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?
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