12 desembre 2010
Bibliography
* Aldous Huxley’s information
http://www.americanlegends.com/authors/aldous_huxley.html Web 8/12/2010
http://www.huxley.net/ Web 14/12/2010
* By Ricky Gehlhaus, Jr., 1998.
http://somaweb.org/w/sub/BNW_CostOfStability.html
Conclusion
As it has been analysed, Aldous Huxley defends the idea that our world is becoming a Brave New World faster than he thought and warns about our own feelings and rights as human beings. In the modern world, the individual freedom could be limited but it’s something that couldn’t disappear because it’s necessary and must be constanly in movement. Huxley’s aim here is the necessity of resisting the power of a totalitarian government by keeping one’s mind active and free.
Brave New World presents a society which suffers the oppression of the World State and a society that encourages everyone to take soma as a solution of social problems because it keeps individuals from experiencing the harmful negative effects of conflicts that people cannot prevent. This world is shown as a warning to all American people and to our society; and that is the result that we could be victims if the human race follows the wrong direction.
Totalitarianism
As it was said before, this novel is based on a dystopia in which the state is the most powerful and dominant force and it controls people’s actions and behaviours in order to preserve its own stability and power. Successfully engineering the loss of individuality, the state of stability and the undoing of Mother Nature produce a world where people are finally living “happily ever after,” but at a great cost.
“When the individual feels, the community reels.”
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 6
This is one of the sentences that deeply express the intention of that Utopian society. Brave New World’s government retains control by manipulating its citizens and making them feel happy and superficially fulfilled that they don’t pay attention to their own life, their own freedom. There is no love, family, science, art, religion, and history, so the society must pay a high price to achieve that false happiness. Through the manipulation of the environment and the human mind itself, the government defines the concept of happiness as the absence of all kind of conflict. Aldous Huxley presents different conflicts with some characters being isolated from the society they are being forced to live within.
The freedom that the characters are losing little by little is reflected with the appearance of the drug soma, which makes them to be in a hypnotic state and produces euphoria with no side effects. This drug is used by the World Controllers as a weapon, as a method of genetic engineering which solves all the problems that could cause the people. Aldous Huxley argues that a genuine, free life requires suffering and pain, men without anguish are men without souls.
Incompatibility of happiness and truth
The great conflict of happiness and truth is presented throughout the novel in every character’s mind. Happiness is supposed to to be the gratification of an individual desires, especially carnal desires such as sex, drugs… However, the appreciation of truth is more complicated because it is shown from the perspective of human truth, which includes friendship, love and personal relationships.
In Brave New World, Huxley “imagined” dictatorship by drugs (he invented a euphoria-inducing drug called “soma”), but his fictional depiction of chemical persuasion, he feels, has nothing on the reality of our over-medicated society. The creation of drug soma is one of the most significant examples of willful self-delusion because it gets dark the realities of the present and subtitutes them with happy hallucinations. This serves as a mechanism for promoting social stability. The most clear example of the conflict between happiness and truth is found in the character of John, who has grown up outside of the World State and his entire worldview is based on his knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays. He sees the humanity in them so he knows human truth, exemplified by his love for the character Lenina. However, she is unable to reciprocate his affections having been raised in this place. This epitomizes the conflict at hand, between Lenina’s desire for sex and John’s desire for love, between happiness and truth.
Of course it is easily arguable that truth can bring happiness in many cases, but through Aldous Huxley’s novel, we could see how truth can be a danger to contentment. In many occasions in Brave New World could be a threat to happiness. In the case of John, even Shakespeare can be used to avoid facing the truth, as John demonstrates by his insistence on viewing Lenina thrugh the lens of Shakespeare’s world.
Technology to control society
As the technology refers to the tools and applications derived from science, it shows what you can do with your own knowledge. Aldous Huxley criticises here how the advances in sciences such as psychology or biology could affect the whole society and produce a totalitarian government. The origin of this government provides a change in human minds and ways to think: the loss of humanity.
Therefore, the government is not interested in scientific advances which contribute to a new vision of the world. It focuses on the idea that stability in a powerful state was achieved in an earlier future; it uses science as a way to reach technology in order to construct a superficial and seamless world. Huxley visualizes the idea of overpopulation due to advances in medicine and technology as the most pressing problem and this problems leads to a worldwide misery which is extending itself around the whole universe. At the same time, he considers modern technology as the fact which has produced the enormous concentration of economic and political power; and also a society controlled by Big Government and Big Business. Genetic Engineering, mutations, and Bio-technological advancements will take man away from nature. Though these are advantageous, slowly and steadily the natural instincts in man are being ‘civilized’.
