Brave New World- blog post two.

Why is the savage, John,  so popular among the people of the society?

            John, the savage, becomes instantly popular because he is different. The people of the World State are all made similar with certain beliefs forced into them through hypnopædia and what they did with the roses and books. John is different from all of these people. He was not made in a factory; he was naturally born in the Reservation. In a report written for Mustapha Mond, Bernard writes that “[the savage’s] interest [is] focused on what he calls ‘the soul,’ which he persists in regarding as an entity independent of the physical environment… the savage [finds] civilized infantility too easy or... not expensive enough.” (158-159) The savage’s views on soma and birth are clearly different from the views of the World State people. It is not surprising that people from a society, like the World State’s, find such interest in a person with different views from those of everyone else’s.

            Also, John is considered a savage. Savages are members of a group of people that are regarded as uncivilized. In meeting an “uncivilized” person the “highly-civilized” may grow to feel stronger about themselves and their culture. John is in the Beta- Minus room watching  a video of the Penitentes of Acomas prostrating themselves. When all of the other people in the room started to wail because the “Penitentes rose to their feet, stripped off their uppergardments and, with knotted whips, began to beat themselves, blow after blow.”(162) John believe that the beating should not be laughed at. The people, however, do laugh because “it’s so extraordinarily funny.” (162) By laughing the people believe that they are putting themselves about the Penitentes.

 If soma was suddenly removed from the World State, what would the results be?   

            When John was objecting to the use of soma  the doctor said, “Well, of course, if you prefer to have [Linda] screaming mad all the time…” (155) Linda is not the only one who would be screaming mad all the time if they could not have soma;  the entire population of World State would be. Soma is a major relaxing drug for these people. If it suddenly disappeared the people of World State would be like a smoker who is unable to smoke, crazy and mad.  If the whole population was craving for soma,  the World State would be destroyed by the ciaos.

 Lenina wanted to go to the Reservation, however, when she arrives she becomes very upset, why? And how does the reservation make her feel? Should she have acted this way?

            Lenina wanted to go to the reservation to be with Bernard. When she arrives at the reservation her first reaction is “’I don’t like it’… She pointed to the Indian guide… ‘he smells.’” (107-108) Strait from the beginning she is comparing the Reservation to her home. She complains about the walking, dirtiness, smell, and the inability to use soma. Then, they watch the beating. This is shows the peak of her sadness. “Lenina covered her face with her hands and began to sob. ‘Oh, stop them, stop then.’” She knew that she was going to a savage reservation. I believe that she should have expected savage behavior. Everything she complained about is a part of their culture; she cannot make them stop.

"Don't you want be" by The Human League

"Don't You Want Me" by The Human League ; What is the subject matter of the song? Cite evidence to support. What is the difference in the two sides of the story? Cite evidence to support. With whom do you side and why? Cite evidence to explain your answer.

            The subject matter of this song is a break up of a relationship of five years. The boy thinks that the girl needs him. He says, “I can put you back down [to a bar waitress]” and “I picked you out, I shook you up, and turned you around turned you into someone new.” These both show that the boy believe that without him the girl would still be working as a waitress, and not what she is today. The girl, on the other hand, does not feel this way. She believes that “[she] would find a much better place with or without [the boy].” She believes that even without the boy she could have reached the level of success that she has reached. She is ending the relationship with the boy because “[she] thinks it’s time [she] lived [her] life on [her] own.

            I am on the girl’s side of the argument. Some people believe that a girl needs to be with a guy in order to reach success. This girl believes in herself; therefore she is able to maintain the status she has reached, and continue to climb higher, with or without the boy. The boy believes that she needs him to be successful. This is simply not true. With the right attitude the girl can achieve almost any social status she wants.

West v. East

1.       The west views the east as inferior and exotic.

2.       Homogeneously – belief that everyone looks the same. The west thinks of the east as one big homogeneous group

3.         Easterners actions are determined by their instinct emotions rather than conscious choices or decisions. The emotions and reactions are determined by racial considerations.

4.       Since the east is inferior, the west believed that they could control them; therefore making the west the strong. Creating a common enemy can make a certain group strong.

5.       Yes, this view still exists. Race generally determines emotions, which control actions, of the easterners.  

Love Language

1 At first, I thought the music playing in the video is what it playing in her headphones, and that she is keeping the headphones on because she is shy. Then, I realized that she is deaf.  I also assumed that he likes the girl. The video proved this when he wrote a note saying “You’re still beautiful.

2 In a way this is a cultural conflict. She is quiet compared to the boy, who is loud. She has this more reserved personality because she is embarrassed of her hearing. He has to change his loud ways in order to be able to communicate with the girl. This is not normally his culture; therefore he is changing his culture to be able to associate with her.

3 External conflict- they cannot talk

·         She does not take off her head phones when he tries to talk to her. He considers this rude.

