Brave New World

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Brave New World

In the past 100 years, the world has completely turned around. The technological and computer revolutions have completely changed the way the world works. Henry Ford revolutionized factorial production through the creation of the assembly line. It increased efficiency and a basic standard of conformity among products, therefore making the company a lot more successful. The rest of the industry creating a nation-wide revolution based on efficiency adopted this new innovation. Following the innovation of the assembly line, a new era of development came into existence. In the 1970’s, computers were first introduced. Although they were as large as a room and could only play tic tac toe, they were the start of the technological revolution that made our society what it is today. Hundreds, if not thousands, of new inventions were thought of each year, creating new jobs and a new way of life. Records and files previously kept in file cabinets are now all computerized. Every person’s life is computerized: identification, police reports, one’s house and work. Almost every person has a computer, whether it is used for fun, school, Internet connection, graphic arts, or music. Computers have revolutionized our lives, whether that is a good or bad thing is the question. Do we create and control the computers, or have our own inventions taken such a hold on our lives, that they now control us? Aldous Huxley uses Henry Ford as the basis for an omni powerful leader who enforces the new values of efficiency through a totalitarian and mind-controlling government; subsequently, Huxley creates Brave New World to warn us of the effect that technology will have on our lives in the future.

In one aspect, Ford is depicted as the...

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...e sign of the cross that a priest makes at the end of a church service, and the whole congregation imitates him. There are other smaller similarities such as the capitalization of D in director and J in Jesus. Also, western society started time as AD, when Jesus was born. The people of “a Brave New World” start time when Ford was born: AF. The Director sets the rules with the “Suggestions of the State”(29). When presenting these, “he banged the nearest table. ‘It therefore follows…’”(29). These rules and their presentation are surprisingly similar to the 10 commandments and their presentation by Moses. Mustapha Mond represents God through his vast amount of knowledge, “There were those stranger rumors of old forbidden books hidden in a safe in the Controller’s study,”(35).

Bibliography:

Huxley, Adlous. "Brave New World". Perennial Classics: New York, 1998.

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