In this novel we could see how Aldous Huxley presents a society that is not truly happy because everything around them is managed and controlled by technology. This people are both imprisoned and helped by this technology and the outrageous use of it causes a complete loss of initiative; they are not encourage to explore anything beyond what technology has to offer. They rely on technology as a way to distract themselves because it ends up governing all the aspects of their life from birth to death. There comes a moment when people are totally dependent of technology because of its capacity to contruct their lives in a relaxing state of mind. They depend on a particular machine to develop their main tasks instead of doing everything for themselves. The main problem of this situation is that this type of people don’t see the life as it really is, they contruct their own realities in their minds without thinkig about this harmless leisure that could cause these complicated entertainment machines. The consumption and production of these new advances are the basis of the World State’s stability. Whereas the State talks about progress and science, what it really means is the prosperity of technology, not increased scientific exploration and experimentation.
11 desembre 2010
Introduction
Brave New World from Aldous Huxley is a novel which deals with the warning against the danger of a conformist totalitarian society based on scientific principles. This paper explains the main themes of this novel and the negative consequences and impact that this Utopian vision of society could provoke within a short time.
Firstly, it is commented the idea of using technologies as an advanced way in order to improve the quality of life. In a certain way, humans are conditioned to respond in scientific ways to specific stimulants and they have lost their individual freedom. Using these technological devices and being programming as robots, feelings and emotions are no longer important for them. Secondly, the idea of happiness is also very relevant because if the human being follows this lifestyle defended in Brave New World, they won’t be happy and this is reality. It’s not the same to be happy than to think that you are happy when it’s not true. Finally, the most critical question is the idea of having a powerful government capable of dominating every situation in order to achieve their own satisfaction. Here we could see how Aldous Huxley expresses his fears about a completely totalitarian government and a totally scientific society engineered in a laboratory. There’s no doubt that this lifestyle is compatible with human values.
Bibliography
* Feminism in Shakespeare’s plays:
http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/society/duties.html Web. 8/12/2010
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_You_Like_It Web 8/12/2010
http://www.shomler.com/dance/dream/msdt.htm Web 10/12/2010
http://www.elizabethi.org/us/women/ Web 10/12/2010
http://www.monologuearchive.com/s/shakespeare_020.html Web 8/12/2010
http://www.shakespearefellowship.org/virtualclassroom/essaycontest/sh&education%20of%20women (essaycontest’05win).htm Web 5/12/2010
http://echeat.com/essay.php?t=26428&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight= Web 10/12/2010
Conclusion
Having analysed different perspectives related to women’s behaviour and perception throughout Shakespeare’s plays, we could see that women had no status in Elizabethan society, they were considered fertile breeders and their role in society was not viewed as important.
The evolution in the role of women is obvious when the time goes by because we could see how there is one different conception from Elizabethan era to Renaissance. The idea of having always a man next to women to protect them both physically and emotionally is changing little by little. In Shakespeare’s plays it is relevant what he wants to emphasize; he criticises this situation in which women are the victims of a backward society. Some of those women found it hard to respond to those circumstances because of the terrible consequences that they could suffer. Women were also damaged when they were considered as an inferior individual due to the fact that they were not allowed to work at any area, study, vote… They were expected to bring up the future generations being housewives and perfect mothers.
As a conclusion of this essay, it’s important to point out that women in Shakespeare’s plays wish to get married instead of becoming a spinster, which was so criticised at that time and was regarded as a tragedy. Both to become a housewive or to be influenced by her father’s commands show that women’s roles were very limited throughout 16th century.
10 desembre 2010
Relationships between men and women
Focusing on the different relationships between men and women, the two first pairs that are going to be described come from the play The Taming of the Shrew. In this play we have two sisters with a totally different behaviour and perception of love: Katherina is bad-tempered and degrades men that are surrounding her; and Bianca is just the opposite of her sister, she is sweet, delicate and innocent in relation to men’s affairs.
* Petruchio finds in Katherina a woman with an enormous dowry and wealth. This relationship is not based on a romantic story due to the fact that Katherina is only doing what she should do. Petruchio’s forcible treatment of Katherine is in every way designed to show her that she has no real choice but to adapt to her social role as a wife. This adaptation must be attractive to Katherina on some level, since even if she dislikes the role of wife, playing it at least means she can command respect and consideration from others rather than suffer the universal revulsion she receives as a shrew. He sees marriage as an act of domination and he tries to tame her in order to achieve a happy marriage. On the other hand, Katherina gains power and a higher position than she had at the beginning of the relationship; she has reached an authoritative voice that leads to a male inferiority. Petruchio represents a ridiculous man who finishes being dominated by a woman, in this case his wife.
