Showing posts with label Brave New World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brave New World. Show all posts

September 2, 2016

Continue The Story, Bernard. BNW. Blog Post #4

Blog Post #4

Alternate Ending: Huxley's ending in Brave New World leaves the fate of several characters unclear.  Select one of the following characters and write the end of the story (and beyond) from their POV.  This piece of writing is narrative in form, NOT an essay!  Plan and write accordingly.

Bernard

              Bernard finally escaped the system which he had always criticized and never been fond of. While on the plane towards an unknown island destination he gazed out the narrow window and reflected on the last few weeks. They were the most intense of his life. He felt melancholic for a little while, and even thought of ingesting one of the last few Soma pills he had left, but decided not to, as he would be succumbing to the World State once again. He felt sorry for John, who he had heard, committed suicide after an incident with a group of on-lookers at his lighthouse. He wished they had been closer and that he hadn’t used John as a way to gain popularity. He thought of Lenina as well, but wasn’t too worried about her, as she would go on with her dull, vapid lifestyle back in the World State. Helmholtz didn’t worry him either, Bernard knew that he would enjoy his new life away from the manipulating, controlling government of the World State.

              Still on the plane Bernard wondered what his new life would be like, he questioned whether he would like his new companion, whether he could survive in this island, or even if he would have to live as a Savage. What worried him the most was the latter aspect. All this wondering got him anxious, feeling like he couldn’t breathe. Soon, two flight assistants came to restrain him, put two Soma pills in his mouth, and forced him to swallow. Instants later Bernard was in the process of falling asleep while hallucinating.

              About two hours later Bernard woke up, confused and still dozy, he walked towards the plane’s door. As soon as he stepped outside he felt a hot, humid breeze hit his face, it looked like he was in some tropical island. He took a look around, but he couldn’t see anything but the landing track and thick tropical forest. A few seconds later an agent from the World State appeared from the front of the plane and asked Bernard to please start walking towards the forest. Bernard couldn’t hide his suspiciousness, he didn’t think that a civilization would be in the middle of a forest, but he kept on walking, with the World State agent a few feet behind him. They reached a thicker part of the forest, where light could barely reach the ground. The agent asked Bernard to take a break, sit, relax and hydrate for a while. He extended his arm to Bernard, and in his hand was a bottle of water. Bernard kept gazing around, marveled by such an exotic nature. He grabbed the bottle form the agent’s hand and drank a small sip, then he quickly drank the rest of the bottle. A few seconds later Bernard started to feel dozy again, with blurred vision he looked at the agent, who was walking away. In a matter of seconds Bernard was lying on the ground, with cold, pale skin, motionless, and not breathing.

August 21, 2016

Brave New World's Tone. Blog Post #3

What is the tone of Brave New World so far?  What does Huxley think of the World State?  Be explicit and provide direct evidence from the text in your analysis.
The tone of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” can be described as critical because the author depicts a dehumanized society in which citizens have no sense of freedom, live by the government's rules and standards, and Huxley infers his opinion about this society to the reader through some of the characters' roles and actions.

Right since the beginning of the book we observe the cold and scientific process by which humans are ‘manufactured’. Here, humans are raised right from birth up to adulthood as mere puppets of the government. If the love and sense of trust from a mother and a father is missing right from the start of the citizens’ lives, and the only organization they can trust in is the World State, the government, then they will always be obedient to their orders without opposing, judging, or questioning them.

Aldous Huxley criticizes the World State and the nation it governs through characters like Bernard, Helmholtz, John, and Linda. These characters can be labeled as the rebels of the bunch who oppose the regime’s criteria for ruling, in comparison to other characters as Lenina, who accept it. Huxley’s opposition of the World State can be clearly observed when John “The Savage” is introduced to this society and takes a tour through the “Fordian Factory”, where children are born and raised, he is deeply disgusted by this way of living, to the point in which he decides to not leave his room anymore to avoid further disgust.