Brave New World #2

Throughout reading chapters 1-11 in Brave New World I have created some questions that have provoked thought.

1. Why haven't others in the society, or the Reservation acknowledged the issues in society?
 2. Why does John quote Shakespeare in his daily life, and in conversations with others?
 3. Why is John afraid to have sex with  Lenina, when he obviously loves her?

These answers have not yet been proven, but I do have thoughts as for what the answers are.

 1. Other people can not realize the issues in the society because they have been brainwashed, and are engulfed in the happiness the World State provides for them. For example, Bernard notices these differences because he is more capable, and different then the others. When living on the Reservation he noted, and enjoyed watching the relationships between a mother and a baby. Things they did not get to see in their society normally because of the nursery. However, Lenina is the opposite, and she does not enjoy life on the reservation because it is different then the life she was taught happiness was in. She portrays her unhappiness when she says, "Queer, Very Queer. This was her ordinary word of condemnation, "I don't like it" (117). This shows how different they are, and why more people are not capable of noticing the issues in the society.

2. John quotes Shakespeare in his daily life because he grew up in a secluded environment. He was raised on an Indian Reservation where he did not learn much about how normal people acted. He was not allowed to participate in the Indian celebrations, so he was isolated even more on top of that. His only touch with society was when his mom's boy-toy brought home a Shakespeare book, and he became obsessed with it. He is able to describe all of his bottled up emotions through the writing of Shakespeare, and he is desperately looking for a sense of belonging with society, so he falls to his feelings and does not know any other way to portray them then quoting Shakespeare. He displays his obsession with Shakespeare when he says, "On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand...." (153). This quote again reiterates his inability to portray his emotions without the use of Shakespeare.

3. John does not want to have sex with Lenina because he wants to have a normal, true relationship with her. I suspect part of his desires for a consistent relationships lie with the failure he noticed his mother have throughout his childhood. Another part of it is that John recognizes the fact that Lenina will never live a life that he would expect of his wife, or girlfriend. She will also be carefree and ignorant. He knows the relationship with her will never work, but she can not understand this due to her brainwashing by the World State. John does not want to have sex with her because of these reasons, and he just wants a normal relationship.

Brave New World #1

In the novel Brave New World the society is one that is conformed. We know this because of the cloning process that has taken place, and it is not creating them to be equal. It is creating them to be what they want, but not necessarily equal. The World State further proves that it is not about equality, but rather conformity, when they display their slogan, "Community, Identity, Stability." We can also deduce that the society is conformed and not equal because they chemically alter the fetus's of the lower caste members. In the society they simply reduce conflict by eliminating religion, and we know this reduces conflict because it does not have altering views, that defy what these people believe. They also do not have conflict because they have brainwashed their citizens to believe their slogan as I quoted earlier. They have created conformity by conditioning the babies of lower castes to be irrationally afraid of certain things like books as to make them more productive of what their caste is viewed to be doing. Happiness is also forced through conditioning in the higher classes, and everyone in those castes ie the Beta and Alpha castes that they are happy because they are told to be happy, and because they are not part of one of the lower castes. This society is a Dystopia because it does not preserve humanity at all, and everyone is not equal at all. There are different castes that force people to be lesser than others.

Scarecrow song

1. The song is about the decline of farming in America.
2. The facts that farming is being replaced, and this guy does not know what to do with himself.
3. Mellencomp could not farm because of the changing in times, "Rain of the scarecrow Blood on the plow."
4. The word blood has a bad connotation, and that adds to the message.
5. He favors the farmers, and he shows his sympathy towards the farmers. He seems to be on the side of the farmers and he proves this when he says, "Rain on the Scarecrow, Blood on the plow."

This land is your land

1. This is an individualist because he does not refer to this as us, but rather you and me.
2. He is an anti-government believer. He wants the country to stay free, and as the song says, "Nobody can stop me, as I go walking that Freedom highway." It proves that he is an anti-government guy because he does not want to be restricted of his freedoms.

Friendship

Americans could be percieved as friendless people because of the way they are always thinking for themselves. They seem to not be able to grasp the concept that friendship is a two way street, and it is not all what can benefit them. In the article "American Friendship" the author states that, "Americans value independence," and this proves how Americans like to be self supported and not rely on their friends for anything.

1984 #3

At the end of the book the Party and Big Brother have gotten Winston to crack by betraying his beliefs and his lover. He was tortured and tortured, and when forced to face his biggest fear, rats he blew up and betrayed Julia. I would say Big Brother has one because they have proven they could force anyone to believe any concept. "Who controls the past controls the future, and who controls the present controls the past." This quote proves to the reader that the Big Brother has one because they have created a false sense of history, and alter the memories of the past to shape what is to happen in the future. I believe that there is no way to bring down Big Brother, they have too many loyal servants and too much knowledge into personal lives. I believe Winston dies lonely and hopeless. Big Brother has forced him to believe things he knew were fake, and as he says "When thinking of Julia even the thought of sex was repulsive." He has no hope and will die lonely.