Hello there, diligent students! :) Welcome to day two of your foray into blog participation. As I’ve said, I intend for this blog to be a space for you to participate in web-based discussions relevant to what we have discussed or will discuss in class. I know some of you may be more timid in class but still have thought-provoking, sophisticated ideas that deserve acknowledgement. You can dazzle us with your deep thoughts here. And as you have hopefully surmised, participation is a significant part of this class.
Today’s prompt is a little tougher than the previous one. I want you to ponder the following questions: Why do you think BNW was the novel assigned to sophomore-level honors students over the summer? What about the book, in your view, makes it a worthwhile novel for a student of your caliber (honors-level)?
Some of you may believe that the book was impenetrable drivel. Try not to focus on that; instead, I am interested in reading your conjectures about how reading this book could make you a stronger reader, writer, and thinker. Because even the books we dislike strongly strengthen our brains, do they not? At the very least, they help us discern what types of literature we enjoy, despise, or merely tolerate. In that, there is value.
Should reading and writing always be easy and painless? I would answer that question with a resounding "no." If we believe that it should, then by extension we are no better than the brainwashed citizens of the World State in BNW. So much is made of triumph over adversity in the physical realm--athletes powering through pain or difficult training regimens to become the best of the best. Why can't we apply that same logic to reading and writing?
Of course, there may be some of you who found BNW to be completely accessible and fascinating, though I suspect you are in the minority. Your perspective is most welcome here as well!
As always, remember to check and re-check for spelling and grammar problems in your writing and to be certain that you have answered ALL PORTIONS OF THE PROMPT in as sophisticated a fashion as possible. I look forward to reading your responses!
And just a side note: please bear with me as I attempt to learn all of your names/faces...it should happen sooner rather than later. :)
The book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is an inarguably challenging read that at the surface is not so simple to analyze. The book entails that you look at the society around you and see the possibility that our society could become the same as theirs. When reading the book you can’t help but notice that amount of moral issues that their dystopian society functions on. As honors level sophomores I believe that it was fitting that we read this book because it allows us to look at and discuss the moral issues with a society like theirs. Our generation is the future and our beliefs are going to shape it so it's essential we understand what immorality can result in. Nowadays cloning animals already exist and it is being broadened day by day. Cloning humans is not far off into the future and we will soon face the moral dilemma of if it is humane to clone humans.
ReplyDeleteBy reading Brave New World it certainly opened my eyes to a possible outcome of a society where humans are cloned. In their case, cloning humans inevitably led to more inhumane acts such as taking soma to numb the hardships of the outside world and “programming” people for different roles in society. It is an important book to read to have knowledge going into the future about the possible dangers of such a programmed society. The world evolves because of adaptation to natural events, if we stop those events from occurring the world would stay stagnant and fail to evolve. So in my opinion Brave New World is an important book for students of our age to read for the indirect betterment of the future of society. My name is Ananya Chaudhari, and I will never forget to be awesome.
I think that a Brave New World was selected as our outside reading book this summer for a couple different reasons. First, I believe that it connects really nicely with 1984, a novel we’ll read later on in the year. I feel that George Orwell and Aldous Huxley both have similar messages in their views about society. The thought police in 1984 are used to silence any individualism and I found it very interesting that a very similar theme arises with the World State in BNW. In BNW, citizens are nurtured as fetuses to become heavily dependent on society and the presence of others. After all, the very thought of sitting alone with Bernard Marx caused Lenina to burst into tears. Further, the World State stresses the idea of conformity through soma, not wanting any citizen to feel isolated or in pain and for everyone to remain in a pleasant, "united" state indefinitely. I feel Huxley’s word choice and writing style will become key literature to examine when later discussing 1984.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I fell that the book was a worthwhile read for an honors student. While most students may not feel this, I had to take a summer school course this year and during this time I read BNW and frankly enjoyed it. What I found interesting was that while the book seemed extraordinarily boring at first, once I got to the part of the book where John begins his life as a hermit, everything connected. When analyzing John’s decision to leave the World State, I realized what many parts of the society meant. An example being John’s protest of soma as something that took away pain yet ironically killed his mother, I think that the book requires higher levels of critical thinking that in my opinion was never required in previous literature I’ve read. At least from my time reading BNW, I feel that there is a drastic jump of reading difficulty from previous freshman core novels and if the upcoming literature is anything like BNW, Huxley’s novel was necessary preparation for a sophomore honors level english class. Overall I believe that a Brave New World was an excellent choice due to its strong correlation with 1984 and I think that the analytical challenge prepares incoming sophomores for a higher level of core reading books.
Brave New World is a captivating novel surrounding a utopia and those who inhabit it; both who conform to society and those who don’t. The book challenges readers to go in depth on the society’s guidelines and whether or not they should’ve been established in the first place, as well as questions the “ideal” society and if its rules truly result in perfectionism. Brave New World is assigned to honors students over the summer because of the conversations it strikes on societies’ standards but in a more extreme context. Perfectionism can be defined loosely based on the individual’s idea of it so students can get the opportunity of discussing the flaws and benefits of the utopia. Not only does the book help students define a society but also includes symbolism and text that may be hard for some readers to understand. This provokes further discussion on what something in the text could mean and can open up different interpretations of some of the symbolism. Students collaborate and reach a sense of understanding together.
ReplyDeleteThis book is worthwhile due to the conversation it ignites between peers. Discussion is important in offering further in depth thinking and helps develop English skills. What’s also impactful is the insight of a utopian society; a reoccurring theme in many books. It’s not traditional in the sense that everything involving plot is displayed. Often times readers are expected to figure what the text is missing or go in depth on the symbolism when reading the book. Brave New World offers valuable discussion and thought that further guides our progress in communication and reading skills as well as offers a perspective on other peoples’ opinions.
I believe Brave New World was assigned to sophomore-level honor students because we are starting to wake up as individuals and see the world as it is. This novel was written in 1931. Yet, it pertains to many of the issues of today. It shows the effects of when individuality and personal freedoms are thrown away for what some people consider as the common good. People choose happiness over freedom. This novel exposes the reader to the reality of life. In the novel, the characters use soma to induce a holiday from reality. People use drugs nowadays for the same reason to numb the senses from pain and to give a false sense of temporary bliss. The book shows censorship by the leadership, which is happening in North Korea currently. The leadership in the book keeps certain castes ignorant so they are easier controlled. It also normalizes promiscuity and devalues love, which is a major problem in this generation. This book is a worthwhile read for students of m caliber because it opens our eyes to what is wrong in society. Hopefully, one day, we can mend these mistakes, but nothing in life is perfect.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed BNW, which says a lot, because reading in the summer was a challenge to say the least. More seriously, the book was an amazing book to read going into my sophomore year. The book had the same futuristic vibe as The Martian. Key futuristic points were in both books that would be continuous from the past even into the future. The book touched upon a dystopian future, making myself and other students think about that future, and what it could parallel both at the time of publication, as well as in the present. It makes the students use key analysis techniques used in English 1 Honors. The book had understandable vocabulary, and some more adult words to make it feel like we’ve reached a higher level of literature. An example was “Orgy-porgy”, which was very, very hard for me to type, but is what I would consider partially an adult word. The book has a few features that make it worth reading. It has a balance of challenging but practical amount of pages to read for a summer assignment. It did not take one day to read, but it did not take the whole summer either, which made it easier to stay hooked to the book. The book was also weird and mysterious enough to intrigue any English Honors student, while still being able to maintain the plot’s flow. Another feature that made the book very attracting was the plot. The book would not be classified as a mystery, but the plot was not clear up until the Savage Reservation trip once John is introduced into the plot. Even after that I was wondering what could happen next. John is related to the Director?! Bernard isn’t even the main protagonist?! Soma?! Everything was just a splatter of surprising twists and turns that could not be foreshadowed even with the strongest analysis, which made the book amazing to read. It was a book that I was perfectly fine with taking an hour or two a day to sit down, drink some very nice and refreshing water, and read the book without any distractions.
ReplyDeleteSophomores in high school are young maturing adults. As young adults grow, they need to be exposed to new ideas and language. As honors students, they need to be exposed to ideas which contradict our their own. The novel, Brave New World provides many things for Honors students. The language in the novel challenges and forces high level or caliber readers to slow down to try to comprehend the plethora of perplexing words presented to them. The idea of citizens easily submitting to the state also proposes the idea that one’s own essence as a citizen could easily be taken advantage of by authority.
ReplyDeleteThe novel also provides readers with a utopia that almost could be a dystopia in some perspectives. The world that is presented in the novel is nothing like the world that the reader lives in. The alternate universe allows the reader to open up their mind and hypothesize how the current world could be different, thus unlocking hidden creativity within the mind. I believe the novel does a good job of placing critical though into students which makes the novel a worthwhile read for any. As an honors student, one should be able to absorb more from the novel than a typical reader. In other words, Brave New World infuses many ideas and questions into the creative minds of honors students.
There are many reasons to believe why Brave New World was assigned to sophomore-level honors students. As Ms. Dibble previously stated in class, the workload between freshman and sophomore year dramatically rises. I would consider this novel as a precursor to what all honors students should be expecting during the school year. BNW was more than a fiction novel about a distant utopian future. One could not simply skim through the pages and completely understand all of the concepts being discussed. Several parts of the novel had to be broken down for further inspection in order for the reader to fully understand the meaning of what the author was conveying.
ReplyDeleteThis may have also been assigned for sophomore-level students because of the mature storyline it possesses. All of the jokes and material in BNW demonstrate how an honors student must have the maturity level to read, digest, and break down all of the things that are happening throughout the novel. Quirky sayings like “orgy-porgy” and “Ford and fun” can quickly turn into real world topics that can be debated upon with many different viewpoints. This is why I believe that sophomore-level honors students are given this novel. BNW presents a new literary challenge which involves deliberating about certain topics that have never been discussed before.
Although it was not my favorite novel to read, it definitely sparked interesting thoughts and dialogue with my fellow classmates. In BNW, the commoners addiction to soma reminded me of how we are incessantly addicted to our smartphones and devices. Whenever we are in uncomfortable situations, we pull out our smartphones and immediately feel more secure. It is almost a subconscious reaction that involves nobody forcing us to do it. But in the novel, the commoners take soma with the encouragement of higher powers. I can’t help but think about what will happen to our society when something that resembles soma gets introduced and engrained into us as children. The idea of soma alone sparks so much challenging dialogue in itself, and I believe that is one of the main reasons why BNW is a worthwhile novel for students of honors-level caliber.
