Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Brave New World ch. 6-10

As i am reading this book i realize how different life is for the characters compared to ours, but also how normal they think their lives are in comparison to the other castes. One can notice how people hate on others in the book because they are different and in that same way we too tend to criticize others for things out of their control or things that define who they are. Which also brings up the aspect of what is "free will?" Is there such a thing, or is there only an illusion of "free will?" Bernard talks to Lenina about this in the beginning of chapter six when Bernard wishes to enjoy the waves and the water. He wished to b in the quiet and enjoy nature even he is pitying himself for being different so much more different that all the other Alpha's.
In the book Brave New World everyone takes soma and continuously says everyone is happy yea blah blah etc...However, is everyone really happy because they wish to be and they choose to be happy or because there has been an idea or thought instilled within them that guides their choices giving the illusion of free will being enforced by an outside thought or idea. Like the movie Inception, its a ploy with the brain. In the book they call it "hypnopaedic" I call it playing GOD with those that have no choice and manipulating the weak.
Another aspect that i have noticed is how Lenina and the others like her feel superior to the others and feel disgusted at change or "abnormalities." Plus at any sign of strain, stress, when they really wanna be happy, or make something go by fast they just take some soma and they don't deal with the issues. For example when Lenina and Bernard went the reservation Lenina thought it abnormal to see old people, mothers, and other activities that the "savages" participated in. All Lenina wanted to do was take sum soma and forget about the moment or make it so that she doesn't care.
What i read in the book makes me feel grateful for what i have and the people that i am with.
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2 comments:

  1. Levi TranAugust 27, 2011 at 12:41 AM

    I agree with you compaerison to Inception. It's rather amusing to find a correlation between the two in how the two "plants" an idea with the mind. For BNW, it's through hypnopedia and for Inception... well, inception. It also provoking to relate to Inception's comparison of an idea to a virus and how it affects the person. In BNW, the alphas are conditioned to believe and share the same opinions just as ideas within the person shapes a person. Just how much are we, as people, are conditioned to think? How much are we influenced by society? Is the thought we come to think of as our own a product of society?

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  2. UnknownAugust 28, 2011 at 1:27 PM

    That's where my argument about free will comes in. Are the choices we make our own, or are the but selections made based upon ideas that have been rooted into our minds. Simply flowers of seeds of thought that have been planted and driven into us since birth. Such is the case in BNW. They way of life of every being in BNW is carved by creating and keeping social order and social harmony. Thus grows the concept of whether our will is our own, or is it but an illusion.

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