Brave New World Blog Post #2

Ch. 5-10 Summary

In Chapter 5- 10, Bernard and Lenina visits the Savage Reservation. During their way to get permission from the Warden of the Reservation, Bernard tells Lenina how he wished he wasn’t a part of everyone, and how he wanted to be happy in some other way, not in everyone else’s way. Lenina doesn’t understand Bernard and thinks he is very odd. The Warden of the Reservation, an Alpha-minus, explains about the Savage Reservation, that those who were born there are destined to die there. People are still born, but in a different way than the civilized world, they worship many gods, and that there isn’t ‘soma’ to keep them always happy. After staying for a night in the rest house, they arrive at the Savage Reservation by plane, guided by one of the young Savages. They see a scene of a mother nursing her baby, which Lenina finds it disgusting, and Bernard finds it fascinating. In the Savage Lands, they meet Linda and her son, John (who was born in the Savage reservation). Linda was originally living in the ‘civilized’ lands, but she was lost in the Savage lands. While the DHC (Director of Hatchery and Conditioning) gathers hundreds of workers to dismiss Bernard, Bernard realizes that John’s father is the DHC. Then, Bernard gets permission to bring Linda and John along with him when he is called by the DHC, and humiliates him, as John recognizes him as his father.

I found it very interesting when Bernard talks to Lenina about how he wishes he wasn’t a part of everyone and Lenina thinks he’s very odd once again. In our modern society, most people believe that being different is special and unique, and people encourage others to be different from the rest of the people, instead of trying to be the same. Also, when the DHC is humiliated as John recognizes him as his father, I found it interesting and somehow sad that a father meets his son for the first time, but his first emotion is humiliation. It was very interesting that compared to our society, the Brave New World has different expectations and the way people think, and it made me wonder if our society would ever be similar to the Brave New World in later future, when our technology is much more advanced.

Brave New World Blog Post #1

Ch.1-5 Summary

This story is set in later future, where scientists have finally succeeded in creating what they call ‘perfect, and ideal society’. Humans are no longer born directly from their parents, but from artificial machines. While they’re in the machines, they are split into five different castes, ‘Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon’. The higher castes have more intelligence than the lower castes. The order in the caste system has significant effects on their jobs and lifestyles. For example, Alphas, the highest caste, are given jobs that require most intelligence, such as ‘World Controllers’ and ‘Directors’. On the other hand, the Epsilons have the lowest intelligence and are barely able to communicate. They are provided with jobs such as ‘Sewage Workers’.

The book begins as the Director of Hatchery and Conditioning introduces the ‘Central London Hatchery Center’ to students who are eager to learn. He shows them the process of child growth and education of different castes while going around the ‘Hatchery and Conditioning Center’. In this world, people believe that ‘everyone belongs to everyone else’.

Characters:

Characters that have so far been introduced in the story are the Director of Hatchery and Conditioning, Lenina Crowne, Mustapha Mond, Fanny Crowne, Bernard Marx, and Henry Foster.

The Director is in charge of the ‘Hatchery and Conditioning Center’. He shows and explains to students about the processes of children growth and education differing in each caste.

Mustapha Mond is one of the ten World controllers. He visits the Hatchery and Conditioning Center.

Lenina is a very popular girl, who’s in Beta caste, also working as a vaccination worker at the Hatchery and Conditioning Center. She had been dating only one man, ‘Henry’’ in the Alpha caste, for several months.

Fanny Crowne is Lenina’s friend. She has the same last name as Lenina, since only limited numbers of last names are used in the World State. She warns Lenina that she shouldn’t date only one man for a long period of time.

Henry Foster is an Alpha who has been dating Lenina for four months. He has troubles with Bernard Marx, who overhears him talking in the dressing room.

Later, Lenina is attracted to Bernard Marx, who is an Alpha as well. Bernard is very small compared to other in his age, and doesn’t fit in the society; He also doesn’t have much confidence and feels insecure about his size and status. He overhears Henry talking about Lenina in the dressing room. Bernard invites Lenina to a savage Reservation. Lenina gladly accepts the invitation in public, which Bernard finds embarrassing. After accepting Bernard’s invitation, Lenina’s off to a date with Henry, in a helicopter.

Questions:

1. Since the book is based far in the future, I’m sure the medical technology had improved as well. Since they now have most cures for diseases, how could someone die? Would they die when they reach the maximum age? Or would the ‘World Controllers’ have people die at certain ages to maintain perfect amount of population on Earth?

2. How are World Controllers replaced? What process do the go through in order the pick one?