Read Brave New World through Chapter 2 (p. 29) by Wed. (1/30). (You will finish reading the book by Monday February 15 but along the way we'll have other deadlines so we can discuss aspects of the book in class and on the blog.)
Take notes:
What is the civilization (the culture, the society) like? For what purpose is the world set up this day? (Think both about the general set-up of the civilization and about specific features of it? Think about why the author has constructed the civilization this way: to promote or critique? Think about why those in charge of the civilization have constructed the civilization this way. Think for yourself: how do you feel and what do you think about the way the civilization depicted in the novel is constructed?)
How do the characters respond to the world? (Think about the ways they're influenced by their environment. Think about whether they go along with the way things are or whether they resist. Think about whether they belong or are alienated. Think about how different characters respond similarly or differently.
In the comment box write two post-it note length responses (one response for each question).
27 comments:
What is the civilization (the culture, the society) like? For what purpose is the world set up this day?
In Huxley's time, mass production was just beginning. People were consuming and buying more than they ever had before (even though they couldn't afford all of it). It might appear in his time, that people worshipped consumerism and mass production. Henry Ford was the king of mass production so it makes sense that Ford is the god of the society in BNW (Brave New World). The way that the people in BNW mindlessly worship Ford. It is comedic how people worship a man instead of an intangible being.
Because the society that populates BNW reveres mass production and believes it IS the solution to everything. They produce their people the same way.
Huxley takes a new practice from his time to the extreme in attempt to reveal the consequences that can result from a society relying to heavily on commercialism and consumerism.
How do the characters respond to the world?
All of the characters in the first two chapters of the novel appear to blindly follow the rules of their society. It makes sense that they would follow the rules because they have been programed since infancy to do just that. This is shown in chapter two when the Delta babies are taught not to like flowers or books by electric shock treatment. Also in chapter two, Beta children are taught to be happy with their lot and hate lower castes through hypnopaedia.
The society Huxley creates in Brave New Word is designed to make life as easy as possible. This means a position and a purpose for every person, and a person for every position. The conditioning of the components of the society begin even before embryonic devlopment. Armies of twins are exposed during their artificial "devlopment" to environmental stimuli that are meant to prepare them for their specific roles in the society. This excissive conditioning makes it clear that the author is critquing society, possibly comparing this behavior to that of some overbearing parents that begin preparing their children for college at age two.
Most of the characters seem to completely accept the society that has been constructed around them. A lot of the acceptance seems to come directly out of the hypnopaedic brainwashing, and is sickly enthusiastic. The only character that seems to reject the society is Bernard Marx, who is rejected himself because he does not perfectly fit the mold of his "class." His lack of confidence in his poisition causes him to act differently, especially regarding Lenina. The ingrained monogomous nature of humans shows in Bernard and a little bit in Lenina as well. These two characters, who seem to reject their society slightly, are probably going to become very important later in the novel.
Brian R. Hand
The society in the beginning of Brave New World is one in which technology is used to control society. When you think about it the world in BNW is not that much different from our world in that people often think the success of the culture is synonymous with it's economic state. The first chapter describes the technologizing (yes it’s a word) of the most natural and intimate of human instincts, reproduction. People are made into a business of supply and demand; when there is a need for a certain type of person, more are created to meet the demand. The Bokanovsky Process creates up to 96 human beings where only one grew before. The director claims this to be “progress.” By viewing life as a business and human beings as products, 96 from 1 would be progress. But humans are individuals and the value of one’s life can’t be calculated quantitatively. This world has been modeled after businesses, and therefore the meaning of life is simply to reinforce “Community. Identity. Stability.” and nothing more than that. By eliminating the imperfections between people, they can work together more efficiently. This is obviously satire, as I don’t think Huxley was suggesting a possible idea for the future.