4 Internal conflict- The girl is impressed about being deaf. She will not let the boy listen to her headphones. Instead, she writes a note saying “I’m embarrassed.”

5 The two peoples resolved their problem by writing post-it notes back and forth between each other.  

Brave New World first entry

How have they created equality or conformity? How have they reduced conflict, specifically in regards to religion, relationships, and individual rights? How have they created or forced happiness/conformity? Make a claim about this society as either a utopia or a dystopia based the rest of your blog entry.

            In Brave New World, opens to a group of young boys a tour of a factory that makes humans. Bokanovsky’s Process shows “progress” from our modern times. “One egg, one embryo, one adult- normality. But a Bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide. From eight to ninety-six buds, and every bud will grow into a full-sized adult. Making ninety-six human beings grow where only one grew before. Progress.” (chap. 1; pg. 6) There are five castes- Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon- in the new world. The Bokanovsky’s process is how each caste is created equality. They take one egg and make it divide into ninety-six identical human beings. However, Alpha and Beta embryos do not receive the Bokanovsky’s process; making them weaker. The Director is undoubtedly enthusiastic about the Bokanovsky’s process being the basis of social stability; there are Ninety-six identical twins working on ninety-six identical machines (chap. 1 pg. 7).

            Humans can be forced to hate certain objects like books or flowers with mild electric shocks; creating conformity. In chapter two the boys are in the infant nursery and the boys see a group of babies being trained to hate flowers and books. The babies crawl toward the flowers and book and reach out for them. Then, the director, “gave the signal. The head nurse, who was standing be a switch board at the other end of the room, pressed down a little lever. There was a violent explosion. Shriller and ever shriller, a siren shirked. Alarm bells maddeningly sounded. The children started , screamed; their face were distorted with terror. ‘And now we proceed to rub the lesson in with a mild electric shock,’ He waved his hand again, and the head nurse pressed a second lever. The screaming of the babies suddenly changed its tone. There was something desperate, almost insane, about the sharp spasmodic yelps to which they now gave utterance.” (chap. 2 pg. 21) After this torture the babies fear going toward the flowers and books. Now, all the babies exposed to this hate roses and books. This system could easily be used for larger objects creating conformity because the whole group now hates whatever they were exposed to the torture for.

            By making large groups of identical people hate specific objects conflict is reduced, For example, all those babies now hate flowers. There will be no conflicts of ‘but I like the flower it’s pretty’ and ‘no it’s not a pretty flower’ because no one likes flowers. The level of equality created does not allow they possibility of conflict between groups, or people. Especially since those of different groups, which is easily known by the different outfits, are not allowed to associate with each other. Equality and conformity are easily created in this strict dystopia is maintained by the large groups of identical twins who are tortured together.

Final 1984 Blog Post

Has Big Brother won? Why/Why not? Propose a way that the One State can be brought down. What do you think happens to Winston Smith at the end of the novel? Support your answer with analysis of specific quotes from the text.

                No matter how much it seemed like “Big Brother” was going to be defeated in the first two book of 1984, he ended up winning in the end. “Big Brother” started to win when Julia and Winston were caught. They though that they were safe from the Thought police; they weren’t. In book two they unknowingly confessed to every rebellious act they participated in when they spoke to O’Brien, a member of the Thought Police who was caught for his rebellious actions “a long time ago.” “Big Brother” wins when Winston writes, and accepts that, “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY,” TWO AND TWO MAKES FIVE”,  and “GOD IS POWER” on the slate he was given. “Big Brother’s” final victory occurs when Winston is in room 101 about to get attacked by hungry rats and yells, “'Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!” O’Brien releases Winston for this comment because it shows that he no longer loves Julia and loves “Big Brother.”

                One State can be brought down by “the spirit of man.” Men cannot fear doing what is natural. The rules of One State go against everything that is natural. Men should be more like Winston, unafraid to do what is right. Of course, two plus two is NOT equal to five. But, many men are afraid of what would happen to them if they believe otherwise. Winston, and all other rebels, is tortured into believing in “Big Brother’s” ways; however, most rebels are tortured then killed. If more men had “the spirit of man” the One State would be defeated.  

                At the end of the novel Winston began to live a life like everyone else’s. He may still have the “spirit of man” but he is weaker than before so he can’t show it. He loves “Big Brother”, who he hated in the beginning. The torture he experienced from O’Brien changed Winston. It forced Winston to be weaker and fear rebellion. Sadly, Winston no longer has strong feelings for Julia. When he was following her to Tube Station, he thought about how much he wanted to return to Chestnut Tree Café and left her. He no longer desired to be with her. Winston may have the “spirit of man,” but after being violently tortured he no longer has to will to do anything rebellious. Sadly, he was shot for no apperent reason and could no longer live out his life. After he was shot, everything about him died with him. His spirit died, and the Party lived on as if Winston had never lived.