Brave New World Question #8

Q. Entry of your choice: How would I feel if I found myself in a negative utopia. How would I deal with it?

A. I would feel so devastated in the negative utopia because it would be without the kind of happiness we can achieve right now. The happiness we can achieve right now would be our emotional fulfillment when we read a great novel or watching a very emotional play. In addition, in the negative utopia there is a restriction on the amount of happiness we can get because of soma. Soma is a drug that has its limits because it is a controlled drug which the amount of the tablets makes the happiness degree different. Then I would feel so lonely in the negative utopia because there is no culture in the daily that Bernard lived in. Furthermore, two of the characters Bernard Marx and Helmholtz Watson knew that something was missing in the world. This caused both of them to try to search for the reason why they felt something was missing in this world. I think I would deal with it not in John’s way because it was all too sudden. Also, he didn’t even try to think about how to deal with the problem instead he just tries to convince them by actions which did not help at all. The way I would deal with it would be first by trying to act that I’m getting used to the New Society. Then I would think of a way to convince people to go off soma permanently and to stop people from depending on it too much. Next, would be to exercise this movement throughout he negative utopia so then we can speak out in greater numbers to rebel. Therefore, I would deal with this by rebelling against the government or the world state.

Brave New World Question #7

Q. Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? or disturbing? or memorable? Describe those settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.

A. There are two settings that were disturbing and memorable to me. These were London in the New Society and the Reservation in New Mexico. These settings were the main places the stories took place in. All of these settings were in the future, A.F. (After Ford) 632, or A.D. 2540 in our calendar’s today (from Peter Kim).

London: The futuristic London was disturbing to me because it was so different from the London now. The new London was as if the whole entire city is separated into caste groups and the city was just filled with places that were supposed to make you “happy.” Also, the city was a hub of the story because many of the events took place in London. The new London was just filled with technology and it was without distinctness compared to other cities. Another fact that distressed me was that the people were living off somas to feel “happiness.” The last thing that disturbed me was that except for the Alphas everyone else was identical twins.

New Mexico Reservation: I think that this setting was the most memorable to me because the setting was full of nature and it had people with morals, beliefs, and art. This made a big difference in the reservation compared to the New World and even John felt the difference and felt disturbed in the New World. The place was especially memorable because it was the only place in the story without skyscrapers or tall buildings. The reservation had literature, ideas, and tradition which were never found in London.

Brave New World Question #6

Q. Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.

A. I think that my favorite passage is this:

“O brave new world…” By some malice of his memory the Savage found himself repeating Miranda’s words. “O brave new world that has such people in it.”

-John the Savage in Brave New World

This quote is spoken by John the Savage which is in the original passage that John is amazed that there is such a place in the New Society. This is actually a part of the quote from The Tempest which John has read long ago.

“O, Wonder!How many goodly creatures are there here!How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,That has such people in't!”

-Miranda, from The Tempest by William Shakespeare, Act V, Scene I

This passage is meaningful to me because it shows John’s amazement over his time at the reservation. Also, he is interested to see all these factories and communities that he goes to see. He is amazed especially at their technology and knowledge with production. This passage also, shows that John was awed by the superficial condition of the New Society. The New Society was indeed a total utopia in John’s standards without germs, disease, and violence. John naively felt, without knowledge or understanding, as though the society built by mankind was indeed stunning.

In addition, this passage shows how mankind can be ignorant about “prosperity” which can be defined in many ways. The world built by humans was successful not because of their power and knowledge. But, it was with God’s help and the human ability to carry out the orders that made a society prosperous. Many people believe that they act by themselves but actually they are not because humans are not the reason of success, it is God.

Thirdly, this passage is meaningful and is the most likely the most significant passage in Brave New World. When Huxley is referring to the “brave new world” it is irony because the world that John sees is not brave at all. It is because people are pre-conditioned think that the new society is brave and an ultimate utopian society. However, the new society is not brave at all to us because the people are soul-less without the morals, values, and traditions.

Brave New World Question #5

Q. What is the mood of this novel? Do you find this novel saddens you in any way? Why?

A. The mood of this novel is depressing throughout the entire story. In addition, much of the story has a negative feeling because you know from the start the New World is very superficial. The mood also depicts the eventual outcome of our world if we continue to strive for happiness without thought. Furthermore, the normal people in the story make the story even more depressing because they make me think about what could happen to the entire world. The happiness people are currently aiming for are not going to happen because it is just material wants not want we can fill emotionally or mentally. This novel saddened me in so many ways that I feel so compelled to write about those. The first thing that saddened me was that people were controlled easily by soma and other entertainment that made them prone to having fun. The kind of fun that the New World had was not thinking at all while having the material wants that just made lazier. Second, the fact that people were soul-less about their lives made me the most disappointed. This specially saddened me because many people in Brave New World just wanted a comfortable life with happiness which only meant that they didn’t have any form of art available to them that could fulfill their emotions. Also, this caused probably the entire society to be controlled by the government in such a way that people were just living with it while not getting out of the mental shell. The last fact that saddened me was the fact that people were not able to get out of their mental shell and just did what the government wanted for them to achieve material happiness. The material happiness is where people are satisfied because of soma or other materials made for people to get happy.