I think that Brave New World was selected for English 2 Honors students to read over the summer because it is a challenging book that makes you think about all of the complex characters. Using this book as an introduction to English 2 Honors really stimulates the student to think about the unique dystopian future that Bernard is living in. It makes students think about what it must be like to feel like an outcast in a world where everyone is happy(or seems to be happy) and pretty much perfect. In the book, many people take soma to feel happy and this is also relatable to the real world, where teenagers that are in high school may be pressured to take drugs or do dangerous things. This is just one aspect of BNW that shows how our present society is similar to what might seem like a far off dystopian future. For example, in one scenario when Lenina and Bernard are on another date, Lenina is always asking why Bernard doesn’t take soma. She is always pressuring him to, saying that it will make him happier. In the end, Bernard does give in and takes the soma to get away from some of his troubles. However, some people can see the harm that is being caused by taking drugs like soma and are symbolized by John, who is against the use of soma.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World can also introduce new techniques that students can incorporate into their writing such as the use of complex metaphors and descriptive, detailed writing. Furthermore, BNW makes you think about the different, interesting, and sometimes relatable scenarios that happen in each chapter. For example, one the the characters, Bernard, is very timid and doesn’t feel like he truly belongs in the Alpha community because he has both mental and physical differences. However, after receiving all of this attention from bringing John back from New Mexico, it seems like he completely changes his personality. Bernard becomes more confident and outspoken, but as soon as he suffers his first mistake, he starts to sink back into losing some of that confidence. In a way, students can also relate specific scenarios in the book to some social changes that happen when transitioning from eighth grade to high school, like Ms. Dibble said. Another example of this is what happened when Bernard came back from New Mexico. He seemed to have completely changed socially and began to grow farther apart from and talked less to Helmholtz. This is sometimes what happens going into ninth grade when some friends eventually drift apart. When reading this book, the imagery and detail that Huxley provides the reader makes it easier to imagine what Bernard must be feeling and overall makes him seem more real. Lastly, the complex way in which Huxley writes makes the reader analyze everything that is taking place throughout the book. For example, in one of the first chapters, there are three conversations happening at once and no clear way for one to immediately tell who is saying what. It makes the reader really think and reread in order to fully understand what is going on throughout the book.
Overall, I think that this book was a perfect introduction to English 2 Honors and I found it an interesting book to read. Although some parts were challenging, I think that this characteristic is what made reading BNW worthwhile. Books can get boring if they are too easy to read, but this book forced me to dig deeper in order to understand exactly what was going on. Because of that I think that once again this was a worthwhile book to read and a good way to start of my English 2 Honors school year.
I think Brave New World was assigned to sophomore-level honors students over the summer because it is a thought provoking novel. BNW is a big step up in the level of reading we have encountered and was a new challenge, just like the jump from 9th to 10th grade. BNW is an advanced subject matter that requires a mature reader to fully understand the meaning and message from the book. Aldous Huxley wrote BNW to warn society about the dangers of scientific progress and technology. This novel has stood the test of time and is still relevant today. The topics in this book are pertinent to numerous generations, even my grandfather read the book when he was in high school.
ReplyDeleteI believe BNW was worthwhile because it contains advanced vocabulary, mature themes, and requires critical thinking. Some examples of advanced vocabulary are words like "sententiously", "posthumous", and "spasmodic". One example of mature themes in the book is the dystopian society where the government controls the people and takes away their freedom. Finally, BNW requires critical thinking by asking you to apply the themes to modern society.
I believe Brave New World was assigned to English two Honors students this summer to enhance our thinking skills, and to make us become stronger readers. The book was very confusing at first, but after analyzing the situations and connecting them with events today I enjoyed and understood the book more.
ReplyDeleteIn Brave New World we clearly see contrasting opinions with science, religion, and political power between the World State and the New Mexico Savage Reservation. This gives our brains the task of taking the information we just received and turning it into a way for us to understand the material. This enhances our thinking skills by observing repetitive trends the book delivers us and asking questions on how this could support a reoccuring theme. With this enhancing our thinking skills the book also gives us a chance to become a strong reader.
Being able to comprehend difficult vocabulary and odd conversations among the characters strengthens the way we read. It does so by training the brain to recognise main ideas and reoccuring vocabulary that will be helpful later on in the book. Strong readers also preserver with the unfamiliar and look for keywords within the text to get a better understanding. Being strong readers exercises our thinking skills to comprehend and analyze complex books. Brave new world is the perfect book that demonstrates both of these actions.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a very strange book that makes the reader wonder what was going on in the author’s head when he wrote it. Even though it is strange, it is an important book for everyone to read, especially for students in English 2 Honors. It is of honors-level caliber because it requires the reader to imagine a world that is so different from today’s world and people often have trouble understanding something other than their own reality. Imagining this world is difficult because since it is nothing like what people are used to, they have trouble relating the book to their life, and because of that it could make the reader want to give up reading it because they just don’t get it. However, honors students don’t like giving up even if they are presented with a very difficult challenge, such as reading Brave New World.
ReplyDeleteSophomores need to read Brave New World because it gives us a look at a possible future, even if it isn’t an ideal one. Students are often so focused on only the present and the only time they ever really think into the future is when it relates to college. It’s important for students to understand the way the world could change in the future, even if it is not as drastic a change as it is in Brave New World. Even though the world, probably, won’t end up the way it does in this book, it is good for students to imagine what the world will look like in the future, so they can come up with their own ideas on how to make the future better. This could lead to students finding new interests and doing amazing things in their lives.
To understand this book, the reader needs to be able to think beyond what they are used to. Since the reader must approach the book with a different mindset and way of thinking, it makes them a more in-depth thinker and expands their ability to analyze text. The author also uses advanced words in this book which many sophomores are unfamiliar with. I found myself looking up definitions of words while reading this book, and because of this, my vocabulary expanded. These are all important skills that an English 2 Honors student needs to have. Brave New World is such an important book for everyone to read for so many reasons.
Brave New World provokes a lot of deep thinking. It presents a society where people have been genetically modified both physically and psychologically, a society where our creativity has been sacrificed for happiness. "Brave New World" seemed like a misnomer to me. How can a world where people have soma to get rid of their pain ever be brave? But more importantly, is the newfound happiness that people have in the novel even worth it?
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe that creativity and just the curiosity that we have is much stronger than having eternal happiness and no sense of pain at all. The novel is like a spark to our dormant brain, reminding it to keep being imaginative, inducing us onto a road that we don't know ourselves leads. I feel a "mind opened by wonder" is ten times stronger "than one closed by belief” (Albert Einstein). As sophomores, overwhelmed by the AP and honors classes, it is easier to go on a path where we follow someone, but ten times harder to have the courage to create that path for ourselves. Aldous Huxley makes us see the importance of creativity by creating a dystopia where there is stability without passion.
Social stability in my perspective is important but not at what price it came in the novel. If everyone already had been segregated into alpha and betas since birth, would Pen still be Pen? Today an A has value because it is something that we work for and not something that is distilled into our minds since we born. Thus it enforces once again that everything is based on perspective. The time when we see something as most important is when we don't have that something and are working towards it. Another key issue that the novel approaches is the destructive power of technology through its potential misuse. The technological advancements that are driving our world today might be disastrous for those countries which are being pushed towards totalitarianism. A society that has been brainwashed by their governments to lead lives where they no longer know how to stand up for their rights is unimaginable.
To conclude, I think that Brave New World warns us from future malice. Aldous Huxley cleverly describes a dystopia that through close evaluation holds important messages for us all.
Brave New World is blunt and unapologetic in how it conveys a futuristic world in which developed countries reprogram the human blueprint to maintain a self-sufficient economy. The novel is in many ways outrageous and perverse, especially for the decade in which it was published, yet it promotes a great deal of self-reflection and pondering of today’s modern world. The reason why sophomore honors students are required to read BNW is not an obvious one due to the bizarre and lewd topics discussed in many of its chapters; however, the introduction of John “the savage” makes it increasingly clear that the purpose of the novel is not to discomfort readers but to alert them of the dangers of artificial conformity. Sophomores often feel the desire to fit in, and although the novel exaggerates the extent of human obedience, it is a good reminder that life is not supposed to be uniform and individuality is what makes us human. And though the society conjured in BNW appears to be efficient and functional, we know that it is not only ethically wrong but also devastating when humans decide to alter nature. This is especially the case when the alterations are inflicted upon ourselves.
ReplyDeleteBNW is very effective in prompting us to rethink our values which is why it is a worthwhile read for students in English honors. The thing that makes BNW so rich in human values is its complete lack of morality and its disregard for life itself. In the book, humans are groomed to believe that death needs no commemoration and that individuals harvested in a lab are superior to those birthed by a mother. Yet, there are moments that reveal human qualities in their purest form: Lenina’s infatuation with John that she can never ignore despite the heavy doses of soma she consumes, Bernard’s pride that is almost entirely influenced by the attention he receives, and even Linda who finds happiness in raising a son regardless of the principles she is conditioned to obey. All these qualities are displayed by humans who are grown in jars and designed only to fulfill specific tasks necessary for a thriving economy. This shows that manipulating human development and behavior does not take away the characteristics that make a person human. The human mind is powerful, and growth demands diversity. As a group of students advancing towards adulthood (in the natural way), it is important that we consider the consequences of our actions, especially those that affect our environment and society. BNW paints a picture of a world that may be successful for a short amount of time but is certainly faulty for the long run. As sophomores in Pen High, it is crucial that we impact our world in a positive way that will ensure a healthy environment for future generations to live in.
I believe BNW was chose to be the summer reading because of the content. If you compare BNW to books students read in previous years, you will find a difference in the maturity level. The book contains sensitive topics, such as drugs and social/political issues. Being exposed to these kinds of issues are very important, and that's why I think BNW was chosen for Sophomores. We are mature enough to understand the content, as we are becoming adults. This is around the age that people need to be exposed to real life issues, and a book is a good way to do so. Getting exposed to these issues with a book makes it easier for students to understand and calmly analyze. That's what makes the book so much more worthwhile for honors students to read.
ReplyDeleteI think that BNW was assigned as a sophomore-level honors student book over the summer due to the book’s level of thinking and analyzing required throughout the book. BNW challenges the reader to thoroughly process the deep thinking ideas hidden between the lines. Although BNW was a fairly easy read, the book often required rereading in order to understand the complex ideas imbedded within the book. Because the ideas within the book are based upon a futuristic society, their culture and traditions seem strange and are harder to process and wrap your brain around.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I believe that BNW was a worthwhile read for over the summer because it helps open your mind to new ideas, challenge your analyzing skills, and provides an opportunity to strengthen reading skills. The book’s futuristic ideals require the reader to consider new possibilities as well as be open to interpretation to new dystopian ideas. The book also offers many opportunities to put analyzing skills to use due to it’s extremely complex and deep ideas. Through analyzing the book, the reader will undoubtedly become a stronger reader.
