Huxley's Brave New World
Today, in 21st century United States, people are concerned with the fast pace of new and growing technology, and how these advances should be used. In the last decade alone we have seen major advancements in technology; in science, cloning has become a reality, newer, more powerful drugs have been invented and, in communications, the Internet has dominated society. There is a cultural lag due to the fast rate of increasing technology, and while the governments of the world are trying to keep up their role as censors and lawmakers, we as individuals are trying to comprehend the effects it has on our lives. Will these advances enhance our lives to an unprecedented level of comfort, or lead to the loss of actual happiness? In the early 1930's, when Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World, this was a question he felt was worth asking.
In Huxley's Brave New World there are two forms of happiness: physical and actual. The fulfillment of physical happiness is the basis of the New World society. Residents never have to worry about food, shelter, job security, or sickness. One will never look fat, wrinkly or become weak with brittle bones and, thus, even the fear of growing old is taken away. Mustapha Mond, one of the world controllers in the novel, sums up physical happiness with the statement: ?The world is stable now?They?re well off; They?re safe; They are never ill; they?re not afraid of death; they?re blissfully ignorant of passion and old age??(Huxley 220). The characters, Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, and Helmholtz Watson are each looking for more than what is offered by physical happiness, they are looking for actual happiness. Actual happiness ?relates more to the mind and heart? (HH Dalai Lama 21). For example, Helmholtz has the desire to be creative and Lenina has the desire to love. Bernard Marx, knowing that he is different and considered inferior to other Alpha-plus males, has the desire to not only fit in, but to be respected by others. Other individuals in the Brave New World are content while these three characters are searching for something not given to them by the government, something beyond physical happiness. They are searching for actual happiness.
Individuality, which is one of the strongest values in the United States today, is taken away at the moment of conception in the B...
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...e a prophetic tone seventy years after it was written. Our society?s priorities, like the one in the Brave New World, seem to be quite shallow in its obsession with physical appearance and conspicuous consumption of material objects. People undergo surgery to improve their appearance and maintain their youthful image of themselves. People, generally, judge others as well as themselves by their possessions, status, and appearance, rather than the quality of their character. Cloning is no longer science fiction, and with increasing technology, the absolute need for mothers and fathers could disappear.
At what point does social stability outweigh human nature? There needs to be a balance between physical and actual happiness, and where the proper balance should be is questionable. Huxley doesn?t have the answer, but he leaves the reader with an idea of why balance is so hard to find: ?Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery? (Huxley 221).
WORKS CITED:
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
Lama, HH Dalai. The Art of Happiness. London: Hoddler and Straughton, 1999.
Cochlear implants are amazing feats of biomedical engineering, and have helped many people regain the ability to hear. While there are some ethical dilemmas that go along with them, there is no denying just how amazing these implants really are. By understanding how the ear works, what causes it to stop working, and using science and engineering to fix that problem, there is now a way to give someone a sense they might have never been able to experience. It can be costly, but it could drastically change someone’s life. Some people may say for worse, but there will always be someone else to say it was for better. Overall, cochlear implants are an incredible invention and will continue to grow and only get better with technology.
How does one achieve happiness? Money? Love? Being oneself? Brave New World consists of only 3 different ways to achieve happiness. Each character of the brave new world will have his or her different opinion of the right way to achieve happiness. In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley explains many people achieve happiness through the World State’s motto – “community, identity, stability”, soma, and conditioning.
The characters in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World represent certain political and social ideas. Huxley used what he saw in the world in which he lived to form his book. From what he saw, he imagined that life was heading in a direction of a utopian government control. Huxley did not imagine this as a good thing. He uses the characters of Brave New World to express his view of utopia being impossible and detrimental. One such character he uses to represent the idealogy behind this is Bernard Marx.
...f their child. Agreeing that the CI cannot cure deafness, not saying all hearing parents don’t get involve with the deaf community and learning sign language but for the parents who do the exact opposite is what upsets many deaf individuals.
