BNW20 - Brave New Book

"There was a yell of ironical applause." (Brave New World, pg. 255)
I liked Brave New World much better than Never Let Me Go. I found that both books did well in teaching their lessons, but I think Mr. Huxley did a better job. I appreciated that his history was well thought out and explained. I also appreciated the idea of a new alternative to science (although I like science more). I also liked the comparison to the discovery of the new world. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I found the plot intruiging, plausable, and engaging. He is advanced in his vocabulary and is a clever author.

BNW19 - Hubris

"The whip was hanging on a nail by the door, ready to hand against the arrival of reporters. In a frenzy the Savage ran back to the house, seized it, whirled it. The knotted cords bit into his flesh." (Brave New World, pg. 252) And down falls our tragic hero. The hope the reader has in this beautifully different character dies with his flagellate-type behavior. Why does our hero have to have a tragic flaw? Remember that John was a major fan of Shakespeare - his heroes all had their tragic flaws. John hung himself after the burden became too much to carry. He served hs role, though. Without our "Savage," we wouldn't understand the reasoning behind the "brave new world." Hopefully John's death was considered noble - he was a noble man.

BNW18 - Genius

"'All right then,' said the Savage defiantly, 'I'm claiming the right to be unhappy.'
'Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind.' There was a long silence.
'I claim them all,' said the Savage at last." (Brave New World, pg. 240)
Wow. I applause Aldous Huxley. He did something only Tony Hollowell has done for me. He showed me that suffering DOES belong in our lifes. Yes, we want to be happy. But do we want to live like the people in this society? We want freedom and adventure. He brings us full circle on accepting our sufferings. I see the last line of Ch. 17, "You're welcome" as Huxley speaking. I really like the way he presented what our lives would be like without unhappiness. Very, very ingenious. *applause*

BNW17 - Explication! The Truth Comes Out!

"Right up to the time of the Nine Years' War. That made them change their tune all right. What's the point of truth or beauty or knowledge when the anthrax bombs are popping all around you?" (Brave New World, pg. 228) I finally understand what I believe to be Huxley's purpose for writing. I understand why everybody is so conditioned. Huxley published this book in 1932. He had lived through WWI and the Great Depression had just begun. I believe he was trying to discourage a Second World War. His anthrax bomb in the Nine Years' War is the equivalent of the nuclear bombs of today. They destroy so much and ruin all of the progress we've made. I feel like this is his outcry to control science. Yes, it advances us, but it may also destroy us. Today is the day we face that decision - do we move forward and risk it, or do we condition ourselves to be happy? According to Michio Kaku, our world is in this transition to a Type I Civilization. Real scientists like Einstein don't intend for peoplo to die from their science. It happens when the technology gets in the wrong hands.

BNW16 - To the Rescue!! ... Or Not

"'Will you come quietly?' asked the Sergeant, 'or must we anaesthetize?' He pointed his water pistol menacingly.
'Oh, we'll come quietly,' the Savage answered dabbing alternately a cut lip, a scratched neck, and a bitten left hand." (Brave New World, pg. 215)
Almost a heroic effort! Unfortunately, too much of a population is against them. The poor minions can't comprehend anything because of their conditioned training. Plus, nobody can contend against the vicious effects of soma. It would take an army with masks to be able to overcome the way this society is set. I was hoping they might have a chance - but the evidence points to the contrary. At least they did what was within their power.

BNW15 - Super Situational Irony

"She stepped forward, she touched him on the shoulder. 'Can't you behave?' she said in a low, angry voice." (Brave New World, pg. 206) In our day, we would expect that the nurse was going to comfort John. But the opposite happens - she scolds him. Then, from her point of view, she expects John to accept death in stride. Instead, he's bawling by his mother's bedside. I call this Super Situational Irony. From every viewpoint, the unexpected occurs. I find this a bit of genious on the author's part. It's not obvious, but the all-around irony is there. I see it as Huxley's way of teaching us to consider other people's viewpoints. Many people need to learn how to do this.

