Science is the basis of every world and the mindset of many, but how much science can one take? In the dystopian “brave New World” of Bernard Marx and Lenina Crowne, science was the reason of their life and how they act. When John the Savage, a boy from the society outside of their world, see’s that there was no freedom between the people, everyone following under the designated path handed to them, he wants to change the life of many. Along with the freedom stripped away, individuality of oneself is also thrown to the side. Life is an idea of being able to become what life thinks is right, but if one was to alter that thought, everything can change for better or for worse.
In his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Neil Postman argues that Aldous Huxley’s vision is more reflective of contemporary society than George Orwell’s. Orwell and Huxley wrote differing predictions of a future dystopian society. Orwell warned of censorship and tyranny; whereas, Huxley warned of passivity and egoism. With the ubiquitous nature of technological devices, modern culture has entered an age of entertainment technology. The Internet, smartphones, and augmented-reality games have fueled the human desire to be amused.
During the time period Brave New World was written, which was around the 1930s, the Russian Revolution was occurring and there were some challenges within the British Empire. The expansion of communication and transportation (such as cars and the telephone) caused changes to life. With the new technology, people worried about losing themselves and their way of life. Brave New World demonstrates the people's worries and their concerns about the world in the 1930s. The many worries and concerns of the people in the 1930s were all mentioned in Brave New World, such as their worries about religious beliefs, social movements, and relationships.
Huxley brought economic classes, children in society, and women in society to the attention of readers, but the modern world still faces some of these issues today. Social classes were a major issue in Huxley’s time. Classes included the under-class, the working-class, the middle-class, and the upper-class (“1900s”). He was familiar with the higher classes when he was growing up because he was born into a “well-to-do-upper-middle-class family” (“Biography”). The under-class was “generally ignored” the working class held physically demanding jobs that
“People believe in God because they've been conditioned to” (Huxley 235). Brave New World, a novel by English author Aldous Huxley, showcases a revolution in religious beliefs as part of a new civilized world known as the World State. The new World State emphasizes promiscuity and detachment of feelings in order to create a fraudulent feeling of happiness among citizens in order to increase submissiveness. Having this false sense of happiness, citizens are ignorant of the oppression they face believing to be completely free to do as they please even if they know that they have been conditioned to believe in the propaganda. Propaganda has played a major role in converting citizens from traditional religions, such as Christianity, to worshipping historical figures such as Henry Ford and Sigmund Freud.
Does your mind ever get manipulated by outsiders such as peers, media, and the government? Would you say that the manipulation of the minds of the people in the world state is a bad or good thing? Take an attempt to read the book “Brave New World” and it is promised that you will agree that this act of conduct is a bad thing. No one wants to be mentally controlled to do everything that everyone else does.
Huxley begins with this idea with his imitation of the four principles of communism. The principles were created by, the father of communism, Karl Marx. They are simple regulations in a communistic society created to equalize the masses of people. The rules include no family, no religion, no private property, and no
While it could sometimes be argued that education’s sole purpose is to mold one’s mind to fit a specific standard and is largely similar to mind control in that respect, Huxley’s take on it draws it far away from most known concepts of education and more towards what people see as mind control or brainwashing. “Brave New World” was indeed an effective satire of many aspects of leisure society, as shown with the use of soma and sex but that was due to people being able to relate to those in some form with the Roaring Twenties still remaining fresh in the minds of many reads at the date of the book’s publication (1932) but ultimately no one is able to relate to the dystopian image of humans being mass-produced in tubes, children being taught their entire moral code while asleep or babies being electrocuted into submission to their government’s anti-art and anti-nature
In the novel, Brave New World, the characters discuss about how in their “new world,” the authorities want to ban books. Huxley thinks there should be no reason to ban reading for those who wanted to read. For some people it’s difficult to learn how to read and know how to process it into learning how to cook, create, draw, sing, etc. Without reading how will you know how to do a task, or how to solve a problem. Therefore, Reading has a big impact in people’s daily lives.
Without innovations in technology, the world would not be where it is today. From the old, bulky computers to supercomputers capable of sending man to space, technology has shaped the lives of everyone by creating a globally connected world. The advancement of technology, however, also advances the threat of oppression. George Orwell, in 1984, cautions that society will be oppressed through the restriction of information. Conversely, Neil Postman contests Orwell’s dark dystopia, stating that Aldous Huxley’s vision in A Brave New World, where the overload of information and distractions captivates contemporary society, is more applicable today than ever, a view that is true today.
Professor and Biochemist, Joseph Needham, artfully directs his review for the novel explaining that “Mr. Huxley’s orchid-garden is itself an exemplification of the contention that knowledge is always good, for had it not been for his imaginative power, we should not have seen so clearly what lies at the far end of certain inviting paths. (205) . As Needham praises Huxley, he provides the exposed truth of the novel. Had it not been for the eye opening revelation of the future and the potential of medical technology, Huxley’s negative perception of loss of identities would fail to be taken seriously. However, a well educated man and the grandson of the famous biologist, Huxley incorporates his ethos in Brave New World.
Aldous Huxley uses his novel Brave New World, to over exaggerate the sexual relationships between people in the 1930s, whilst portraying how this promiscuity was harmful to women. The 1930s were a time in history when women were beginning to work and provide for themselves. They had gained employment during wartime, continuing their labor even as men returned home. Huxley’s society portrayed in the novel strips women of their new independence and status and instead tries to take away their sense of importance. His voice concerning the sexual relationships men had resorted to, is heard through the actions of specific characters.
Introducing Huxley to the twenty first century would bring on a reaction. Huxley would be able to see some similarities and differences in the twenty first century society and the society he created in his novel, Brave New World and would be disgusted by the similarities and delighted that there is some differences. The role that technology plays in present day society is somewhat similar to the society in the novel. For example, in the novel’s society they are constantly surrounded by technology, which is similar to today with television, social media, cell phones, and reality TV. This technology shapes the opinions of our society and is a large influence in how people make decisions.
The novels Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Nineteen Eighty Four by Gorge Orwell are very famous dystopian novels which have been written in the mid of twentieth century. The fear of technology development and human 's freedom leads the governments in both novels to establish a fake stable society in order to create a perfect new world. This paper will discuss both novels focusing especially on only three main themes which are dictatorship, Soma versus Victory Gin, and the freedom of two societies. From these three aspects, the current paper will discuss the impact of each aspect in the society at that time and also in our present time.
Brave New World is both, utopia and dystopia. The author Aldous Huxley intended to depict an imagined new world after Ford, an industrial era, where all people would be happy and extremely satisfied or as content as the ideal society would let them be. Yet, to determine utopia and dystopia in Brave New World, we have to look at the new world from our own time and from the time before Ford, seen through the eyes of John the Savage, our predecessor. The world we observe herein reflects a futuristic world, a world that is to come, and a happy world we can imagine with an amount of disbelief. People of our world, the world which is happier than the savages' world, still not as happy as the Ford's world, will have to consider all the facts that make the new world look happy and brave.
