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Literature affecting society
Literature affecting society
Literature affecting society
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Christian Nestell Bovee, a famous epigrammatic New York writer, once said, “No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities.” This quote ties in wonderfully with the book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and the concept of control. In the novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley captured the true essences of a perfect dystopia. With people living seamless happy lives, and not knowing they are being controlled. How does one control entire nation? The World State does this by hatching, conditioning, and a synthetic drug called soma.
The first way to gain control over millions is by making everyone look the same. The World State in Brave New World accomplishes this task in two ways. The first way is through genetics. From birth the World State made every caste system equivalent; “They hurried out of the room and returned in a minute or two, each
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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
BNW Literary Lens Essay- Marxist Since the primitive civilizations of Mesopotamia and the classical kingdoms of Greece and Rome, people have always been divided. Up to the status quo, society has naturally categorized people into various ranks and statuses. With the Marxist literary lens, readers can explore this social phenomenon by analyzing depictions of class structure in literature. In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, readers are introduced to a dystopian society with a distinctive caste system.
Merriam Webster’s definition of satire is a type of literary work used to ridicule human vices and follies. This type of work is presented in Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World, when criticizing the power and control of the World State through the use of advanced technology towards the members of the World State. Throughout the novel the World State is portrayed as a totalitarian government controlling every aspect of its citizens lives. This controlling is made possible through all the advanced technology available within the World State. Set hundreds of years after Henry Ford, the renowned auto maker, the government’s technology is highly advanced, a folly Huxley is trying to expose in order to prevent a technological takeover in the life of people in the real world. Conditioning is one technological method used by the government in order to establish individuals to participate in a variety of tasks. Also entertainment is another factor used by theWorld State to keep power. Censorship is also illustrated in the novel presenting the governments ability to control, what is released in the World State.
In a perfect society, humans do not need to resort to drugs to keep society in balance. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, society is based on keeping everyone happy- and if for some reason someone becomes unhappy then there is always soma- the “perfect” drug. Humans are conditioned from the very start to be happy while performing their specific tasks. “We also predestine and condition. We decant out babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future Directors of Hatcheries.” (Page 13) Brave New World’s society is built on keeping everyone happy and keeping everyone working in balance with civilization. However, without soma, Brave New World’s society wouldn’t function properly. The soma helps to keep the society moving, always working to keep production moving, just like Ford’s assembly line. However, is there something wrong with depending on a drug to keep a society working?
The future of the world is a place of thriving commerce and stability. Safety and happiness are at an all-time high, and no one suffers from depression or any other mental disorders. There are no more wars, as peace and harmony spread to almost every corner of the world. There is no sickness, and people are predestined to be happy and content in their social class. But if anything wrong accidentally occurs, there is a simple solution to the problem, which is soma. The use of soma totally shapes and controls the utopian society described in Huxley's novel Brave New World as well as symbolize Huxley's society as a whole. This pleasure drug is the answer to all of life's little mishaps and also serves as an escape as well as entertainment. The people of this futuristic society use it in every aspect of their lives and depend on it for very many reasons. Although this drug appears to be an escape on the surface, soma is truly a control device used by the government to keep everyone enslaved in set positions.
Living in this society allows people of all ages to take part in the same activities at the same level (depending on their cast). This allows citizens to never have any responsibilities as they grow older and live worrisome lives forever until their death. Science and technology is the focal point in everyday life of the citizens in the world state and with it the society flourishes in creating what the world controller wants. Similar to the daily lives of citizens of the world state, technology acts as a major influence even before they are born. Science and technology plays a big part before citizens are born in how they produce viable offspring that are prepared to be of help to the society.
Firstly, in Brave New World citizens use soma whenever they feel sadness or extreme loneliness, the drug acts as a mental shield. When Linda returns to the New World she abuses soma to the point of death because of her addiction from a previous time(). It shows that the society is making citizens vulnerable to change which allows world leaders to manipulate and gain superiority. Additionally, it shows that citizens are mentally weak, as they are not able to formulate a plan of action to face difficulty. Reliance on drugs is ultimately making citizens slaves of the society, as citizens are commanded without objection because the need overrules independent thinking. Furthermore, the film The Giver displays how they take daily injections to rid any lingering emotion in their body which can interfere with their day to day duties. Jonas taking the injection (). It shows that the effect of different emotions do not play a factor in decisions which is pivotal for an individual to possess as it separates them from others. It shows that reliance on technology is removing opinion as society benefits if everybody conforms to one opinion without questions shown from the mandatory morning injections which rids any emotion like love or sadness. Both articles show that usage of drugs is causing the citizens to lose their opinion and allowing superiors to manipulate
There were quite a few changes made from Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World to turn it into a “made for TV” movie. The first major change most people noticed was Bernard Marx’s attitude. In the book he was very shy and timid toward the opposite sex, he was also very cynical about their utopian lifestyle. In the movie Bernard was a regular Casanova. He had no shyness towards anyone. A second major deviation the movie made form the book was when Bernard exposed the existing director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, Bernard himself was moved up to this position. In the book the author doesn’t even mention who takes over the position. The biggest change between the two was Lenina, Bernard’s girlfriend becomes pregnant and has the baby. The screenwriters must have made this up because the author doesn’t even mention it. The differences between the book and the movie both helped it and hurt it.
