Brave New World: Journal Entry #3

Topic A

““Because our world is not the same as Othello's world. You can't make flivvers without steel–and you can't make tragedies without social instability. The world's stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get. They're well off; they're safe; they're never ill; they're not afraid of death; they're blissfully ignorant of passion and old age; they're plagued with no mothers or fathers; they've got no wives, or children, or lovers to feel strongly about; they're so conditioned that they practically can't help behaving as they ought to behave. And if anything should go wrong, there's soma. Which you go and chuck out of the window in the name of liberty, Mr. Savage. Liberty!" He laughed. "Expecting Deltas to know what liberty is! And now expecting them to understand Othello! My good boy!"

The Savage was silent for a little. "All the same," he insisted obstinately, "Othello's good, Othello's better than those feelies."

"Of course it is," the Controller agreed. "But that's the price we have to pay for stability. You've got to choose between happiness and what people used to call high art. We've sacrificed the high art. We have the feelies and the scent organ instead."” (Huxley 220)

This passage reveals that the controllers are only concerned about the world’s stability as a whole. Since this society is conditioned to be the way they are, they have everything they want fulfilled thus creating harmony. If one were to put things such as tragedies in the world they would bring social instability and since social stability is the goal of society they are outlawed. The people in the novel can do whatever they want without being unhappy because of their conditioning of their particular class (alpha, beta, gamma, delta, elipson). This happiness comes from the ignorance of greater things such as freedom which they have been conditioned to not pursue. The lack of knowledge of the people is why they are cooperating in society. Even if they are unhappy they can make themselves forget by consuming soma the perfect drug in this society which controls the behavior of the people when they get out of control. Previous to this scene John is tossing the soma out the window creating violence among the Deltas and the police come and spray soma in the air which changes everyone’s behavior to love, and happiness as opposed to violence.

Brave New World: Journal Entry #2

Topic C

The author’s vision into the future from 1931 when it was written to portray that technology is going to take over society. This is very believable because technology makes people in general lazy and act like they don't have to do anything. Since this society begins when the Model-T was invented and Ford is their God like figure it makes since the road they went down to get to where they are in the novel. In the novel human beings are made through machines and it is considered a foreign idea if someone were to create humans naturally. This society is also addicted to Soma the "perfect drug" that was created to make people forget about their worries. This puts people in a situation where they can't complain about society. Since the society conditions humans to act the way they act emotionally Huxley is portraying the idea that technology will overpower humans in the future through the creation of human beings and the entire living of the human life. I the second section of the book Lenina goes to the New Mexico Reservation and freaks out because none of these things from society exist in there and she gets depressed. She is so dependent on technology she is affected emotionally. Humans in this society are also shown as not as important as the machines.

The author gives us hope through Bernard. Even though he is brought up in the technological society. Bernard sees the world differently because he is short for his status in society and therefore is secluded. The author gives us hope that through Bernard he can make society much better than it is now by revolting against society. This is why he travels to the New Mexican Reservation to figure out what they do differently than they do in society.

Brave New World: Journal Entry #1

Topic B

Bernard Marx is seen as an outsider in this society. He is victimized by being a short alpha plus. This is due to everyone in society's conditioning to respecting people in higher intelligence and physical appearance. Bernard has an alpha status however he has a gamma physical appearance. Which makes him less powerful than other alphas in this society, in consequence he has to repeat himself to make the lower cast listen to him. 

In this society no one is supposed to have a relationship with just one person. This makes some men talk about women as if they are "a bit of meat" (Huxley 45). This makes Bernard angry because he is in love with Lenina however he doesn't want to be like everyone else having multiple relationships. 

Since Bernard is a specialist in hypnopaedia he thinks everyone who believes the propaganda is an "idiot". Bernard's struggle isn't really rebelling it is more of he doesn't have a place in his society and in consequence is struggling to fit in which causes him to be against his society. 

Bernard is unusually quiet and shy due to his lack of the height of as an alpha and physical appearance which causes him to not be as sound as others in the higher caste and in consequence gives out his authority to others such as Lenina.

He is resisting society when he refuses to take soma when he is offered it twice because of his lack of happiness. He reacts by becoming angry and walking away.