Brave New World Question #4

Q. What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?

A. The climax of the novel is when John makes a mess at the hospital where his mother was residing. Linda was in the hospital for taking too much soma which made her go into coma that she cannot come back alive again. Then when John is visiting his mother a group of children come into be “death-conditioned so that they wouldn’t be scared of death. The children ridicule Linda’s physical appearance which makes John furious. Before any of this happens John feels so welcomed into the New Society that he doesn’t realize that it is actually dystopia in which people are living in. This New Society was forged with superficial happiness that needs to be replenished with soma. In the end he decides to make a difference and try to lead mankind into the right path.

What happens in the climax is that John goes out of his mother’s hospital room and goes to a room where the Delta identical twins were getting their rations of soma. When John gets into the room he forcefully throws the rations away to show the Deltas that they can turn away from this and still be happy. John believed that the New World’s happiness is not enhancing mankind but destroying it into a group of people who can only do what they’re told to do. After this John chooses a different path to live in the New World. In addition, he realizes that the New World is dystopia and that the people were soul-less. The events of this novel make me feel so sad because it points out so many mistakes humans are working towards right now. Furthermore, I felt that if we progressed into the future like Brave New World we would be thoughtless humans only wanting a drug to keep us alive.

Brave New World Question #3

Q. Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

A. The main characters in this novel are Bernard Marx, Helmholtz Watson, Lenina Crowne, and John. First, I didn’t like Bernard Marx because he wasn’t able to stand up for his physical defections compared to the other Alpha-Plus. Bernard is special because he is smarter than any other Alpha-Plus in the Conditioning Center and he does really risky moves in the story such as bringing John to his boss. Second, I loved Helmholtz Watson because he is always questioning himself to know what he is missing in life. I think that he is special since he learned something that he had been longing for. Third, I didn’t like Lenina Crowne because she was not very interesting and was just a character that people liked so much. In addition, she in the end she changed a lot because of John’s difference and his refusal to become a “happy person.” Lenina is special because she realizes her true feelings and feels disconnected from society afterwards. Fourth, I really liked John for his nature of standing up to what he believes in and questioning himself to know what was right to get out of the mental shell. There are so many things that are special about John which are the fact that he still cares about Linda, his mother, and goes to a hill to get away from civilization and be unhappy. This information reveals that universal human experience can be different from the type of society, people, and government that people are in.

Brave New World Question #2

Q. Are there any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? What are they, and how do they relate? Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?

A. There is a current situation in the world right now that relates to the novel which is North Korea’s continued oppression of its people as if they are rich and always winning battles. This is so false because everyone in the world knows that North Korean people are starving and that they didn’t win the Korean War. They relate to the novel because the society in Brave New World is manipulated into thinking that they are living in a peaceful society where sex is good and shunning of sex is criminal. Also, it can be the fact that if someone is just a bit different from everyone else they are separated in society. They both relate to the novel because in the novel Bernard is separated because he has a physical defection and a child is sent to a psychologist to make sure that the child doesn’t hate erotic play. The novel shed so much light on how the current situation can be resolved by showing the events and the way the characters reacted to those events. When Bernard showed John to his boss everyone in the country wanted to see John and made Bernard famous. After a while John didn’t want to see those people and Bernard was again thrown into oppression from his peers. I think that Aldous Huxley showed that we need to stand up for people who are getting oppressed with this novel.

Brave New World Question #1

Q. What is the major theme of this novel? Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

A. My independent novel which was “Brave New World” is a book on the future of our society. The major theme of this novel is that we need to stand up for our beliefs by getting out of our mental shell of not being good enough to help people. This theme is even constant in our world because North Korea is always suppressing its people into thinking that they are living in a good society when they are actually being controlled by the government. Also, this book showed what can happen to our world if we do not stand up for some oppression people experience if they are different from others. This theme is important to a teenager living in 2007 because we are the future of our world and I believe that we need to know how to get out of our mental shells so we don’t give into a “negative utopia.” In addition, if we don’t learn to stand up for ourselves and others right now in the near future a dictator would have total control over us. I also feel that teenagers need to know many facts in order for them to make right decisions and getting out of their mental shell. The theme can greatly improve our society even now because we are in a situation where not many people are trying to help others. Now, our society is more self-centered then ever before so I think that it is crucial for teenagers in 2007 to learn how to stand up for oppressed people.