* Bianca and Lucentio are lovers who represent the perfect love relationship. Lucentio shows his love for Bianca at any moment and he based his relationship on coutly love. Therefore, his intentions to be the perfect husband and his theatrical love appears unable to cope with the full range of problems that face married couples in adult life. At the end of the play, his behaviiour seems ridiculous: Bianca turns out to be a “shrew” and Lucentio has absolutely no control over his beautiful, young bride.
Another important perception in the relationship is seen between Rosalind and Orlando in As You Like It. Seemingly, she is considered a woman hidden behind the restrictions of a society limited to the women due to the fact that she disguises herself as a man to ensure her safety when she is traveling alone. In Elizabethan times, any woman was allowed to travel alone and the fact of disguising themselves was a factor that contributed to their freedom. Rosalind is a very admired character because of her ability to subvert society’s limitations imposed on her as a woman. After all, the structure of a male-dominated society depends upon both men and women acting in their assigned roles.
Threatening women to society
As the contradictory behaviour at that time, Shakespeare shows us how different characters could adopt a particular behaviour as a protest or rebellion. These type of characters defend their own rights and rebel against everyone who disturbs them, without taking into account the fact that they are disobeying the rules ordered by the law.
Firstly, it is going to be analysed the character of Cordelia in King Lear, which is one of the most symbolic characters throughout Shakespeare’s career as a writer. Cordelia is the youngest daughter of the king and, in order to divide his kingdom into three parts, Lear should know the love that his three daughters feel towards him. He prioritizes the appearance of love over actual devotion and only wants to hear lovely words in order to give them all he possesses.
In a certain way, Cordelia’s behaviour is unrealistic because she must obey her father’s desires and show all her love and it is not expected that at that time a young girl could resist her father’s demands and asserts her own identity.
Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty
According to my bond: nor more, nor less.
On the other hand, she is not guilty because love is a feeling that sometimes is impossible to put into words and any normal father must know how much love a daughter feels towards him without the necessity of making a big public deal. Cordelia’s honesty and sincerity contrast with her sisters’ selfish insincerity. With Cordelia’s reaction, King Lear punishes her to underestimate her father’s power and at the same time the king’s authority. Lear doesn’t hear what he wants to hear and sees Cordelia as a disloyal and cruel person and daughter.
Secondly, the character of Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew is one of the most controversial in English literature due to the final monologue in the play and her behaviour throughout the play. Her behaviour is seen as a mockery of the treatment of men’s treatment of women and that’s why she represents an important role in society at that time. She is able to feel equal than men and represents triumph of ability and intellect in front of a society who despises women. Katherina is suppossed to obey the laws of her society but therefore, she offers her final monologue as a joke, as an answer to all those women who are being discriminated by society.
(…)
A woman moved is like a fountain troubled,
Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty;
And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty(155)
Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it.
Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labour both by sea and land,(160)
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks and true obedience;
Too little payment for so great a debt.(165)
Such duty as the subject owes the prince
Even such a woman oweth to her husband;
And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,
And not obedient to his honest will,
What is she but a foul contending rebel(170)
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?
I am ashamed that women are so simple
To offer war where they should kneel for peace
(…)
The fact that she pronounces the last word and also the longest speech in the play, produces a sense of victory in every woman who undertands the situation that was established in Elizabethan times.
The last character who is presented as a brave woman who defends her rights is Hermia from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In spite of being a victim in that society and being forced to marry with a man who doesn’t love, Demetrius, she rebels against his own father and also against the Duke of Athens in order to defend her feelings towards Lysander. She is able to face death penalty or become a nun only to get what she desires: Lysander’s love.
I doe intreat your grace, to pardon mee.
I know not by what power, I am made bould;
Nor how it may concerne my modesty,
In such a presence, here to plead my thoughts:
But I beseech your Grace, that I may knowe
The worst that may befall mee in this case,
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.
The only way to escape (especially in the case of women) is to run away from that situation of oppression; and that’s what the couple does even though they are disobeying the rules. Hermia’s disobedience not only upsets the social balance, but also brings on the events in the forest. Her behaviour in front of Egeus forces him to resort to the Duke to allow him to enforce his parental right: if his daughter doesn’t obey their commands she should die.
Here we have three examples that show how some women in Shakespeare’s plays are seen as brave and independent in a society in which everything is an obstacle for them. They must fight at any moment against the power of men over them and help themselves to achieve their own aims because a woman herself is the only one who can achieve what she proposes; nobody supports women’s ideals or feelings.