Hialeahhigh.enschool.org



Brave New World NotesWritten by Twentieth-century English novelist Aldous HuxleyWritten 1932Huxley writes BNW as a contrast to many contemporary, utopian novels written in this time, principally H.G. Wells’s Men Like GodsUtopia- best/ideal place “perfect place”BNW is a dystopiaBNW is hedonistic society with free love, free drugs, no war, no poverty, permanent happiness, etc. Dystopia- Utopian world gone wrong/awry/too far.Factors that impact BNW:Industrial Revolution - The Industrial Revolution itself refers to a change from hand and home production to machine and factory. Man feels that we are powerful and think we can solve all society’s ills with our intellect. Nearly all “modern” technology’ that we enjoy today has its origin in the Industrial RevolutionWorld War I-the world to end all WarsBolshevik revolution (Russian) – Communist Revolution; its ideals to make a communist world, to make everything equal, one of many such pursuits.Mass production- assembly-line approach utilized in other facets of production. Helps make many products more affordable and accessible. Henry Ford- “the father of the modern assembly line” wanted to make a car that will be more affordable. Holds 161 US patents. Model T – “The car that put America on wheels”; the first car that comes off the assembly line in 1908, one made every 13 minutes and by 1913 one made every 90 seconds. 1908 for $825. 1916 the car sells $360 (cheapest price).Consumerism (the American lifestyle) - Americans lived a different lifestyle with greater emphasis on consuming; we are great consumers.Setting for BNW- 26th century, England About BNW:Everyone is manufactured in a test tubeEveryone immunized against diseases before birthThe fertilized egg goes through an assembly lineEmbryos and then society is separated into different cast (5)Different levels of intelligenceEverybody likes their jobs and dislikes every other jobNo marriage, no mothers, no fathersMothers is a bad word and cannot be saidSex with whomever you want as long as they consent to itMonogamy frowned upon and seen as threatNo religionNo one reads books A drug called soma, no side effects or hangoverEveryone is encouraged to consume. You live to work and have fun.Children introduced into sexual games at the age of eightEntire world lives the BNW way, with the exception of a couple of “reservations” that live the “old way”. BNW foresees/foreshadows:TV advertizingCloningReproductive technologyBiological engineeringDrugs to “make things less difficult”. For example: ProzacUse of helicoptersSleep learningAmong BNW themes:Community, Identity, Stability – vs. Individual FreedomScience as a means of controlThe threat of genetic engineeringThe misuse of physiological conditioningThe pursuit of happiness taken to an extremeThe cheapening of sexual pleasureThe pursuit of happiness through drugsThe threat of mindless consumption and diversionsThe destruction of the familyThe denial of aging and deathThe oppression of individual differences ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download