Thursday, November 29, 2012

Dialectical Journals 17 and 18

“The Savage, wrote Bernard, refuses……. From an unpleasant object.” (Pg 160 & 161)
Ironically, it is Bernard who has been conditioned from birth, and John has not.  Bernard’s behavior has changed from sympathizing with John in the Indian village, being an individual, and questioning society. Now that he has John to use as a pawn, his world is accepting him, and he is famous. He is accepting society’s norms and is finding fault with John instead of being accepting of him and his behaviors.
 
“Oh brave new world…..though the solid earth had been a helicopter in an air pocket.” (Pg. 160)
This repeated line shows the development of John’s view toward the World State. At first, he was filled with wonder and amazement with the anticipation of coming to a “new world.” After being shown around the factory, he realizes that all the workers having the same jobs look identical, which goes across his beliefs of individuality and spirituality. He is being made sick by the reality of this “new world.”

Dialectical Journals 15 and 16

Buzz, buzz! The hive was humming…..above the empty bottles!” (Pg. 147)
This is another reference to the theme and role that animals play in this book. Bloomsbury Centre is compared to a beehive. They work together in a structured setting. Each individual has a role to play and a job to perform with the Queen Bee being the Director. Like the Queen Bee, the Director has control over each egg and person’s destiny.
 
“The return to civilization was for her the return to soma……But we can’t.” (Pg 154)
Linda is still caught between two worlds: the civilized world and uncivilized Indian world. Both won’t accept her so she does what she has been taught to do since birth; turn to drugs. She uses alcohol to drown out her sorrows and help her cope in the Indian world and now has returned to soma. Both will eventually kill her, but soma will faster, and no one cares as long as they don’t have to deal with her. Even her own son realizes that it is easier to have her drugged out.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

8-10 Study Questions


1)What is strange about "Bye Baby Bunting Soon You'll Need Decanting"?  What is the allusion?  (124)

It is an allusion to a popular English language nursery rhyme. Originally it was not about test-tube babies, instead it was about a father going out hunting to gather rabbit skins to wrap the baby in.

2) Why does Linda hit John?  What does she blame him for?  Is this right?  Is it understandable why she resents him?

Linda hits John because he is the reason she is stuck living with the savages. It’s not right to hit your child and hate them for being alive. I understand why she would resent them, though. Because she had a child, she would never fit in back at the city.

3) What is your opinion of Pope?  Why?  Anything ironic about his name?

I don’t like him very much. He seems very sleazy and untrustworthy because his objective in life is to get Linda drunk. It was nice of him to bring the William Shakespeare book to John, though. The Pope is considered a holy man which is very unlike this Pope.

4) How did Linda teach John to read?  What becomes John's bible?  Is there anything ironic about this?

She would write phrases on the wall using a piece of charcoal. His bible became The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Just like Shakespeare, there are many different ways to interpret the bible, and I don’t think everyone understands either work completely.

5) "Nay, but to live/ in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed,/ stew'd in corruption, honeying and making love/ over the nasty sty".  What is significant about this quote?  (131)

It was a Hamlet allusion. It talked to him about Linda. It gave him a reason to hate Pope more.

6) Why does John try to kill Pope?  What is Pope's reaction?  How does Shakespeare influence these thought?

John tries to kill Pope because he sees him getting down with his mom, but Pope just laugh at him. Shakespeare influences his thoughts by making what Pope and Linda were doing gross.


7)  "He had discovered Time and Death and God" (136).  What is significant about this quote?

In this place, people will not realize that time is passing and the world will be the same, but the people will be different.
In this book, there is a long amount of adolescence and then a sudden death.
There is no god because god is a tie and there is a philosophical connection with life.

8)  How are John and Bernard alike?

They’re both loners.

9)  "I did something that none of the others did.  I stood against a rock in the middle of the day, in summer, with my arms out, like Jesus on the Cross."  "What on earth for?"  "I wanted to know what it was like being crucified."  (137).  What is significant about this quote?

John went off his rocker. He wanted to experience what it was like being god.

10) At the end of chapter 8 the title of the book appears in a quote from the Tempest.  This quote will be used throughout the book, but its meaning will change with each use.  What is the meaning of the quote here?  (137)

The meaning of the title of the story Brave New World is revealed through Bernard’s invitation for John to join him in his civilized world. John quotes Shakespeare’s The Tempest comparing Bernard’s world to a “brave new world.” John thinks this is his chance to fit into a society and belong since the Indian world will not accept him for who he is. 

11) List the allusions to Romeo and Juliet in chapter 9.  What ideas do they reinforce?

“Her eyes, her hair………..The cygnet’s down is harsh…” (Page 144)

“On the white………..Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin.” (Page 144)

“Dare to profane with his unworthiest hand…” (Page 144)


12)  Why is the Social Predestination Room compared with a Hive in chapter 10?

It is very loud and crowded and it is a reoccurring comparison between the city and nature. It shows that everybody relies on each other.

13)  How does Bernard turn the "Public example" on Tomakin?

He turns on the public example by showing that Tomakin is a father.

14)  Is there meaning (perhaps irony and an allusion) in John falling on his knees and saying (loudly) "My Father"?  (151)

It is a biblical allusion. It’s ironic that Tomakin is a father because he is the person who may be the very most against relationships.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Dialectical Journal #14

14

"Her eyes, he murmured.....Pure and vestal modesty." (Pg 144 & 145)

John relates his love of Lenina to his knowledge of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. John and Lenina are similar to Romeo and Juliet because they both come from two different worlds. Lenina lives in a civilized world where they think they are better than the Indians who are just savages. John was raised between a dysfunctional mother and with the Indians who cannot understand these scientific people that no longer have emotions or religion. Romeo and Juliet come from two feuding families. This is a foreshadow of events to come. John's love for Lenina will be the downfall of him.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Dialectical Journals 9-13

9

“But it’s  terrible,” Lenina whispered……imagine yourself sitting there with a little baby of your own.” Pg 111 & 112
Lenina is unable to face reality without here soma. Seeing the aging process first hand horrified her, while Bernard started questioning his government issued beliefs about relationships wondering about the physical bond between a mother and child.
 