The book Brave New World might appear as a perplexing novel full of information that is incomprehensible, however, it gives incredible insight for the reader to find. I believe that BNW helps show the student reader how the government, high officials, and elders can affect our daily lives and perspectives. In BNW we see many examples of the government completely changing how the world views families, pleasure, and happiness. In our world today, we see the influence the government and even our elders have on our society. An example that could be beneficial is how the government supported and encouraged women in the 1940s to go out and preform numerous jobs while men were serving in the army. Although this was constructive the use of persuasion could lead to detrimental changes. While comprehending these ideas BNW becomes a worthwhile and understandable book.
ReplyDeleteI believe Brave New World was assigned as a novel to read because of the many lessons and concepts the book has deep in the words. By reading BNW, as students, we must ponder and analyze the text piece by piece, eventually giving each reader the realization of the text and what it means. Backing up what I said in the first paragraph, the reader grasps how much the government and elders effect society and individuals. Because we see many bad examples of leadership from the Ford and even other characters this book can help show the reader how to be a good example of a leader and how to be fair and understanding to all. Eventually showing us the outcome of many mistakes that happen or could happen.
Personally, this book helped me mature to a higher stage as a thinker and a reader. BNW inspires the reader to look outside of the box and examine the possibilities that would have never been the first selection. BNW gives an appalling yet informative view of what the world could be. Giving these circumstances to the reader compelled me to read it in depth and understand the thought process of everyone involved with the book and how they got there. In conclusion, the book Brave New World gives an insight to a whole new perspective changing the way a student reads the book and gives the student reader a chance to comprehend all the perspectives hidden in the text.
Brave New world was a novel that I thoroughly enjoyed do to how well-crafted, yet frightening and not totally unbelievable the world could be. By having Sophomores read this novel, it allows them to learn of the potential threats of a totalitarian government and challenges them to defy the information modern media may tell them- to see past the façade and search for the truth. One example of this is the government’s absolute control of technology. Technology once allowed humans more freedom then thought possible- with the ability to discover a world of knowledge with the click of a finger. Then the government soon found a way to use it to sculpt humanity into a picture-perfect nation were everyone is perfectly contempt with their position in life with no desire to achieve higher. The government also finds a way to abuse our “consumer culture” and drills into everyone's mind that anything old is bad, and the more you buy things the happier you’ll be. Students may realize this is already present in our current time. Commercials use ethos, pathos, and logos to manipulate us into purchasing their products and the internet locks you into a box of recommendations and advertisements that are molded to fit your search history, thus not allowing you to see things that may challenge what you believe.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World’s different outlook on humanity and our follies allows students to become stronger thinkers by having them imagine what life would be like in a future such as this one- a future that might not be as unbelievable as it seems. I know that when I was reading this I often thought what life would be like in such a world. A world when it is obscene to have a mother or father. A world where it is deemed strange to have one partner for life and an “orgy porgy” is not. A world where every thought you have is manufactured in a factory. Thinking about life from a different perspective increases yourself awareness and creativity, allowing you to look deeper into the meanings behind other novels, movies, and even everyday life. Your writing may become unconventional and refreshing if you see life a little differently from others. Brave New World is important for Sophomores to read, because it shows us that grim aspects of our society are as deeply ingrained as the one in that world, so close and suffocating that we can't even see it. -Rachel Vetchtein
The book Brave New World covers a large variety of concepts that the average person would find challenging to comprehend. The content, in a grammatical and vocabulary sense is not difficult to read. Most people could understand what some of the large and more perplexing words, for instance “blood surrogate”, from context clues and other literary devices. It is the social and political connections the reader must make to receive the full and complete message that the author is portraying through these words that make it an honors level book. Many parts of this book covered aspects of life today through the storyline set in a far off dystopia that may not be that far away. It takes the thought process of an honors student to be able to make these connections and then communicate these findings to other students of this caliber in a effective way. This is what makes it so hard to be an honors student. If you study hard and apply yourself correctly it is my philosophy that anyone could pass the tests and succeed, but what makes an honors student different from just a normal intelligent human being is the ability to be able to communicate these thoughts and emotions that you experience while reading. Brave New World has you puzzled and confused at times, but being honors students means that we can piece together the parts to the puzzle and form the whole picture. In short the reason this is a honors book is because of the connections the author wants you to make and honors students should be able to accomplish this.
ReplyDeleteI think that “Brave New World” was assigned to students because it is a novel that it is truly challenging and the story it tells deals with new ideas that lead to further thinking. This novel tells the tale of a plausible dystopian future as it shows the negatives to a “perfect” society. By dealing with the problems of society, it leads the reader to contemplate the current society and if it is worth it to sacrifice things for “perfection”. The future in this book reflects the society we live in which makes readers realize that this future is possible and should be questioned. With this opportunity for critical thinking presented by the novel, the reader can further develop how they view ideas. This is important for a high school honors student because understanding and expanding upon what is read is vital for succeeding as an honors student. I believe this book acts as an introduction to what is to be expected when reading and evaluating novels in this class.
ReplyDeleteThe book is also a challenging read, being quite difficult to understand and follow at times. The vocabulary and storytelling are advanced and requires great literary skills. This book also helps with the basic skill of simply being able to know what is being read. Being able to understand concepts presented through a novel is crucial to being an honors student because it is something that will be present in many assignments. “Brave New World” allows a student to better their reading and comprehension ability through an interesting and complex story. For these reasons I believe that this book is worth reading due to its ability to let students become greater.
Brave New World takes place in a futuristic utopian society where everyone’s future is preset for them by the government and everyone's individuality is stripped away by being raised to conform to societies rules and to think others would be treason. I think this book was assigned over the summer to sophomores to make us challenge ourselves in understanding and analyze the book in a broader perspective on how society could act. I thought the book was a great summer reading assignment because I thought of this story as a foreshadowing of what human civilization could end up like in the future and, how some of what’s happening in the book has already become a problem in our society. The book makes us aware of how similar we are to Aldous Huxley’s society and that if we don’t take the proper actions then his society could become a reality. Reading and writing a book shouldn’t be painless and hard or else it will either be too easy or be very boring. Brave New World is a challenging story that has lots of detail to help visualize how the author wanted to portray the story which makes the story more interesting. However, the detailing in the story could also make the book harder to understand and so what I would do is reread the paragraph and try to think about it from another perspective. Even if we enjoy or despise the book we at least get to read it and see if we might like it and try to find books similar to it.
ReplyDeleteIn Brave New World the government distributes soma to every individual to keep them happy and to make governing the people much easier. Also, the government breeds everyone only to enjoy what they are supposed to enjoy and keeps them ignorant just so that they don’t stray away from societies social laws that could make them different from others. At the very end of the book John ends his life because he realized he could never fit into the civilized society. The reason being that he is trapped in a civilization that he doesn’t function well in and can’t accept because of the self-guilt he carries and punishes himself for which leads to his death. This is like the ending of the book Things Fall Apart when Okonkwo ends his own life because he knew he wouldn’t have been able to function in this new clan and couldn’t adopt the clan's new life style. Both characters in the end died because they couldn’t handle how everyone accepts this world and is kept ignorant just, so they would be socially accepted. Society has forced us to try and fit in and Brave New World Shows what the effect could be like in the future. I enjoyed this book and how well written it was and how our society is like the book which makes Aldous Huxley’s new world idea somewhat possible for the future.
I believe that BNW was assigned to the sophomore honors student, because of its intricate balance between a challenging read and a thought-provoking message. The vocabulary, sentence structure, and such could be confusing or complicated at times, but I think it fits the criteria of our level of reading in terms of difficulty. Furthermore, the disorienting setting and its complex descriptions demand us to dive deeper into the meaning behind the novel.
ReplyDeleteThis dystopian world of man-made perfection has a countless number of significant themes that are very relevant today. In my opinion, BNW is definitely a worthwhile book, for it demands the reader to face the reality of the world we live in. Though constant advancements are an essential part of the human race, we must all understand the fine line that stands between just right and too much. The world of BNW in which where citizens are manipulated into believing their happiness are practically shackled by their own ignorance that the government fed them. Out of the many lessons, one that stood out to me the most was the importance of being educated correctly, knowing your own beliefs, and understanding individual worth. There are no individuals in Aldous Huxley's society. Everyone is the same for they were all conditioned and raised the same way. I believe that the beauty of the human race is the diversity and individuality that each person brings into the world, no matter how small it may seem. The contrast between their world where everyone believes in the same things and our world where no two people think exactly the same way, really highlights the best of our societies. It truly points out the value of differences, and also the power of education, for it impacts and molds the person's entire mind, beliefs, morals, and ultimately life.
