Literature Analysis #2

On Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

1. The novel starts in a hatchery, in a utopian London some hundred years in the future. In this novel, the whole world is united under a single world state. Breeding and creation of new humans is automated by in vitro fertilization-- everyone is essentially a test tube baby. Society is split into five castes: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. The higher one is on the caste, the more physically and mentally developed they are. Lower caste members, such as Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons do the most menial jobs that no one else wants to do but someone has to in order to keep society functioning.
   
   They are indoctrinated from a young age via a process called hypnopædia (or sleep learning) to be grateful that their in whatever caste they are among other things. In this society, recreational sex and being licentious  is encouraged; one is considered odd if they only have one partner. This is because of the motto of society: everyone belongs to everyone else. We are introduced to Lenina Crowne and Bernard Marx. Lenina is a worker at one of the hatcheries and Bernard is an Alpha plus psychologist. Bernard is somewhat of an outcast. His work with hypnopædia has led him to realize the deeply held beliefs are simply phrases repeated over and over to them as kids. While most everyone else has multiple partners, Bernard advocates only having one and treating women as actual human beings rather than pieces of meat. He is also short for an Alpha Plus. This, coupled with his radical beliefs, has lead many to believe that alcohol was placed in his blood surrogate as an embryo, which is a process by which they stunt the development of the lower caste members.
2. The theme of the novel was the perils of a consumerist society & totalitarianism. In the utopian future in which Brave New World takes place, the world is under the control of a single world state. This world state operates a command economy, where the state is in full control of all land, labor, and capital and make all economic choices. This is often the economy seen in communist states. In order to support this economy, denizens of the world state are indoctrinated at a very young age. Some of the phrases drilled into their minds include "ending is better than mending" and "the more stitches the less riches". They are taught to consume. Huxley wasn't too far off in his prediction of the future. Much like in the novel, people in our contemporary society much rather trash the broken rather than fix it. Further proof of how consumerist it is can be found in the denizen's worship of Henry Ford as a god. Henry Ford, for those who don't know, was essentially the creator of the assembly line, a process which in turn created mass production. Mass production is used heavily in the novel as a form of creating new humans. The world state also controls most aspects of daily lives. Anyone who believes differently than the norm is seen as an outlier. 
3. Huxley's tone in Brave New World is somewhat ironic and satirical. Everything from "Thank Ford" (a parody of "Thank God") to the way that their society frowns upon having one partner, as  opposed to our society. Even the names of the characters have a hint of the satirical tone. Bernard Marx's last name is a reference to Karl Marx (founder of communism). There's many more, such as Lenina Crowne to Vladimir Lenin (leader of the October revolution), Benito Hoover to Benito Mussolini (Italian Dictator), Polly Trotsky to Leon Trotsky (another leader of the October revolution), among others. 
4. A) Imagery: Constantly throughout the novel, savages or lower caster members (even occasionally our main characters) are referred to as animals. In the first two chapters, every time the DHC would talk, the narrator would say "straight from the horses mouth". "Like aphides and ants, the leaf-green Gamma girls, the black Semi-Morons swarmed round the entrances, or stood in queues to take their places in the monorail tram-cars." Chapter four. It gives the feeling that denizens of the world state are much like a colony of ants or bees, with a central figurehead at the helm and the rest of society is born into pre-destined roles in life (workers, soldiers, other specialized groups). Much like insects, they are all mindless drones.

B) Symbol: Throughout the novel, zippers are referenced many times throughout the novel. In the novel, the zipper is a symbol of easy access, which in itself, is something that is central to society in the novel. In said society, one musn't wait until marriage before they have sex. It is highly encouraged that children get introduced into the world of sex at a young age.

C) Foil: One of the most evident foils in the book is that of the savage reservation compared to the rest of the "civilized" world state. In the savage reservation, having multiple partners is frowned upon, as opposed to the world state, where it is encouraged. Linda is ostracized and beaten by the women of the reservation. This foil is used to show the dichotomy between the two worlds and to make the reader ask themselves "who's truly civilized?"

D) Paradox: The situation that Bernard Marx is in is somewhat of a paradox. He is seen as an individual and an outcast cause he does not share the same beliefs as the rest of society. All this changes, however, when he brings John the savage back to London and gets thrown into essentially stardom. At that moment, Bernard essentially betrays his previous values and believes and has sex with multiple women and becomes good friends with Henry Foster, whom he once despised. Huxley did this to illustrate that most humans crave acceptance from the society and wouldn't mind compromising on a few of their beliefs just to have friends and be well liked.