Fahrenheit 451 Question #8

Entry of your choice: Why is the government so oppressive in this story with their population? How do they achieve the brainwashing treatment?

I think that the government was so oppressive about their policy on books because they knew books can give ideas to people. Also, books were able to make people think more carefully about what’s the truth from the lies. I think that the government in Fahrenheit 451 was so oppressive because they didn’t want people having knowledge which can question their authority. The government’s process of brainwashing resulted in the entire population turning to the “saloons” for their happiness. In addition, the oppression of books from the government was for people to have happiness and making people lose their questioning thoughts on many issues. They achieved this happiness or a brainwashed population first by discouraging many students to go to universities that were always teaching brilliant ideas. Next, they started to cut their funds on the universities and destroyed the ones that didn’t wield to their will or just left them to rot. Also, many writers were burned to death by the government because of the ideas the books gave to the people. Then the universities either went bankrupt or just closed its doors because no students came to the schools. After this all the books were burnt or just thrown away by people because they didn’t want to have confusion of thinking. Furthermore, the entire population had lost much of the knowledge they had before. Finally, everyone didn’t care about books after awhile or some people hid themselves and memorized one book. Therefore, they achieved this brainwashing treatment by a oppressive policy on books.

Fahrenheit 451 Question #7

Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? or disturbing? or memorable? Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.

I have found that the setting in which Beatty and Montag are having a showdown in front of Montag’s house was very memorable. In this setting the way that the Salamander (fire truck) arrives and the way Montag is amazed at stopping in front of his house is exciting. Also, this setting is more action packed because the setting is in full of confusion and chaos. The setting is also, filled with so much fire because of the burning of Montag’s house and Montag’s attack on Captain Beatty. This setting also shows much of what can happen if you don’t listen to the government in its rule of not reading or keeping possession of books. Furthermore, the setting features the government in Montag’s world which has a strong oppression against the book readers. This setting was special to me because it is where the climax is set. In addition, this scene is a decisive key to the end for me and the scene made me feel the triumph Montag would have felt. I also think that this setting showed Montag’s will to find out what he couldn’t learn because of the brain washing treatment he got from the government. Therefore, this setting made me feel very mindful about what the results are when people are brainwashed and made to just have fun like many people in Montag’s story. In conclusion, the brain washing treatment showed what curiosity can achieve and the setting proved to me that a setting with fire can be just stoned into my mind.

Fahrenheit 451 Question #6

Please choose one passge from the novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.

“Now, let’s get on upstream,” said Granger. “And hold onto one thought: You’re not important. You’re not anything. Someday the load we’re carrying with us may help someone. But even when we had the books on hand, a long time ago, we didn’t use what we got out of them. We went right on insulting the dead. We went right on spitting in the graves of all the poor ones who died before us. We’re going to meet a lot of lonely people in the next week and the next month and the next year. And when they ask us what we’re doing, you can say, we’re remembering. That’s where we’ll win out in the long run. And someday we’ll remember so much that we’ll build the biggest goddamn steamshovel in history and dig the biggest grave of all time and shove war in and cover it up. Come on now, we’re going to go build a mirror factory first and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year and take a long look in them.”

This passage really made me think what will be the resolution in our world if we lost all the books we had. In addition, this passage made me imagine what people would be thinking after they were devastated by the war. Then it reminded me that we can remember the war and keep the knowledge in our brains. Furthermore, it showed what humans can do when they do things for each other and try to remember what happened or what they did.

Fahrenheit 451 Question #5

What is the mood of this novel? Do you find this novel saddens you in any way? Why?

The mood of this novel is complicated compared to many other novels because the characters each have a different mood. Also, at the start the story is just happening with no actions but later it is just action packed. At first I felt that this story would be a very scary novel instead I got a novel that was thinking about the issues we have in our society right now. Overall, the mood of this novel is alarming because of the effect that television gave to the normal people. I found that this novel saddened me by showing what can happen if we’re too focused on the media as well as relaxation. In addition, this showed that the human race is vulnerable to other people’s wills such as the governments. Then after awhile this book made me think about what can happen to me at the rate I’m watching TV and surfing the Internet. Furthermore, this novel saddens me especially because people are not noticing what’s happening around them. This shows how ignorant the human race has become from the comforts of life that are always offered. The novel saddens me because to think that the human race has lost grip on truth and the amount of knowledge we can gain from reading books. I have to say that when we are watching TV we are not thinking about anything and just waiting for what’s going to happen next. I felt that this causes our brains to think less which saddened me more because I had done much of the same things when I was young.