Personally, I enjoyed reading this book, as it was intriguing in a way that I had rarely experienced. When others asked me how I liked the book or what I thought about it, I usually started out with, "It's honestly kind of depressing . . . really fascinating and significant . . . but depressing . ." The reason why my response was what it was is that it's extremely real. Although this book is a warning about our future, it's easier to assume that this won't happen in our lifetime, just as most people do with most books that contain a terrifying warning. However, the frightening fact is, this hypocritical and suffocating world that Huxley created is nearby. Way nearer than any of us would like to admit. This future that we cannot all help but dread is approaching us quite rapidly, as we continue to abuse our privileges and advancements. I find it captivating that the author originally published this novel in 1932, and we are currently desperately in need of a warning that Huxley sent, in 2018
Brave New World holds many higher thinking concepts that allow readers to chew on. As such, it was a hard read for an incoming sophomore to say the least. However, I believe BNW contains many attributes that supported its selection for this year’s summer reading. First, this dystopian novel describes a future awfully too similar to our current one. Assigning BNW as summer reading may act as a reminder not to overlook our one constant human trait. That being individuality. BNW forces the reader to confront the dangers of fictitious perfection. Sophomores, and students in general, being the future of the world, need to be warned about this façade of excellences. Secondly, BNW allows the audience to decide the boundary for moral integrity. At the beginning of the book, a process of reprogramming, designing, and even creating humans is explained. While advancing everyone’s intelligence seems like an obvious decision, we, sophomores, are faced with a dilemma. Countless of these scenarios are set up throughout the book and tangles the brain as we try to wrap our heads around the just answer. These challenges were brain food, and I instantly questioned the rights and wrongs. The simple yet profound problems compelled me to think, and in the process, developed me into a stronger, more philosophical thinker. Lastly, its vocabulary and writing style lifted the novel to the caliber of an honors student. BNW has a wide array of new words that built up my writing skill. In addition, its rigid writing structure and formal wording symbolized and represented the society of BNW. Their confined social structure was beautifully demonstrated with the grandiose style. I found this book as a mirror image of Animal Farm and their underlying theme and precautionary words should be taken to heart.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World by Aldous Huxley is a complex and thought-provoking novel that I found to be a bit perplexing initially, but later I understood the reason this book was required of sophomore students to read over the summer. I found that especially in this particular novel, analyzing what I had just read assisted me to comprehend the quite complicated themes and symbolic references throughout. All of the ideas Huxley has written have been deeply thought about to depict our potential future ahead of us. The book gives all readers an idea of an actually possible future ahead due to the complimentary cautionary messages such as “soma”. In Brave New World’s dystopian society, people take “soma”: a drug in order to escape reality and feel “happy” like they are supposed to. By analyzing our present society, the futuristic society of the novel has mirrored it in an aspect such as intense surveillance, social hierarchy, and heavy consumerism. The novel is truly a likely prediction of human society in the future, which is important for us to understand while we are still young. Therefore, that is the primary reason for reading this novel over the summer.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Brave New World was a challenging novel to read because it requires tons of imagination for the ideas presented, but I still enjoyed reading it. For example, “soma” and “Epsilons” are not clearly defined in the novel but through context, I was able to figure it out. The novel encourages readers to deeply think and concentrate about what they are reading, which helps to provoke thoughts about not only what the book is stating, but also how to relate that to their own lives. In addition, I thought it was important that Huxley did not simply write a basic story about a dystopian future, but he instead made it more to act as a warning and caution for our society that is vulnerable to transform into one much like in the novel. Due to the complexity of the novel, I believe Brave New World was a worthwhile, brilliant, and significant choice of summer reading for honors-level students.
In my opinion, BNW was assigned to sophomore-level honors students over the summer because it is a challenging book that forces the reader to reflect on the futuristic ideas in the novel. BNW is an eye-opening novel, however, it is not a simple read and it is quite difficult to understand. BNW also has an extremely powerful message that is important to get across to people at this age. Aldous Huxley, the author of BNW, creates a view of how technology is taking over the world and controlling human beings. The technology is not allowing people to reach their full potential as humans. Since the humans in the dystopian society are so advanced they are tricked into thinking that John is a savage, but in reality he is just a normal person. John is so dehumanized by the dystopian society that he decides to take his own life over continuing to live in such a controlling world.
ReplyDeleteBNW is a worthwhile novel for a student of my caliber because it makes the reader think back on the central theme of the book while the book also displays a very meaningful message. Huxley wrote BNW to show his audience that an excess or depletion of something is detrimental to society. In future generations, an excess of technology is terrible for society because technology would dominate and prevent us from flourishing as stated in BNW. If a depletion of technology occurred we would struggle to advance and would not become a better society as also stated in BNW. Huxley wrote BNW as a warning to future generations to ensure that we do no lose sight of who we are as human beings and to assure that we don’t allow technology to control us. This is a very significant message and it is important for younger generations to acknowledge this.
Brave New World was assigned as a sophomore level honors English class summer reading book because of the deep meaning of certain parts of the book, and the overall meaning of the novel. BNW demands us as the reader to ask deep questions about human nature and society as a whole. As humans, do we require true love, or is our brain and body satisfied with having sex with anyone and everyone? In 1,000 years, is this a realistic picture of what society may look like? Is this way of living really better than our current society? It is these questions that this novel raises that make it a good fit for a sophomore English honors class.
ReplyDeleteAs humans, do we require true love, or can we live like the “civilized” portion of the population in BNW? As George Sand said, “There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” This brings up a very good point about love. In the dystopian society that is BNW, when the characters “have” each other, their bodies are satisfied, but they feel nothing past that. I do not believe that you can live a fully fulfilled life without love. Additionally, in 1,000 years, is it possible that society can actually come to this? I do not think we will let society get to this point. In the world of BNW, their individual freedoms and rights have drastically decreased from our current society. As humans, it is our instinct to not allow our rights to be stripped away, so I do not think society will get to this point.
Lastly, is the society in BNW actually better than our current society? There are pros and cons, but when weighing all the options, it boils down to this. Do you want an easy life where you love your job and everything is handed to you, or do you want a life in which you make your own path? Do you want a life in which you take risks and decisions and then face the consequences? Personally, I would pick the latter. A life where you make choices and face the consequence is harder, but more fulfilling. Mustapha Mond says to the Savage to remind him how challenging a life of risks and pain is, “You’re claiming the right to be unhappy… The right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind.” After a long silence the Savage says, ”I claim them all.” I love this line because it shows how confident he is in life. We are always going to get to take risks in our lives, and we should embrace that, and make the most of our lives of choice.
Brave New World is the perfect novel to set the stage for what deep meaning of symbols and themes will be discussed throughout the course. This novel by Aldous Huxley is the perfect introduction to key issues and themes that will be dealt with future novels in the course such as 1984. Throughout the novel key things stand out to the reader such as the idea of having internal harmony at any given moment; the effect of ingesting the drug soma, a drug that makes one feel nothing but internal peace. Personally, I think that this drug is another way of representing the idea of the Nozick machine, a hypothetical machine which guarantees indefinite happiness, but the catch is that you are hooked up to the machine. The philosopher, Nozick who presented “The Experience Machine” was attempting to see whether if all humans wanted was pleasure (if so you would choose to plug up to the machine) or if some things, such as experience mattered more than the pleasure attained by done actions. The ordeal about taking soma is a large issue throughout the novel from John’s own personal ideas about the drug to Lenina’s thoughts. To me, this stood out because I think it is apparent to the ideas and values upheld by society in the book and real-world issues such as the idea of achieving harmony internally or the everlasting problem of drug usage. Such a topic, is not an easy one to comprehend and therefore students can take time over the summer in comprehending the different aspects of possible meaning for the inclusion of the idea of soma or other symbols/themes such as control of citizens by government(s).
ReplyDeleteMaturity is a big part of understanding the true meaning of themes and symbolism provided by Aldous Huxley, and as students of an honors English course we should be able to deal with more mature content than what we have dealt with in our past English courses. Brave New World is not a book that you can sit down, read, and comprehend every aspect of. With this novel, you must prepare to dedicate time to understanding why one would write this book, the way it represents possible and or current societies, symbolism and meaning of each character, and the government’s control. This novel was assigned over the summer because as mentioned before it exposes students to similar thematics that will be followed up throughout the year, students are able to dedicate time to comprehending the details of the novel as well as developing stronger analytical skills to better prepare them for the challenges they will face in the course they will take during the fall. For me, I enjoyed the novel once I had read a good bit into it, because then was I truly starting to wrap my head about all the different meanings of each symbol. From the very start of the book, the setting was able to foreshadow what type of government the society will be dealing with. At the beginning, I was unsure if I would enjoy this novel, but right when I was introduced to the savage, the storyline to me became much more purposeful. I could read this book five times, and yet find a new perspective on the same symbol each time. This novel allows the reader to ponder thought-provoking ideas and then discuss with fellow peers to gain more insight and perspective on the meaning. In short, the reason this book was assigned to students enrolled in English 2 Honors course was because it provoked deep thought about possible and or current issues, introduced key ideas, requires maturity for understanding, and is entertaining for a teenager.For all these reasons I thought this book was a worthwhile book over the summer for someone in an honors English course.
Brave New World is one of the most unique and thought-provoking books I have ever read. It is both shocking and sad, as well as fascinating. I believe this book is reserved for sophomore honors summer reading for various reasons. First, the major plot points of Brave New World do not come together until the very end of the book, causing the best quality discussions of Brave New World to occur after finishing the book. This makes Brave New World an ideal book to complete over the summer and to discuss once school resumes. Furthermore, the ideology throughout Brave New World requires deep reflection that many students may only have time for during the summer. Therefore, reading Brave New World over the summer insures that student have a deeper understanding of the book than they may have during the school year. In addition, Brave New World contains content that younger teens may find disturbing and confusing, but it contains relatively easy sentence structure and vocabulary for juniors and seniors in honors classes. This makes Brave New World a perfect book for sophomore honors English students to read over the summer.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World is a beneficial book for honors English students to read due to several reasons. It is a key book for students not only because of the vast amount of information that is inferred, but because of the complex politics and ideas portrayed throughout the book. The world-state described in Brave New World is much like modern Communism since all capital produced by the individual is collected by the government and redistributed. Aldous Huxley, the author of Brave New World, encourages the reader to make this connection through a prominent character named Bernard Marx, who shares his name with Karl Marx, the father of Communism. These connections that can be made to real government and politics are what makes Brave New World informative and stimulating, as well as entertaining. Furthermore, Brave New World teaches a valuable lesson on the dangers that science and technology can create if fallen into the wrong hands. An example of this misuse of technology in Brave New World are the jarring groups of Bokanovsky twins, which are human embryos that are cloned into an average of seventy-two individuals. Finally, Brave New World may be constructive for an honors English student to read simply because it requires the reader to think deeply both while reading the book and after the book is finished.
As mentioned in class, sophomore year imparts a substantial increase in academic responsibility on students. I feel that Brave New World not only addresses this in its level of difficulty, but also allows readers to expand their horizons on different aspects of society. Aldous Huxley presents each of his characters as a form of the typical citizen in the dystopian society which modern civilization is expected to descend into in the near future. Understanding how satire is established in the novel is a large part of why Brave New World makes a worthwhile read for students of our caliber. If readers only paid attention to the plot of the story, it would certainly not be as successful as it has been, let alone being given to incoming sophomores to read and analyze.
ReplyDeleteIn my view, the novel has been assigned to students in this specific age group because of the various messages that readers are able to take from it. At this point in their lives, students are in the process of understanding what their priorities are and what they want to accomplish. As said by Buddha, “What you see in others is a reflection of yourself.” In this case, any element that stands out to a reader would be one that resonates with their own self. I am sure the novel was assigned to invoke thoughtful and intellectual discussion in the classroom, and I feel that I gained a new outlook on certain facets of everyday life which I could not receive from any textbook. There are so many underlying themes in Brave New World, and each student is yet to find their own.
Brave New World was one of the novels assigned for summer reading because this book shows a world whose society revolves around morals which are a stark contrast compared to the societal standards of today. One example of the great differences between these two worlds is how human beings in BNW are all artificially created in a lab where their social standing and occupations in life are predetermined. Hundreds of identical twins are also produced for the sole reason of creating more laborers. This system highly contrasts our society where individuality and becoming your own person is highly promoted. In our society, people support others in choosing your own path and living life to the fullest. Another example of a major difference between the two societies is that we strongly disapprove of using or consuming mind-altering substances while BNW’s society not only approves, but hands out weekly rations to everyone. These huge differences between the two societies resulted from differences in morals and values which poses many questions about right versus wrong, and how much technology has infiltrated our lives.