The characters in BNW behave in the manner in which they were programmed. They don’t question or critique society. Alphas seem to be the only class that can actually interpret what is happening in society. Imagine a world where people can be classified into only 5 groups—Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. By convincing each group that they are in the best position it eliminates the need and desire for social mobility. The power of the individual is completely sacrificed for the sake of the state. People are brainwashed to have certain desires that ultimately benefit the state. Huxley designs his characters using a typical consumer of his, or today’s culture as a model. The manner in which the people of BNW fulfill their “needs” is reminiscent of a consumer mindlessly buying goods in hopes that it will bring them happiness.
I agree with alees when she says that the society in BNW believes that it can solve life's problems the same way as it would go about solving industry's problems.
But Allie, was Jesus not a man?
In BNW society has become a factory. This factory takes what should be one baby and makes it into 96 identical babies, the Bokanovsky Process makes this possible. BNW don't see the individual only the end result, the perfection of the system, an army of willing slaves who are programed to stay with one another and do their job. It seems that this world has discovered the perfect way to end the human problem, which in this case is a personality.
Though it shouldn't be a shock, the people of this world are not at all disgusted by the way that scientist take one egg and make 96 babies, or why infants are given shock treatment to learn. Given that these people went through the same thing when they were young. The characters accept the way things are and they even are proud to be given the chance to learn something from the birthing lab.
In BNW society has become a factory. This factory takes what should be one baby and makes it into 96 identical babies, the Bokanovsky Process makes this possible. BNW don't see the individual only the end result, the perfection of the system, an army of willing slaves who are programed to stay with one another and do their job. It seems that this world has discovered the perfect way to end the human problem, which in this case is a personality.
Though it shouldn't be a shock, the people of this world are not at all disgusted by the way that scientist take one egg and make 96 babies, or why infants are given shock treatment to learn. Given that these people went through the same thing when they were young. The characters accept the way things are and they even are proud to be given the chance to learn something from the birthing lab.
Michael McGovern
In the novel Brave New World, the society is set up to make mass production the most important thing in peoples' lives. People are created on a conveyor belt and are built to have a certain purpose in life. The people in the novel also pride themselves on being able to create a large amount of people from a single egg. People are also brainwashed and tortured so that they will not question their society's rules. I beleive that the world is set up this way so Huxley can show how industrialization and mass production is not always a good thing. I beleive that he is trying to convey the message that there are some things in life that need to be made with care and love and can't be made on an assembly line.
Due to the way the world is set up, the characters in the novel accept their world. They are programmed from the time they are created to accept their class in life and not want to be anything else. This is accomplished by subliminal messaging and torturing the people when they are still babies. They learn to love the cultures that their class is designated. Due to every person being satisfied with their life, each person does their job and does not question their strange way of life.
In the beginning of the novel we are brought to a factory. The first two chapters explained how the world is about technology shapes the world around you. The main point is to produce more than ever. The first chapter describes the production of human insticts and the creation of humans. The answer to the world is productivity of objects and even the people.
The characters in the novel seem to accept the community and see it as normal even though the reader may not. It seems to be a standard life for them and just is ordinary for them. Not many so far in the novel disagree with the way of life but im guessing that some characters will soon come to disagree with the lifestyle.
1. The culture and the society are both extremely straight-forward. Everything is a certain way, and everyone is programmed to know the way that it is. The world is set up this way. There are certain types of people that are mechanically trained from the time they hatch out of their test-tubes until they are allowed into the "world" to do their specific duties. This world is extremely mapped out and everyone and everything has a predetermined purpose. This can be good when the issues of war and poverty come about, but what kind of life is that to lead? Is it the least bit satisfying? Will these people ever feel anything real?
2.The Characters respond to this world the way they are told to. If they are wearing a certain color, then they know that they are either really smart, really dumb, or somewhere specific in between. When faced with even a simple question of what used to be, the people suddenly feel uncomfortable. They have been programmed to feel a certain way for so long, that any change in that pattern is too hard to handle.