Singleton, Jenny and Matthew Tittle. “Deaf Parents and Their Hearing Children.” Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 5.3 (2000): 221-234. PsycINFO. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Many Deaf people are opposed to the use of cochlear implants because it’s like not accepting themselves. They need to embrace who they are and cope with the tools they have without doing any surgery. In order for them to have the cochlear implant they need to go through surgery. Deaf people are opposed to other member getting the cochlear implant because it’s like if they were ashamed to be born Deaf. They believed that they want to change who they are to try to fit into the rest of the society. Although, most common people around are hearing people that does not mean other need to go through a surgery in order to fit in and not be discriminate. Society needs to
Her argument is that the implant would signal the end of deaf culture because it would effectively prevent deaf culture from reproducing itself. Interesting enough, Martha compares being deaf to being black as if the struggles have similarities. In which, she discussed that you cannot eliminate deafness just like you can’t change a person who is black into a white person. It’s unchangeable! Since that is or should be recognized why aren’t there training and practices established to help retain the minority distinctive values and practices while introducing them to the world of healthcare technology? In terms of, understanding African American culture and traditions, the presentation of cochlear implants should be embraced. Although, I didn’t agree with Martha’s misinformed perception of comparing being deaf to being a black person, I certainly do understand the need to keep the deaf community identity and not tarnish the hard work and dedication people have devoted. This is a challenging disposition that healthcare professionals face in America. Because technology is here to improve and enhance human life; not distort it. However, not all change is bad! We have to remember that cochlear implants are an option not a health
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is set in a society that seems more like a fantasy than a possible reality like we know today. In his novel, people are no longer born, but instead manufactured on an assembly line and therefore created into a caste system from which no citizen can escape. There is no emotion other than happiness. Not because all others are banned, but because there a scientifically not made within these humans. Because every citizen believes they are in paradise, they do not see the biggest fl...
In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley deftly creates a society that is indeed quite stable. Although they are being mentally manipulated, the members of this world are content with their lives, and the presence of serious conflict is minimal, if not nonexistent. For the most part, the members of this society have complete respect and trust in their superiors, and those who don’t are dealt with in a peaceful manner as to keep both society and the heretic happy. Maintained by cultural values, mental conditioning, and segregation, the idea of social stability as demonstrated in Brave New World is, in my opinion, both insightful and intriguing.
...dure the hardships of life in order to enjoy the blessings. Sadness is a defining characteristic of a human being: “In spite of their sadness-- because of it, even; for their sadness was the symptom of their love for one another-- the three young men were happy” (Huxley 242). Sadness is a symptom of joy. Loss is a symptom of love. But Huxley knew that it is worth it to feel both pain and happiness instead of nothing. Without these defining characteristics of humanity, all that remains is a stable, well-oiled machine, certainly not a group of human beings.
Technology, which has brought mankind from the Stone Age to the 21st century, can also ruin the lives of people. In the novel Brave New World, the author Aldous Huxley shows us what technology can do if we exercise it too much. From the novel, we can see that humans can lose humanity if we rely on technology too much. In the novel, the author sets the world in the future where everything is being controlled by technology. This world seems to be a perfectly working utopian society that does not have any disease, war, problems, crisis, but it is also a sad society with no feelings, emotions or human characteristics.
... occurrence seen in those who experience deafness, especially if it is congenital. The Deaf community is extremely important to people who identify as deaf or hard of hearing. This culture is accepting of individuals and provides a community for all deaf individuals to join. Although the Deaf community is a safe place for people who identify as deaf, stigma still resides in both the hearing and the deaf world. Stigma towards the cochlear implant within the Deaf community creates disapproval and conflict. They view the implant as a way of “fixing” someone who does not need to be fixed. People who have their hearing may believe the stigma that deaf people are not as smart as people who can talk and hear. Living a successful and independent life is not unimaginable for people who cannot hear. Deafness is a disability but not a hindrance to an individual’s lifestyle.
The cultural component of deafness experiences several oppositions. These oppositions include the cochlear implant, Deaf schools versus mainstream schools, and audism. Being a part of the tight-knit Deaf community, there are several oppositions and conflicting views. However, the Deaf community is so strong and prideful that these oppositions do not bring their culture down.
There were quite a few changes made from Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World to turn it into a “made for TV” movie. The first major change most people noticed was Bernard Marx’s attitude. In the book he was very shy and timid toward the opposite sex, he was also very cynical about their utopian lifestyle. In the movie Bernard was a regular Casanova. He had no shyness towards anyone. A second major deviation the movie made form the book was when Bernard exposed the existing director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, Bernard himself was moved up to this position. In the book the author doesn’t even mention who takes over the position. The biggest change between the two was Lenina, Bernard’s girlfriend becomes pregnant and has the baby. The screenwriters must have made this up because the author doesn’t even mention it. The differences between the book and the movie both helped it and hurt it.
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