Brave New World/Education

Well well. I saw the video by Sir Ken Robinson and thought that, to an extent, it was pretty darn interesting! I loved the whole parallel about how society has separated students by age thinking that it’s correct and how they “manufacture” the students. (I personally don’t think that age should separate students. It should be how willing they are to adapt and how fast of learners they are.) But I was like, “Whoa! That’s so wickedly true!” And to me, it seems very accurate because teachers/parents tell their students/children how to receive a degree and that when they do, that’s the only way they’ll succeed. Sir Robinson states, “…this is in the gene pool that there are only 2 types of people: academic, and non academic. Those that are smart and the non smart.” And if you saw him drawing, you would have noticed another similar part where Robinson drew a boy being shoved by a man off the path, in the face. It’s almost like if you aren’t willing to succeed in education and hold the same standards that society has set for you then you’re automatically unwanted. In the novel Brave New World by Aldrous Huxley "… all wear green," said a soft but very distinct ... voice, beginning in the middle of a sentence, "and Delta Children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I'm so glad I'm a Beta." (There’s another long quote but I guess I won’t throw it in here). But do you understand? It’s like they’ve (all the characters in the novel) have been manufactured to be a certain way, a certain type, and if they’re not ‘like them’ than that makes everyone else the ‘different’ ones. For society here, it’s the same way! If we aren’t smart, and aren’t willing to work hard and do well, we’re automatically pushed under the bus and considered not smart.   

Brave New World

In chapter 3 of Brave New World, Mustapha Mond gives the kids a tour of the factory where he then leads them into a conversation about a mother, relationships, and "home." He attempts to say that the relationship between a mother and a child can be corrupt for the reason that it can be "dangerous, insane, and an obscene relationship" (37). Not to mention, he says that a home, "has no air, no space; an unsterilized prison; darkness, disease and smell" (37). For relationships, he states, "It's such a horribly bad form to go on and on like this with one man" (41). Basically, what he means to say is sticking around with one person can create heartbreak and destroy ones self. For instance, if there were heartbreak within a relationship, it could easily cause one person to miss work and to corrupt the community as a whole. Thus he believes that there should be NO relationships and that going around and being promiscuous is okay. Another example would be when the D.H.C. asks the the students what they believed about emotions. Students answered that being capable to feel things was "stupid." One of the controllers states, "Our ancestors were so stupid and short-sighted that when the first reformers came along and offered to deliver them from those horrible emotions, they wouldn't have anything to do with them" (45).
Without having emotions and desires, it gives you no source of attachment to one another. Thus letting you be free and "happy" in their society. Therefore marriage will not be upon them and they can casually live with whomever they want and whenever they want.

10/3 Blog

We have had a variety of discussions going on with the novel The Tempest. We have the discussion upon colonialism, Will vs. Greenblatt, and manipulation. All have taken different tolls on the novel and have geared all of us in different directions.
             In Cultural Studies: Post colonialism, African-American Criticism, And Queer Theory we have the winners and the “savages” that represent the Americans and the Native Americans. It ties deeply with The Tempest because they portray Prospero as the Americans and Caliban as the “savage.” Therefore saying that Hollywood and many others have always depicted other minority races as the blood-thirsty animal and the Americans as the ones that come along to ‘help’ and ‘teach’ them, to help make them more ‘disciplined.’
             Not only that, but there was also that debate Literary Study, Politics, and Shakespeare: A Debate between Will and Greenblatt. Where Will believed in only one way to convey and interpret a novel and Greenblatt believed in many ways to interpret the book. I personally believe that we should interpret books in new and challenging ways, not just ‘ne way.’ I know the author may or may have not seen it the way we see it now, but I think it’s always nice to see things from different perspectives. It makes it more interesting and intriguing.
            Then there was manipulation that was also brought up. I realized how manipulative many of the characters are. Prospero is great at making Ariel believe he’ll receive his freedom some time soon after he fulfills his ‘duties’ and then he makes Miranda believe that he’s not at all at fault for being kicked out of the dukedom when in reality, his carelessness and lack of concentration on the dukedom caused his fall as king. Then there’s Caliban whom Prospero, once again, tricks and manipulates by saying that Caliban is alive only for the reason that he (Prospero) helped him get where he is today. He taught him how to behave, how to speak, and how to live. However, everyone is unsure of whether who’s really at fault or not.
            Although those are just a few, there is a lot more to The Tempest and there is a lot more that could be discussed. However, I’ll cut it short here.

Toodles!