A Midsummer Night's Dream #1

Shimasaki, #1

The first act of this play is very interesting. We are introduced right away to probably one of the central struggles throughout the play, the love square of Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, and Helena. The tension between lovers seems to be a main issue that Shakespeare likes to write about as seen in another of his plays, Romeo and Juliet. This four-way love conflict shows an imbalance. There could be two couples yet Demetrius chose Hermia and scorned Helena. His opinion on the whole matter seems to be only that he wants Hermia as a prize, and does not want Lysander to have her out of his own competitive nature. He tells Lysander to “yield thy crazed title to my certain right” (Act I.II.95-96). He only views Hermia as another conquest and just a “title”, while Lysander, although his love may be extreme, actually does love Hermia. I don’t think this enough to constitute these two men as foils quite yet but they are defiantly contrasting characters. What do you think about the characters that have been introduced so far and what their dialogue says about their personalities?

The second part of Act I seemed very random to me. I understand why they were performing the play but the play that they chose and the actors seemed out-of-place in the story. They are amusing and Bottom is just a bossy man who wants to be in charge. All the actors seem to exaggerate every problem that presents itself which, I guess, adds to the comedy. Quincy’s idea that if he roars to loudly, and “would fright the Duchess and the Ladies, that they would shriek and that were enough to hang [them] all” is outrageous and an overstatement. The play itself alludes, again, to Shakespeare’s own play, Romeo and Juliet. The idea of two lovers that eventually end up dead because of a misunderstanding could be foreshadowing of what is to come? What do you think of this section and what do you think it adds to the overall idea of the play? 

My attempt at a walk

I wanted to leave my walk for the last day of break so that I could think about all that had happened over the break but I didn't get home until about 5:30. By then, it was becoming dark so I quickly strapped on my walking shoes and was about to leave when my mother commented on my safety. Instead of walking to the park as planned, I walked down the hill and around the small planter at the bottom. It was pouring rain so I returned to my house but rather then ending my walk, I sat on the bench on my porch to think about the year and my Christmas break. It was also really cold and I think I'm getting sick.

Christmas lights bring me so much happiness and unearths many memories. This was the last Christmas of my childhood. I know next year will be very different and I don't know if I'm ready.

 My dad has weird ideas. This fountain was the most important garden item for a week over the summer. He obsessed over it for a while. I'm going to miss his weird quirks. He put a bag over it so it wouldn't freeze.

 How many times have I sat on this bench. It's my escape from my hectic life and the craziness just inside the house door. Being along can be calming but also lonely. It was quiet outside all those times I hid from my family but tonight I'm listening to the rain. It's always been comforting. If I move to San Diego, there won't be any rain.

How many more times will I drive out this drive-way before I leave for college. How many people have visited me? It is the beginning of an adventure but also the comforting welcome home. I think people underestimate the importance of driveways. They're awesome

To finalize, it was nice to have some quiet time. I don't mind the rain. I wish I didn't have to go back to school.

Brave New World Entry #5

Bethany #5

                In answer to your questions, I agree with you on the soma rationing for the lower castes. I believe the government has programmed the alphas to take soma and have also programmed them to know that it is dangerous to take too much. They extend control over the lower castes by controlling everything about them. In chapter 17, the ford mentions that an “alpha-conditioned man would go mad if he had to do Epsilon Semi-moron work…Alphas can be completely socialized” (222). This shows the difference between the two castes. Alphas are programmed to be different and they think they are superior to everyone else. That is why I think they can handle the soma rationing on their own, because it’s been programmed into them.

                I also agree with you about Lenina liking men who are different. I think she is a representation of those who follow the guidelines of society and do not want to stand out but is not satisfied with the way society actually is. I also think John does in fact love Lenina. When he’s with her, he tries to do something heroic so that he is worth of her and states “some kinds of baseness are nobly undergone. I’d like to undergo something nobly.” (190). In today’s standards, a man doing something noble for a women is starting to diminish. It is starting to become abnormal for men to be gentlemen. This shows the values of the time period. If he only loved her for her looks, then he would try to have sex with her and he wouldn’t want to do something noble because his feelings for her are shallow.

                The death condition was horrible because it reminded me of my grandmother’s death. In this book, they make death seem so normal and unimportant. The fact that John’s own mother could not even recognize him in her death broke my heart because I believe one of the greatest things about being a human is being able to have close relationships with others and depending on each other. Just like most people who lose someone they are close to, he tries to recall her words “How beautiful her singing had been! And those childish rhymes, how magically strange and mysterious.” (201). Even the things he remembers about her are manufactured things that are not meant to have any emotional meanings.

