Stability?

I find it quite odd how much the people in Brave New World discuss that stability is very important. Not only that, but they say that it's the primal and ultimate need. However, while Mustapha Mond is talking about this with the students, Lenina is conversing with Fanny and Fanny is telling her that she must not be so committed with Henry Foster. She specifically tells her that she must be more promiscuous. If stability is so important, then why do they encourage promiscuity? How can there be stability in a relationship if both the man and the woman in the relationship are continually with others? I believe Huxley made both of these conversations occur simultaneously so that the readers could open their eyes and make the questions stated above. The reason why in our culture (although this has decreased) it is taught to wait until marriage or wait until we are more mature to have sex, it is because that way we won't be promiscuous, which could lead to being in relationships only for sex. Hence, these relationships would be unstable since there is no real connection between the couple. Instead, we are taught to start off the relationship with that connection. In the book, the characters are taught to be promiscuous since a very early age, which would lead to unstable relationships when they are older. Therefore, it is contradicting to what they say that all they do is in order to have stability throughout the people.

Mario Ayala

Ummm, Mrs. Fletcher...

Does my "Sort of off topic but an important point for an AP English blog" thread count? I am not actually certain if it qualifies.

Sort of off topic but an important point for an AP English blog

This post is quite unrelated to what is usually talked about on this blog, but I felt it was interesting and something to think about.

Today I watched the final episode of one of my favorite television shows, Scrubs. In the last few days I have spent watching the final episodes, of which I obtained through the internet, I noticed a theme that is reproduced within another, though extremely different, hospital show. I found that the character traits between Dr. Percival “Perry” Cox and Dr. Gregory House (obviously from the primetime television melodrama, House) amazingly similar. Both doctors shun the thought of “touchy-feely” emotions; they seem to think that such feelings make them seem weak. Contrary to this, as you get to know these characters you will find that they are actually the most vulnerable of all. Dr. Cox actually cares too much for the well being of his patients. This may seem like a noble trait but it causes Cox to come down extremely hard on himself, furthermore, while he pretends to loathe previous student and now college Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian, on certain occasions he shows his utmost respect for the man. In the series finale he actually corrects an intern’s opinion of J.D. by saying that Dorian is the best doctor to ever walk the halls of the Sacred Heart Hospital, and that he is not restricted to being an amazing physician, but also an amazing person in general. While Dr. House cannot be characterized as an over-caring doctor, he is actually an extremely vulnerable man when it comes to a relationship, whether friendly or otherwise. Dr. House has met disappointment or scorn time after time. This unfortunate history has given way to his rather abrupt and extremely abrasive personality. House is constantly seen as a man that only takes from others and also one that distances himself from even his closest friend. House, as it turns out, is afraid of disappointment and therefore sabotages all possible relationships, whether it be consciously or not. These characters represent a very common character type in literature, and that is the abrasive, rude and unpleasant person who may seem unreliable, but at the end of the day, when push comes to shove, they are the hero that saves the day.

Want or Need?

As I reached the end of Postman's book, many things started to make more sense to me. In chapter 10, it talked about how teachers nowadays are trying new teaching methods to get the students interested in learning. It states that, "learning increases when information is presented in a dramatic setting" (150) and students only learn well when they are " interested in what they are learning" (146) Yes, that is very true and mostly likely can be proven, but why is it that leaning is always for the convenience of the learner? What students do not understand these days is that you can not learn what you want, but learn what you need. In a sense, learning, school, reading, memorizing... etc. is not at all fun, but don't we just have to deal with it? We can't always get what we want and I think that is the biggest problem we have today in America. Everyone is always wanting to this and to know that. But in reality, they are missing out on what they need. Then people are so surprised that people can't make their own conversations, or think for themselves anymore. But that is only half our fault. The other half consist of the shows, and new gadgets that people want other people to buy, know, own, talk about. The media and entertainment businesses don't care for what the people need, they give them what they want so they can forget what truely matters more.