10
 
“ The young man sighed and shook his head…..he was ashamed and turned away.”  (Pg. 116 & 117)
This is Benard’s and Lenian’s first meeting with John. John references Shakespeare’s Macbeth. He compares the blood of the sacrificed Indian to the blood on Lady Macbeth’s hand. John is filled with guilt for not being able to be the scarified one due to his complexion and Lady Macbeth is guilty for her role in urging Macbeth to kill the king of Scotland.


11
 
“She shuddered. It was worse than……And I was so ashamed.” (Pg. 119 & 120)
Linda is caught between two world: the one she was raised in as a test tube baby and the dirty world that she was thrust into after having the baby. The reference to alcohol and soma shows the differences between these worlds. Soma signifies the elegance and grace of the superior race, while alcohol indicates an inferior class with the bad side effects.
 

12
 
“He opened the book at random…..staring into his own.” (Pg. 131, 132 & 133)
 Pope brings John The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which was considered a forbidden book because it caused people to think. This is ironic, as the words from this book about Hamlet, give John the courage to attack Pope with a knife.
 

13
 
“O wonder! He was saying…Let’s start at once.” (Pg. 139)
The meaning of the title of the story Brave New World is revealed through Bernard’s invitation for John to join him in his civilized world. John quotes Shakespeare’s  The Tempest comparing Bernard’s world to a “brave new world.” John thinks this is his chance to fit into a society and belong since the Indian world will not accept him for who he is. 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Dialectical Journals 7 and 8



Dialectical Journal #7
At home was as squalid psychically…..you may well shudder. (Pg. 37 & 38)
This illustrates the animal imagery that runs throughout the book. The people have been dehumanized, and no longer have physical contact with their parents. They shutter at the thought of breastfeeding, and think it shows animal-like tendencies, when in actuality, the people have become more primitive than these animals.

Dialectical Journal #8

“Swallowing half an hour…..and inevitable as blinking.” (Pg. 77)
Huxley compares Henry’s and Lenina's actions to a bottle. The bottle is referring to their soma-induced state of being, which comes from the bottle containing soma and referring the effects of drinking alcohol. The drug impairs their thinking and actions except for those things that the government has brainwashed them into remembering. This is so ingrained in their brains it is compared to blinking, which is done automatically by the body.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dialectical Journal 5 and 6


Dialectical Journal #5
 “That’s why you’re taught no history…. was overwhelmed with confusion.” (Page 35)
All bibles are gone except for a few that are hidden away. Christianity use to comfort the citizens, but now religion is dead to them. They have a new “Heaven” dictated by not a single god, but the Ten World Controllers, whom have unlimited power over the people. With religion, people could choose whether or not to believe, but the citizens have no choice to believe or not believe.
Dialectical Journal #6
“Glum, Marx, glum.”………fend off the proffered tube of tablets. (Pg. 54)
Bernard goes against society by choosing not to take Soma. Another reference to Christianity is made, and the negative effects of it are also noted. Christianity is being compared to how alcohol adversely affects a person. Soma is taken to divert the person’s reality and make them feel good.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Lame Dialectical Journals #1


Brave New World Dialectical Journals

Dialectical Journal #1

He quoted the planetary motto. “Community, Identity, Stability.” Grand words. (Page 7)

The motto is ironic, because during this process, all identity is taken away from people. For each person, there are at least ninety-five identical copies of him or her.
On top of that, the people are more likely to be a happy community because people who are similar are more likely to get along. The world would seem more stable because of the similarities of people.

Dialectical Journal #2

“But in Epsilons,” said Mr. Foster very justly, “we don’t need human intelligence.”
(Page 15)

Throughout the book, they refer to people as Alphas, Betas, Deltas, Epsilons. This is an allusion to the Greek Alphabet. Alphas are the best class, and Epsilons are the lowest form of humans. People are bred to be smart or stupid in this book. Epsilons were created to derive joy from participating in simple activities, such as operating elevators.

Dialectical Journal #3
“That is the secret of happiness and virtue–liking what you’ve got to do. All conditioning aims at is that: making people like their un-escapable social destiny.” (Page 16)

Call me crazy, but I actually like this quote. They honestly believe that being forced into liking something is the best way to live, and I find that fascinating. Most people would not admit something like that, but this director is honest about the brainwashing.

Dialectical Journal #4

“Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre” (Page 1)

A hatchery? For people? This book is crazy! Who even comes up with this stuff?! The process of hatching the people (splitting the egg) is rather fascinating. Its weird how they make people dumber or smarter.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Brave new world chapter 3 questions


Today I want you to look back through chapter 3 and discuss how the structure of the chapter reinforces the main idea.

1. - What is the structure of the chapter?   How is the chapter written?

It is very fragmented. It jumps from different characters’ conversations.

2. - Why do you think the chapter is written like this?

So the reader will concentrate and pay attention to what they are saying.

3. - What does the chapter force you to do as the reader?

Pay attention.

4. - What’s the main point here?

Stability is needed for the world to work

5.  Who is your favorite character so far?  Why?

So far I like both Lenina and Fanny.
Lenina seems to be one of the most relatable people in this story. She also is interested in one person, which seems more normal.
Fanny, on the other hand, is extremely sassy and realistic. She is smart enough to realize that seeing the same person for a long time is a bad idea.