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Brave New World Epigraph Analysis

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The Imperfection of a Utopia: Berdiaeff’s Epigraph as Theme in Brave New World The Russian philosopher, Nicolas Berdiaeff once stated “Utopias appear to be much more achievable than was previously thought. But we are now faced with a question far more distressing: how do we avoid actually creating one?... Utopias are achievable. Life marches towards utopias. And perhaps a new age begins there, an age when an intellectual and cultured class will dream of ways to avoid utopias and return to a non-utopian society, less ‘perfect’ and more free.” (Huxley, v) Berdiaeff discusses the desire to achieve a perfect world. Intellect and culture are to be sacrificed in a utopia. However, it is human nature to think, discover and develop independent ideas. …show more content…

Life in the world state “marches towards [a] utopia” (Huxley, v) after the nine-year war. This is known as the great economic collapse, that leaves a “choice between world control and destruction” (Huxley, 48). It is the turning point that shifts mankind's “emphasis from truth and beauty to comfort and happiness” (Huxley, 228) The war raises the question, “what [is] the point of truth or beauty or knowledge when the anthrax bombs are popping all around [them]?” (Huxley, 228) Once chaos strikes, truth, beauty and knowledge are no longer viewed as important and anything is done to restore peace and order, including sacrificing these values. Due to destruction, a utopia is created. The use of force fails to achieve this. However, “The slower but infinitely surer methods of ectogenesis, neo-pavlovian conditioning and hypnopaedia.” (Huxley, 50) are what contribute to the creation of a utopia. Such techniques eliminate conflict and create stability. The scientific advancements in Brave New World are what make the march towards a utopia possible. The world state represents Berdiaeff's idea of an achievable utopia. In Brave New World, the world state develops science and technology to cultivate embryos in artificial environments, thus removing emotional connections that come with pregnancy. The world state eliminates meaningful relationships as they could result in unexpected behaviour. An artificial environment also allows the world state to adjust physical and mental aspects of each embryo, creating ‘classes’. Hypnopaedia is used to morally educate citizens into being prideful and satisfied with their class in society. If any dissatisfaction or pain is caused, citizens are taught to consume soma. On the other hand, neo-pavlovian conditioning brainwashes the citizens of the world state into “[liking] their unescapable social destiny.” (Huxley, 16). Conditioning

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How a Utopia compares to present day In the novel Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, we are presented with a society that is abnormal from our own modern day society because of their technological advancements and different life perspectives. Although our society and the “World State” are very different, Huxley relates the two worlds throughout the novel with several meaningful quotes. Social critic Neil Postman, in his “Six Assertions”, talks about many of the topics in Brave New World and whether or not they are relevant in today’s society.

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Huxley, in his novel Brave New World, sets up an entire society that relying on mass production, mass consumption, and instant gratification. This immediacy and efficiencies creates a world of mindless drone humans skating through life

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An important thing for those observing Huxley’s work to keep in mind is the intentions of the World State. The idea of a utopia, ideally without pain or conflict, can be quite tempting and it can be noted that the intentions may be far from what results from the wishful thinking of idealism. In this book, the readers visualize what sacrificial decline of principles might entail. Do the ends justify the means?

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In Huxley’s book, there is a society called the World State, that is controlled with their different types of technology for example feelies, a theatre that broadcasts smells. “‘ If young people need distraction,

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"(Huxley, page ##) This quote shows that by conditioning all of society, no one can really be their own person and they just accept everything the way it is because there was never another way of thinking. You can find the same issue in North Korea, where people have propaganda forced into their daily lives and aren 't allowed to have any individuality. One way the World State uses propaganda in the book is with hypnopaedia. This can be compared to the

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In a terrifying dystopia, “People will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think” (Huxley 1). Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, shows the starkness of a world where uniformity is paramount and diversity is despised as the root of instability. No one thinks for themselves, but instead they simple echo what they have been programmed to say. Every person is bred to act and think the same as others in their social class. Diversity is shunned along with old world beliefs and conservative morals.

