Aldous Huxley BRAVE NEW WORLD Apocalyptic Novel Written
Aldous Huxley BRAVE NEW WORLD
Apocalyptic Novel � Written about the future and attempts to predict the future in other than utopian terms
Utopia/Dystopia � Utopia- A place of ideal perfection especially referring to laws, government, and social conditions � http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=v 57 JV VD 6 -ag � Dystopia- An imaginary place where people live dehumanized and often fearful lives
ALDOUS HUXLEY Aldous Huxley was born in England in 1894 • He wrote Brave New World in 1931 • He moved to the USA in 1937 • He died on November 22, 1963
What is the Brave New World ? Religion of the World State based on the life and philosophies of Henry Ford. • American car manufacturer, • • inventor of the assembly line Invented the Model T car – designed to be affordable to everyone; only available in black Mass production & mass consumption Assembly line = improved efficiency Vertical structure = self sufficient “Our Ford”
Setting � London, � A. F. England 623 � A. F. stands for “after Ford”- the number of years after he started the assembly line (1913). � So, what year is this taking place?
What is the Brave New World ? Caste System: Alphas (Α)– highest, grey Betas (Β)- mulberry, bottle green Gammas (Γ)- leaf green Deltas (Δ)- khaki Epsilons (Ε)– lowest, black There also plusses and minuses, so one can be an Alpha Plus or a Gamma Minus. Differentiation achieved through oxygen deprivation
What is the Brave New World? Some individuals are created using the Bokanovsky Process Fertilization process used to create Deltas & Epsilons • Divide fertilized eggs to produce identical twins • Produces up to 96 embryos, but 72 is the average • Primary instrument of social stability •
What is the Brave New World ? Government organization “conditions” the lower caste children using Hypnopaedia “The greatest moralizing and socializing force of all time” (28). • Sleep teaching • Moral education • Class conditioning “The child’s mind is these suggestions, and the sum of the suggestions is the child’s mind” (28 -29).
What is the Brave New World ? A society where all aspects of an individual's life are determined by the state, beginning with conception and conveyor-belt reproduction. • A government bureau, the Predestinators, decides all roles in the hierarchy. • Children are raised and conditioned by the state bureaucracy, not brought up by natural families. • Citizens must not fall in love, marry, or have their own children. •
TONE The book is critical of the society presented in it. � Strongly satirical of the problems in our own society � � Warns the readers of the dangers of science when it is misused � SATIRE: the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
Possible research topics… � Genetic engineering � Drugs prescribed to alleviate depression, anxiety, etc. � Governmental control over society � Over-sexualized society/youth � Obsession with youth (plastic surgery, longevity) � cloning
Topics cont… � Psychological manipulation � Stem cell research � Effects of capitalism/consumerism � Test-tube babies � Utopian experiments
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