Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Section 4

It is rant time for Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Up until the last chapter of this novel I thought the book was great. Midway through when Bernard's life went downhill, I began to see this book was not what I thought it would be. Then once John had the discussion with the Controller, I began to have new hopes for this novel. Sadly, once John hit the island, I began to experience confusion. I do not understand the relevance of John, "picking[ing] up the whip and [then he] began hitting himself again" (Huxley 248). I understand that punishment and forgiveness from God involves inflicting pain on oneself in John's religion. What I do not understand is why he does this multiple times and the civilized people freak out. That is literally the main point of the last chapter. I find it to be extremely random. I also do not understand why he hangs himself after he wakes up in the morning. Did he whip himself or Lenina? I thought that he whipped himself, so I do not understand why he would just decide to kill himself for something he had already done before. If I were to come up with any explanation for this I would have to guess that he might have hanged himself because he did as the crowd instructed him? This ending angered me a great deal, and caused me to think poorly of the novel.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Section 4

Soon after Bernard is escorted out of the room in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the Helmholtz and John learn that even the Controller was almost banished. Rather than being banished, the Controller was given a position on the Controllers' Council. The reader then learns that in order to be banished or placed on the Controllers' Council, an individual must be one who challenges society. Helmholtz is then asked where he would like to be banished and he responds, "'I should like a thoroughly bad climate... I believe one would right better if the climate were bad" (Huxley 229). Rather than throwing a fit about being banished, Helmholtz embraces the opportunity. This scene shows that Helmholtz and Bernard are foil characters. Helmholtz has developed since the beginning of the book because he challenged society and pursued. Bernard, rather, had similar thoughts, but digressed once he brought John to the civilized world and was treated like a celebrity. Helmholtz is accepting of his differences and wishes to be able to express his individual thoughts, whereas Bernard wants to be accepted by the rest of society. These two both took what society taught, and allowed it to consume their life, but in radical manners.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Section 4

After the riot in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Bernard, John, and Helmholtz are sent to meet with the Controller. John and the Controller begin to have an intellectual discussion, and the reader learns more about the banning of old books. In the middle of this conversation, the Controller mentions that Bernard and Helmholtz will be isolated on an island. After hearing of this punishment, Bernard begins to beg and plea saying, "'I tell you, it's their fault,' he sobbed. 'And not to Iceland. Oh please, your fordship, please...'" (Huxley 226). This scene shows Bernard completely betraying the only friends he has ever possessed. Bernard's motivation for this betrayal is that he does not want to be isolated on an island from society. He thinks that being sent away from the rest of the civilized world will be an embarrassment. Bernard is so distraught with the negative aspects of being sent away, that he selfishly attempts to abandon his friends. After Bernard's life had began a spinning spiral down, he finally could not take another punishment. I believe the overall motivation of this betrayal is because Bernard has finally hit rock bottom.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Section 4

Aldous Huxley's Brave New World is a novel about the governments control over the civilized population. The government accomplishes this in many ways, including manipulating embryos, repetition of rules and regulations, and allowing sex to be a main form of entertainment. The population becomes addicted to following specific habits and acting a certain way, so any actions abnormal are blasphemy. In this section, the reader may observe that the population is also addicted to soma when the Deltas thought, "Deprivation of soma -- appalling thought!" (Huxley 210). This scene where the Deltas become overly aggravated about the soma being thrown away is a perfect example of the government control. Since the government expects specific behavior and traditions, this change in schedule caused an uproar. The government chose to use a drug to control the population, which led to a massive riot. The civilized people have an addiction that must be fed, and only the government can feed that desire. By making this drug a necessity to the society, the government is better able to regulate the happiness of the population. Soma helps the reader to better understand the theme of government control.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Section 2

Before Bernard and Lenina embark on their holiday in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, they are given an informational lecture by an Alpha-Minus. Lenina decided to take advantage of this time as a reason to take soma. As a result, Lenina was no longer paying attention to the information presented, and at the same time Bernard was worrying about a situation back in Civilization. During this talk, the Warden repeated warnings such as, "'There is no escape from a Savage Reservation'" (Huxley, 102). When I first read this passage, it was soon after being informed that the D.H.C. had lost a lover in the Savage Reservation. With this knowledge, and the constant warning from the Alpha-Minus, I assumed this scene was foreshadowing of a tragic event that would take place on the Reservation. I later found out I was not correct about this, but rather Bernard and Lenina found the forgotten lover of the D.H.C. Furthermore, the repetitive warning foreshadowed these two vacationers discovering a fellow civilized human; Bernard later goes against this belief and is able to get Linda off the Reservation.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Section 2