                The end of this book was so intense! All the things that society is made of came out in chapters 17 and 18! All the questions I had about why things are the way they are were basically answered! Because this is a consumer-based world, The Controller states that “Beauty’s attractive, and we don’t want people to be attracted by old things. We want them to like the new ones.” (219). This idea that the government wants the people to be attracted to what they give them shows their need for control over the situation. Mustapha Mond goes on to say that “We believe in happiness and stability” (222). They give up things like beauty, emotions, love, and science so that society can be stable. I see the benefits of a society like this but it’s not reflective of reality. I’m reminded of what Mr. Dyck said a couple of days ago. He mentioned that when he is counseling clients, he describes a perfect world and then he describes a world filled with mistakes. He then asks them to choose which world they want to live in and they always chose the “messed-up” world because the perfect world is unbelievable. That is what is happening here. What do you think about the world that we live in and the world that they live in.

                Finally, a lot of stuff happens to John in the end. What do you think about it and why do you think the author writes the ending this way?

Brave New World Entry #4

Bethany #4

I agree with you about the culture being a combination of different cultures. I think the author created this culture to represent known cultures of the time that the book was written. I also think the author wrote this section so that the readers could reflect on their own religions and compare them to the society that is completely religion-free.

In response to your question about John’s phrase “Oh brave new world that has such people in it” (160), I think that because he grew up in a completely different world but saw the effect of the two different societies on his mother, he is hesitant of the society that he has just stepped in to. I think he’s astonished at how different things are and how people act. He had an idea about this new world from his mother but when he really joined society, the actual way things are surprised him. I think this really comes out when Lenina takes him to the feely and his reaction afterwards. On the way home the book states that he was “bound by strong vows that had never been pronounced, obedient to laws that had long since ceased to run” (170). I think that the vows the author is talking about are actually the moral laws. John grew up in a society that had specific morals and so John knows the moral law. The movie had so many perverted and sexualized concepts in it that he was uncomfortable and awkward, so much so that he could not even speak to Lenina without being strained. Do you think the people of this society have moral laws or do they know the difference between right and wrong?

I found it interesting that you asked me about Bernard’s character change because all that popularity blows up in his face in chapter 12. Bernard’s popularity was soley based on the fact that he brought back the “savage”. Everyone goes back to thinking that “it’s absolutely true about the alcohol” (174) almost instantly after finding out that the “savage” would not be joining them for dinner. The façade that Bernard had built up through his popularity is so thin that one small thing shatters it. This section also shows how self-centered everyone is. The author mention that, for the guests, “ the higher their position in the hierarchy, the deeper their resentment” (173). Also, Lenina thinks that “John had refused to come because he didn’t like her. He didn’t like her” (174). Everyone acts so entitled and Lenina thinks that the only reason why John didn’t come, shows a self-centered attitude.  To me, the society was designed to be perfect but in reality, all the good and honest traits of humanity were lost and replaced by traits like self-centeredness and greed. What do you think of the society and what it reflects on our own society.

Things come to a breaking point when Lenina visits John at his apartment. He quotes poetry quite a bit, especially from Shakespeare. Why do you think he does this and why do you think the author chose Shakespeare? Also, what do you think of Lenina’s relationship with John and John’s relationship with Lenina?

Brave New World Journal #3

I found the section on the “Savage Reservation” very dark and disturbing. I think the author wrote this section to be dark on purpose because we’re seeing them from Bernard and Lenina’s perspective. The most disturbing part of the whole section, for me, was the scene with the ritual dancing and the whipping of the boy. Lenina kept sobbing “Too awful… too awful! That blood” (116). The way the author described it was almost chaotic and hypnotic at the same time. As readers, we are experiencing it as the two “society” members would but for us, we have an advantage of knowing that the ritual is a normal thing for this culture. As for Linda, I think that the “society” has brainwashed her so much that even if she spent her entire life there, her entire being resists that culture because that is the way she is designed.

I also agree with you about the Soma drug. The fact that it is so readily available concerns me but I believe they use it so much because they do not have the willpower to handle anything uncomfortable. Their brains are designed for them so I think that is why they are so weak. The lessons that we learn as children about handling difficulties and moving through the awkwardness of life are not taught to them and the only way they handle those moments is through drugs. When Linda returns to the “social” world, she cannot even join everyone else because of her need for the drug. The long withdrawal from the drug was so traumatic and when she actually gets the drug, “the holiday it gave was perfect” (154).  Her need for it shows the control that the government has over their people.

