Brave New World and Gattaca
Huxley Living in a genetically perfect world is not necessarily a great achievement to mankind. It makes one think, "where do you draw the line in the advancement of eugenics?" Both worlds, the Brave New one and Gattaca, are alternative futures (clearly dystopic), written and shown in a believable way (not as much in BNW, though) through the use of satire. Also, for GATTACA, the director incorporates the traditional elements of movie - a murder-mystery tied in with a love story PLUS a science fiction touch - very effectively. Satire in Huxley's novel is glaringly obvious (mockery of the education system and the morals of today along with many more topics), as he writes with the purpose of teaching and humoring at the same time. However, with GATTACA, the satirical messages are not immediately perceivable - even after having seen the movie three times.
It is apparent that within the GATTACA institution, there is a definite discrimination against the genetic underclass; that naturally born. Director Niccol is mocking the present-day view of prejudice and racism. In the future of GATTACA, this prejudice is referred to as genoism - genetic discrimination. Racism is a less specific form of genoism, and although such discrimination is outlawed, the laws are unenforceable because in this dystopian society, as it is in BNW, one's "genetic quotient" is known from birth. The underclass people of this world are limited but aware of their social status and they are not particularly happy with it. With the BNW, the lower castes seem to be (they are made to believe so) aware but they are conditioned to like their "light,...childishly simple" work. (p.204 BNW)
Another satirical message explored in both works in that of publicity. Our society is becoming increasingly accessible, yet controlled, through the use of surveillance of ID. Huxley and Niccol are merely pointing out that it is incredibly disconcerting to think that one day, our identities will be verified through daily blood and urine samples. On this topic, the one difference between the BNW and GATTACA is the in BNW, the Director or Controller is aware of the "individuals'" level of promiscuity or behaviour through the word of mouth. There is also one major similarity; in both worlds, the Director is quite conscious of the existence of the Alphas and in the case of GATTACA, the elites.
Nineteen Eighty-Four written by George Orwell and Gattaca directed by Andrew Niccol are prophetic social commentaries which explore the broad social wrong of a totalitarian government. Both texts depict a futuristic, dystopian society in which individuality is destroyed in favour of faceless conformity. Niccol and Orwell through the experiences of their protagonists reflect the impact isolation from society has on individuals. The authors of both texts also use their protagonists Winston, who cannot understand the rhetoric of the government party and Vincent, who is trapped, unable to achieve his dreams because of his imperfect genome, to demonstrate individual rebellion against society and explore the significant social injustices of a totalitarian state.
Descriptions of ritual circumcision span across cultures, and have been described in ancient Egyptian texts as well as the Old Testament. With this being said, “The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that circumcision has potential medical benefits and advantages, as well as risks. Evaluation of current evidence indicates that the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure's benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it, however, existing scientific evidence is not sufficient to recommend routine circumcision.” (n.d.).
After the publishing of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, modern literature has changed forever. It is considered a masterpiece and one of the pillars of the dystopian novel. However, both of those affirmations can be called into question. The former based on a subjective opinion of a reader and the latter through compromising its dystopian nature. Similarly to George Orwell’s novels, the main appeal of Brave New World is within the ideas it contains, not within its literary merits. Huxley’s talent is essentially composed of his ideas and the attitude he assumes towards the problems he presents. He took full advantage of his endowment in Brave New World Revisited, a non fiction work sequel to Brave New World. The sequel is devoid of a mediocre narrative in favour of factual information and proposing solutions of the tackled problems. Simply put, Brave New World Revisited is what Brave New World should have been.
...nly contemplate living as an alpha or beta because we cannot contemplate living without being able to formulate ideas or basically think. No one considers living as one of the lower castes and only working throughout life until death. Thus, it seems that Huxley intended to portray an acceptable society on the surface with undesirable traits hidden deeper. In conclusion, both of these novels portray an attractive life in a utopian society, if one can conform to the rules. When people cannot conform to the societies in which they dwell (as the main characters of both novels cannot) they are branded as subversives and punished as traitors. Life in 1984 would be almost too unbearable to live. Life in Brave New World is only acceptable if one is willing to live a life of the caste one is in, that is to produce (as a lower caste) or consume (as a higher caste).
Circumstances; they rule our lives. One has if not no control, then VERY little control, over their actions when they are placed in harsh circumstances. It is very difficult to break through your surroundings, to beat everyone around you.