E) Irony: The name of John the Savage itself is ironic. While at first glance it may not seem so (he was, after all, born in the savage reservation therefore is a savage), as we are more and more introduced to him as a character, we begin to realize that he may be the only civilized (by our standards) one in the novel. John is the only character in the novel to be actually born and have a compassionate relationship with his mother, while essentially everyone else was born in a test tube and doesn't even have a concept of a parent. While people in the civilized world take soma and have sex for hobbies, John the savage reads Shakespeare. He also denounces the morals and values of the civilized society, claiming stability isn't worth the sacrifice of personal freedom and individuality. 

F)

CHARACTERIZATION

1. Direct: "For whatever the cause (and the current gossip about the alcohol in his blood-surrogate may very likely–for accidents will happen–have been true) Bernard's physique was hardly better than that of the average Gamma. He stood eight centimeters short of the standard Alpha height and was slender in proportion. Contact with members of he lower castes always reminded him painfully of this physical inadequacy." (Chapter Four).  "A very stout blonde squaw stepped across the threshold and stood looking at the strangers staring incredulously, her mouth open. Lenina noticed with disgust that two of the front teeth were missing. And the colour of the ones that remained … She shuddered. It was worse than the old man. So fat. And all the lines in her face, the flabbiness, the wrinkles. And the sagging cheeks, with those purplish blotches. And the red veins on her nose, the bloodshot eyes. And that neck–that neck; and the blanket she wore over her head–ragged and filthy. And under the brown sack-shaped tunic those enormous breasts, the bulge of the stomach, the hips." (Chapter 7). Indirect: (on Bernard Marx) "And then he spends most of his time by himself-alone". (chapter three); hints at how different Bernard Marx is. In this society, being alone is discouraged. 
2. Huxley doesn't really change his diction nor tone throughout the novel. It is pretty consistent, satirical, and cold throughout.
3. Bernard is quite the dynamic character. A dynamic character, by definition, grows throughout the course of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Bernard is extremely introverted and really awkward. But once he returns from the savage reservation, he is filled with a certain swagger that comes along with the fame that John brought to him. He soon loses this newfound popularity when John refuses to attend an event where Bernard was essentially going to show him off to powerful people.
4. I feel like I've met a legitimate person. I really connected with Bernard and his non-conformity & individualism, yet still yearn some connection to society. His awkwardness and shyness caused by his differences are ones that I myself have also experienced in real life.

LAUNCH

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you In Loco Politico.

Since I was in middle school, I've had an intense passion for everything politics and current events. This has made me somewhat of a black sheep amongst my friends because as they wanted to discuss cartoons, I wanted to talk about the 2008 Election.
This passion has only gotten more intense as I got into high school and began to understand the issues better and began developing my political ideology.
While hobbies typically develop into passions, mine started the other way. This past year I teamed up some fellow like-minded friends of mine (Mia Levy & Izamar Diaz) and created In Loco Politico.
In Loco Politico developed from an interest in politics and current events, yet a lack of reporting we as young adults can relate to. We say a void in the world of open source journalism, where everyday people can become journalists and start discussions. We cover the stories from the perspective of young adults, people who will be able to vote in the next election cycle. We saw it as our duty to provide a platform for others to discuss the pressing issues and events that occur every day but we might not always hear about.
We plan on expanding In Loco Politico further by including authors from every walk of life to get the full perspective of issues from around the world. We also plan on having a discussion forum where our readers (and authors) will be able to discuss the topic and bring in their views and knowledge into the discussion.

I, JURY

On Mia Levy's essay:

I felt that you dove straight into the essay in your first paragraph. The connection to contemporary American society and our consumerist society in the third paragraph is a good one, but one I felt that the paragraph didn't really have much to do with it. The paragraph mostly deals with the concept of religion in this utopian future and not really on the their obsession with technology.

On Erica Marquez's essay:

Good Job Erica. i felt like you could've used a bit more explanation on terms such Alpha and DHC to readers who aren't familiar with the novel. Other than that, the essay is solid. You present an argument and support it with relevant evidence from the novel. You clearly show how Bernard is different and how hes considered an outcast as well as the pressure from society to be a conformist. 

On Shane Hunter's essay:

I felt like the second half of your intro paragraph belongs somewhere else. It seems a little out of place. I like your incorporation of another novel into your essay, but I felt as if you could have expanded on that idea and draw a slightly bigger comparison. Other than that, a solid essay.