The fact that Bernard and Lenina brought back John really surprised me. Because he was from a different culture, I figured that the government would never ever allow something like this to change their perfect society! I also found it interesting because everyone else wants to me the “savage”. Barnard became popular and “only had to hint at the possibility of an invitation, and he could have whichever of them he liked” (156). I thought people wanted to be the same and to blend in with society. Because Bernard was different, everyone did not like him. Why do you think everyone wants to be associated with him now that he brought back the “savage”? Also, what do you think John thinks about this new life?

Brave New World Entry #2

Shimasaki Entry #2 Brave New World

                I think the quote that you chose “the secret of happiness and virtue [is]—Liking what you’ve got to do” (16) is the perfect quote to capture what the people in power want the regular population to think. In our world, we are encouraged to do things that we enjoy and to do things that we are passionate about. In their world, they are designed from conception for a specific job and it is programmed into their brains. I think people work harder and do a better job if they enjoy and love what they are doing, rather than doing something because they have to do it. What I found interesting in the next section was how Lenina describes Bernard. She comments “odd, odd, odd…So odd… and yet so unique also was Bernard’s oddness that she had hesitated” (88). Bernard is not happy with his life or his society. He feels unsettled and Lenina picks up on that. She represents the epitome of their society and the fact that Bernard acts differently, and does not fit into social normality disturbs her. Why do you think Lenina likes Bernard if he is so different?

I agree with you on the style choice. I found it disturbing that the men talk about the women as objects because while this world is a fictional world, the objectification of women happens in our own world as well.  This book is supposed to be about a world that is very different from the world we live in, but there are some similarities and this one is a very difficult and complex one. A phrase that they kept repeating as well is “Everybody is happy now” (75). The fact that it is ingrained into their brains as children reflects the complete frailty of the true meaning. True happiness is not taught, it’s gained through experience and a relationship with God. They have an artificial happiness. It reminds me of the movie Wall-E where everyone thinks they’re happy but then one couple look up from their computer screens and realize that life away from the program is more fulfilling and makes them happier.

I find the caste system to be troublesome because I believe every person should be able to decide, on their own, where they want to go in life. They should be able to work for their rank rather than to be given a rank and have to live with it. The prejudice against the lower castes is terrible but effective for the society leaders because it keeps people isolated and individual, yet contained and manageable. I do not think the “straight from the horse’s mouth” comment is that important. It shows that the people believe and adore everything their leader says and it shows their brainwashed state.

In this section, they talk about Bernard a lot and how he is very different. Why do you think the author creates this character? They also talk about how Bernard goes to the ritual. What does this ritual symbolize and how does Bernard’s reaction to it show how he is different? 

Brave New World Entry #1

Shimasaki, Entry #1 on Brave New World

            The first thing I noticed when I read this first section was how ridged their society is. The beginning introduces the Director as a very commanding figure who is described as “Tall and rather thin but upright… had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth” (Huxley 4). This brings an image of a tall, handsome man who is all about protocol rather than emotion. When the Director is showing the new students around the factory, everything is described as very mechanical and scientific. The Director even describes the production of humans in a very mechanical way, stating “Eight minutes of hard X-rays… a few died; the least susceptible divided into two; most put out four buds… by which time the original egg was in a fair way to becoming anything from eight to ninety-six embryos” (6-7). The author sets up the scene and mood of the book by describing the machines used to create humans. It creates a very sterile situation that reeks of order, suppression, and monotony.

What do you think about the section talking about torturing the babies to ingrain in them a fear of flowers or books? That section ties in to the other sections that talk about the sleeping children and how they are influenced by words. I thought it was very interesting because of similar tests done in real life. I know that people learn information more efficiently if they learn things before going to bed. I do not know if this is where he gets his information or if this was made up by the author but there is some real-life tie-ins. Two final questions: What do you think of the part about the children’s erotic games? I do not understand the purpose but it set a very creepy tone to the whole book and when I read it, I felt digested and slightly violated. The second question is why do you think the author formatted the last chapter of the section in the way he did? I found the fragmented conversations highly confusing. It was a different way of writing which I had never seen before and the author probably did this to be confusing, adding to the overall tone of the book.