In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley deftly creates a society that is indeed quite stable. Although they are being mentally manipulated, the members of this world are content with their lives, and the presence of serious conflict is minimal, if not nonexistent. For the most part, the members of this society have complete respect and trust in their superiors, and those who don’t are dealt with in a peaceful manner as to keep both society and the heretic happy. Maintained by cultural values, mental conditioning, and segregation, the idea of social stability as demonstrated in Brave New World is, in my opinion, both insightful and intriguing.
In his universe, Soma is the cure for everything. All problems, be they psychological, physical, or social are totally forgotten, their lurking shadows temporarily banished from sight. What is worrisome about this futuristic fabrication is its ideal reality. People in our current and very non-fictional times are taking steps toward the world of massive Soma use and acceptation. When one stops, and sees the world today, Huxley’s idea of the common drug; cure all, pleasant, and religion-exterminating seems to be a reasonable estimation of our future developments.
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World portrays a society in which science has clearly taken over. This was an idea of what the future could hold for humankind. Is it true that Huxley’s prediction may be correct? Although there are many examples of Huxley’s theories in our society, there is reason to believe that his predictions will not hold true for the future of society.
Aldous Huxley begins _Brave New World_ by explaining to the reader the process of civi-lization in A.F. 632 of decanting children. First the children are led into the London Hatch-ery and Conditioning Centerthe main entrance of which reads the World State's motto: COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY (Huxley 1). This signifies that the world has become unified into _one_ state with _one_ main government and _one_ set of rules and regula-tions. The world has become "over-organized"; everything has been taken over by what Aldous Huxley describes as the "Power Elite": a group of people who control the world and everyone in it (Huxley [_Brave New World Revisited_] 1423). Hatchery workers wearing white lab coats working in sterilized scientific labs artificially fertilize sperm cells and egg cells in test tubes. Then, depending on the particular caste of the sperm and egg, some embryos are bokanovskified (made to bud/replicate by bombardment of X-rays); finally all embryos are sent to the Social Predestination Room, where during the nine-month process of devel-opment they are conditioned through additions or subtractions to their biological chemistry depending on their caste (Huxley 29). This shows the reader that there is no concern for the traditional family structure or any respect for the mystery of human creation. The society of _Brave New World_ is totally based on scientific facts and possibilities. Ethics and religion have become obsolete. Instead of having God's gift of free will, people are now prisoners of their predetermined conditioning. Ethics and religion are grouped with history and in the words of Mustapha Mond, "History is _bunk_" (Huxley 24).
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, portrays a future society where people are no longer individuals but are controlled by the World State. The World State dominates the people by creating citizens that are content with who they are. Brave New World describes how the science of biology and psychology are manipulated so that the government can develop technologies to change the way humans think and act. The World State designs humans from conception to this society. Once the humans are within the society, the state ensures all people remain happy.
For example, in the 1920s, addictive drugs could be found in everyday products that people consumed. Despite the fact that “The Roaring Twenties” was also the time of the Prohibition Era and the time of the banning of various drugs, Americans increasingly turned to drugs in order to feel better. However, this “period of prosperity” came to an end when the stock market crashed in 1929. Huxley’s work displays the possibilities of what could happen if people become too dependent on a artificial pathways to satisfaction with life. He uses soma in order to spread the message that over-dependence on drugs can lead people to become blind-sighted to the problems in their society, which could have been part of what caused America to go from prosperous times to a time of economic depression so rapidly. Since Huxley’s time, drug-dependence has become an even larger problem in our society. With the increasing amounts over-medication, abuse of drugs, and deaths due to drug overdoses, Huxley’s novel continues to serve as an important reminder of just how dangerous taking the “easy” route to happiness can potentially
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.
In a world created where everything is under control, being observed, and fake it makes us wonder if government control is causing the failure of a society. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, written in 1931, he introduces to us a description of some type of futuristic world state, in which people are conditioned and manipulated from the birth to death and is meant to be a warning of the danger of dehumanization. Huxley gives us the idea of the misuse of many things like political power, economic control, sciences and, ethical values. In the book, all problems have been eliminated and the people are living in wealth and happiness by eliminating intellectualism, values and individual freedom.