Brave New World7
From my readings in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World I have noticed most of the World State citizens remain in a childish state of mind all of their entire lives from playing games all day to having instant gatification from their problems. This bothers me very much because in the real world people must work for what they want. Instead the citizens of this deranged culture are taken care of for their whole lives like children.
In Brave New World the citizens of the World State take soma for instant gratification from everything much like kids today smoke marijuana to get away from their problems. For example when Bernard finds out that he is being sent to Iceland he takes some soma to relieve himself from his problem. After finding out that he was being sent to Iceland, "Lenina pursuaded him to swallow four tablets of soma. Five minutes later roots and fruits were abolished; the flower of the present rosily blossomed." (104) The soma Bernard took was because he wanted his problem to go away and hoped someone other then himself would fix it.
The next example of the citizens being taken care of like children, was that they were taught by hypnopedia what to think and believe and to stick by it like a stubborn child. An example of this is when Bernard wants to think on his own, which is very unsual for these people, and Lenina repeats phrases she heard during hypnopedia to get him to take some soma to get rid of those thoughts: " A gramme in time saves nine, she says blindly" and "One cubic centimetre cures ten gloomy sentiments."(89) Bernard is frustrated by her inability to think but Lenina then finally nags him to the point that he takes the soma to make her stop. By doing this Lenina proves she can't think independently like a stubborn child would try to get its way.
The last example of these citizens acting much like children is that all day they play elaborate games like elevator squash and obstacle golf. You never find out if they have any real responsibilitys at all but they play games during the day. At one point Bernard bemoans Lenina's tendencies: "...wretched that she should have thought it was a perfect afternoon for obstacle golf...." (64) You must wonder how they could play this in the afternoon if they have any responsibilitys at all.
The issue that Swift is addressing is the fact that there are too many poor children in Dublin and that they are becoming such a huge burden for all the poor mothers or parents of the country. Swift then creates his own solution to the problem. He proposes that all poor children who are around one year of age, be cooked and eaten by the people of Dublin, preferably the poor. With this solution, he argues that it will eventually put an end to the overpopulation of the poor young children and it will satisfy the hunger for all the other people. Crazy right?
Both Lenina and Linda use soma to escape from the realities of the world. Soma is a symbol for instant pleasure, and to avoid unpleasant situations. Lenina’s use of soma suggests that she is trying to suppress feelings of embarrassment, depression, and later her infatuation with John. Resembling words that of a drug addict, Lenina says “I wish I had my soma”, so that she could escape from her melancholic problems (Huxley 104). Similarly, after accusing the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, and having him publicly deny her, the emotional toll on Linda was so great, that she felt the need to consume soma to escape. Dr. Shaw “let her have what she wanted”; she “took as much as twe...
In Brave New World, it is not so much physical isolation as mental. The individual 's “bottle” is constantly referenced, because when high they are isolated, just as if they were in their own bottle. Soma is another form isolation in Brave New World. Comparably, MDMA or Ecstasy has a variety of effects initially the drug triggers a large release of serotonin, this releases hormones like oxytocin and vasopressin (National Institute on Drug Abuse). These hormones cause increased love, sexual arousal, and trust. This leads to a sense of emotional closeness while on the drug. However, after the large release of serotonin, the brain is depleted of it, causing negative effects (National Institute on Drug Abuse). It leads to confusion, anxiety, depression,
...se through means of persuasion. Propaganda was the second most powerful means of getting support within Germany, but it was most effective in getting foreigners to stand bye idly while the Nazi's committed their crimes against the Jews and other minorities. Germany received respect from the foreign press for its efficiency in the Olympics, which was a precursor to the `efficiency' they showed in slaughtering millions of innocent captives in concentration camps. Yet the Nazi's, lead by their charismatic leader, were able to pass their laws in a legitimate fashion, and persuade the world to look the other way. The world stood by in fear and awe, hoping the storm would just blow over, but by September 1939 Hitler and the Nazi's had progressed too far, and there was no stopping them from undertaking in what would be the most lethal war in the history of the world.
Science and Technology have a strong influence on the daily lives of the citizens of the world. The first influence is through the use of drugs and in particular, soma. Soma is a drug that is used in the world by everyone to create false happiness. When John, Bernard and Helmholtz meet Mustafa Mond, the leader of the world state, Mond explains the beneficial effects of simply consuming one drug on a daily basis. “Now, you swallow two or three half-gram tablets, and there you are.
In a time of trouble, Ireland was desperate for solutions. The Potato Famine left many families in search of a way to preserve their land, lives, and families. While numerous people looked for feasible ways to solve their problem, Jonathan Swift decided to write about it. His writing however, did not provide a solution people would be willing to carry out. Swift’s approach was to show the people of Ireland just how absurd their predicament was. His main focus in his essay was the landlords and the English. He believed the landlords had so much control that families may as well sign their children over to them, because they would never be able to pay off debts owed. Swift also had a problem with English government and its rule over Ireland.