ReplyDeleteThis book was a worthwhile read for an honors-level student because it makes you question what your values are in life. A person’s values reflect their actions and how people live their lives, so being aware of what your values are can have a great impact on your life. Being able to acknowledge your response and emotions to the bizarre events in this book serves as a vital learning experience in discovering what your values are as an individual.
Brave New World was very difficult to get through. The reason why it was difficult was because it makes you ponder about this dystopian future that is neither too close, nor to far. For example, the mass production of materials and everyday life necessity are a common practice in the society we live in today, but to contrast, in BNW, not only things mass produced, but life too. I believe that BNW was assigned to sophomore-level honor students over the summer because giving us this intricate book in a short week or two to read is too short to cover the meanings of this book, and especially too short to think and reflect on how BNW has such deeper meaning than what meets the eye. In the large space of time we got to read this book, it was assumed that we all read each chapter in long distances (chapter a day or so) to reason why does the development seem so natural. Also, in during the Course of the summer, it gave us time to reason what should have Marx done differently (decisions) and what would we do if we were in his shoes. BNW was assigned to sophomore-honor students because most likely we won’t be able to relate to the story. There are many things that the author brings up that makes us feel uncomfortable but it makes us think harder and try to make and establish connections that we otherwise we would have never thought of. A scenario that still puzzles me and makes me feel uncomfortable is the constant use of “orgy porgy.” But in recognizing the differences in our societies, we recognize a deeper understanding of how our society works. That alone make me feel like this book was worth reading.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World is set in a dystopian future where many different factors of today’s society are portrayed in satirical ways. In my opinion, the whole novel is a complete flip of our modern world beliefs. First off, the religion of BNW has an inversed relationship with the religion of our world (specifically Christianity). Christianity teaches beliefs like marriage before sex and being devoted to your significant other. In BNW, sexual interactions are encouraged at exceedingly young ages. Drugs are also a large topic in this novel. Every time a character from the novel is stressed or beginning to have a feeling other than happiness, grams of soma, the drug that gives you that sudden rush of pleasure without consequences after, are taken. However, the more I read, the more I begin to understand possibly why Huxley envisioned this type of future. Technology has always been evolving to make life easier for the lives of human individuals. The better the technology, the more simple a person’s life can be. But, as technology keeps advancing, people will be so accustomed to having the machines (in this case the genetically engineered lower castes) do all the dirty work. So, what can the upper caste citizens do but going around having relations with other people while ingesting tons of drugs ?
ReplyDeleteSo, I believe BNW was assigned to sophomore-level honors students because the novel can trigger so many different thought processes and improve analytical skills drastically. I also believe the novel was chosen in order to have students relate our modern world to Huxley’s twisted, but not entirely unrealistic, vision. Not only can students do this by using their own knowledge of our modern world and comparing it to the novel, but they can also achieve this by using John the “Savage” as the novel’s source of reason. John is described as being uncivilized and growing up in a location without the luxuries of technology. Although he is an outsider when contrasted against the civilized citizens, John is more or less the same as any modern day individual regarding his opinions. This is ironic in the sense that even though John’s ideas are seemed as silly or odd in the world of BNW, to the reader, his ideas are deemed as obvious and logical.
The main reason I think BNW is a worthwhile novel for honors students is that, in my opinion, it is extremely interesting to me how all the characters in the novel are all static in the sense that their core ideals never change. Civilized characters like Lenina and Bernard never changed or shifted towards other beliefs other than their starting ideas. Lenina always thought of John’s opinions as queer and Bernard never actually had a real criticism of the system in which he lived in, he just did not match the status quo of his society. John, however, is a more difficult case. Before he arrived at the civilized world, John held a high standard of this place his mother illustrated in his mind. When he did arrive, he was more than disappointed and now thought of this “brave, new world” as a sick, twisted land full of abhorrent temptations. Yet, even though the dishonest claims his mother made of this great civilized society, John still believes in his beginning ideals taught to him in the Reservation.
Overall, BNW is a challenging yet advantageous novel for English honors students to sharpen their reading comprehension as well as elevate their analytical skills. Each character in this novel is so well constructed in order to show not only the danger of technology but the corruption of society over their people.
Over the summer, our class was assigned to read Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. I think it is a worthwhile novel for an honors level student for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I believe that the book deals with a substantial amount of certain social issues and complex ideas. In their society, “everyone belongs to everyone else,” and hypnopaedic training and conditioning as a fetus creates the “perfect human beings.” In many of the chapters, especially in the beginning of the book when the D.H.C. is giving the tour of their facilities, the reader can see the various techniques that their world implements in order to keep everyone identical and suppress individuality; in their world children are produced using a method that creates 96 identical human beings. Not only are the people identical on a molecular level, but their government also separates everyone into five social castes, all of which are required to be color coded and one large grouping rather than being an individual. The genetically engineered less unintelligent lower castes rarely speak with upper castes and do their bidding. There is not a sense of equality on this earth. There is also the element of fake happiness, as the members of society have been conditioned to love the way their government runs the world, and therefore are imprisoned by their own mind and beliefs about what is right and wrong. Some elements that keep any other masked feelings from escaping are many of the other mature themes and complex subjects in the book; drug use, brainwashing, how people use sexual relationships, and the government having ultimate power over every aspect of the people’s lives.
ReplyDeleteDrug use is a major underlying issue in the Ford’s World. People use a hallucinogenic drug called soma that it mass-produced, and supposed to suppress any form of sadness or malcontent thoughts. While it may feel good to use it, it is slowly making them mindless and dazed, almost a robotic society. The soma is just another way in which the government has control over another aspect of their lives. Not only are people brainwashed through sleep teachings, but also because of government distributed drugs! There is also no sense of true love in this Brave New World. People have multiple sexual partners for very short periods of time and sometimes even multiple at once, never settling down into a monogamous relationship with anyone. This all accumulates to the government having complete authority over all aspects of the population’s lives.
ReplyDeleteI believe that BNW was the novel assigned to sophomore-level honors students over the summer for some of the same reasons that I think it's a worthwhile read for students. There is mature content and helps us be aware of a future brainwashed society that we may be heading towards. Brave New World provokes that about the future we may be forced to face, and by seeing all the aspects that went wrong in BNW, hopefully we can be more aware of subtle similarities between them and us. The underlying issues make for an interesting, complex read with symbolism that needs to be analyzed thoroughly to catch all the small references and symbols. Having the book over the summer gave us the extra time to go over it as many times as we could, and catch any little details that we had forgotten. There are multiple layers to the story and many of the main characters have complex personalities, so it definitely takes time between each reading session to absorb and digest what happened. While the characters are mindless and senseless, and are ignorant and dazed to all the surrounding problems, you still grow empathy towards them, especially the outsiders that feel alone and isolated. It makes us as readers appreciate our individuality and free will to choose how we want our lives to pan out. I found that this book not only gave me life lessons on being aware of social issues around me (such as equality and corruption) and how I can retain my freedom and rights, but it also taught me a thing or two in how to learn by reading. There are hints of a complex vocabulary used in the novel, as well as the book gave us a way to practice how to properly search for symbols, and process mature and mind boggling information. It showed me personally a new style of writing, and overall I thought that the book was an intense yet important book for me to read and reflect on this summer.
Although BNW was written almost a century ago, its looming messages and relentless satire have become ever more important in today's society. It seems that humans are indeed plummeting towards this so-called utopia where there is no freedom to be individuals. This is precisely why I believe BNW was assigned over the summer. In summer, students are given more of an opportunity to see the world and shape their lives. Since children are the next generation of world leaders and whatnot, the opportunity to shape who they become must be encouraged and enforced.
ReplyDeleteBNW is the most frightening book I have ever read, because it shows the nightmare most accessible to people- a world without humanity. Even worse than that is the fact that the state of such a world seems irreversible. Humans are so capable of living in blissful ignorance, so much in this novel that they will never accept change because freedom has become too frightening. The book was assigned to keep society becoming full of Leninas, and instead to keep minds alive like Helmholtz.
This book is certainly honors caliber. Those in honors English are more likely to be in careers such as politics, journalism, the arts, etc. These careers have the power to restrain us from a BNW-esque society (politics, journalism), and to help us constantly keep our mind working and thinking (the arts). We in honors can use this gained knowledge to our best so humanity does not perish.
Brave New World was the novel assigned to sophomore-level honor students over the summer is purely due to it's content. It highlights a dystopian future along with a strict social hierarchy. Brave New World shares close similarities with events happening in the real world. For example in many authoritarian states such as China, Zimbabwe, Belarus, etc. exert rigid social control over their populations, severely limit their civil rights, and engage in ruthless means of repressing views that are against the ruling regime. This book is perfect for sophomore-level honor students, so they can apply real-world events with knowledge from BNW. Also, possibly our future could be like BNW if we don't do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteThe book, in my view, makes it a worthwhile novel for a student of my caliber(honors-level) is the devices used by the World State to exert control over its citizens. In this futuristic world, technology is the main device to keep people in check. Advancements in technology in this era, allows the World State to easily manipulate its citizens through genetic modification and sleep-learning. Both these devices are utilized to create a person who is essentially in shackles mentally and physically. BNW intrigues the reader because of all the futuristic technologies and the World State to read on, therefore making it worthwhile.
I believe that Brave New World was the novel assigned to sophomore-level honors students because it has an extremely unique setting that forces its readers to gain a new perspective on not only this fictional world, but also the world we live in today. As I was reading BNW, I found that I had to become completely immersed in the dystopian society in order to really understand what was happening in the novel. When I began reading the novel, I felt as if the world created in BNW was completely alien and unimaginable. But, as I got further into the book and started seeing things from the point of view of the characters, I could see how many of the ideas and struggles presented in BNW were not that far off from issues in our world today. I feel that that purpose in having us read BNW was to expand our perspectives, and make us aware that even this dystopia that seems so shocking and outlandish may not be so different from the world our society seems to be pushing towards.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I thought this book was extremely worthwhile to read. I found myself getting pulled into this novel, and wanting to fully understand the rules and structure of this new world. I felt that each part of the society created in BNW shed light on our society, and our world, and made me more aware both of the stark contrast in the two settings, as well as the more subtle undertones and nuances that were not so apparent. For example, the idea of mass producing humans in a factory, and genetically altering them to be in different social classes seemed to me like an impossibility in real life, only made possible through this fictional novel. However, as I started to better understand this new world, I began to see how the whole idea of a set social order where everyone is happy and content could be so appealing. Although this part of the book at first glance seemed so different from our current world, I realized that it was because of our current world, and the issues in our society, that the world in BNW was created. I realized that this new world was formed and welcomed because of the pain and the tragedy and the mess that their previous world had been filled with, much like ours is today.