BNW14 - Internal Conflict

"But instead of also saying 'Darling!' and holding out his arms, the Savage retreated in terror, flapping his hands at her as though he were trying to scare away some intruding and dangerous animal." (Brave New World, pg. 193) John faces an immense internal conflict. Does he take Lenina in like her society teaches, or does he resist like he's been taught. But what is the point of displaying this internal conflict? I believe Huxley used it to show the clash of two civilizations. It is partly used, I believe, to show in a modern form what it was like for the Indians in the 1490's. These people with a completely different set of beliefs come and rule the world. I think it also displays someone who is going through a culture shock and doesn't know how to behave. I think Huxley might be trying to prepare us for our own culture shocks in life. Any way I look at it, Huxley is trying to give us a more universal viewpoint.

BNW13 - Elegy

"Yesterday's committee,
Sticks, but a broken drum,
Midnight in the City,
Flutes ina cavuum,
Shut lips, sleeping faces,
Every stopped machine,
The dumb and littered places
Where crowds have been:...
All silences rejoice,
Weep (loudly or low),
Speak-but with the voice
Of whom, I do not know.
Absence, say, of Susan's,
Absence of Egeria's
Arms and respective bosoms,
Lips and, ah, posteriors,
Slowly form a presence;
Whose? and, I ask, of what
So absurd an essence,
That something, which is not,
Nevertheless should populate
Empty night more solidly
Than that with which we copulate,
Why should it seem so squalidly?" (Brave New World, pg. 181)
Helmholtz wrote something absurd in his time - an elegy. He was nearly fired for it! The elegy was a mournful reflection on loneliness. But such a reflection was considered blasphemy. It was a nice poem that could bring one comfort - but thats what soma is for. I thought the elegy was effective because it showed that life wasn't perfect, even in the utopian society. Again, it shows the dark side of conditioned response. I like Helmholtz - he's a true character.

BNW12 - A Good Christian

"Hastily he looked away, disengaged his imprisoned arm. He was obscurely terrified lest she should cease to be something he could feel himself unworthy of." (Brave New World, pg. 169) Even after going through the experiences he did, John was able to control his emotions. Clearly, his conditioned responses are very moral. He didn't take the chance he had with Lenina. I'm impressed with how he sticks with his old world ways. John is an example to all of us in how we are to face such temptations. He doesn't run astray despite the promises. But he's behaving much like Linda when she entered the Reservation. Neither conformed to their new environments. They both did what they believed was appropriate despite being outcasted.

BNW11 - Dramatic Irony

"Laughter broke out, enormous, almost hysterical, peal after peal, as though it would never stop. My father-and it was the Director! My father! Oh Ford, oh Ford! That was really too good." (Brave New World, pg. 151) Who would've though the Director had a child! Obviously not the people at the Hatchery. While they laugh because of its "impossible" implications, the truth is out. The director might realize this - at least the readers know the truth. Those poor spectators. What a shock they'll receive when they see that it's true. Dramatic irony is especially effective in this backwards society. Once the society fully realizes what has occurred - pandemonium. Huxley does a great job of dramatizing the situation. It helped create a better, more intense feel in the book.

BNW10 - Punctuality

"At ten fifty-four Bernard was shaking hands with the Warden." (Brave New World, pg. 141) Bernard manages to pull off his entire scheme in a short amount of time and enjoy his day before returning to check on Lenina. I was giggling at the descriptions of time for when he did his earliest activities. Whenever I invite friends over, I'll give them a time such as 3:23. And yes, occasionally my friends will drive around the neighborhood to be sure they arrive exactly at 3:23. I thought it was funny, too, because I am a very scheduled person. I like to have events drawn into the day's schedule so I can get everything done. I wonder if Bernard wrote it down on a notecard while he stayed up all night planning. Many times I find myself scheduling my days, and then just winging it when the actual day comes. It seemed that Bernard has a large amount of self-discipline in accomplishing his schedule early in the day. I always enjoy the rewarding rest of the day after getting the work done in the morning. Of course, I say this as I'm typing a blog half an hour past midnight. Change isn't bad once in a while. =)