On Becky Aldrich's essay:

Hey Becky! I found your use of Lenina as your focus of your essay interesting and refreshing. While most everyone goes for characters such as Bernard or Hemholtz, you went for the less obvious choice. I feel like you could have went a little more in-depth to the description of the world Lenina lives in, as that would give the reader a better insight of how her environment shaped her. Your essay could have also been longer.

BRAVE NEW ESSAY

                Often times throughout our life, one gets that no one understands you; you are such an individual and hate conforming to the everyday. While one might conform on the outside, deep inside one feels special yet alien; a creation of extremely precise circumstances. No character exhibits this feeling of disenfranchisement more than Bernard Marx from Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World. Bernard works as the black sheep in the novel, where community and stability are the main pillars of the utopian future.

                In Brave New World, the people of the world are divided into five castes. The Alphas are the more educated, better looking top of the pyramid followed by the Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and finally, the semi-moron Epsilons. The higher up one is in the caste, the better educated and better looking they are. All humans are “born” in hatcheries, where the whole process is artificial and controlled by workers. The lower castes often receive alcohol in their blood surrogate as an embryo to stunt both their mental and physical development. The lower caste are mass-produced from a single egg via a process called the Bokanovsky process.

This division of classes is actually one of the main factors that unite the citizens of this world. From a young age, denizens of this world state are indoctrinated via a process called hypnopædia (commonly referred to as sleep learning). The ideas of unity and segregation are simultaneously ingrained in their minds. The Alphas are taught to take pride in being the top of the social construct but also to appreciate the work of the lower castes and acknowledge that they are vital to society.

                Bernard was born to the top of the social ladder as an Alpha Plus. He’s an expert in sleep learning. Despite this seemingly perfect lifestyle, he is somewhat of a rarity. He is stated as being shorter than the average Alpha, which is a source of his insecurity and isolation. He needs to raise his voice in order to be taken seriously by members of the lower caste when for most other Alphas obedience is natural. He also has what would be perceived as different views than the rest of society. While most of society is polygamous and has multiple partners, Bernard wants a genuine relationship and refuses to see women as mere “pieces of meat”. Other characters often react with shock and ridicule towards his different ideas; Lenina actually cried when he presented some of his ideas to her.

Society and his people that know him attribute his non-conformity to a rumor that a little alcohol was placed in his blood surrogate as an embryo. These rumors are dispelled when Bernard returns from a “savage” reservation with a young adult that has been raised in the reservation his entire life. This propels him to super-star status and soon enough, he betrays his previous morals and beliefs and has relations with various women. He begins to associate himself more with the people he would hate before.

This shift attitude is often seen in real life. Humans, being the social creature we are, seek acceptance from society much like Bernard. When we finally do get accepted or invited in, we do anything to cling on to that status, including overlooking out past beliefs and morals. This goes to signify the great internal conflict that Bernard is facing throughout the novel. He wants to remain an individual and be true to himself, yet at the same time his loneliness drives him to seek acceptance from others.

The world is such a huge and diverse world that we often feel lost; alienated despite that we are surrounded by 7 billion others like us. While we feel this isolation, we seek acceptance. We want to fit in. Bernard Marx is a clear representative of this emotional ambivalence as he exhibits characteristics and has ideas that often lead him to become ostracized, yet still yearns for acceptance from his peers. Much like every-day people, Bernard is seeking for a purpose, a meaning in life in a society where everyone belongs to everyone else.

Brave New Essay Topic

Found here.

In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess "That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.

Strategy: 

• Talk about his physical shortcomings
• Lenina and other character's reactions to his nonconformist ideas.
• How he sees women and relationships with others.
• When he goes to the Fordson Community Singery and he fakes the feeling of the Ford coming.
• How the success and admiration of the Savage went to his head

I AM HERE

My collaborative working group has been rolling for the past semester. I haven't experienced the success I've been yearning so far but the progress I've made is good. I'm proud of the posts I've made so far And I think they're really good. I haven't used my resources provide to me in this class to the best of my ability . I feel like Preston can get me in contact with a lot more people in ivory towers that can help me out and provide the mentoring and help I need to make it a bigger success that it is so far,I just need to reach out to him.

Lit Terms VI: Return of the Lit Terms

simile: figure of speech comparing two things. Uses "like" or "as" to make comparison.

soliloquy: The act of speaking one's thoughts out loud, usually when alone. Used commonly in plays. 

