Brave New World Identity Research Paper

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Identity: Brave New World vs. Our World Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel, Brave New World, dives deep into a futuristic society, The World State, that is built upon mass production, genetic engineering, and social conditioning. The World State’s mantra of “Community, Identity, and Stability” emphasizes the social order. Stability for the World State is keeping the structure of the classes. Community is part of stability in the world, it is the relationship between the classes being stable. However, identity in the world state is chosen before an embryo even has a conscience; from the beginning there are Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons. These people do not have a choice who they become; this is very different from our world. In Brave …show more content…

Young kids are preprogrammed to fit their specific needs. The lower classes are not supposed to like books and nature because they are meant to consume the World State’s goods and work all day long. By instilling a fear of books and nature, the World State eliminates the potential for intellectual curiosity. The manipulation of preferences in the castes highlights how predetermined their identities are. They have no choice to make in what they like and do not like, it is all decided before they are decanted. The citizens of the world state are unable to understand or desire anything they have not been conditioned to do. Their individual identities are limited to their caste, “I suppose Epsilons don’t really mind being Epsilons,” she said aloud.’ ‘Of course they don’t. How can they be used? They don't know what it’s like being anyone else/ We’d mind, of course. But then we’ve been differently conditioned. Besides, we start with a different heredity.’ ‘I’m glad I’m not an Epsilon,” said Lenina, with conviction. “And if you were an Epsilon,’ said Henry, ‘your conditioning would have made you no less thankful that you weren’t a Beta or an Alpha” (Brave New World …show more content…

Stated by The American History Association, “Many people think that history helps people's identities, “History makes good neighbors because it teaches tolerance of individual differences and appreciation of varied abilities and interests. History makes stable, well-rounded individuals because it gives them a start toward understanding the pattern of society and enjoying the artistic and intellectual productions of the past. It gives long views, a perspective, a measure of what is permanent in a nation’s life. To a people it is what memory is to the individual; and memory, express or unconscious, guides the acts of every sentient being.” History helps shape our society's identity whether it is family history, a country's history, or even books from the past. It shapes people's morals by learning from the mistakes of the past. Family history helps people understand who they are and where they came from. Literature from the past helps people's intellectual identity. However, the World State has gotten rid of all of these things that make people from our society’s identity. The World State citizens are unable to learn from the past to help shape their

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