Eng. 12 - Fishbowl - Nov. 17

Compare and Contrast any tow characters and show what they reveal about theme

 

-Bernard and Lenina - "ignorance is bliss" these two reveal the theme of happiness

• Bernard = not happy

• Lenina loves soma, social order

• The two are very different

• Bernard does not want to conform "the greater a man's talent, the greater [the chance for suffering]" (128)

• Lenina an example of how conditioning works

• Bernard an example of how conditioning fails

• "everyone belongs to everyone" - Bernard doesn't conform - he's his own person
• "happiness can only exist in acceptance" (outside source) - seems true in this novel
• Lenina is incapable of thinking creative thoughts (outside the box)

 

 

John and Lenina- sexuality - John totally monogamous

-Lenina's only way to show love is through sex

-John threatens to kill her

-[John also thinks he has to perform tasks as a courting ritual]

-Lenina experiences (144) unhappiness when John doesn't return her affection

 

 

Bernard and DHC - being an outcast or power - knowledge is power

-DHC and Mustapha Mond - John, Helmholtz all different - all lonely

-[power also makes them unhappy]

-Bernard says he'd rather be himself and nasty (77) - doesn't want to succumb to taking soma

 

 

Conformity - "everyone likes you except yourself" (outside source)

-Bernard and other Alphas don't want to conform

-Bernard grows up not liking himself

-Mustapha also feels this way

-soma can't take away the unhappiness

 

Linda and Lenina-  Linda grew up in BNW - can't fit in

-"cleanliness is next to Fordliness"

-Lenina is scared of wrinkles and fat

-Linda probably would have been similar to Lenina before she moved to the reserve

-both use sex and love soma

 

Mustapha and John - we see Mustapha's personality in later chapters

-both enjoy freedom

-Mustapha chose to give up his individual happiness

-Mustapha and John both feel trapped

-John had a hard time wrapping his head around everything Mustapha says

-BNW "tragedies cause social instability" - Mustapha agrees with John, but he chooses the greater happiness over individual happiness

-John wants truth and beauty

 

Helmholtz and Bernard

-Bernard is more dynamic - starts off deep, goes shallow, gives up what he believes in, goes back the way he started - had trouble deciding between individuality and conformity

-Helmholtz does not need to be accepted

 

Loneliness/outcasts

 

John and Bernard

• Both prefer to be alone

• John is disgusted by the BNW

• Bernard attracted to fitting in
• John is different in the reservation because of his mom

 

Choose one of the following themes: sexuality, politics, scientific progress, truth and beauty, knowledge, happiness, freedom, religion, oblivion, control

 

Sexuality - reproduction completely controlled by world state

-encourage sex to separate it from love

-love creates unhappiness - also competes for loyalty from the state

Savage reservations - John feels one must compete for love

-no LGBTQ in BNW

-kids are encouraged to have sexual play

-(27) - mention of LGBTQ

-alphas interested in less intelligent women (this seems true today as well0

-human nature - women want more dominant men

-alpha male/beta woman (not the other way around - what is Huxley pointing out)

-comparing our world and their world - we are trying to improve objectifying women

-in BNW - everyone is an object of sex - can use each other

-usually sex has feelings, but it has been conditioned out [look at our media - hook-ups and not knowing each other before sex is very common - what about "Tinder"?]

-Huxley pointing out that morality is changing about sex - our world could become totally detached from sex [what about us?  Why is it seen as wrong for women, but not for men? Still?  To what extent is this true?]

 

Freedom  - no jealousy between the hierarchy and class - no movement - everyone is born into who they are

-people are conditioned to enjoy what they do (Epsilon in the elevator)

-money is barely mentioned - almost seems not to exist

-"a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take everything from you"

-government giving happiness, but taking away freedom and joy

• "those who deny freedom from others deserve it not for themselves" (outside source)
• "our journey's not complete until our gay brothers and sisters…" (Obama) - equal rights - government can't make everyone happy - but majority rules
• Government tries to make everyone happy - but there's always going to be outliers

• No such thing as perfect government or world
• "The Destructors" - T. was born into the higher status - he knows better - affects his happiness - destroys someone else's home - BNW - don't know the pain of hierarchy because people enjoy what they do

• "everyone belongs to everyone else" - separation between boundaries and races may not be a good thing - pros and cons to separation

 

Scientific progress

 

 - science could be taking things too far

• Creating classes and limiting intelligence

• What might Huxley be warning us about

• "Science never solves a problem without creating ten more" (George Bernard Shaw) - Bernard is named after George Bernard Shaw
• Genetically modifying embryos - dangerous

• If there was less war, there would be more science - this society is highly advanced

• Humans are always trying to advance our technology

• Reservation has no technology

• [are we closer to reservation or BNW]

 

Relgion

 

God isn't compatible to universal happiness or science (207)

 

Truth and beauty

 

• Mustapha would rather have happiness than truth [truth isn't happy at all!]

• "history is bunk"

• Mustapha knows the truth -has all the books (chapter 16 - believes) - chose general happiness over truth

• 200 "universal happiness keeps the world turning"

• 201 "whenever the masses seek political power...happiness wins"

• We don’t want people to be attracted to old things - Mustapha explains why there cannot be any Shakespeare

• This book, published in the '30's = depression - is Huxley promoting happiness or satirizing the pursuit of happiness?

 

"Happiness is a hard master"; apply this to BNW and our world

 

• Mustapha Mond is talking to John - "particularly other people's happiness"

• Technology is key
• We cannot accept happiness if we want truth as well
• Truth is even harder

• BNW isn't a true reality

• Soma and conditioning is false happiness

• Happiness is short lived (in our world)

• There's always going to be something better in our world
• In BNW there's no nobility or heroism - this would create drive or passion

• Nobody knows about God

• "that's the price we have to pay for stability" (194)

• [stability is more important even than happiness]

• BNW limited to living until 60

• The more you think, the less happy you are

• Feelies - are sensational - don't make anyone think at all - just feelings

• God isn't compatible with happiness -

• "smut" - people would be shocked (Shakespeare, Bible)

• Religion creates instabiltiy

• God is for hope
• Hope is for an unstable society

• No crime in the BNW

• Immediate gratification

• BNW - nothing to look forward to - God is irrelevant for them
• Can't worship God more than the State
• Do they worship Ford?
• "Oh Ford" - reminded where they come from - factories
• Mustapha Mond has dedicated his life to the greater good (happiness) of the world

• If we were to choose - would we choose Epsilon (super happy, but dumb), most of us would choose Beta or Alpha - they didn't get to choose - they are ignorant but they aren't happy

• Been conditioned to think they have the best

• "happiness is relevant to the person" (other source)
• Managing a bunch of people's happiness - much harder than managing one's own

• Government/parents = Mustapha figure
• "don't anger your parents to impress other people; those other people didn't spend their lives …" (other source) - parents make executive decisions even if it's not want children want
• Parents manage all the burdens (bills etc.)

• Government = state - managing our world - someone is going to suffer

• "happiness has got to be paid for" - eg. Paris bombings - ISIS is happy, but rest of world suffers

• Eg. [stock market = when people gain, someone loses]

• "in order to achieve happiness, others must suffer" (outside source)
• [Lord Farquard "some of you may suffer, but that's a risk I'm willing to take"]
• Dumb everyone down [do we do this? - taxing books, underfunding schools - sometimes, depending on the government]