To Be or Not to Be

speaker: Voice in a poem or narrator of a story.

stereotype: A widely held belief of a person/thing/group. Not necessarily true.

stream of consciousness: Technique that represents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur.

structure: The organization of a work of literature.

style: The distinctive way an author writes.

subordination: Words or phrases that are dependent on one another or something else.

surrealism: Literary and artistic movement characterized by the workings of the subconscious. Unrealistic. Juxtaposition of subject matter.

suspension of disbelief: Sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of entertainment. 
symbol: AN object/idea used in a literary work to represent a deeper or bigger concept/topic.

synesthesia: "Hearing colors", "seeing sounds". Associating colors with words/numbers also acceptable.

synecdoche: Part referencing to a whole or vice versa.

syntax: The arrangement of words and phrases to create a certain sentence structure.
theme: Central topic a book/comic/movie/etc covers.

thesis: A proposition or statement set forward for consideration of the reader. Typically the main topic of the essay/book/etc.

tone: The author's attitude towards the subject they are writing about and towards their audience.

tongue in cheek: A statement that is said ironically. Meant to be humorous. 

tragedy: A play dealing with tragic events or having an unhappy ending. Usually deals with the downfall of the main character.

understatement: Statement that lacks emphasis.

vernacular: The common folk language. Colloquialism; the certain way people from certain regions/cultures talk. 

voice: Distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or a character.

zeitgeist: The "spirit" of the time; the taste and outlook characteristics of a period.

HAFTA/WANNA

I'm glad I'm graduating high school. It was bullshit. I learned a tremendous amount, I'm in no way bashing the teachers or the education I got. Public education isn't that bad... but I digress. I'm glad I'm getting out of this town full of superficial people who only care about status and the material and how they only seem to talk about such mundane and asinine subjects such as how shitfaced they got at that party last weekend. I do realize that the world is full of people like this, but at least in the real world, they'll be easier to avoid. Honestly, I'll keep in touch with like ten people from high school. The good, close group of friends that actually kept it real with me and helped me learn and grow throughout these past four years. Maybe I'm just bitter because those pretty girls never gave me a shot just cause I wasn't on the football team (even though I was Sophomore year). But it's true. They ride on their high-horse of popularity and DGAF attitude when it comes to school/education, only to see it bite them in the ass when senior year hits and they realize that high school was the apogee of their lives. Yeah, I come off as condescending, so what? It's the bitter truth that no one wants to hear. Just the other day, I actually read a Vice article on this exact same topic (can be found here). A passage that really stands out to me is when a popular high school cheerleader and her pompous ego gets crushed by the sad reality of the real world: that she is an insignificant no-one and that her previous social status meant squat. 

There are lots of people like you. You got all the love and praise in high school, and it went to your head. You think you’re better than everyone, but guess what? You’re not there anymore. Nobody cares that you were cool in high school. No one knows you were popular, no one knows you dated the quarterback, and no one would care if you told them. Because here, in the real world, you are just another person, and acting like that makes you a shitty person.

LAUNCH/DRAFT

1. I'm passionate about a couple things. Mainly science and politics/current events. I want to become an aerospace engineer and/or a journalist/political commentator.
2. I think I'm using the tools I gathered from the previous semester and the internet quite well. I still need to the internet to my advantage more and increase my range and outreach through it.
3. I will need to expand In Loco Politico and help it burgeon. Hopefully add more authors on it and curate discussions on the topics at hand. 
4. Honestly, just the fact that I'm someone my age doing this. I really didn't have anyone egg me on or force me to do it. I mean, do you really know any other teenager as aware of this stuff as me? Also, my writing style. 
5. I already have made my idea reality. 
6. I already have two of my good friends as co-authors to the blog. I want to expand and add the general public in the discussion. I want to be in touch with people from all walks of life; from politicians, to activists, to every-day people affected by the issues we cover on ILP. 

Today Is The Day We Fight Back

From In Loco Politico

Fellow Americans denizens of the world, it's time we take a collective stand. It's time we say enough is enough. Today is the day we fight back against mass surveillance.

A year ago, the people of the United States as well as some tech giants collectively helped defeat the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Had this bill passed, the internet as we know it would be radically different. It would have undermined the freedom of speech we take for granted on a day-to-day basis and allowed the United States government to essentially blacklist any website they saw as "unfit".

The collective might of the people and websites such as Wikipedia and Google quickly helped supporters of the bill see the error of their ways and the bill soon lost support and died. 

But now, our freedoms and privacies are facing a bigger threat; the National Security Agency. 

The NSA has been collecting personal data both domestically and abroad, in turn making the world and America a safer place by foiling potential terrorist attacks. Or at least they claim to, despite the fact that they have only stopped one such incident. The only success credited to the program has been convicting a San Diego cab driver of sending $8,500 to the Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab. 