First question:
The civilization in Huxley's Brave New World is completely scientific and materialistic. People are literally created from test tubes and are brought into the world for a specific reason, such as working.The world is set up this way in order to achieve the most efficient mass production and way of living. From the time humans they are babies, they are brainwashed. A lot of the names in the novel so far are directly related to names that were involved with the Russian Revolution, ( Marx, Lenin, Trotsky ). The people of this time worship Henry Ford, the creator of the T-Model and the person was most closely related with mass production. An interesting thing in the novel that I noticed was how the Controller knew all about how the world used to be ( mothers, fathers, being born, and homes ) and nobody else knew about it.
Second question:
Two things I wanted to say about this question. The first is how the babies are brainwashed. They are taught to hate books and flowers to such an extend that they will never even want to think about them. I understand why they would want to the babies to hate books, because books can hold a sense of freedom and morals that is frowned upon in the time period of the novel. However, I do not understand why they need to hate flowers. It explains why in the book, but I didn't think it was quite clear enough, to me anyways.
The second thing I wanted to comment on about how the characters respond to the world are the students. I think it is comical but at the same time interesting how the students respond to the Controller's explanation of past behavior and life. He explains to the students about parent's and natural birth. The student's reaction is complete disbelief and shock, which shows that they have completely reinstitutionalized their way of living, both behaviorally and naturally.
1.) In the first few chapters of the book, the type of culture and societ that is set up is a scary one. This civilization is constructed so that everybody is a peice to the puzzle that must fit in. Some of the people have to be hard working and honest so that some can be defined as lazy and dumb. The way that the leaders are looking at this is that they must intentionally create each person as one of these characters that will "fit in" to one of these roles. I think that the peoples ability to make decisions and assumptions of their own being taking away is wrong.
2.) The characters in the first few chapters accept the way the society is built because they know no different then to. They are programed at birth that this is the way your going to think and that they had to be a certain way. they are not alienated because they fit in as a role, and have a purpose, each and every one. I beleive that none of the characters knows anything different than what they are being told by their leaders so they dont have independent thoughts.
The society of Brave New World introduces a factory that produces people. Basically they are produced by machines on conveyor belts. Each person has a certain purpose. Being able to produce massive amounts of people is the purpose of their society. They are able to produce 96 people from 1 egg. They consider this to be an improvment and successful. I do not belive Huxley is trying to promote this mechanical, factory type life. I belive he is trying to show how a so called "perfect" society isn't so perfect after all.
A group is getting a tour of the factory and do not act like anything is out of the ordinary. To the people of this society, it is normal. To the reader however, the production of people in a factory seems strange. Brave New World cuts out the emotions and attachments of people allowing them to be more efficient and productive.
The society and culture in Brave New World is straight forward with no room for change. Technology is used to help brainwash the children into learning only certain things. Life appears very easy for them because they mindlessly go about their day. What they think and do is already planned for them and engraved into their minds. Even as children, they appear to be robot like.
All of the characters respond to this world in a positive way. They seem to completely accept this crazy way of living and are impressed by the systems used to teach the children. The directors are very proud of what they are doing to the children and to them it seems perfectly normal.
In BNW Huxley creates a society that is designed to human life as easy as it can be. The birth of children takes place in a factory and all possible personality is destroyed. People are created in mass productiona and recieve series of treatments to be programmed.
The characters in BNW don't question why they were programmed. They were trained to do what they have to do to help their society and they accept the fact that they were made that way.
In Brave New World, Huxley tries to make the world as simple as possible by making other things complex. The world is designed so that people are trained to know what they are supposed to do in society and by making it so that human beings are being produced in factories it makes a mechanical environment. This means that since they day that these "beings" are born there life has been planned
Most of the characters in the story seem to accept the environment because that is the only thing that they have know. Though there are some characters that can not fully accept the world around them. like bernard and lenina.
