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State control in brave new world
Brave new world as a satrical novel by aldous huxley
Brave new world aldous huixley essay
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Power and control is something most world leaders look for. In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World explores how The World State uses soma, a drug that gives the user an instant gratification, condition and social classes to control the population. In the Brave New World soma is a hallucinogenic drug that gives any user instant gratification. It also gives the user a calm and relaxed feeling that lasts for hours. The World State distributes this drug in the masses, “At six, their working day was over, the two Groups assembled in the vestibule of the hospital and were served by Deputy Sub-Bursar with their soma rations,” (Huxley 143). The citizens of the World State have been conditioned to love this drug. They use soma for just about any dissatisfaction that they might have. The citizens are essentially enslaved by the drug and have become mindless drones. The World State encourages the drug use, but its only means is to further its control over its citizens. The World Leaders have created a system where they are able to condition infants to make them dislike certain objects or places. The infants are conditioned at Hatcheries and Conditioning Centers. Groups of eight-month-old babies are brought to a room …show more content…
There are five social classes, Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. Each citizen is pre-determined on which class they will be put in. They’re also determined by a color. The Alphas are dressed in grey, Betas in mulberry, Gammas in green, “all exactly alike (a Bokanovsky Group, it was evident) and all (since their caste was Delta) dressed in khaki” (Huxley 15), and Epsilon in Black. The Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons are the more uglier and dumber of the social class. The Alphas and Betas do not interact with the bottom of three classes, they only interact with each other. The class system is just another way for the World State to have stability and
In Brave New World, citizens of the World State take a drug, soma, to escape from emotionally hard situations. Without soma at her disposal, Lenina was forced to experience life without her emotional crutch. While visiting the reservation with Bernard, Lenina came across a man who was whipping himself for a religious ceremony. “Lenina was still sobbing. ‘Too awful,’ she kept repeating, and all of Bernard’s consolations were in vain. ‘Too awful! That blood!’ She shuddered. ‘Oh, I wish I had my soma’” (Pg. 77). Lenina, like other characters in Brave New World, relied on soma to help them escape from the harsh realities of everyday life. Linda, a former citizen of the World State, didn’t have access to soma because there wasn’t any at the reservation so she turned to other means of mental numbing. "Her tears began to flow again. ‘I suppose John told you. What I had to suffer - and not a gramme of soma to be had. Only a drink of mescal every now and then, when Popé used to bring it’" (Pg. 80). When she lived in the World State, Linda was just as reliant as Lenina on soma. Once she couldn’t get soma anymore, she turned to alcohol to mask her emotional pain. Lenina and Linda’s compulsion for soma is similar to the growing phenomena of young adults overdosing on heroin in the northeastern areas of the United States. In modern society, individuals turn to painkillers to help lessen some of their mental pain, but this type of habit is an expensive one and as result more and more people are turning to heroin, a more inexpensive option. Johnny Bousquet, a heroin addict, said, “I felt like [heroin] alleviated the pain that I was going through. It just made me feel like I can make it through that moment. And eventually, I needed it to get through every moment” (Frontline). Both Linda and Lenina, along with other citizens of the World
Soma is the gateway to pure happiness. "you do look glum! What you need is a gramme of soma." (Huxley). In a way Soma is like nicotine or marijuana. It puts you into a trance or high like state of mind. It gives the user an exit from reality, a way to escape everyday life. Because of this the citizens have become codependent on soma; without it they feel in complete. “Again twelve stanzas. By this time the soma had begun to work. Eyes shone, cheeks were flushed, the inner light of universal benevolence broke out on every face in happy, friendly smiles. Even Bernard felt himself a little melted” (Huxley). By having entire nation dependent on a single drug it becomes simple to control the people. Codependency affects people both mentally and physically. Going through withdrawals is one of the worst experiences out there; especially if you have been on the drug for long periods of time. The World State made its natation dependent on soma and sense it’s the only disruptor, it made its citizens dependent on the World
Soma protects Brave New World’s society from the true hardships of life, thus concealing emotions that could lead to rebellion. Due to this the state condones use of soma to control social order. This is why the Deltas actually act against John when he pleads they throw away their soma. Just as soma strips Brave New World’s society of their individuality, alcohol and many drugs do as well. Marijuana leads to absence of emotional connection and a lack of interest. Through continued use it leads to and intensifies depression. Crack use also causes distant and removed feelings. Due to the onset depression caused by the drug abuse key relationships are left astray. After the initial effects of MDMA that result in a false feeling of emotional closeness, the low levels of serotonin cause anxiety and depression. In Brave New World there are many of these false relationships that exist. Bernard even in Morgana’s embrace feels no connection after the Solidarity Service, where he could only participate if he took soma. With all successful rehabilitation treatments those with relationships with the addict must participate. Brave New World severs all relationships to allow no opportunities for support. Consequently, the only thing the society can do is turn
Aldous Huxley predicted too elaborate a method for achieving stability. A more natural course to the same objective allows people to believe that they are in command of their fortunes, for then they are docile without conditioning and happy without soma. The illusion of power is in itself happiness, and the most powerful tool of social control. A state well governed with such a tool indeed cannot escape stability. A few more decades will pass, the United States will resolve the problem of poverty, and Huxley's prediction will have been fulfilled five centuries early.