Fahrenheit 451Question #4

What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The climax of the novel is when Montag kills Beatty while the fire fighters are called to Montag’s house. This happens because Beatty files a report on Mildred and tries to burn Montag’s house down. Then Montag kills his fellow fireman when they are inside and Montag kills Beatty. Also, when Montag kills Beatty he is happy to be killed and actually tells Montag to kill him. Before, Beatty actually calls on the alarm and he tells Montag that he has collection of books in his house. Beatty thinks that these books are what made humans unhappy and chaotic. After Beatty is killed Montag starts running away from the police, the hound, and the helicopters. So, he goes to the river and meets many other book lovers. I think that the events of this novel made me feel that what if there were no books in this world. Also, it made regret the times I’ve watched TV and just surfing the internet when I could have read so many good books. Furthermore, the events in this novel made me what kind of world our universe would be if everyone was brainwashed into thinking that books were the core of evil. Then it reminded me that we are already experiencing this with our technologically advanced media continuing to attract mass number of audiences. Therefore, I feel that even though most people don’t feel it we are turning into a society like Montag’s.

Fahrenheit 451 Question #3

Q3. Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

A. This is my third posting on my blog site which is amazing because we have to write so much. The main characters in this novel are Montag, Beattie, and Faber. First, I like Montag because he realizes what he does wrong and he tries to find the answer to fixing it. Also, he does find the truth to how he can fix the mess he was into before the war. Second, I didn’t like Beattie because he oppressed books even though he had possession of them. Furthermore, I felt that this character overall caused all the hardships that were experienced by Montag which made the story interesting. Third, I liked Faber because he was a very interesting old man who was able to hold on to his knowledge until Montag showed up. In addition, this character really interested me because what if I was in that situation and I had to hide. The personalities about Faber made me think if I can be cowardly enough to hide like him. Montag is special because he was able to get out of the brain washing treatment he was receiving. Secondly, he was able to know the truth and be alive to help people survive. I think that Beattie is very special because he was the only person who had so many books in his collection that he should have had a report filed on him. Next, I don’t think that Faber is not special at all because he didn’t do anything which forced him to make hard decisions. These characteristics reveal that universal human experience can differ from person to person.

Fahrenheit 451 Question #2

Q2. Are there any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? What are they, and how do they relate? Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?

A. This is the second answer I’m writing for my reading blog. The first situation that can be compared to the situation today is the way we are attracted to the media in mass amounts and how we are always in front of the TV when there is spare time. Also, we have lost so much just watching TV and not reading books which can be more exciting than TV. Furthermore, TV forces us to just watch instead of us thinking what the story is talking about or what’s going to happen next. The second current situation that can be compared to the world right now is that more and more people are just keeping books in the book shelves. In addition, many of us are more used to just accessing information on the Internet which can’t be always true. This makes us more prone to losing our grasp on the truth and important knowledge. They relate to this novel because everyone in Fahrenheit 451 was into the “saloons” rather than living rooms which can help you find peace and entertain you peacefully. I also think that this caused the ending to be very harsh because the way the country in Fahrenheit 451 lost much of knowledge because of the brain washing treatment they got from the government. The novel sheds light on resolution only in a certain way because there can be many ways for our problem to be resolved without a war. Therefore, we can have many ways we can solve the sticky situation we are in right now unless we can fix it right now.

Fahrenheit 451 Question #1

Q1. What is the major theme of this nove? Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007.

A. My independent novel which was “Fahrenheit 451” is a very mindful novel of the world. This book took me nearly two weeks to finish reading it from the very start to the epilogue. The major theme of this novel is that books are the center of our lives while we are alive and the fact that knowledge is too important to lose. Also, this book showed the effect of our media on how much time we have wasted on just watching TV and not reading meaningful books. I felt that I too had spent much of my time watching TV and just wasting books when they could give me more knowledge on life. The theme is so important to a teenager living in 2007 because many of us probably spend more time surfing the net, watching TV or listening to mp3 rather than reading books that can teach you more about the world. Furthermore, the theme is important to teenagers in 2007 because fewer teenagers are reading books and are spending their precious time like couched potatoes. I feel that many teenagers can improve their writing skills by reading more books and understand what the book is trying to say to us. Then many kids would be able to have much more understanding of the world. In addition, many of us would benefit from reading books because books can teach you so many things that you never knew before. Therefore, knowledge is too valuable to lose when we are still young and when we are alive.