In BNW the civilization that has been set up is an attempt at a perfect society. All children are born and raised in factories. Through hypnosis and gene selection children are made to fulfill one specific level of hierarchy in life. Everything is very precise and all children at the same social level are made nearly identical. All are brainwashed and trained with electric shock treatment. Every person is designed to like the life they have been assigned. The author sets up this society in order to critique mass production. If people began to be mass produced society would be completely controlled by companies. I think the society is shocking. No one is given any room to be an individual, rather everyone is a product.
The characters seem to be unable to critically respond to their world and just follow orders. Everything that they know and are taught follows the predestined rules lay out by the companies. People are trained to like the environment they are in. The characters go along with the way things are and all belong to some great plan.
In the first few chapters of Brave New World Huxley immediately throws this disturbing operation and idea of making and creating people. The first chapter suggests that a certain type of person can be made many a times if needed for a specific reason or task. In the factory Huxley introduces, there is “success” throughout the factory when their ability to produce 96 people from 1 egg is carried out. The fact that numbers and what people can be used for is the main focus separates us readers from this type of world because we are placed in our own world that involves an acknowledgement of the uniqueness in an individual, an innate care for one another, and a natural longing to observe the different personalities different people have.
In the first chapter when the characters are walking around jotting down notes robotically it offers the proposal of a “mechanical” and “motorized” society with people just the same. I got a strange feeling when reading about the characters as they just moved through the motions. It’s like, I wanted to feel bad, but they just seem so oblivious, empty and vacant from all that could exist within them. But the reason I can’t bring myself to feel sad, for them is because it’s almost as if they don’t know any better, so they may not even feel that absence.
1. The civilization in Brave New World is, in every respect, and industrialized civilization. Even the most natural, pasionate, animalistic process, reproduction, has been industrialzed. The world is set up in such a way to make life as simple and as easy as possible. Strictly controlling the population allows for each component of the civilization to have a specific purpose, and a specific corresponding position to serve said purpose. Huxley contructed the civilization in such a fashion to critique the carelessness with which the world was industrializing at the time that he wrote the novel.
2. The majority of the characters in the novel do not respond to their surrounding world, they enthusiastically accept it. The idea of questioning a process or method of any sort does not even occur to most of the characters within the book. However, when a question is posed, the individual who posed the question is looked upon as completely foolish.
What is the civilization (the culture, the society) like?
In Brave New World, the society that has been created is only a clone of "perfection". This world, is a crazy science experiment. The miracle of birth is replaced with babies being born from jars, and usually cloned hundreds of times. From birth these people are being shaped into "who they are" and what they'll be doing 30 years later. It can not be considered a real civilization. If you are subconciously forced to think a certain way before you are even able to form your own thoughts, then your freedom is stripped. Is that worth it, to have the perfect society?
How do the characters respond to the world?
The characters in BNW respond to the world around them, the exact way they were taught to respond. As childern they lived in repetitive environments; they learned "moral lessons." They may have not been book smart, but they did what they were told. Babies were shocked when they crawled towards beautiful flowers because they could not like them. It was though they felt the shocks, when they looked at the flowers again causing them to run away. Within the first two chapters it seems as though the characters will be very mechanical because of everything about their world.
What is the civilization (the culture, the society) like?
In Brave New World, the society that has been created is only a clone of "perfection". This world, is a crazy science experiment. The miracle of birth is replaced with babies being born from jars, and usually cloned hundreds of times. From birth these people are being shaped into "who they are" and what they'll be doing 30 years later. It can not be considered a real civilization. If you are subconciously forced to think a certain way before you are even able to form your own thoughts, then your freedom is stripped. Is that worth it, to have the perfect society?
How do the characters respond to the world?
The characters in BNW respond to the world around them, the exact way they were taught to respond. As childern they lived in repetitive environments; they learned "moral lessons." They may have not been book smart, but they did what they were told. Babies were shocked when they crawled towards beautiful flowers because they could not like them. It was though they felt the shocks, when they looked at the flowers again causing them to run away. Within the first two chapters it seems as though the characters will be very mechanical because of everything about their world.