In Brave New World, as drug called soma affects every day life as a citizen. The drug makes you happy instantly. But Bernard does not take any soma “and in spite of his misery absolutely refused to take the half-gramme raspberry sundae which she pressed upon him ‘I’d rather be myself,’ he said. ‘ Myself and nasty. Not somebody else, however jolly. ’A gramme in time saves nine,’ said Lenina, producing a bright treasure of sleep-taught wisdom.”(89). By refusing to take soma, Bernard stays true to himself. He is miserable because he does not fit in because of his stature and refusal to be medicated and happy. The society in Brave New World revolves around the fact that everyone is happy. The sleep teachings make it so that they feel it is right to always be happy and take soma, not for personal benefit but for the benefit of society. Without soma, some people in the society fell abandoned and depressed. When Bernard and Lenina visit the reservation Lenina forgot her soma “She felt in her pocket for her soma-only to discover that, by some unprece...
In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the world has become a dystopia, a civilization that is utopian in appearance, but in actuality everything is ultimately controlled by an individual or entity. The dystopia of Brave New World is known as The World State. One of the most striking features of The World State is the structured and segregated social caste system, which is comprised of the following classes: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. This caste system is probably the greatest tool the World State has to maintain ultimate control over its citizens. An individual’s position within the caste system is predetermined by a World State Official. There may be only minute differences between the classes, but in the World State class is everything. “Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons are simply faceless drones in color-coded outfits who exist to serve the more intelligent Alphas and Betas. As Huxley wrote this story, he consciously reinforced segregation and the separation of classes. As children are raised they are hypnotically-trained to live, think, and mature a certain way. This utilizes a met...
The World State also uses controlled groupings of people to brainwash them further into thoughtless people with no sense of individualism. Lastly, the World State uses drugs to create artificial happiness for people, leaving no room for intense emotion which causes people to revolt against the World State. Within the novel Brave New World, it is seen that the World State eliminates individuality through social restrictions, government controlled groupings and the abuse of drugs to maintain control of the population. Social restriction robs individuals of their creative personalities by preventing freedom of thought, behavior, and expression; but is vital to the World State for maintaining complete control over the society. Social restriction’s purpose is to enforce obedience, conformity and compliance out of people.
Rather than a generic dictatorial leader, Mond asserts his control off the will of the people, which the government enforces. In many cases, the people would be bent to the authority of the government, yet the government is subject to the people. His goal for humanity is stability and happiness; however the means of acquiring such are controversial as they involve the submission of freedom and self-determination. To Mond, happiness is freedom as it is an escape from unceasing fear. Soma plays into his values also, as it is quite literally an escape from reality. On page 237 of Brave New World, Mond speaks of soma and its effects. “And there’s always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering”. Mond describes soma with an unwholesomely relaxed tone, cementing the casualness of it. The familiarity of soma is so recognizable that it is marketed just like any other over the countertop drug. Huxley’s use of tripartite construction is not without cause as it is an excellent way to emphasize an idea or a concept. Not only does it reiterate the effect of soma, but it creates a sense that soma really is this wonderdrug, unlike any other
In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, everyone is conditioned to play a certain role before they’re even born, so it’s no surprise that there’s a drug supplied in mass to keep the population satisfied. This drug called soma highlights the dangers that an Utopian society can bring. Although soma takes away any pain or dissatisfaction, with every dose years are stripped from their lifetime and they are becoming more and more enslaved as mindless drones by the government. Is this all simply so the government powers can stay in control?
