a means end and leads to a more primal basis that sex is a desire for physical contact and the need to fulfill this desire for physical contact. In the end I will argue that his definition leaves out our basic cognitive functions and defines humans as to primal form of being. This leads us into his central arguments for why he sees it logically necessary that sex is a need for physical contact and the pleasure that comes from it.
The poem, “Sex without Love” by Sharon Old’s is a unique poem with a distinctive message that you cannot help but read it over again. Old’s poem is about the narrators opinion about the act of sexual intercourse and how the narrator does not know how a human being can share such an intimate moment with someone, without loving the other individual wholeheartedly. In the poem, “Sex without Love” by Sharon Old’s images of numerous people in various activities create tension as the narrator asks, “How do they do it, the ones who make love without love?” Sharon Old’s utilizes numerous religious languages that juxtaposes real beliefs and being a sap. The poem in its entirety is unified by the failure to answer the question, “How do they do it, the ones who make love without love?”.
In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
One major issue that helps maintain social stability in Brave New World is sex. It is thought of as normal for people to be completely open with their sexual nature. It is typical for children to run around naked during recess playing games that are sexual and sometimes homosexual in nature. Every adult is encouraged to sleep with as many different partners as possible. This outlook on sexual nature is quite different from actual accepted views. Today, sex is most widely accepted as a private, romantic event that should take place between monogamous couples. Because sex is a natural need of the human body, people of Huxley’s society feel pleased by being open with their sexuality. Indulging in their sexual pleasures eases their minds and keeps them from questioning the level of freedom they have.
In the first couple of chapters, Lenina, a young woman, is introduced. When we first meet her, we learn that she has been seeing a guy, Henry, for the past 4 months. The reader can assume that this is normal, since the same happens in our everyday lives, but we soon discover that this is abnormal. In the new world, a regulation is set that men and woman cannot be in committed relationships, but are supposed to have sex with as many men or woman possible. The fact that she is not promiscuous enough can get her into trouble. “And you know how strongly the D. H. C. objects to anything intense or long-drawn… why, he’d be furious if he knew…” (Huxley, 41) As the story progresses, however, she becomes an example of new world regulations, admitting that she had sex with many men. “She was a popular girl and, at one time or another, had spent a night with almost all of them.” (Huxley, 57) Old world r...
Not only does Huxley use sex and reproduction as symbols of stealing human rights early in life, but he uses it for their adolescent and adult lives. Strange and alien sexual control is showed at an early age in this society when children of a young age are told to be playing an erotic and sexual game. This continued push on sexual promiscuity, especially on women, is in stark contrast to our own soci...
“The Joy of Sex.” Adweek 6 March 2000: 22. Online. EBSCOhost: Academic Search FullTEXT Elite. (AN: 2896174) 19 March 2001.
... decades ago. This book is one that will allow the reader to view many aspects of sexuality from a social standpoint, and apply it to certain social attitudes in our society today, these attitudes can range from the acceptance of lesbian and gays, and the common sight of sex before marriage and women equality. The new era of sexuality has taken a definite "transformation" as Giddens puts it, and as a society we are living in the world of change in which we must adapt, by accepting our society as a changing society, and not be naive and think all the rules of sexuality from our parents time our still in existence now.