Saturday, July 2, 2011

Almost Halfway Assessment

"Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun,
Kiss the girls and make them One.
Boys at one with girls at peace;
Orgy-porgy gives release" (Brave New World, 84).

No rhetorical analysis in this post -- I'm just going to reflect upon what's happened so far, and if I decide to be bold, maybe make some predictions. I think this will be good for me after two weeks of being gone (to be clear, not on SFS).

And I'm not going backward in the book; I just chose a quote from the first almost-half that sums up one of the main issues I have with this book. It's really weird and confusing. The way that the words and sentences are arranged (there's a word for that -- syntax) just doesn't make for an easy read.

That being said, I think there are a lot of interesting ideas in the book even if I don't really enjoy the weird manner in which they are presented. Predestination, utopias, and social cohesion are things upon which I can gladly reflect. The plot always leaves me with a lot of questions. Which I guess is good. But, like, a lot of questions. I've expressed some of those questions in my recent posts. I like Max's answer as to why Bernard is dating Lenina (to preserve his reputation), but still -- he's being sent to Iceland, anyway, and she's a total dope. So even now, I don't really understand that.

Predictions? I think that individualism is going to be an important theme. Bernard said something about being "not just a cell in the social body" (90), and this world doesn't really allow for individual expression, which is not so great.

But now I'm at the part where they're all stuck in New Mexico (I think). The collision of two completely different societies might be fun. And funny because Lenina is an extreme misfit. See, I understand why Huxley has Lenina as a character, but . . . why with Bernard? Bah, it's probably not important.

3 comments:

  1. Oookay. New Mexico. See, that makes sense. I considered it, but I felt like I spaced out for a second, and all of a sudden... natives.

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  2. Do you think Bernard will be that individual to take down the masses?

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  3. I originally thought that, but then when I realized that John was probably more of the main character, I looked to him to do that.

    And John tried a little bit, but the utopia was too strong for him to succeed. I kind of hoped that the civilized world would shatter in the end, but I think its ultimate stability is an effective warning to us.

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