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In the novel, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley provides several examples of the truths individuals refuse in order to live in ignorance and bliss. Society thrives on its stability.(BS) The Controllers revoke any option of truth because it creates discomfort and discomfort encourage unhappiness. Huxley writes Mustapha Mond as the perfect example of the control of truth to ensure happiness. Mond explains how stability plays a major part in the pursuit of happiness.

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In the Brave New World, a book written by Aldous Huxley,, he writes about a utopian future where humans are genetically created and pharmaceutically anthesized. Huxley introduces three ideals which become the world's state motto. The motto that is driven into their dystopian society is “Community, Identity and Stability.” These are qualities that are set to structure the Brave New World. Yet, happen to contradict themselves throughout the story.

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In Aldous Huxley’s dystopia of Brave New World, he clarifies how the government and advances in technology can easily control a society. The World State is a prime example of how societal advancements can be misused for the sake of control and pacification of individuals. Control is a main theme in Brave New World since it capitalizes on the idea of falsified happiness. Mollification strengthens Huxley’s satirical views on the needs for social order and stability. In the first line of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, we are taught the three pillars on which the novels world is allegedly built upon, “Community, Identity, Stability" (Huxley 7).

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In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, individual freedom is controlled by the use of recreational drugs, genetic manipulation and the encouragement of promiscuous sexual conduct, creating the ideal society whose inhabitants are in a constant happy unchanging utopia. In sharp contrast, Seamus Heaney’s poetry allows for the exploration of individual freedom through his symbolic use of nature and this is emphasised even further by people’s expression of religion, which prevails over the horrors of warfare. Huxley’s incorporation of the totalitarian ruler Mustapha Mond exemplifies the power that World State officials have over individuals within this envisioned society. “Almost nobody.

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Conditioning can also be used to teach children morals and subjects in school. In Huxley’s world, the World State, the World Controllers use various techniques of science to construct a highly-controlled society; these techniques include: The Bokanovsky Process, Neo-Pavlovian, Hypnopædia, and Soma. The Bokanovsky Process is how the scientist populate the world; Neo-Pavlovian is a technique used on babies that trains children to fear certain activities and objects by using shock therapy along with the loud sound of sirens; Hypnopædia educates children on morals while they sleep; Soma is a drug-like substance in which the users feel happiness once consumed (Huxley, 1932). The techniques train the lab-created human’s brains on what to enjoy, what to fear, what is right and wrong, which social caste they belong to, and how to become dependent on Soma for happiness. This scientific process shows how scientists are able to influence their test subjects in order to gain the desired outcome, resulting in the society being controlled by higher powers.

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The utopian society in the Brave New World can be compared and contrasted between our contemporary society using individualism, community and the human experience. The fictional novel by Aldous Huxley, published in 1932, is about a utopian society where people focus stability and community over individuality and freedom, but an outsider is introduced to intervene with the operation of the utopian state. In the contemporary world, people need to show individuality in their communities in order to survive, and to be human, one must show emotion, which is the opposite in the Brave New World. Individualism is very important in the contemporary world, but in the utopian state, individuals are conditioned to be the same as everyone else. They do not know how to be themselves.

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Through his portrayal of a totalitarian, pseudo-utopian society, Aldous Huxley creates with Brave New World a future of societies where technological advancements, rather than freeing, have enslaved the individual. Exploring the characterization of Bernard Marx, Huxley shows how treating human beings as a technology to innovate can negatively affect their psychology and their sense of individuality. The author explores the theme of happiness and how technological advancements, like those portrayed in the novel, can bend the subjectivity of emotion to the will of the state. The fight between human nature and the power of conditioning is shown to be unending through the various symbols Huxley uses. The structure of the novel provides a key analysis

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Hence, Huxley creates the society’s motto, “Community, Identity, Stability”(Huxley 1). They need

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Truth and happiness are two things people desire, and in the novel, an impressive view of this dystopia’s two issues is described. In this society, people are created through cloning. The “World State” controls every aspect of the citizens lives to eliminate unhappiness. Happiness and truth are contradictory and incompatible, and this is another theme that is discussed in “Brave New World” (Huxley 131). In the world regulated by the government, its citizens have lost their freedom; instead, they are presented with pleasure and happiness in exchange.

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