However, to Lenina and the World State, theses beliefs promote happiness with repercussions- essentially, they strived for eternal happiness, without ever having to experience any negative emotion. The ending of the novel may have been Huxley’s commentary on this belief; one cannot escape reality, and for the Lenina and the World State, reality would be the emotions that they are trying to avoid (such as sadness, anxiety, anger, etc.). Lenina has never had to experience any negative emotions; she has always avoided them, through sex, drugs, and so on. However, reality caught up to her when she went to visit John; she was brutally beaten, and whipped back into
In a society where the life is easy and no hardships exist it is inconceivable to the public to think that anyone would want anything else. No one is poor, no one is lonely. When times get rough, or doubt settles it, citizens just medicate with soma and feel no strong emotions. In their drug induced state they drift back into a sense that everything is perfect, without soma, citizens have no way to handle inconveniences of life. For instance, when Lenina visits the reservations with Bernard she desperately feels “in her pocket for her soma—only to discover that, by some unprecedented oversight, she had left the bottle down the rest house” (Huxley 111). She needs her soma, she cannot cope with regular events without it. The people in the society, whether Epsilon or Alpha, have every comfort they could dream of, never getting ill, never aging, never having to deal with any heartache. In order to not experience strong emotion people cannot get too attached to each other, tying into the idea that everyone belongs to everyone. When citizens have this mentality the concept of death is simply a passing event, it holds no true importance. When Lenina and Henry are flying above the crematorium, a puff of air, once a life, makes the helicopter shoot up for a moment. Instead of seeing this as a sentimental ending of a life, Lenina simply claps her hands and remarks on how enjoyable flying up was. Her ignorance displays how the way people live their lives in the World State affects how they perceive death. The World State is filled with essentially clones; no one is truly a free thinker, which is why Huxley writes in John. John is the purest form of individual that is present in Brave New World. John Savage is viewed by the society as this sort of animal, untamed and different.
During Hitler’s reign in Germany, propaganda was his main method of control. He and the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazis, believed that to remain in control, it is necessary to prevent any and all internal unrest through strictly regulated popular opinion. The mission was to keep public opinion in favor of the Nazi party’s ideology. One of the primary aspects of their ideology was extreme anti-Semitism and racial inequality. Within years they were able to introduce this belief to nearly all of the German people through heavy influence by propaganda. Hitler was able to stabilize and dictate his Germany for years through propaganda aimed to control the lives of the youth, the opinions of the general public, and beliefs about the war effort and well-being of the country.
The issue that is at hand in his persuasive essay is that Ireland is over populated and they need to think of a way to deal with this said problem. They need to deal with this problem over else the population will keep going up and they will run out of food for people even faster. The context of this issue is that they are living in a place where there are not enough food, water, and clothes for everyone so they have children starving and tons of people are begging for anything to get them through the day. Johnathon Swift is making the argument that we should slay and eat all children under the age of 1 because we have way too many of them anyways. He’s an educated writer and well known author and a father of children. There might be some biased because he doesn’t have a child under the age of one so maybe he doesn’t want to have to kill his own child. The target audience is the people of Ireland because they are all living in the struggle along with himself. The main point is the Ireland is over populated and people are poor, hungry and in poverty. The argument is structured in a way that he catches the reader’s attention then at the very end he says that everything he said he doesn’t actually want any of that stuff to happen and that there needs to b...
Swift’s modest proposal includes multiple instances where Swift proudly declares that “I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom” in the face of potential objections to his plan (Swift 187-199). While Swift “can think of no one objection,” the reader can definitely think of millions of reasons why his plan will wipe Ireland off the map. In fact, Swift himself uses this phrase sarcastically in an attempt to get the reader to empathize with the Irish. Because the reader begins to pity the Irish, Swift ensures that he gets the message across that current conditions in Ireland are unlivable. Moreover, Swift ends his plan by vainly proclaiming that “I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country” (Swift 234-236). The narrator clearly does not have any “sincerity of heart” with his intentions, proving that Ireland cannot survive in its current position with people like the narrator in power. Additionally, Swift’s sarcastic remark about promoting “the public good of [his] country” underscores the horrifying effects of his ghastly proposal, solidifying the horrifying fate of the Irish if
...ture the attention of the audience by means of “political pamphleteering which is very popular during his time” (SparkNotes Editors). The language and style of his argument is probably why it is still popular till this day. By using satire, Swift makes his point by ridiculing the English people, the Irish politicians, and the wealthy. He starts his proposal by using emotional appeal and as it progresses, he uses ethos to demonstrate credibility and competence. To show the logical side of the proposal, he uses facts and figures. By applying these rhetorical appeals, Swift evidently makes his argument more effectual.
The real issue being addressed in “A Modest Proposal” is the poverty that was plaguing Ireland. The piece was written at a time when the poor people were seen as a burden to their country and were being oppressed by the wealthy English government and landowners. Swift makes the argument to make the poor useful. He favors the poor and hopes that they will find a way out of their seemingly hopeless destitution, which is why he writes this pamphlet. He is knowledgeable in economics and societal functions, which gives him credibility in addressing the Irish people. His main argument is that babies should be eaten in effort to make use of the poor. He assumes that his audience will be intelligent enough to analyze the satire of his piece and be willed to understand the country’s predicament.
In a perfect society, humans do not need to resort to drugs to keep society in balance. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, society is based on keeping everyone happy- and if for some reason someone becomes unhappy then there is always soma- the “perfect” drug. Humans are conditioned from the very start to be happy while performing their specific tasks. “We also predestine and condition. We decant out babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future Directors of Hatcheries.” (Page 13) Brave New World’s society is built on keeping everyone happy and keeping everyone working in balance with civilization. However, without soma, Brave New World’s society wouldn’t function properly. The soma helps to keep the society moving, always working to keep production moving, just like Ford’s assembly line. However, is there something wrong with depending on a drug to keep a society working?
The issue is that there is a growing number of poor and starving women and children living on the streets of Ireland that are a burden to the public and the country. The context is that these homeless and starving women and children are left to fend for themselves on the streets. Jonathan Swift is making the argument from the point of a concerned citizen who has spent years among the poor in Ireland studying the situation and trying to come up with a solution. Johnathan Swift used the example that those who visit Ireland and see the streets crowded with women and children that are beggars conclude that Ireland is a very poor, overpopulated country full of beggars and that they look down upon their country that is in such poor shape. His bias is that as a citizen living in Ireland, he does not want to be looked down upon by other countries. His targeted audience seems to be the citizens of the country and those in higher up positions who ...