Confessions

I am yawning like crazy at the moment and got less than four hours of sleep last night, I stayed up until my body felt numb and I could barely open my eyes. Why I torture my body this way I do not know, but what I do know is that playing a game of Tetris while talking on the phone with my oh so nocturnal best friend until 3am is probably more comforting for me than getting a good night’s sleep. I’m not sure why I have such little self-control over myself, but technology has taken over my life. And the sad part about that is that I let it completely control me, I LOVE it when it takes over me. To me, the computer is more addicting than chocolate, coffee, sugar, or (not that I know but I assume so) alcohol and drugs. Yes, it’s my soma and I do not know if I can live for a month without touching my phone, using the internet, or listening to my iPod. Less even pass by a day where I don’t look at pixilated images and captchas.

The thing is, I live in this world that is completely surrounded with the most high-tech gadgets and gizmos. The United States of America is one of the most fortunate countries, yes we are in a deep hole with this economic crisis but it’s not like half of us have aids or it’s not like there’s not enough food to go by. It’s not AS BAD as other third world countries have it out there. But then again, I don’t ever watch the news, or read the newspaper, or have much comprehension with the economic situation at the moment. What I meant to say was that I live in this world. The one where there’s television sets in practically every room, computers for every person, iPhones for each member of the family, and I don’t think that I will ever change. Unless some national disaster occurs and some alien species come to earth and completely corrupt our internet access and decides to take away all of our technology for their own use. I don’t think that I will be able to think like the people in the previous centuries used to be able to think. My brain and body has been wired to technology. I need to listen to my iPod in order to sleep, I NEED to check my mail first thing in the morning, I NEED my phone constantly within arms reach, and I NEED to type my essays! I admit that I’ve never noticed this before, but WRITING out my essays has been the most complicated thing since learning how to tie shoelaces. I lose track of where I put the loop, and which loop the bunny ears goes through.if the bunny ears go through a loop, or is it hoop?

My point is that even after reading Amusing Ourselves to Death I have not changed one bit. I am more informative and more conscious of certain things like how ridiculous the news is nowadays, advertising, the media, ALL FOR ENTERTAINMENT! So I am more alert of when I am being brainwashed, but my habits are still the same. I tried the technology fast and I do not like it one bit, I’m sorry Ms. Fletcher but I cannot cannot cannot EVER live like that. I understand now that our generation is immersed in this sea of entertainment and brain manipulation. I doubt that I’m the only one that’s being taken over by this technological monster, My cousin upstairs wastes his whole day looking at a box that “stimulates the senses” by letting him experience what it’s like to shoot people. I told him that I find him wasting his life away staring at this box, but downstairs I’m doing the same exact thing.

But what change does Postman expect from us? After reading his book, does he expect us to just suddenly rid the world of computers and game consoles? If there was ONE John, ONE savage, ONE person who is able to completely recognize the denseness of what our world has come to today….what could that “John” do? In both 1984 AND Brave New World, the “protagonist” either dies or just gives up trying to make a difference. Can the minority really affect the majority? Can we bring reason and logic back to the world? Is there any way that our google-everything-generation can proceed back to the way it was? Alduos Huxley once said “I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself…. Maybe this world is another planet’s hell.”

Harmless Antidepressant or Mind Control Device

The drug that is distributed throughout the city in Brave New World, soma, to me seems more like a mind control device than a simple antidepressant. What leads me to believe this is what happens in Chapter 15, when the Savage begins throwing the soma out the window and the crowd is so drawn to it that they are willing to kill to get it back. But the descriptions of the police with the guns and sprayers full of soma shooting people to calm them down and follow orders gave it that mind control feeling. For example when the Savage and Hemholtz are fighting they crowd they are angry and upset, but when they are shot with soma that not only relax but when the police give them a command they follow without question.

So it just makes me wonder if Huxley was trying to get out in small portions that the soma drug is really some sort of evil device used by the government to control the people or just a pill to boost happiness.

The End is Near

I'm almost there. I finally finished reading Brave New World and all I can say is, God Bless America. I never realized how lucky I am to live in a place where I can make my own decisions. The people of the World State have no freedom. I can’t chose there careers or what religions they want to practice or if they even want to practice a religion. It’s sad that they don’t have the simple liberties of life. They are controlled and taught to have no emotions, engage in emotionless sex and take ridiculous amounts of soma. What really surprised me with this book was the amount of sex and drugs. I could not believe that promiscuity was encouraged because I’m so used to adults speaking about how bad sex is and its consequences and encouraging us teens to practice abstinence. It’s frightening to see such behavior. This was definitely a wake up call for me.