1.) In Brave New World, the society is controlled by technology. Scientists have created what might be considered the "perfect" person. Test tube created, these people grow up monitored by their creators. They are programmed to act a certain way, and each have a specific purpose in the society. Although this process may seem like a good idea, where everyone has a specific purpose in the world, it is not logical. The society will be bland; the people unable to create their own individuality, which could lead to possible future problems. These problems could include a society where everyone is the best at their specific role, which will make a fight for power imminent.
2.) The response by the characters in Brave New World was exactly what they were programmed to do. They were intrigued by what was going on in the laboratory and absorbed all the information with enthusiasm. If they have any opinion different than that of the scientist they are reprimanded, which shows the control the society is under.
The society in Brave New World is a combination of small aspects of our society, amplified. Life in Brave New World is strictly mechanical. Flaws are eliminated with technology, and utter conformity is considered progress...similar to how our society favors perfection.
The characters that have been introduced so far barely respond to their environment. The students taking a tour of the building question what's presented to them occasionally, but are easily persuaded. The D.H.C. and Mr. Foster seem to be completely numb to emotion and ethics. Strictyly mechanical.
TSarah Johnson
he Civilization in Brave New World is rigid. The structure is so far beyond the “norm” for humans today that the proceedings seem bizarre. The culture is set up in a social hierarchy – alphas, betas, gammas, deltas and epsilons. However, the most striking thing is that you don’t get to choose what level you are in. Instead, as one of many twins (essentially clones), you are brought up and taught via hypnopaedia what your desires and functions are. The lower classes are bred like animals by the higher classes which are allowed to think. They breed epsilons and deltas in order to create consumers to keep the economy thriving, like on page 23 when the D.H.C explains that the masses were trained to hate the country, but love country sports which require “elaborate apparatus”. Basically, they get to manipulate the people so that they want to travel to the country, therefore using transport, and use technology, which profits the economy. This economy is also under complete control of the select number of higher-thinking beings who are permitted to even contemplate such things. The control in every aspect of life is mind-boggling and perverse to humans with such perspectives as our own.
In BNW on p 28 -29, the director is explaining the affects of hypnopaedia, and how it acts as drops of wax to envelope and control the mind, versus water that wears away the mind. In this way, they controllers aren’t taking away the people’s ability to think, only manipulating the fashion in which they can do so. “Till at last the child’s mind is these suggestions, and the sum of the suggestions is the child’s mind, And not the child’s mind only. The adult’s mind too – all his life long… But all these suggestions are our suggestions!” as explained by the D.H.C. The most interesting thing is the success of this process. The beta’s really do think that a beta is the best thing to be! The alphas know they are the top of the line, such as Mr. Foster, who on p 18 defies a direct order from the D.H.C., because he knows he can. A beta would never do such a thing. Though few characters with definitive actions are introduced in the first few chapters, judging from the behavior of the D.H.C., Mr. Foster, Lenina and the young students, we can infer that generally, people act in the ways they have been trained to act, and avoid resisting this control.
1. In the book Brave New World (BNW), the civilization is based on three words (“Community, Identity, Stability”) as well as a godly worship in Henry Ford. People are split into classes from fertilization and actually accustomed as embryos to specific settings and work of their chosen life. This is an eery civilization based on the mass production of people, and have made the former way of reproduction in humans inappropriate in their culture. The motto of their World State, practically eliminates a sole sense of identity, along with promoting the needs of the community over that of individual. This civilization lives in years after their god, Henry Ford, and the machine he created that stimulated this mass produced world of consumerism. Huxley is clearly trying to express the consequences of mass production in modern times, although it is only early in the novel. He is showing that as humans continue to obsess over mass production, we continue to lose a sense of individual identity as well as a decline in the quality of life. After viewing the advertisement video we have been watching, I can't ignore the similarities. Are we not at birth, surrounded by advertisement as part of our enviornment whose main goal as mentioned in the video is to "produce consumers." We are targetted at birth instead of by the government and civilization, but by business, made to be consumers. Even years after this book was written it seems Huxley's warning against mass production is still necessary in current society.