A hot button issue in our society over the years has been the topic of male and female circumcision. This issue has been portrayed in both ethical and political paradigms. “It is estimated that about 30% of males are circumcised worldwide for religious, cultural, and health reasons, most of whom live in major parts of the Middle East, Central Asia, West Africa and Israel, as well as in the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand,” according to Demuth (1). Male circumcision is the medical process of the removal of the foreskin that covers the head of the penis. In continuation, the article “Prevalence of Female Genital Cutting among Egyptian Girls,” estimates that between “100 and 130 million girls and women now alive in at least 28 African countries and the Middle East have been subjected to female circumcision or female genital mutilation (FGM)” stated by Tag-Eldin (3). The female genital mutilation is a bit different than a male’s circumcision, generally consisting of three types. “Type 1 is the removal of the clitoris, Type 2 is the removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, and Type 3 is the removal of all parts of the external genitalia, which includes: the clitoris, the labia minora/majora, and then sewing the rest of the tissues,” according to Pauls (4). The origin of circumcision is currently unknown, but according to the article “Circumcision”, there is a theory that in Ancient Egypt, Egyptians men were circumcised and eliminated all of their body hair for probably hygienic reasons. In addition, in the “Book of the Dead” it describes the sun god, Ra, to have circumcised himself (40). This suggests that it may have also been for religious reasons.
Alduos Huxley, in his science fiction novel Brave New World written in 1932, presents a horrifying view of a possible future in which comfort and happiness replace hard work and incentive as society's priorities. Mustapha Mond and John the Savage are the symbolic characters in the book with clashing views. Taking place in a London of the future, the people of Utopia mindlessly enjoy having no individuality. In Brave New World, Huxley's distortion of religion, human relationships and psychological training are very effective and contrast sharply with the literary realism found in the Savage Reservation. Huxley uses Brave New World to send out a message to the general public warning our society not to be so bent on the happiness and comfort that comes with scientific advancements.
Huxley makes references in his book that would be abnormal or out of place in the 19th century, however in the 21st century these topics are not uncommon. In Brave New World there are many references to genetic engineering, drugs, social acceptance, death, and technology. All of these topics are covered in today’s society, they are part of our daily life.
In the dystopian novel, Brave New World, Huxley uses symbols to create meaning and to get his agenda across. The use of sex and reproduction, and Shakespearian writing and religious texts, as symbols in the novel help to push Huxley’s agenda that total government control is devastating, and the inner human drive to be an individual can never be suppressed. Also, the fact that the novel was written in 1931 shows that Huxley was attacking the newly forming Socialist nations.
Even though the novel, Brave New World was written quite some time ago, Huxley still makes points that are relevant today. By using satire, he warns us on issues such as science, technology and religion. We should slow down our uses of science and technology, especially when using them for abusive purposes. We also need to be careful about letting the government get too involved in aspects of our everyday lives. If we start letting simple freedoms go, we could lose some major ones.
Imagine living in a society where there is no such thing as mothers or fathers, where you look exactly like the 500 people standing next to you, where casual sex and drug use is not only allowed, but is encouraged. Well, the society in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, is just that. While the prophecies from the Brave New World society are quite different from those of today, they can be argued as both right and wrong, but , and the technology to make them happen may be just around the corner.
I have never kept an hourly record of my mental alertness till now. During this three-day period, I noticed that my alertness follows a certain path. On Thursday and Friday, I noticed that during the morning time, during 7:00-8:00am I was extremely drowsy, while at 9:00am I was somewhat drowsy, by 10:00am, on I was extremely alert and efficient till about 3:00pm where I would slow down a bit more again, and that was till I at least ate lunch. In the late afternoon, around 7:00-8:00pm I was alert again till I sat down and did homework, by 9:00-10:00pm I was already tired and drowsy, due to all the duties of the day. My third day was Saturday and I noticed that my circadian rhythm was different. I slept better at night, without any disruptions. I woke up late around 11am and once I was up I was somewhat alert, by 12:00pm on I was extremely alert and efficient. I did not experience any drowsiness or tiredness during the day till about 11pm. However, I was able to keep myself up and go to bed around
Circumcision is a surgical procedure involving the removal of the foreskin. ("Circumcision: Benefits, Procedures and Risks"). Circumcision is an ancient surgical practice that has evolved in many cultures in the world. The practice is most recognizable in Jewish and Islamic culture. For these religions,
The exact origin of circumcision remains largely unclear. The earliest record of circumcision, however it is unclear of whether is originated here, comes from Egypt in the form of a carved image on a tomb depicting the circumcision of an adult (1). Historically it is also known that circumcision has been practiced ritualistically in West Africa and in the Middle East for 5000 and 300 years respectively but it is unclear weather is was adopted from the Egyptians or adapted on their own. (2) Circumcision also became a very important ritual to the Jewish and Muslim shortly after it was first practiced however this exact time is unclear (4). It was only until the late nineteenth century where circumcision was first practiced as a medically sanctioned procedure in Bri...
What research has told us is that sleep is relegated by an internal time clock or what the experts call the circadian cycle. First circadian comes from two Latin words circa: about and dia: day. All the various bodily function cycle that occur during the day are related to our circadian cycle. Since the time of Aristotle and Hippocrates these cycles have been recognized. Our sleep/wake cycles is one of the best known bodily functions to show circadian rhythms, and even our vital signs are directly linked to this cycle. As technology advances we gain more precise measurements, allowing researchers to recognize more circadian cycles which in turn teach us how our bodies work and function. On an interesting note it has been found that bone length is linked to and show a circadian cycle.