Tuesday, July 17, 2012

What is Taken for Granted?


After finishing Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, my impressions about the overall story were better than I had assumed going in. My thoughts were changed as I kept reading, but no other chapters really grasped me as much as the last few which included the conversation between John the Savage and one of the ten controllers, Mustapha Mond. This chapter was a big part of the book because other than having you think about what is wrong with the society, Huxley delivers it to you telling yes there are faults but you have to look at it another way. With the argument, the lingering questions aren’t answered but they do have you think about the other side which is the good about this society. While reading the whole book I had the thought that having no family is morally wrong, having to take a pill to be happy isn’t needed, and being pre-set into a class of society without any say is close to anarchy.

When the thoughts ran through my head I had wondered about the other side to the story. Does our society cherish family to the point where we can’t live without them? Doesn’t everyone have their own soma that makes them happy when sad? Even if you do have the chance, isn’t it true that many people aren’t allowed to make their own decisions? To me, even if you try to deny it, all these are true. Even to the point of not having religion, has our world been better with it? Doesn't this book tell us to fix, replace, or add to our society? Technology is a great power but can be very destructive in more ways than one.


1 comment:

  1. I understand what you are trying to say. In their civilized world they have all these rituals and ways of life that we see as wrong. But we do have soma although it is not the same for everyone, we all have something to run to when something goes wrong. When you put it that way our world is not much different from theirs. I think that our lives are very much alike to theirs just that we do not put it in their terms or are not so straight forward either.

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