BNW9 - Frustrating Life

"It hurt more than anything he had ever felt-like fire. The whip whistled again, fell. But this time it was Linda who screamed." (Brave New World, pg. 126) Poor young man. I feel sorry for him for what he went through. I don't feel sorry that he had to live in the Reservation; I'm sorry for being raised by Linda. He constantly was faced with conflicting opinions and ways of looking at situations. While this is a good things sometimes, it's a very tough burden to place on a child. He dealt fairly well with it, though. He read - which may help him in this book. I can see him becoming a sidekick to Bernard in his overthrowing of the accepted society. But I can also see him as a drawback - he may keep Bernard from doing the things he desires simply because the young man wants to be happy. I would understand why after all that he's been through. Especially with the thought of this brave new world being perfect. Only more reading will tell what will actually occur.

BNW8 - Stream of Consciousness

"Lenina was left to face the horrors of Malpais unaided. They came crowding in on her thick and fast. The spectacle of two young women giving breast to their babies made her blush and turn away her face. She had never seen anything so indecent in her life." (Brave New World, pg. 111) The auther Huxley does much to reveal the inner workings of the characters' minds. I will focus on Lenina's and Bernard's minds. Lenina has been conditioned to respond in certain ways to certain situations. The author reveals how this brings about torture to her during her encounter with the indians (above quote). However, something is different about the way Bernard thinks. Whenever Lenina does one of her conditioned responses, Bernard says "Five hundred repititions once a week from thirteen to seventeen" (BNW, pg. 100) or something of the like. This reveals how the two characters' minds work differently. Huxley does a great job of this and brings out how it affects the characters throught the plot. The stream of consciousness is essential.

BNW7 - Bernard the Protagonist

"Ignoring the interruption. 'It suddenly struck me the other day,' continued Bernard, 'that it might be possible to be an adult all thetime.'" (Brave New World, pg. 94) I'm starting like Bernard. Yes the people find him odd - but I find that thats what makes him special. As the book progresses, it is becoming apparent that Bernard is the protagonist. He is the one who is going to fight against this society. This is evident in the way he doesn't think like the others. Plus, he knows all about why people think the way they do - he is one of the administrators of the conditioned response training. He is able to keep a clear mind and think about what is going on in his society. Bernard is able to understand that what he is living in isn't true happiness. It's drugged and false happiness. I see him setting out to reveal this - maybe through Helmholtz's paper, or through taking other people through his thought process. If he manages to stay at the Hatchery, he might try to tinker with the conditioned response systems. Only reading will tell what Bernard will do next. I am enjoying this book more than the other as of now.

BNW6 - Super-Strings

On page 80 of Brave New World, a single word popped out to me - "superstring." Yes! As this book is a science-fiction book, many physics references are made. This word really got me thinking though. The society they live in isn't really all that advanced. They still use helicopters, airplanes, taxis; they still use fossil fuels for their energy; they don't have any real scientists. Normally a society this far in the future would have mastered the use of renewable energy - particularly solar energy. They would be able to colonize Mars, and travel throughout the solar system. Then why, nearly 500 year into the future of our world, are they stuck on simple machines and not advanced theories such as relativity and super-string theory? I will tell you why! Yes, everybody is "happy" in this society. But that requires conditioned responses from childhood and a happy drug. These leave no room for real scientists. Nobody can think completely clearly; and therefore, no real advancements are made. So, yes, everyone is happy now. But wait until the world uses up its supply of coal and oil - how will the society continue? Scientists can't be conditioned - the only way to let a real scientist work is to let him think of whatever he wants. This would jeopardize the "stability" of the society. While it may seem like an ideal utopia right now, it is destined to collapse.