2. It does seem as though these characters in BNW have blind worship of this civilization. These people are brainwashed (hypnopaedia) since birth to live a certain way, as well as being assigned to a specific class in society. As embryos they are raised in specific heats according to their destined locations and working conditions. Children in certain classes are actually discouraged to love things like flowers and books. Books might make the lower classes think and maybe want change, along with wasting time they could be working or buying products. A love of nature is discouraged because it doesn't have a cost, you can't buy it, so it distracts people from becoming consumers. These people are brainwashed into life without an identity, and their lives all contributing to one thing, their community. They are happy with their lives because they are programmed to appreciate their class in society and to dislike the others, along with an enthusiasm to contribute to the success of their community.
1.The civilization Huxley creates in Brave New World is designed to be perfect and make life as easy as possible. In this society babies are mass-produced in factories on conveyor belts, where each is created to fulfill a specific purpose in life. They are all brainwashed and treated with electric shock treatment and made to like the life they are to fulfill. It is interesting that the people worship Henry Ford; the man who introduced the moving assembly line, which helped mass produce his Model T. This society is built around business and companies and its purpose is to build a perfect workforce to reinforce “Community. Identity. Stability.”
2. All the characters seem to go with flow and accept this way of living. The directors boast of their accomplishments and the students are extremely impressed with the conveyor belts and systems used to create and teach the children. They believe it strange when the controller is explaining natural birth and parents, but they do not know any better because they have been programmed how to think since birth. Because they do not have independent thoughts, they believe their world is perfectly normal.
the civilization is very mechanical with very little free will. it's designed to help every baby from the begining to be trained to do one specific task in the world and are taught what not to enjoy. this way, jobs are regulated and destractions are not a problem.
the director finds this process of human life as usefull and efficient. many people are used to this system and few speak out against it. people who thinks its wrong are viewed as weird and are alienated by their peers.
What is the civilization (the culture, the society) like?
The society in a Brave New World is trying to make life easier so that less work will have to be done for humans and they are tricked into wanting to do certain things that they wouldn’t ordinarily. Huxley tries to prove a point of that the world he lived in while writing the BNW was one filled with industrialization, and he expresses it in the book by turning humans into objects used for work.
How do the characters respond to the world?
Since the characters in this world are brainwashed, they don’t seem bothered by what is happening around them. They seem like everything is natural, and to think otherwise is just foolish and out of line.
Kathryn Heassler
What is the civilization like? For what purpose?
The world of "Brave New World" (BNW) is a very different one then is known to humans living in the year 2008. The "humans" of this "BNW" world are taught to associate flowers andTi books with explosions, loud noise, and other fearful things, which makes the "humans" feel hatred towards the flowers, books, and other such things. That world is a place of neutrality, and the simplification of one of the most natural occurrences in the existence of not only man, but all organisms: mass production of manufactured "humans" who never know the warmth of a mother's touch. Each "child" is meant to mature at a early age, and the embryos are exposed to different viruses, vaccines, etc. in order to prepare them for the future that is pre-set for them. Males and females in the very early stages of life are marked on their containers, but some have their containers marked with a "?", saying that they are neutral, and completely sterile, having no real gender identity. To take away something that makes humans humans is the death of mankind.
How do the characters respond to the world?
The few actual characters that have been introduced feel a great sense of comfort by the world they live in. When they begin talking about a young boy from the previous way that lives were lived, they acted as if it was so different and foreign to them. They are so used to the monotone culture they live in. The "humans" are predestined at birth to belong to a certain level of the caste system, and they are only to wear a certain color of clothing. Essentially, the "humans" are assigned to their lives. They do not create their own lives, so they do not realize what their opportunities could really be. The characters do not question the world they live in. They go about their lives and live at the capacity to which they were assigned.
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