Near the end of the novel, Mustapha Mond is explaining to John the decision he had to make, the choice of completely eradicating all true emotion and attachment in exchange for “happiness” and a stable society. As I read this, I felt that there was something distinctly inhumane about the way Mond describes his new world. He explains that he takes the greatest caution to not let anyone love anyone else too much, as this will only lead to danger and despair. Although I can see the appeal of being happy all the time, I also feel that this new world reduces the value of being a human to a mere scientific definition. Whereas in our world, being human is not only being a certain species and doing a job, being human is living, experiencing all types of emotion, and being able to develop our own opinions and identities. And yet even though I felt Mond’s description of his world was so different from our world, I couldn’t help feeling that many people in our world would find Mond’s description appealing, that they would want a world with no emotion except happiness, where everyone is content and feels no pain. Overall, although it was challenging to read, I found BNW to be a very worthwhile novel because I feel that it serves as a warning to us today, to be aware of all the future possibilities of our society, and to proceed with caution.
Maddie Yeh
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley describes an idealized society in which the citizens are all happy but devoid of free will. In this dystopian society, religion, social unrest, and parenthood have all been eradicated and replaced with soma, a strict caste system, and genetically modified children. I believe that BNW was assigned to us not only because of its difficulty, but because so many aspects of the novel can be tied into society today. Upon an initial cursory glance at the plot, our lives may seem very different from the controlled lives of the World State’s citizens but when examined further, BNW is actually a horrifyingly accurate prediction of where our society is heading. Today, we are already genetically modifying our food, experimenting cloning techniques, and like in BNW, are able to able to produce designer babies with desired selective traits (although on a much lesser scale than in BNW). This book was assigned to us with the intention of warning our generation about the potential dangers of today’s rapidly advancing technology. I also think that this book was assigned to us specifically this year in preparation for the many dystopian novels later on. Compared to the other books we will read later in the year such as Lord of the Flies and 1984, BNW is really a toned-down introduction to the dystopian theme.
ReplyDeleteEven though this book wasn’t an easy read to me, it also wasn’t too hard (even though I found myself confused on more than one occasion). In general, I really liked this book and enjoyed thinking about the abstract concepts presented to us through this suppressive yet happy society. I think that this book is assigned to honors students because even though the book’s plot isn’t the most complex or symbolic, the book deals with a lot of concepts and theories that require higher-level thinking and analysis. The book’s plot itself isn’t too complicated but it is the analysis of this society and its rules that give the reader something to think about. With its societal taboos such as parenthood and the accepted social caste, BNW present to us many deeper ideas that may be lost upon a normal English student.
This book is full of opportunities to make us better readers, writers, and thinkers. Because let’s face it, BNW isn’t the simplest book to read and I’m sure many of us were lost in it at one point or another. However, with attention to the small details in the novel, whether that be about the social caste or the effects of the soma drug, made us better readers. The seemingly ideal world and its philosophical notions allowed us to delve into subjects such as politics, society, and morality. It allows us as the reader to develop our own ideas about these concepts and in doing so, makes us better thinker. Then what makes us better writers? After carefully reading the book, the reading and thinking skills we develop by doing so all help to make us better writers. And if it didn’t, rest assured that Ms Dibble will make us better writers through the numerous essays and projects assigned to us about this book.
I believe that Brave New World was the novel assigned to sophomore-level honors students over the summer because it wasn’t exactly laid out clearly for everyone to understand. The novel required lots of deep thinking and analyzing to truly understand the picture Aldous Huxley had painted. Huxley definitely didn’t shy away from using difficult vocabulary and a certain type of satire that sometimes required me to read a page 2 or 3 times before fully comprehending it.
ReplyDeleteBNW illustrates a strong divide between government control and rebellion. I think this situation is very relevant in America today, although at a lesser scale. I think this makes BNW a worthwhile novel for a student at honors-level because it presents to us the possibility for a future utopia, without directly stating it. At honors-level, being able to evaluate and interpret novels with many layers and perspectives to it is extremely important.
Reading this book would make students stronger readers, writers, and thinkers because overall, it’s written in a way that could be taken very literally, but it shouldn’t be. Students must dig deep and consider all points of view in BNW before quickly coming to any conclusions. Brave New World was an amazing novel, that, although might have dragged on a tad, truly made all of us students better readers, writers, and thinkers.
While there was a big change between eighth and ninth grade, the jump between 9th and 10th grade is also significant. This year, most students will be able to drive, and therefore take on new responsibilities. Sophomores leap one step closer to adulthood, and must act as such. Thus, introducing a novel like BNW at a critical time like this makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World is an extremely deep and thought-provoking novel. It provides a fascinating commentary on the workings of society and human nature through a satirical and grossly exaggerated dystopian future. At this time in our lives, sophomores are at the brink of maturity. We begin to take in more of the world around us and form political opinions of our own. Exacerbated by the presence of the media, it is impossible not to notice the news and its tumultuous nature. We are influenced heavily not only by those around us, but also by the media. In our current political climate, there are extreme tensions between parties. It sometimes seems that both sides are more intent on undermining the opposite side rather than report without bias. The linking factor of our world and BNW’s world is the presence of human nature. The way we are so quick to judge and assume superiority is a concerning point when one compares it to the brainwashed society of BNW.
Is is the observations of similarities between the society of BNW and our own that makes this novel a fantastic read. We are honors students and therefore able to analyze and scrutinize the novel and its many messages. The jolt of simultaneous horror and fascination I feel when a particularly disturbing side of the BNW world is revealed is a welcome feeling because of the knowledge that there is a message hidden inside the depths of it.The slow realization that our society seems to be inevitably be on track to becoming like the society of BNW is a terrifying feeling. It also takes an Honors student to be able to recognize the subtle jabs and jokes Aldous Huxley interweaves throughout his story. The style in this way makes it much like the novel Animal Farm- at least in terms of the satirical social commentary they both provide. BNW is like a gold mine of moments to analyze, which I personally loved. Honors students recognize the depth of this story and don’t take it at surface level. We are able to- and in some cases, enjoy doing so- pick apart the story and its many layers. It forces us to look at our world with a renewed skepticism and makes us recognize the faults of our society and the ways in which we can change it at a time when we are beginning to truly asses the world for ourselves. And in this way, BNW is the perfect book for sophomores to read.
Why do you think BNW was the novel assigned to sophomore-level honors students over the summer?
ReplyDeleteI think that Brave New World was assigned over the summer so that it would give the incoming sophomores an idea of the new school year. Basically, it’s way to prepare so that the incoming students would be able to retain their mental state while going into through the intricate course of the upcoming year. Nobody likes to go into a class to be blindsided with anything. Brave New World was assigned to reduce stress for the students by helping them decide whether English 2 Honors is the class for them. BNW also helps the students build a higher reading skill before class starts. Therefore, they don’t have such a hard time reading the course material. Finally, the book is an all-round good idea to read in or out of school, it Is a classic that gives us an idea on what some attributes of the human race's future could be.
What about the book, in your view, makes it a worthwhile novel for a student of your caliber (honors-level)?
Brave New World is not an easy read. It proves itself repeatedly to challenge sophomore-level honors students reading capabilities. by using peculiar words like “orgy-porgy” or “hypnopeadia”. The book also challenges the readers with hard to grasp concepts, such as “erotic play between kids, everybody is everybodys” and many more ideas as such. However, the idea of parenthood and childbirth is frowned upon. It’s very confusing! Further pushing my point, the grammar in the book is plain frustrating to try to decipher. It makes the brain hurt, which many have stated is a definite sign of learning. That is exactly why the book is worthwhile for honors students. It helps the brain mature thought process and to read at a higher level.
ReplyDeleteI believe that BNW was chosen to be this summer reading novel because it focuses on significant themes that are very much associated in today’s society. Likewise, science, technology, social classes, and the dissension between happiness and truthfulness, are all discussed throughout the novel. One of the key ideas in BNW, was how people ate a drug called stoma to try to make them “feel happy.” The main character, Bernard Marx is always contemplating whether to take the stoma because it does not have a huge impact on him, as he always is feeling lonely and despondent. I believe that the administrators who chose the book, wants high school students to recognize that practicing bad habits, such as doing drugs will take a toll on your life, just how stoma took a toll on Bernard Marx’s life.
Another salient topic in the novel, is how technology and science took over society. In the very beginning of BNW, the narrator described the fertilization process and how babies were created from the solutions in the test tubes. It got to the point, where people’s height, body shape, and personality were determined through the test tubes. Another reason why I think that BNW was selected, because of its’ message the author was trying convey about technology and science. As science and technology is a big part of our lives today, the two should not control our identity as people.
Furthermore, while the themes play a big component in the novel, also does the advanced descriptions and plots of the story. One instance where the plot was difficult to understand, is in the beginning of the novel, where the narrator describes the, “Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre.” In the first chapter, new topics that the reader had known nothing about, such as caste systems and Bokanovsky's Process were introduced. By reason of the advanced topics introduced, the interesting story line, and unraveling themes throughout the novel, BNW was definitely a worthwhile novel.
Brave New Word encompasses a dystopian future that reflects our world, once eliminated of true human emotion. The author illustrates a time-line that has deteriorated the moralities of our society through “conditioning” as a young child and the interference of genetic alteration. Our own world has the potential for this outcome if we begin to lose our sense of what is right and wrong, and begin to see the world all through the same perspective. Every person inevitably becomes accustomed to living exactly as they’ve been trained in BNW. They follow the mold that the Controllers have been instigating- their goal being to rule out all complication at the cost of the decent components to human nature. These people have been denied access to multiple media platforms, including novels, and are indoctrinated to believe that all life is simply wonderful, and when it’s not, they just take some “soma” to make everything better. This ignorance is damaging in many ways, because in not confronting the disheartening aspects we come across, we become too sheltered. For instance, what might a wild animal do the first time it is caged? It’d claw and fight for freedom for a while, but eventually would become satisfied with it. The animal would become familiar with the confinements of the cage, and would no longer try to fight for the outside world. It may even forget what it was like out there, and may not remember what it felt like to be truly free. Yet, the animal is content.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this novel was of great importance, because of these messages given off. Through the point of view of John “The Savage”, Bernard, and Helmholtz, we saw the alternative. We experienced the outside perspective of the situation which allowed us to view this society’s faults. I believe this was chosen to illustrate to sophomores the importance of individual freedom, and additionally how life throws obstacles that one has to be prepared to handle instead of shy away from and disregard. BNW is a complicated narrative that seems to be appropriate for our grade level due to not only its sophisticated level of reading comprehension required for true understanding, but its ability to make one think about the bigger picture. We are placed into another world when flipping the pages; one so distant and different from our own, and yet we can still place connection to it, and we can see how in an extreme alternate reality, it could be our own world. As scientific technologies advance, and forms of relationships continue to evolve in the direction they are, we may find ourselves in this existential crisis. If our books were taken. If our forms of faith were taken. If censorship, leadership, and having an emotionless existence is what came to be of us, we’d find ourselves feeling like the caged animal. John “The Savage” seemed to feel this way. Coming from a place similar to our own society, he felt overwhelmed and in his last moments, and was not at peace with this so called “Brave New World.”
