Brave New World Group

Question:


laxer2010
Student
High School - 12th Grade

Brave New World is a novel of ideas. Give 3 examples of diffrent ways huxley presents ideas and what this does to the plot and characters.

Hey guys, I'm havin trouble understanding this question. I know that Huxley makes the plot and charachters simplistic in order to get his points across but I can't figure out what "ideas" he expresses in the novel. Thankyou.

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Posted by laxer2010 on Sunday November 1, 2009 at 1:13 PM and tagged with brave new world, ideas.

Answers:


  1. pohnpei397 Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    Here are some themes that Huxley is presenting in the novel:

    Free will versus enslavement.  Hardly anyone in the society has any choices because they're all pretty much bred to be what they're supposed to be.  John the Savage kills himself and by doing so at least uses free will.

    Sex.  The book explores the effects of people being able to have casual sex and argues that it robs people of intimacy.

    The effects of knowledge and ignorance.  The people in the society are essentially robbed of all knowledge so they can't really think about anything.

    Science and technology.  When I read this book in college it was for a class on (among other things) bioethics.  The book explores the impacts of using technology to alter people's fundamental selves.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/brave-new-world/themes

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    Posted by pohnpei397 on Sunday November 1, 2009 at 1:19 PM


  2. mstultz72 Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    #1.  Birth control as a means of population control is fascist.  The world state mandates birth control by the elite and makes the lower castes infertile.  This is a satire of Communist China's ridiculous birth control policy which is a means to destroy the family.

    #2.  Technology cannot replace books, freedom of choice, and knowledge of the past.  The children of the Brave New World are conditioned to hate books and nature.  This makes them easily controlled by mass media.  This is a satire of USSR's rigorous censorship practices which limits intellectual freedom, all in the name of mass production.

    #3.  Sex is an opiate of the masses.  The religion of the Brave New World is orgy porgy--a hysterical sexual ritual in which soma is consumed.  People are easily controlled by careless sex and pleasure--instant gratification.

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    Posted by mstultz72 on Sunday November 1, 2009 at 1:23 PM