Do Not Fret, Violence is on Our Side

As I look back at Brave New World, and as I have tried to read most of the blog entries, I have seen that there has been a constant worry that we may soon digress into the world that Huxley has created. I have good news for all of you: It is not going to happen.

Do you know why? Violence! Yes, this is one instance in which violence should give a sense of relief. We see in our world that violence is inevitable, even if we all hope to stop it. Various religions endorse it, along with people in general. They want revenge, they want closure, and they want it their way. We have come to a point where nuclear war may actually happen, and that we may have to choose between the lesser of the two evils. You may find these statements laughable, but violence can ward off a frightening future.

In Brave New World, violence is not practiced. No one dies from violence, except other than those in the Savage Reservation, but that is not where the majority of the population exists, so it should be discarded from this point of view. Even when the police attack John, those that are hurt are knocked out with soma, not a bullet, and they are easily conditioned after the incidence into living their life as if nothing happened. Could you imagine the world we live in without violence? Everyone would be happy...sound familiar?

Is Progress Necessary in Current Times?

Have you ever noticed that after every decade or change of the status quo we develop a tendency to look back on the the past with distaste? We find ourselves constantly making the current political state, philosophies, and level of intellectual genius superior to those before it. I have to ask though: Who are we to judge if the state of the nation, or of the world even, has progressed to a point where the past is now only applicable to the past? I strongly believe that along the way, we as a human race have made a fatal mistake. In Brave New World Mustapha Mond states that "There was a choice between World Control and destruction. Between stability and... (p. 48)," referencing that there was a critical decision that would either lead to the continuation of life or the absolute end of all of humanity. This seems absolutely absurd in text, but it is a habit that we tend to do in reality, not only in novels. For example, as I took AP World History last year, I found that we look at the Romans and other such successful empires of the past and we say that they were "destined to fail" or that "progress was inevitable." I came to the conclusion, however, that I believe that this progress we are determined to keep on pursuing will only eventually destroy us. Not as moral beings, not as religious beings, but as physical human beings, as creatures that will no longer roam this Earth. Did the Romans really need progress? Because as I studied, they were very contempt in the life they were living. I think, then, that somewhere along the way of the time span of human cultural and technological advancement that we became obsessed with the great chase of progress, not for political reasons as in Brave New World, but as a selfish marker so we may feel superior to a time before ours. What do you think? Is progress now necessary for the community and politics, or have we passed this point and have made it purely for selfish pleasure?

Medical Marvels Going Too Overboard?

As I was reading A Brave New World, I found the advanced medical technology fascinating. I do not think that anyone can say that it is not amazing that doctors are able to pick and choose the outcomes of the physical characteristics for their baby or that doctors can keep the old young until the age of sixty (found in Chapter 7).
The more I thought about it, the more it made me realize how close we are to achieving such tasks in the world we live in today. If doctors today can produce the amount of skin necessary for a skin draft from a small amount of skin cells, create a functioning organ from stem cells, and even fully clone a sheep, then there is no telling what they will be able to do in a few more years or decades. This idea terrified me and intrigued me at the same time. If the technological advances from A Brave New World were to be achieved in reality, there is no doubt that many will be alleviated from the pain caused by old age and many other burdens, but at what price? Will we give up the things that make us human like actually being born or old age just for pleasure? Although I aspire to be a doctor, I do have to say that because of the possibility that such medical achievements can make us less human that there should be a limit to how far these achievements can go. What is your opinion on this? Can there a such a thing as too medically advanced?

"Healthy Confusion"

As I was writing the essays for Brave New World, I couldn't help but relate one of the topics, the so-called "healthy confusion", into a film I just saw. I could talk of no other than the new release "Inception".

Like Melissa Bravo said earlier, that movie is good. Really good. What made it so entertaining was this state of confusion, though it does do it differently that Huxley's novel. In Brave New World, there is a whole flood of technology and an entire opposite of our customs, which makes the book confusing. In "Inception", the plot is so confusing at times that it can be hard to summarize it!

So, here goes: basically, there is technology that can penetrate people's dreams, in order to steal sensitive information. The protagonist is hired to plant an idea, which is very much harder, into a corporate heir. The stem of the confusion is that this so-called inception of an idea must involve a dream within a dream within a dream. In the film, the plots of the dreams happen at the same time.

Do Brave New World and "Inception" have this confusion in common? Yes. The concepts of new technologies and mental processes all seem to be a theme in both works. This confusion can be a great tool, since it keeps the audience on their toes and forces them to start paying attention to the details. If you've seen the movie, you know that the confusion comes to a climax at the end, when you are left utterly bewildered.

I think this film, and Huxley's book, has made me realized just how amazing this literary tool can be. Can you guys name any instances in a book or movie when this happened?

How similar.

My little brother was watching Wall-E for the first time, and while he was busy laughing I was busy analyzing. The society in Wall-E reminded me of Brave New World's. Buy N' Large, a mega corporation in Wall-E, reminds me of The World State, which teaches it's denizens from birth to value several aspects it deems necessary, such as mass consumerism. Similarly, the young children in Wall-E are taught from a small age to buy goods and products from BnL, as evident in a scene where a robot is teaching infants the Alphabet. "B is for Buy n Large, your very best friend," the robot says. Just like in Brave New World they are taught from birth to consume goods in astronomical numbers.

A powerful example of this consumerism in Wall-E is in one scene the citizens are going about their daily routines; they all wear red outfits. However, a holographic billboard remarks "blue is the new red," whereupon the citizens react by quickly, and almost mechanically, pressing a button on their hovering chair(yes, they don't walk, they hover around in chairs)and their outfits are instantly turned blue.

Their society greatly resembles that of Brave New World's, where everything is orderly, homogeneous, predictable. I can provide more examples of how the two are alike, but I'll refrain from turning this into a rant.

We are the (Brave New) World

As I began reading Brave New World I was extremely confused, but as I got more into the book I started to love it. Huxley really does know what he's talking about. Even though the world we live in has not yet reached this type of control, I know that one day this could be possible. The thought of the Bible and religion as being "old" just surprises me. The higher powers in this book wanted to eliminate everything old and would only allow new things to be taught. One thing that sounded kind of fun to me was the "feely" place. If I understand correctly, it's like a movie theatre where you can feel what the characters in the film feel. If that's not what it is, then does anyone care to explain? Another thing I thought was kind of cool was the soma. These tablets seem like they are completely bad, and they are, but they have some benefits too. I mean, wouldn't it be great to just stop time and take a mini vacation where you're completely relaxed. It sounds good to me! However, the soma tablets are just another way that controls the people in this utopian society. Lastly, one thing that I just loved about this book was the fact that there were some people who stood up to the Controllers. It just excited me when they rebelled against the rules and laws of their society. I felt like I was actually in the book. Whether we want to admit it or not, this type of world could be lingering in our near future. My question to you is: If this society were to exist, would you abide by the rules and take your soma, or would you be one of the characters, such as Bernard Marx, to be sent off to an island?