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ReplyDeleteThis novel also contained various underlying themes that are interesting perspectives to develop, making it a great read to further analytical skills for our grade level. For instance, I feel that the author was demonstrating his own protest against a classist society, and from this point of view, was making commentary for the communist agenda, using Bernard Marx and Lenina Crowne as characters in the novel who were involved with each other, alluding to Karl Marx (the father of communism) and Vladimir Lenin, whose theories were both used together to develop Joseph Stalin’s ideal communistic society. This could be why Marx is one of the characters chosen to see the wrong in it all, meaning he doesn’t agree in particular with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Epsilon caste system, which supports how communists believe that everyone should be equal, and there should not be any social or economic differences.
Overall, I feel that BNW inflicted a residing feeling of sadness, and was a lesson, let alone a story. It allowed students to see life without pain, and with false happiness. Continually, one could go back and re-read sections only to uncover more and more details that seem applicable to our own era, making this a spectacularly puzzling and engaging novel.
Brave New World’s symbolism and allusions make this a more difficult and challenging book to read for high school students. The book wants the readers to make connections from the book to other literature and our daily life. The symbolism of Brave New World, like soma, representing drug addiction, shows the readers that there are still many connections to their daily life and the novel’s idea of the future. Brave New World challenges the readers to comprehend the strange and unnatural ideologies in this book. The organization of their society in BNW can be compared by the student from the government set-up in their life. Because of the many allusions, imagery, and symbolism, students can point out the many differences and similarities of our world right now.
ReplyDeleteI believe Brave New World is an eye-opening novel to many English honors students. Many parts of BNW were difficult to understand, like the organization of their society and some of the actions of the character. But the book brings up many important topics, like their ideas of sexual relations and helps the readers reflect on how these topics are similar and different in the real world. The being lonely in a place where everyone is in harmony relates to people now who have the trouble of “fitting in” and “being normal” in a crowd. The belief of not being an individual and different from another people but more focusing on union showed me that there needs to be a balance between these two for true happiness. This book made me realize how different life can be if you use your imagination and creativity.
A dedicated reader can take something away from any text. From the trivial to the profound, it is important to take away as much as you can from each book you read. Once committed to the work, the reader typically finds lessons to learn. There is no exception when it comes to BNW, a book written in the 1930’s that is both futuristic and satirical. This novel is not easy to understand, and will at first leave you wondering what is going on. Imagining yourself in a world as surreal and strictly controlled as the World State is difficult. This kind of world without individualism and much freedom seems so far from our own. So why read a book over 200 pages long about a world so far from ours?
ReplyDeleteOf course there are many answers to this question. First, to read a book written eighty-seven years ago and see how it can still relate to our world today. Second, to determine the meaning of the many metaphors hiding between each page. Finally, to ask ourselves if we are living in a world where the meaning of life is based upon consumerism and where people are conditioned to live in predetermined societal classes. This thought provoking book may make our group of sophomore-level honors students thankful for our families and for the ability to work hard to achieve our dreams.Yet, for many people in our world, opportunities don’t exist and people suffer being stuck in a world that affords little choice. Aldous Huxley likely realised that those dynamics existed in his time and used satire, metaphor, and exaggeration to shock the readers into questioning the status quo.
BNW is incredibly important once you come to read between the lines, as it does make you question our reality and see life in new ways. Have we 21st century humans been “conditioned” to believe certain thoughts about religion, family, and our communities? Has mankind always been living in a world that is created around them, for them, by others? Although we believe we are all individuals is that really the case? Because I knew that Aldous Huxley did not just write this to be taken literally, my curious brain started to ponder these questions and try to answer them. BNW is worth reading, because of its quirky, random way of leading the reader to contemplate the structure of society.
“O brave new world that has such people in it” John recited, quoting Shakespeare, as he learned about the civilization and customs of the people living outside of his walls. To us, and to John, this quote makes perfect sense. The people living in Brave New World do not realize it, but they show bravery like I have never seen before. The people in this world do not have families. The children do not come home to loving parents. Whenever something slightly goes wrong, they feel the need to take soma; a drug that makes you feel good but does not make you feel bad afterwards. The people in this world were taught that not feeling any emotions will make them feel happiness. They were taught wrong. Yet, despite having to live in this very messed up world, the people themselves do not feel brave. They have no choice; they know of no other place. They are controlled.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World was assigned to us because it is a book that really makes you think. Although this book was a little bit of a challenge, it was very interesting and informative about the world today. Where Aldous Huxley come up with this absurd idea of a world? I realized what the obvious answer was. I realized what Huxley was trying to tell us. The world in the book is a metaphor for our world today. Of course, it is exaggerated, but it still has more or less the same ideas and issues. An obvious issue would be drugs. The soma that they take, a drug above all drugs, is a warning from Huxley. Taking soma, or drugs, is not like you are really living. You are trying to fix your problems by taking a drug instead of facing them head on. Once that drug wears off, you are back to reality. And guess what? Your problem is still there. Another issue would be family. I remember the director was explaining to John about how families are just unpractical and cause so many issues. I hate to admit it, but a little part of me agrees with the director. We are stuck in close quarters for years of our life at a time, and it is just a lot sometimes. Even knowing that, though, I would not trade my family for the world; unlike what the government literally did to the people in their society.
Brave New World is an appropriate choice for English two honors because I think we are at that age where we can truly understand the meaning, depth, and layers to the book. We can sympathize with Bernard because we all know what it is like to not fit in completely. We understand what John is thinking, because if we were in his place, we would think the same too. We can see the humanity just barely seeping out of the cracks in the characters. Lenina is dating only Henry at one point, which is against the rules in the society. I think Lenina does this because it is her humanity that makes it natural for her to be only seeing one guy at a time. Helmholtz has always had a way with words, and wants to be able to express himself using by them. When he presented a poem of his own about being unhappy to his students, he got in trouble because you are not allowed to let anyone know that you are unhappy. It shows that the government has some weakness. I saw Helmholtz’s humanity because I knew that he was feeling trapped and not at his full potential in this society. No matter how much hypnopaedia the government forces upon the people, they all have a little bit of free will, decision making, and emotion left inside of them. We all do. It is called our humanity.
ReplyDeleteI believe that "BNW' was chosen to be this summer reading novel because it focuses on significant themes that are very much associated in today’s society. Likewise, science, technology, social classes, and the dissension between happiness and truthfulness, are all discussed throughout the novel. One of the key ideas in "BNW", was how people ate a drug called stoma to try to make them “feel happy.” The main character, Bernard Marx is always contemplating whether to take the stoma because it does not have a huge impact on him, as he always is feeling lonely and despondent. I believe that the administrators who chose the book, wants high school students to recognize that practicing bad habits, such as doing drugs will take a toll on your life, just how stoma took a toll on Bernard Marx’s life.
Another salient topic in the novel, is how technology and science took over society. In the very beginning of BNW, the narrator described the fertilization process and how babies were created from the solutions in the test tubes. It got to the point, where people’s height, body shape, and personality were determined through the test tubes. Another reason why I think that BNW was selected, because of its’ message the author was trying convey about technology and science. As science and technology is a big part of our lives today, the two should not control our identity as people.
Furthermore, while the themes play a big component in the novel, also does the advanced descriptions and plots of the story. One instance where the plot was difficult to understand, is in the beginning of the novel, where the narrator describes the, “Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre.” In the first chapter, new topics that the reader had known nothing about, such as caste systems and Bokanovsky's Process were introduced. By reason of the advanced topics introduced, the interesting story line, and unraveling themes throughout the novel, "BNW" was definitely a worthwhile novel.
Brave New World was assigned to our sophomore class in order to encourage us into a deeper, more thorough realm of thinking. This novel presents a dystopia that, frightfully, seems to be hurtling towards us. Such a dystopia reveals issues and controversies that remain relevant to life today. For example, Brave New World displays a society in which individuality is vulgarized. Throughout history, and still today, humankind divides and degrades those who are different. Although subtle, this curates a culture in which every person conforms to a basic set of morals and “acceptable” actions. By reading this novel, our class may become aware of such a progression, and make our own effort to stop the establishment of a community not unlike the society of Brave New World.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World also emphasizes the false happiness that lures characters into dangerous habits. In the novel, most characters use technology such as feelies or soma to manifest the feelings of peace and serenity. However, these emotions are not genuine and so disappear as soon as the soma wears off. This effect can be seen in our generation, as we are constantly bombarded with products that supposedly would bring us endless happiness. Brave New World promotes the truth that manufactured happiness cannot truly fill people with the human emotion and interaction they need.
The society of Brave New World is orchestrated into a rigid, unmoving class system. This is based on factors the citizens cannot control, and is predetermined during the development of the fetus. This carries much weight in our society today, where those who hold supposedly “superior” traits are treated on a higher platform that those with “less desirable” characteristics. For example, people who are affluent, athletic, intelligent, or popular are often treated as more important than those who do not possess any of these qualities. This is especially demonstrated with the treatment of John, who has never lived in a civilized world. John is treated as a spectacle, and as less than human. The end of the novel shows the effect that such treatment can have. However, if our class learns to recognize this class system behavior, we may be able to slow this progression, beginning in our very own community.
I believe reading Brave New World was extremely worthwhile to the sophomore class. Apart from the invaluable lessons demonstrated throughout the book, this novel challenged me to think more intuitively as I read, and to expand my vocabulary along the way. More importantly, however, this novel was worthwhile because it requires a deeper level of cognitive thinking, analyzing, and processing than usual. This kind of reading develops the mind and forces us to become more astute literary connoisseurs. As honors students, we must be cultured in all kinds of literature in order to progress. I believe Brave New World was one step forward on this journey.