Along with technology, there are many examples of the government in Brave New World using manipulation in order to assert fear and control over its citizens. The government attempts to make the citizens so happy and fulfilled in order to control them and make sure that they do not care about their personal freedom. One way they do this is through the use of a drug called soma. This drug is taken every day by all the citizens in order to keep the citizens happy. “The people are so used to taking soma, that they find it impossible and frightening to face life without it. Soma is used to maintain social order and keep people from feeling any negative human emotions, such as jealousy, depression, sadness, or anxiety” (“In Brave New World, What
Bernard’s emotional dissatisfaction depicted through his longing “to feel something strongly” (6.1.81), separates him from Helmholtz dissatisfaction which “stems from cerebral boundaries” . The use of sibilance, places focus on the strength of Bernard's desire to experience empathy, causing readers to feel increasingly sympathetic towards him. The presence of ‘strongly’ also evokes It can be presumed that the restrictions in terms of freedom, individuality and love posed in Brave New World could be anecdotal references to Huxley’s own life; as Huxley frequently took psychedelic drugs, explaining ‘Soma’ and the constraint of emotions consuming it resulted in. Bernard does not receive much joy from taking Soma as he would “rather be [him]self” (6.1.77) – an insult to the World State and further affirmation of his deviation from the majority. The line also exposes Soma’s ability to strip an individual of their identity, creating a façade which consumers use to escape from the inevitable oppression. Huxley’s ability to be precise when describing the emotions of characters is what distinguishes his craft from others. Like Bernard, Helmholtz also becomes “aware of his difference from the people who surrounded him” (4.1.58) – the specificity of the thoughts leading up to this revelation successfully exhibits Huxley’s proficiency in controlling displays of emotion and thoughts. Alternatively, in 1984, the destruction of thought/language is implemented by Orwell to control the emotions of Oceania. Newspeak, a controlled language of limited words, additionally restricts freedom as Winston branded “[newspeak] narrow(s) the range of thought” (1.5.23). Both authors provide the opportunity for their characters to rebel, but their attempts are futile as the respective Government bodies continue to abuse the vulnerability of
Relying on soma, a drug designed to clear the mind of thoughts and beliefs against the systems of the government, takes away natural human emotions that civilizations should experience. Instead of facing the realities of the world, the characters in the book take soma to forget about any emotional issues.” The world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want and never want what they can’t get. If anything goes wrong theres soma” (Huxley, 193). This quote stated by Mustapha Mond explains how citizens are trained to regularly medicate themselves with
Therefore the world state developed a structure for the society to keep people busy, including the caste system and the predestination of careers and the conditioning that forces them to believe they are happy doing what they are doing. In Brave New World society this is necessary so people do not try and oppose the state and the structure. One of the main ways the World State controls the citizens and their emotions is with a drug called “Soma”. This drug is an antidepressant with no side effects, it is the perfect thing to help keep everyone happy and keep the community stable.
Power relates to the ability of one person to get another person to do something that is against their beliefs. “The more power one person has, the less the other has” (Rowlands, 1997). Domination is a view of power. “Domination consists of living under the arbitrary power of another” (Williams & Macedo, 2005). Domination describes who has power over who in relationships such as class. Domination can take political, economic, social and cultural forms that may interact with each other. Domination consists of conforming to the rules of another for that persons own gain, for example the exploitation of labour. People dominate others simply to glorify their own power status (Williams & Macedo, 2005). This type of power is seen in national and international policy making. It can be shown through violence or other forms of conflict (Rowlands, 1997).
In Brave New World, the main content characters within the novel are those the one who have unsighted themselves to the reality of their situation by taking the drug called “soma”. However as soon as the characters stop taking the drugs, they find their life living depressingly except for John The Savage, who is the main character after the narrator switched up the protagonist in the mid of the book from Bernard Marx to John who is then gets horrified by the drug, how the drug controls the people and that they are being treated as a slave which he then could not stand it and commits suicide. The most interesting part of Brave New World being dystopian society is that in other novels, the government hide the methods they use to control its people, however, in Brave New World, the control Mustapha Mondo and the Director tells the students who are new to the society and other people like John who are new and against the rules of the society, shows that there is no secret. The government openly controls the masses through the distribution of the drug Soma, they enthusiastically and willingly