Back in the Civilized World, there is a scene in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley where the D.H.C. is meeting with Henry Foster. These two men are walking through one of the many well organized buildings that the D.H.C. describes as, "'This hive of industry'" (Huxley, 146). Later the activity in this building is, "Buzz, buzz! the hive was humming, busily, joyfully" (Huxley, 147). Through the use of this metaphor and example of onomatopoeia, respectively, the reader can get a further understanding of the controlled routine. The activity is described as a busy business that is constantly at work. By comparing the industry to a hive at work, the speaker is showing that the routine is well organized. Like a bee hive, where there are prefect formed cells and each bee has its own specific job, the government has trained the population to work in a similar fashion. Each person learns their social job, and sticks comfortably to their task. These two literary techniques also continue the idea of comparing the people of this society to animals, or in this instance insects. The population has been conditioned to follow specific rules that were ingrained into them at a young age, almost like the instinct of a wild animal.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Section 2

Bernard and Lenina take a holiday in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and begin to learn about the Savage lifestyle. After ironically finding Linda, the D.H.C.'s past lover, and her son, John, Bernard begins to inquire about the Savage's way of life. John begins to tell Bernard everything about his life since his first memories. When explaining the Savage traditions of becoming a man, John painfully recollects, "This time the man struck [me], pulled [my] hair. 'Not for you, white-hair!' 'Not for the son of the she-dog!'" (Huxley, 136). This anecdote shows the persecution of an outsider in the Savage society. Both the criticism toward Bernard, and the persecution of John demonstrate parallel themes in the drastically dynamic societies. Both of these character's have aspects, whether it is physical or mental, that differ from their designated society, and both societies make them outcasts. This parallelism further confirms that whether a society is controlled by the government or not, humans have natural tendencies. This parallelism helps contribute to the important  theme of human nature that is displayed through multiple aspects of the novel.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Section 2

Brave New World is a novel about a futuristic society that is immensely controlled by the government. There is a scene in the section two where Bernard goes to receive approval from the D.H.C. to holiday on the Savage Reservation. During this meeting, the D.H.C. shares an anecdote about a time when he traveled to the Savage Reservation when he was around Bernard's age. After sharing the story, the D.H.C. states, "I actually dream about it sometimes" (Huxley, 97). This anecdote sheds a new light on the D.H.C.'s personality, and begins to show the D.H.C. as a round character. Before this moment, the D.H.C. was strict in following the rules of "everyone sharing everyone," and yet this story shows that he at one time in his life shared strong feelings for one specific girl. The D.H.C.'s anecdote and round character traits also add more emphasis on human tendency. Thus far in the novel I have observed many instances where a character goes against the grain and possesses strong feelings for one specific person of the opposite gender. The fact that now the D.H.C. is sharing an instance in his life when he broke an important rule of the society shows that humans naturally gravitate toward monogamy.

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost is a poem about a man walking in solitude down a city street. I personally struggled a great deal with this poem, and still find the meaning of the poem to be a bit of a stretch. I only noticed two literary techniques in this poem. The first was the repetition of the phrase, "I have" (line 1). The other literary technique I noticed was a juxtaposition between light and dark. I believe that these two symbols represent good and evil. Past these two details, I lack understanding of this poem. I felt like it the concepts we discussed in class were a bit of a stretch. The poem seemed like a bunch of nonsense. I thought the image of the watchmen was a exaggerated because when I think of a police officer I think of illegal activity. If the speaker had done something bad enough to avoid the police, I do not get why people would not be calling after him. Many of these poems I struggled on, but this one in particular I have a hard time wrapping my head around.

Batter my heart, three-personed God by John Donne

The poem Batter my heart, three-personed God by John Donne is a poem about the speaker's struggle in his relationship with God. He discusses how God is trying to get the speaker to follow him, but the speaker is engaged with the Devil. The speaker makes an ironic comment when says he claims, "Yet dearly I love you and would be loved fain" (line 9). The speaker is being pursued by God, and rather than accepting God, the speaker stays with the Devil. The speaker states that he wants a divorce from the Devil, yet the speaker wants God to do all of the work. This is ironic because the speaker is not trying or making an effort to follow God, and the speaker still states that they have love for God. The speaker wants to be taken by force from God, so that he does not have to put in the effort. Just like an actual relationship, I struggle to see the love the speaker has for God if the speaker is unwilling to put forth equal or more effort toward God.

Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritche

Elisavietta Ritche's poem Sorting Laundry is a poem about a woman comparing her relationship to folding laundry. While going through this laundry she comes across an article of clothing from an old lover, which causes her to think of worse possible cases. Before she doubts her relationship, she thinks about how strong her relationship is and compares problems to,  "All those wrinkles | to be smoothed, or else | ignored; they're in style" (lines 19-21). She is claiming that even though her and her current lover have deputes  they are able to fix them or ignore them. The relationship they have is strong enough to move past arguments and disagreements. This metaphor helps emphasize that there is not a single overpowering issue in her relationship. By establishing this fact about her relationship, the reader is able to observe how distressed she becomes when she considers her current lover leaving her. She worries later on about this almost perfect relationship when she considers her past relationships.

The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy

The poem The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy is a poem about the fatal event of the Titanic sinking. The speaker covers a variety of topics ranging from the ship before sinking, after it has sunk, and society's view on the Titanic. According to the speaker, society believes the ship to be unsinkable, "And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she... Of her salamandrine fires" (lines 3-5). Having a negative view on society, the speaker has a tone in which he blames society for the tragic event. Society viewed the ship as unsinkable and able to survive any situation the ship faced. Furthermore, rather than worrying about the safety of the passengers, the lavishness and luxury of the ship was taken into consideration. As a result of this mindset, the ship endures an accident contrary to the accepted beliefs of society. This tone complements the meaning of the work because it shows the speaker lacks pity for the passengers of the ship. The speaker the population was foolishly focused on less important aspects of the ship. Establishing the views of society in a negative tone, the speaker was able to explain that the sinking of the Titanic was destined to occur.

My Misstress' Eyes by William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare's My Misstress' Eyes is a beautiful poem that is easy to understand. The entire poem is explaining how this man's mistress lacks perfection. The man almost completely degrades the woman, but at the end there is a twist that brings the theme of opposing gender stereotypes. Rather than being the shallow, materialistic speaker of To His Coy Mistress, this speaker states, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare" (Shakespeare, 13). This speaker shows that even though his mistress lacks being the ideal woman, he still loves her regardless. This goes against the gender stereotypes for men because society views that men look for looks, but this speaker states otherwise. By looking past these imperfection, the speaker truly feels a rare love for this woman. I think when he says rare love he is referring to the fact that most men would not have feelings for a woman like this. This poem challenges people to observe what what truly attracts a person of the opposite gender to them.

To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell

The poem To His Coy Mistress is about a man adoring a woman for her beauty and other material reasons. He uses a few Biblical references and vivid imagery to explain this woman's beauty. The speaker the uses a metaphor when he states, "Time's winged chariot hurrying near" (Marvell, 22). At this point there is a shift in the poem and the speaker begins discussing how the woman's beauty will only last a short amount of time. The speaker is explaining that time moves swiftly, and with time her beauty will fade, too. This poem shows that the stereotype of men being focused on the appearance of women out weighs their feelings for a woman. He states that once the woman ages, her beauty will escape her. He is warning the woman to enjoy life while she still possesses her beauty. Later he states that there is no human way to freeze time, or in other words to have everlasting beauty.

A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell

A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell is the story of two women making observations of a woman's house who is being accused of murder. The husbands of these two women make it clear that Mrs. Wright had killed her husband, but they lacked the reason for her motivation. Through ironic measures, these two women are able to figure out the motivation of Mrs. Wright's murderous deeds. After finding the dead bird, Mrs. Hale observes, "'His neck. Chocked the life out of him'" (Glaspell, 423). The women first establish that the husband was quite hard on Mrs. Wright. Not only did she completely change her lifestyle to a more unhappy lifestyle, Mr. Wright was very controlling. Mrs. Wright greatly enjoyed her bird, and I believe once her husband killed the bird she finally snapped. This quote shows a direct correlation between the the means by which both the bird and Mr. Wright were killed. I think that Mrs. Wright finally became tired of her husband, and along with resent from the bird, murdered her husband in a similar manner.

Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff

The short story Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff is the story of three good friends going hunting. Each of these friends makes cruel comments to one another, which causes a great deal of tension between the three. At first when Kenny is shot, I did not feel sorry for him, but at the end of the story there is symbolism that evoked sympathy for Kenny. As Kenny is desperately awaiting the hospital, it is observed that, "Hanging between Kenny's toes in the direction of the hospital, was the North Star, Pole Star, Help to Sailors" (Wolff, 201). This image of the star that helps give direction is a symbol that Kenny will never make it to the hospital in time. Even though he had a sick sense of humor, Kenny is still human and experienced an event no human would want to experience. This symbol of realizing Kenny was doomed caused me to feel sympathy because of how helpless and weak Kenny was at that point. His life was in the hands of two men who lacked care for Kenny's well being. From this symbol it can be inferred that Kenny will either bleed to death or freeze to death before Frank and Tub realize their mistake.

Othello: Act V

Othello by William Shakespeare was an intriguing play with a solid plot. I found this play to never have a dull moment due to the characterization of Iago. I thought he would be more on the "awesome" side as a villain. His intelligence allowed him to manipulate every other character in the play, which I found to be humorous. Even after being caught on his lies, Iago still has the nerve to say, "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word" (V,ii,302-303). Iago has been completely revealed, and he still does not share his side of the story. I think Iago is the best villain out there because after reaping havoc on all these character's lives, he chooses to remain silent. Talk about not caring about authority. Other than Iago's character, I found this story to be entertaining. The story was well crafted and thought out. I also found the Shakespeare style easy to read because the story is easy to piece together with the words I already know.

Othello: Act V

The characters in Othello by William Shakespeare each have their own unique part in the play. Othello begins as such a kind and loving character who would give anybody a second chance no matter the situation. Throughout the play, Othello because a dynamic character because his whole attitude changes once he listens to Iago's rumors. When Desdemona wakes up and Othello is standing over her, Othello informs her, "I would not kill thy unprepared spirit" (V,ii,31). These words are obviously radical compared to the Othello observed at the beginning of the play. Othello's character completely changes from being the most compassionate man, to wanting to murder is own wife. Othello loves Desdemona so much that he becomes distraught when he learns of her unfaithfulness. His mental attitude completely changes about his wife, so he begins to believe killing his wife is his only solution. Through Othello's words, the reader may observe the dynamic change in Othello. Iago's power over Othello's mind is so strong that Othello becomes a completely new person.

Othello: Act IV

At the end of Act IV of he play Othello by William Shakespeare Emilia and Desdemona have a peculiar conversation. Desdemona mentions multiple times different omens she observes. While discussing these omens, Desdemona foreshadows her death when she says, "If I do die before thee, prithee shroud me In one of those same sheets" (IV,iii,23-24). In this scene, Desdemona makes many other comments that imply she will meet her demise. Along with singing a song another lady sung when she died and saying she thought she would be crying soon, Shakespeare makes it obvious something tragic will happen soon. Until this scene there has been little indication of any deaths occurring, but this one finally screams attention. This foreshadowing allows the play to reach a turning point, and finally allow the tragic events to take place. The foreshadowing also allows the reader to make their own opinions of what will happen next, which adds a little bit of a suspense to the play. Desdemona also gives the reader an idea of where and when her death will take place. After reading this scene I was able to figure out exactly what was going to happen to Desdemona.

Othello: Act IV

Act IV of the play Othello by William Shakespeare begins with Iago manipulating a conversation with with Cassio. During this conversation, Bianca shows up and returns the handkerchief back to Cassio. This situation helps Iago because he says, "She gave it him, and he hath given it his whore" (IV,i,165). I found this scene to be ironic because Iago was trying to convince Othello that Cassio slept with Desdemona and that gave Othello visual evidence. If Othello had actually understood the context of the scene, he would realise that Desdemona never gifted the handkerchief to Cassio. This event was unplanned by Iago, and yet he was able to utilize it to his advantage. He was quick on his feet which allowed him to finally wrap up his sadistic scheme. This also shows how blind Othello is to the reality of the situation, even though there is plenty of evidence in the conversation to reveal the truth. The irony of this situation ultimately leads to Desdemona's demise because Othello is thoroughly convinced Iago is honest.