I think BNW was assigned to sophomore level honors students, because of the lack of identity in the characters. In BNW the characters are being controlled by a government that regulates all actions, there is no humanity in the book. People in BNW are born in separate categories, babies do not have parents, they are chosen from a test tube, and born in mass production. Students in their sophomore year have not yet figured out their identity in the world, but they still have time. In BNW all the characters are copies of each other, there is no uniqueness between the characters, they don’t know what their identities are, and how they are different from each other. In BNW I believe that the soma is a way for the characters to escape these corrupt government, and self-issues that they are facing.
ReplyDeleteBNW requires deep thinking to uncover the themes in the book, which honors levels students are expected to be able to do. Many of the major themes in BNW also relate to problems faced in high school. These problems include: the availability of drugs, which is soma in BNW, identity struggle, and isolation. I believe sophomore students were given BNW to read, because of the thought that the world of BNW is what possibly our world could come to in the near future. BNW allows for the reader to visualize our own world possibly becoming like the world in BNW. My name is Kiana, and I will never forget to be awesome.
I think BNW was the novel assigned to sophomore level honors students over the summer because of how so much of the book can be analyzed and can get the student to start thinking more in depth for future books we are going to read later in the year. I personally didn’t enjoy the book because I found it to be incredibly boring. But, I still think the book is very meaningful and that there are a lot of meaningful points in the book. In my view I think BNW is a novel for the caliber for an English 2 Honors student because BNW is a very meaningful book with a lot of hidden meanings.
ReplyDeleteThe whole dystopian society where humans breed other humans and make them to be inferior, so they can do the labor work. You wonder if us as humans can become so twisted and corrupt that we put down our race. Characters in BNW like John the Savage come in from the outside world where he sees the corrupt society and all the greed that comes from humans thinking they are inferior to other humans because of their “rank”. John is dumbfounded how the alpha class males can just topple over the lower class that he tries to have the Epsilons revolt by taking away their drug that makes them happy, but they are so accustomed to their society that they end up pleading to get the drug that they almost kill each for it. This can represent our society as we are so attached to items like our phones that we can go insane and lose our humanity. Even though BNW was written over 75 years ago, Aldous Huxley is still teaching us lessons about us and humanity.
Before reading Brave New World, I had read many fictional novels with dystopian societies where abnormal circumstances were present in their everyday lives. However, none of these novels I read, used their fictional worlds to question values, our current society has built into our brains. By creating a drastically different world, Huxley compares our civilizations’ morals to the “grotesque” World State’s. This comparison made me question the morality of the standards we believe in. How similar is our society to the World State? We too believe that our reason for existence lies in happiness. While the World State establishes happiness on soma and entertainment, we believe that fame and financial success can lead to contentment in life. Though the World State may seem exceedingly exaggerated version of the world around us, it seems to press on topics that are not so different to the difficulties we face today.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World has made me stop to think outside of my “bubble” I live in and consider the ethicality of societies. I think this book is a sophomore summer reading assignment because of the complexity of the ideas it sets forth. In the world of sheltered high schoolers, students are not usually presented with many extremely differing views on the basis of society and civilizations. I think this book provides perspective to the narrow vision most sophomores have about existence outside of high school. BNW does not only compare the two unlike worlds of present and futuristic but foretells the dangers if the Utopian World State becomes a future reality. It warns of the dangers of forgetting history (seen as before Ford’s era in BNW), the loss of individuality, and artificial happiness provided by drugs and other sources of entertainment. The exaggerated World State society reflects the present day problems we face. BNW is a worthwhile novel for an honors-level student because of its’ similarities with our community and allows readers to look past the utopian society to see the development of these problems can lead to the “absurd” civilization of the World State.
I believe that Brave New World was assigned to us for summer reading because it requires higher level of reading comprehension. BNW takes place in a futuristic utopian society where they take a drug to make them happy but at the expense of their freedom. A theme like this required a deeper level of critical thinking and took me a while to develop this idea. Most themes are hidden throughout the book and often go unnoticed until you go back and reread a certain section. BNW possess a numerous amount of symbolism that is often overlooked by the average reader.
ReplyDeleteThe drug, soma, has the ability to control the lives of the users and draws them back for more, like an addiction. The drug also seems to remove any signs of emotions and restricts an individual from making their own choices. Their entire futuristic society seems to revolve around soma as the emotionless people are stuck in an everlasting addiction. Soma is an escape from everyday problems such as loneliness, sadness, rejection, etc. However the only thing their escaping is their own true emotions, which come naturally and are inevitable.
Overall, BNW is a good example of the future that we may reach oneday if people can not accept their own emotions. They will come and pass, some may even stay longer than others, but at the end of the day it is emotions that make us individuals. However, some people would rather be trapped in an endless addiction because they are scared of being alone, sad, or rejected by the rest of society. We see this today with illegal drug users. Not all drugs are bad, some are necessary for the well-being of a person. However, if no one can deal with their own emotions and result to the use of drugs then we might as well turn into emotionless robots depicted in the book. BNW is worth reading because it not only teaches us symbolism and improves our reading understanding but also warns us of an unwanted future. The book is appropriate for a sophomore honors student to read but will require extra time to process and develop new ideas about the reading. For me personally, it is worth reading because it gives us a deeper understanding of not only this futuristic society shown in the novel, but also our own.
In my opinion, BNW was assigned to sophomore-level honors students over the summer because it makes us realize that as a generation we must not forget about who we are as human beings and must not let technology and drugs control our happiness. The people in the BNW society are manipulated to believe that they are either superior or inferior to one another. When the members of this society feel stressed, the only way to resolve their issues is by taking soma, a drug which impairs their ability to experience natural human emotion. Also, most of them can’t maintain genuine conversations with one another and can’t even feel things such as love. This is a problem in the novel because mostly everyone has lost everything that makes them human. This opened my eyes to the realization that we must not become so robotic, otherwise, we may lose all human values and can only solve problems by hiding and ignoring them. In John’s case, he came to realized all the problems in Huxley’s utopian society, and rather than live in it, he chose death. This book is worthwhile for students of my caliber because it allows us to understand that happiness is not just a life of immediate satisfaction, or a brief moment of happiness that ends so quickly. Overall, I enjoyed Brave New World as well as reading about the symbolism and issues the novel addresses.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion there are two interpretations for the subject matter of Brave New World: it is a hyperbolic cautionary tale about the dangers of pursuing happiness above all else, or a metaphor for our current society. Working from the point of cautionary tale I find that the story has some problems, but it certainly poses provoking ethical questions fit for honors students. The conundrum of the ethics of scientific near-Godhood and what happiness is permeates the narrative. Assigning this book over the summer allows for students to form their own opinion of the subject matter discussed - even if they will alter it during the year school year - and provides valuable solitude of opinion. I personally find it extremely perilous to debate ethics in a situation where the value of a human life is laughable. Personally, I find it hard to form ethical opinions on the subject, other than the thought that the slaughter of human life in a world, pre-artificial human incubation, is indefensible.
ReplyDeleteMy other interpretation of the story is that the civilization in Brave New World is that it is a simulacrum of modern society - showing what our societal values would have us do and reflecting on how we see others. In this light Brave New World is definitely wonderful to have honors students to read instead of a utilitarian utopia-ocalypse, as it is an exploration into us. Literature pertaining to the fundamentals within our everyday actions is most often worth at least a consideration - but Brave New World does something more: it is a mirror that if seen from the right angle shows what we are. It was definitely worth the time it took to read and a good pick for English Honors, creating great discussion and thought.
-Connor
Brave New World is a layered novel that demands students to tackle both intense vocabulary and complex ideas. I believe BNW was assigned to sophomore students to challenge their brains and cause them to ponder controversial concepts in the novel. As students grow older and more mature, so does the literature they are given to read. BNW provides the opportunity for students to form their own opinion on technology, the future, drugs, and government control. Not all students will have the same view of the futuristic society Huxley created, but this allows room for students to healthily argue and go deeper into the “Brave New World.” This technology driven world where freedom is traded for “happiness” may cause students to put down their phones for even a few minutes in fear of this society becoming a reality. The novel urges its readers to form opinions on every character, tradition, normality, and lifestyles in this modern world. This is important to sophomore-level students as it encourages them to decide whether they agree of disagree with morals set in BNW along with the idea of government domination through technology. It is important for sophomore students to finally be able to voice their thoughts on hard-hitting concepts, as they may not have been responsible for making decisions on controversial issues before. BNW is the perfect introduction for sophomore-level students to start forming opinions on popular, modern issues, such as technology and government, and be mature enough and ready for others to disagree.
ReplyDeleteHonors English sophomore students in particular are expected to raise the bar and push themselves to grow as people and in academics. Huxley’s construction of the Brave New World consists of ambitious word choice that sophomore-level honors students are responsible to manage and challenge themselves with, which will be the case for the rest of the literature for the year. Also, it brings up complicated concepts and crazy realities for these level students to process and compare to our always progressing world today.
Like what Ms.Dibble said in class, I agree that the most significant changes from freshman year to sophomore year in high school are academic related. We are expected to have a higher level of thinking and analyzing skills, especially in honors classes. Brave New World is no doubt an apt choice for the summer reading book of sophomore-level English honors students. The novel itself is unique and captivating, which allows it to stand out among all the other fictions. Moreover, it demands an above-average ability to interpret and analyze the complex subjects of an utopian and a dystopian world. The novel seems to portray a perfect world with an utopian society, full of joy and happiness, but life in that scenario is indeed meaningless. People lose their freedom, have no rights to express individuality, and trap in the cage of “a perfect society”. The futuristic elements of the story are distinctive to capture the great interests of the readers, but what really make Brave New World extraordinary are the philosophies behind the words and lines that depict an idealistic future. Reading novels with such contemplative topics can help improve our ability to interpret and analyze, which are both essential skills required to achieve success in honors English class.
ReplyDeleteDespite having a philosophical aspect of high-level thinking, Brave New World is also a novel composed of many abstruse topics. The concept of utopia and dystopia itself is complex. The novel portrays an idyllic world, but it indeed infers to a dystopian society. People seem to be happy the whole time, but a society without emotions, individualities, and freedom is indeed frightening. Aldous Huxley also integrates multiple other subjects regarding many modern social problems and controversies of humanity. For instance, soma in the story reflects issues of modern day drugs; the abandonment of art and literature may be considered as a result of rapid increase of technology; and the caste system, the uncivilized reservations all infer to humanity crisis today. In consideration of all these controversial topics, Brave New World is not only a novel that requires honors-level skills, but also comprises many current topics that we can discuss about in the future.