Brave New World Response 2

At what point did the society shift into this one-state, and to what extent?

The society in Brave New World seems mostly stable. Their way of life including “having” people whenever they want and children being produced in masses in labs seems to have been going on for a while. “‘Humans used to be...’ he hesitated; the blood rushed to his cheeks. ‘Well, they used to be viviparous,’” (Huxley 36.) Any mention of the old ways of life makes people in this society very uncomfortable. This shows that things have been different for quite some time. “And I was so ashamed. Just think of it: me, a Beta - having a baby: put yourself in my place.” (Huxley 129). However, apart from this uncomfortableness, they are still societies that procreate naturally and live a much different, older kind of lifestyle. These are called “savages.” The existence of these savages makes me wonder how they were not affected by the change to the one-state, and how the rest of the world decided to make this shift.

What does John symbolize or represent?

It is unclear what John may represent. He is a savage with many civilized characteristics, such as being able to read and having knowledge of the new world (Huxley 138). However he does have many savage qualities as well. John could represent the past in some aspects, or he could represent the future; a combination of both old and new lifestyles. He could represent outsiders or change. The purpose of John’s character and symbol will hopefully be shown later in the book.

Why does Lenina like John so much if she is repulsed by the savages?

“Lenina was smiling at him; such a nice-looking boy, she was thinking, and a really beautiful body” (Huxley 126). This is what occurred when Lenina first met John. Minutes before, she was utterly repulsed by the savages and their lifestyle. “Any suddently the creature burst out in a torrent of speech, rushed at her with outstretched arms and - Ford! Ford! it was too revolting, in another moment she’d be sick - pressed her against the bulge, the bosom, and began to kiss her” (Huxley 128). Later in the book Lenina likes John and wants him to make a move. While reading, I didn’t understand her liking of John while she was repulsed by other “savages”, including John’s mother, Linda.

Don't You Want Me? by The Human League

1. The subject is a boy and girl who are broken up. The girl is independent but the guy can't believe the girl doesn't want him because he believes he gave her everything and made her who she is.
2. The guy's part sounds more aggressive and trolling, while the girl's is more independent. This is shown by the guy saying, "But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now and I can put you back down too." This is also shown by the girl saying, "Even then I knew I'd find a much better place either with or without you."
3. I side with the girl because her side is more appealing. The guy's side is too controlling and abusive This is shown where he says, "I picked you out, I shook you up, and turned you around, turned you into someone knew."

Brave New World Response 1

In the society in Brave New World, they have created equality within classes. They do this by genetically altering the fetuses to predestine their future and class. There is, however, much conformity. They use hypnopaedia to plant ideas in the peoples' minds, such as "Everybody's happy now," and "I'm so glad I'm a Beta." By using this technique of playing things to the people as they sleep, they reduce conflict by restricting relationships. Individual rights are taken away before people are even born, or "decanted", since they are genetically altered and predestined. It seems religion is not an issue in this society, however everyone is very fond of the "Ford." They have forced happiness by using hypnopaedia to make people believe they are happy with their lives.

At this point, this society seems to be a utopia. However strange the society may be, things seem to be in order. We do see a bit of Bernard opposing hypnopaedia and soma, but in the end he takes soma and conforms. Although it currently appears a utopia, I do see it becoming a dystopia very soon.

Insider vs. Outsider Perspectives

1. The benefits of having two different perspectives is that you get two different views of the same thing. An inside view provides a more personal view that is more closely associated with the culture that is being observed. An outside view provides a more scientific and open approach. The insider perspective is better because you're seeing what is actually believed by the people and are observing on a more personal level.

2. Acknowledging your biases instead of being objective is a rule for conducting an ethnography because you are from a different culture and it's impossible to pretend like you don't have different views and judgments about the people.
Having an informant is a rule so you can get a first-person account of the culture instead of gaining knowledge only through observation. They may tell you things different than what you could have observed.
Being up-front about what you're studying is a rule because even though the people are different from you, you need to be honest. This honesty will keep them from viewing you as an intruder or enemy. This rule also goes with the informant rule because by telling people what you're studying, some may be willing to help and inform you.

Rain on the Scarecrow

1. On the surface level, this song is about a family of farmers who lose their land. On a deeper level, it's about the changing American society and dwindling economy.

2. An external conflict is the effect the economy and government have on people.

3. The farmer losing his farm symbolizes the weakening economy. The scarecrow represents the past.

4. Mellencamp uses words with negative connotations to emphasize the negative effects of the government and economy. An example is the word "blood".

5. Mellencamp favors the farmer's side. We are supposed to feel sympathy toward the farmer for losing his land.

Orientalism

1. The West views the East as inferior and exotic.

2. Saying that the West views the East as homogeneous means that people in the West view people in the East as a mass of people who are all the same.

3. According to the article, Eastern people's actions are determined by instinctive emotions. Their emotions and reactions are determined by racial considerations.

4. The views of the East has benefitted the West because it has made us more dependent of ourselves and raised our self-esteem. Creating a common enemy benefits a group of people by creating more unity and more independence.

5. The view of the East still exists because we have a lack of perspective.

1984 Part 3

In my opinion, it cannot be fully established whether Big Brother won or lost. In some aspects he has won, and in some he has not. The major way in which Big Brother did not win is that although people who commit thoughtcrime are brainwashed or killed, this does not prevent thoughtcrime from occurring, which is the major weakness and problem of The Party. “We are not interested in those stupid crimes that you have committed. The Party is not interested in the overt act: the thought is all we care about” (209). By saying this, it proves that the thought is the Party’s weakness. Though they can get rid of it, the Party can not stop the thoughtcrime from happening in the first place, and in this aspect Big Brother has lost.

However, in another aspect, Big Brother has won. Throughout the book, Winston is clearly against The Party by saying things such as “Down with Big Brother!” (19) and rebelling against their laws by sneaking around with Julia. His goal is to bring The Party and Big Brother’s rule to an end and to make life better. Because of this, Winston is tortured and brainwashed, and in the end states that he loves Big Brother (245). As readers we know that Winston most definitely does not love Big Brother, so this shows that The Party has successfully brainwashed Winston and made him a content supporter of The Party. In this case, Big Brother has won.

I don’t really see a way of The Party losing power. I would say a massive revolt would do the trick, but under the circumstances I don’t know how well that would work out. Another possibly is if by trying to gain more power, life gets unbearable even for members of the Inner Party. Again, I don’t know the odds of whether or not that would work out.

Love Language

1. I assumed that the girl was rude, and was just ignoring him. The boy also assumed that he was being ignored.

2. I don't think this is a cultural conflict because deafness is a disability, not a belief of learned way of life.

3. The boy was trying to talk to the girl but she was deaf, which is an external conflict.

4. The boy doesn't know whether or not to talk to the girl, which is an internal conflict.

5. The conflict was resolved because he found out she was deaf and he told her she was still beautiful.