BNW5 - Choo Choo, Here Comes the Quatrain

"Come, Greater Being, Social Friend,
Annihilating Twelve-in-One!
We long to die, for when we end,
Our larger life has but begun." (Brave New World, pg. 81)
Huxley uses this quatrain as an example of the ceremony called Solidarity Service. It is an odd service in which the people offer their lifes to Ford. This quatrain revealed something about this society we are learning about. Something I did not believe this society have. Faith. It's a  twisted, corrupted faith much like a cult, however. Through the lines in the quatrain, we see the people's dedication to "Our Ford" much like our dedication to "Our Lord." They will die for their Ford like a martyr. But that wasn't what suprised me as much as the last line in the quatrain. "Our larger life has but begun." (BNW, pg. 81) Earlier in the novel, the director and commander said that heaven was something people ages ago believed in, and these people were ridiculous. However, the people themselves say that their life truly begins after their death - a key believe in Christianity. This shows that the people really don't understand what they say - they're just pawns of conditioned response. If they understood what they were saying, they would realize that they were living in a paradox. I found these quatrains particularly revealing about the people and how effective their drug soma is.

BNW4 - A Flowing Simile

"Some sort of extra power that you aren't using-you know, like all the water that goes down the falls instead of through the turbines?" (Brave New World, pg. 69) This simile is gushing with significance. Helmholtz Watson represents the man with a rational mind. He has the intelligence of many of our great minds of today. He represents the old word - along with Bernard Marx. When he says this quote he is in a way referring to the beliefs of the world before Ford. He is saying that all of this pleasure is short of true pleasure - life with Christ. While he may not be saying this exactly, I'm extracting a feeling of emptiness from his life of immoral pleasure. He knows he has the potential to be someone better, but he doesn't know what it is since he has been brainwashed by the neopavlovian society. I feel that he is going to rebel against the society he is currently living in - through the newspaper and propaganda. This simile revealed a lot about Watson.

BNW3 - Diction - Funny Words yet Miserable Reading

"Hoity-toity." (Brave New World, pg. 54) "...soma..." (BNW, pg.55) "...morocco-surrogate." (BNW pg. 52) "...promiscuous..." (BNW, pg. 43) This chapter had its fair share of entertaining diction. Not to mention a confusing attack of three conversations alternating lines. Somehow, I survived the misery. But beyond the entertaining words and sufferable style of writing, the diction helped set the setting for the story. Mr. Huxley does a good job of using scientific words and expressions to help put the reader into the scientifically "advanced" society - though the idea of them being a better society is debatable. Without words relating to science and drugs of the future, the book would lack authenticity and would keep the reader from getting into the story. I do have one question - When Bernard Marx declares: "Damn you, damn you!" - where is he damning the Mr. Foster to? They don't believe in Hell - so maybe its to a life of instability? Or perhaps Marx is a single believer out of a world of millions.

BNW2 - Allusion

"Infant Nurseries. Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms, announced the notice board." (Brave New World, pg. 19) Ah-ha! This notice board is a reference to a well-known Russian scientist, Ivan Pavlov, who discovered the use of conditioned reflexes. A conditioned reflex is such that an animal (humans are animals) will respond in a certain way after a recurring stimulus. For example, Pavlov trained a dog to drool for food when it heard a bell. This was done by ringing a bell every time the dog was fed. So, after numerous repetition, the bell was rung without food, and the dog began salivating all over the floor. We see this exact training performed by the hatchery to the humans. While it is unrealistic that this time of training would still be performed in this advanced society (it would be easier, and more scientific of them to simply mutate the DNA of the specimens), it would be an effective, yet cruel, way of training humans. However, I will forgive Mr. Huxley for his blunder because the truth about DNA had yet to be fully realized. Even today we don't understand all that it contains.

BNW1 - Moodymoodmood

"And in effect the sultry darkness into which the students now followed him was visible and crimson, like the darkness of closed eyes on a summer's afternoon. The bulging flanks of row on receding row and tier above tier of bottles glinted with innumerable rubies, and among the rubies moved the dim red spectres of men and women with purple eyes and all the symptoms of lupus. The hum and rattle of machinery faintly stirred the air." (Brave New World, pg. 11) This first chapter of Brave New World puts the reader into a mysterious mood. The building we explore is unknown and futuristic to us. The creepy rooms, such as the one above, augment the elusive mystery of the society in which the characters exist. I see this society as a parallel universe that went astray. While the existence of such a society is possible, its probability of existence is much lower than the one in which we subsist. The mood makes the society seem to be a cross between the Dark Ages and scientific advancement - a seeming paradox. But the author is effective in setting an appropriate mood for this dark story.