Metaphor Monologue and the Themes of Individualism Purpose

Metaphor, Monologue, and the Themes of Individualism, Purpose, Community and Rebellion.

First things first! What is a metaphor? It is when an author is making a comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. For those of you who enjoy poetry writing, you will probably already be familiar with this term An example of a metaphor could be something like: “You’re such a night owl”.

In Literature Metaphors can be used to help us understand ideas that the author is trying to subtly portray about someone or something in a text. They are often used to drive themes along, as well.

In Huxley… Have you ever noticed the noise of civilization? What words does Huxley use to portray the sounds of life in the World States?

“The humming of the screws overhead dropped an octave… back through wasp and hornet to bumble bee…. ” (Chp. 4, Pt. 1) “The summer afternoon was drowsy with the hum of passing helicopters” (Chp. 4, Pt. 1) “The incessant buzzing of helicopters filled the twilight” (Chp. 5, 1) (This is just three of numerous examples. Just about every chapter makes this reference or twice).

What do you think Huxley’s use of a “buzzing” and “humming” society is a metaphor for?

If you guessed insects, you’d be correct! So let’s think about this for a minute. How might we say that life in the World States is like living in, say, an ant hill? Let’s start by naming all of the things that we know about the World States. How is society set up? Who does what work? Is there a ruler?

The World States Babies are grown in test tubes…. The citizens are placed into caste systems The lowest castes are genetically engineered to be idiots. Ruled by one leader, Mustapha Mond. Mustapha read Your job is assigned to you at birth. There taboo) decides what citizens are allowed to are no marriages or births (in fact, this is Everyone walks around high on soma to make themselves happy.

Please follow along as I read this short article aloud: http: //www. infoplease. com/encyclopedia/scien ce/ant-social-organization. html

Now let’s think about what we learned about ants… How are ant societies set up? Do they have a supreme leader, like Mustapha?

Ant Society… Ant societies are made up of three main castes (or four, depending on how you look at it): fertile queens, infertile female workers, drones and soldiers. The queen is the ruler of her ant colony. The future role of a larva is determined by chemical secretions from it’s care-givers (kind of like Lenina’s job, huh? ) Life is about the good of the colony, not about the individual ant. So why is this important that Huxley has made colony insects like ants a metaphor for his World States society?

Let’s Look at Our Themes As we’ve discussed, a theme is a big idea that is carried across a written work or film. Individuality, then, as a theme, is the act of establishing oneself as distinctly different from everyone else.

Then there’s Community… Community is a theme that represents the exact opposite of individuality. In order for community to exist, one must set aside their individual needs for the good of everyone else.

So where does Rebellion and Purpose come in to this? Well, Rebellion is the idea that a group (or individual) feel dissatisfied with some aspect of their life, and they choose to rebel against this aspect in hopes of bringing about change. Purpose, then, is the feeling that one is meant to do a certain thing with their life. It’s what gives life meaning to every individual. If someone feels that their purpose is being threatened, they could rebel.

Do you think it’s possible to be an individual within a community, or do you have to rebel to achieve individuality?

Now that we’ve discussed these ideas, let’s exercise your new understanding. Take ten minutes to fill in your worksheet (you may work with a partner, if you’d like).

What is a Monologue? A monologue is a speech (often ranging about a minute in length), that one character presents aloud to the audience of their mental thoughts about a certain topic, or topics. It’s a way for the audience to hear the thoughts flowing through a character’s head, as they think it. So what was Z’s monologue about? What did he talk about? Who was he talking to? What was his main point with the monologue?