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Sex In Brave New World

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The third way that the government in Brave New World controls its citizens is through their control over sensual pleasures. Sex is a huge way that the government of Brave New World controls their citizens. Everyone has access to sex whenever they want it. This unlimited access to sex furthers the complacency of the people because they feel so gratified. “Giving people all the sex they want defuses the revolutionary danger implicit in sex by removing the element of desire. Instead of actively pursuing new avenues of sexual excitement, the inhabitants of OneState are sheepishly gratified by a state-controlled mating system” (Horan). This is another example of the citizens getting everything they want and shows why they believe they live in a …show more content…

However, sex in Oceania is forbidden unless it is strictly for procreative purposes. Therefore, sex is used in the complete opposite way of how it is used in Brave New World. The government monitors sex through the telescreens in order to make sure there is no unsolicited sex taking place in Oceania. “Sexcrime covered all sexual misdeeds...fornication, adultery, homosexuality...normal intercourse practiced for its own sake...all equally culpable, and...punishable by death” (Orwell 309). The fact that you can be killed for practicing sex in a way other than how the government wants shows just how severe and important sex is to the government. The government feels that if it can control sex by striking fear into the people, it can more easily control every other aspect of life. Since desire would diminish after sex, the Party attempts to keep the citizens of Oceania in a state that can always anticipate pleasure and therefore translate that energy for the Party’s own purpose. “Passion is morphed into patriotism. To this end, rallies, marches, public executions, gratuitously violent newsreels, and carefully contained, localized, intensive riots known as Two Minutes Hate are employed to channel primal tendencies toward hatred of public scapegoats and love for Big Brother” (Whiting). The prohibition of sex is just another way of …show more content…

Through things such as the control of the reproduction process, the drug soma, and the unlimited access to sex, the government maintains a “perfect” society by fulfilling all of the citizen’s wants and needs. These citizens are so superficially happy and fulfilled that they feel no need for revolt and stop caring about their personal freedom. This is reflective of today’s society because the increase in technology and the loosening of morals has allowed American citizens more access to indulge in and fulfill all of their wants and needs. With all of these needs being satisfied, America is beginning to seem a lot more like the “perfect” society in Brave New World. Americans are beginning to focus more on how they should fulfill these needs rather than caring about things like personal freedom. If this trend continues, America could fall into the exact dystopia that Aldous Huxley predicted back in

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