![]() ![]() ![]() We cannot, however, find a lesson plan in a history class to measure how a society may take control over its people by allowing them to give in to their flawed ego. This is what keeps Brave New World important, we must always compare our society against Huxley’s to ensure we hold true to something with importance and meaning.Learn More A government-sponsored “holiday from reality”: Soma A history class will reveal phenomenal empires or movements that led with the imposing thumb of government only to be upended by a restless resistance group. Liberties are lost through trivial distraction and mindless fulfillment of the ego. The way the people lose their voice and petition is by giving in to instant gratifications that are deliberately normalized by the state. While 1984 creates an obviously draconian society, Brave New World does not. Often read in conjunction with 1984 by George Orwell, many readers assert that the two novels are warnings of what society could transform into should its governing body take the people’s power away from them. These "savages" select traditional values that keep them grounded and true to something that holds meaning. Perhaps they choose Friday nights with family rather than clubbing with socialites. Maybe it’s that their wardrobe is uncomplicated and plain when everyone else participates in fast fashion. The modern-day savages are the people who reject society's pointless expectations. The novel stays relevant every year because people find new links to these World State conventions, they may see legalized marijuana as Soma or perhaps TikTok's advanced algorithm as Feely machines. With a heart, mind, and soul John is declared a savage. He has a mother whom he loves, he’s an avid reader of Shakespeare, and he even follows a religion. Bernard Marx ventures outside the civilization to what the World State calls the Savage Reservation where he meets a savage man named John who is quite peculiar. A plethora of other norms are established in Huxley’s society to maintain the satisfaction of all its citizens: Sex without consequences, companionship without the burden of feelings, and entertainment machines called Feelys that resemble cinema. Should anyone in the World State find themselves falling outside of the comfortable promises of the community, they can take Soma a recreational drug to tune out any bad feelings. ![]() Its community acts in accordance with only two desires: Constant happiness and consumption. The World State maintains three pillars: Community, Identity, and Stability. Bernard Marx lives in the World State and unlike his acquaintance, Lenina Crowne, he feels discontentment. The story in Brave New World is less important than the society Huxley has created for his characters. This subtlety is what provides Brave New World with its charm that woos teachers to assign it each year in their literature classes. While many consider the novel to be focused on a numbed society I find that it is more reflective of man’s complacent psychology. Have you ever considered why that might be? The obtuse characters and curious quirks are fitting ingredients to bake blunt social commentary into a tragic story. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is read in thousands of schools across the country. ![]()
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