The NSA uses a program called PRISM to obtain all the data and metadata (or data about data) that they have gathered. With PRISM, the NSA has been able to collect data from social media, emails, even your search engine and cellphone company.

The NSA has collected close to 3 billion pieces of intelligence in a single month in 2013. Despite the fact that the director of National Intelligence himself stated that “[PRISM] cannot be used to intentionally target any US citizen,” they have collected nearly 200 million text messages from phones abroad and domestically. They have used these messages to gather data on the users location, credit card information, as well as who is in their network. Even Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel has had her phone tapped and emails read. The NSA has even located targets for drone strikes, using metadata and tracking their location via SIM cards. This information is not nearly as accurate or reliable as other forms of intelligence and can easily lead to civilian deaths, such as the drone strike that killed Anwar al-Awlaki's (an Islamist militant with ties to al-Qaeda) son, who was an American citizen. This was the first time a U.S. drone targeted and killed an American citizen.

Defenders of the NSA and it's collection programs argue that it is for the good of the country and the world. But do the ends truly justify the means? As stated previously, not a single terror plot has been foiled thanks to the NSA. Not a single one. Zero. Despite the massive volume of data they collect, they have nothing to show for it. While the right to privacy is not explicitly stated in the United State's Constitution, it can easily be seen that it was implied by the founding fathers, especially in the fourth amendment, which states

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

A warrant on the American public has yet to be issued.
There are many proponents of the NSA use the slogan "If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear". With that logic, why is it not okay to have people peep through your windows while you watch television-- or worse yet, undress yourself. Would you mind if policemen kick your door down and raid your house? If you have nothing to hide, why should you mind, right? 

“Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”- Benjamin Franklin.

We are slowly becoming an Orwellian society, where Big Brother (the government) knows your every move and thought. There will be no place to hide in this bleak future in which speech that is seen as unfit can easily be suppressed. Many may call this a slippery slope fallacy, but if the mass-collection of EVERYTHING we do on- (and slowly, also off-) line is perfectly OK, what's next? Where do we draw the line?

This is where we take a stand., where we say enough is enough. Join the 6,000 plus websites (including Mozilla, Reddit, DuckDuckGo, and Tumblr) as well as the 169,295 (as of this writing) people who have emailed their legislator to support the USA Freedom Act, which curtails the NSA's power, and to oppose the FISA Improvement Act, which would legalize bulk collection of phone data.

I am writing this directly to you, Senator Fienstein and Senator Boxer. Please help curtail the ever-growing reach of the NSA and help provide your constituents with the privacy and freedom that they are entitled to.

Lit Terms V

parallelism: similar structure in a pair of related words, phrases, or clauses. Also known as parallel structure.

parody: Literary or artistic work that mimics the style of an author for comedy effect or to ridicule. 

pathos: element of literature evoking sympathy and sadness within a reader. 

pedantry: Obsessive concern over minute and minor details.

personification: Giving human attributes to inanimate objects or animals.

plot: Events that make up the story.

poignant: Technique that evokes a sense of sadness or regret. 

point of view: The perspective of the narrator; through whose perspective is the story seen/told.

postmodernism: Genre in which  the use of metafiction (or blending of real-life events with fiction), fragmentation (interrupted sequence of events, not always chronological), irony and black humor is heavy.

prose: Everything that's not poetry.

protagonist: The "good" guy in the story; the one the reader is supposed to be rooting for. Typically the main character.

pun: A play of words that suggests double meaning. 

purpose: The reason the book/poem/etc is written. Why.

realism: genre that represents the world as it truly is, with no idealization or presentation in an abstract form.

refrain: The "chorus" per se. Lines that are repeated in music or verse.

requiem: Work written for the dead.

resolution: The conclusion of the play/novel/etc. Where all the "loose ends" are tied together and the conflict is resolved.

restatement: Expressing the same idea with different words to emphasize and/or clarify said idea.

rhetoric: The effective use of figures of speech to convince or inform others.

rhetorical question: Figure of speech in which a question is asked to the readers/listeners in order to make a point. An answer is not anticipated. 

rising action: The events leading up to the climax; the build up.

romanticism: Genre characterized by a renewed interest in nature, and individual's expression of emotion and imagination. 

satire: Use of humor, irony, and/or over-exaggeration to ridicule and criticize topics/behaviors/actions.

scansion: Method of describing poem's rhythm by dividing the lines into feet, pointing out stressed and unstressed syllables, and counting said syllables.

setting: The time, place, and condition that a story takes place in.