Preview

Pursuit Of Vanity In Brave New World

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
586 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Pursuit Of Vanity In Brave New World
The Pursuit of Vanity “Truth and beauty and goodness are not determined by when they exist. Nothing is inferior for being old, and nothing is valuable for being modern. This has freed me from the tyranny of novelty and opened for me the wisdom of the ages” - John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley examines a futuristic society where people live lifestyle where sexual and mental gratification are available. A lifestyle of sexual promiscuity, soma/drugs that release dopamine, and high status is the purpose of life. Short-term bursts of happiness and technological advancements enable the people of Brave New World to disregard consequences and always look forward to novelty. In Brave New World, novelty/instant gratification and the never ending need for more creates a consumer utopia that set the standard for happiness. …show more content…
New and upcoming advancements are always praised but “historical facts are unpleasant” (Huxley 24). Children are conditioned to dislike history and past suffering; the past is seen as the state of society in which everything was vain and ridiculous. On page 32, the Director states, “For a very long period before the time of Our Ford… erotic play between children had been regarded as abnormal… absolutely nothing… til they were over twenty years old” (32-33). The students are appalled at the fact that sex is put off till the age of twenty; the thought of delaying instant sexual gratification and waiting is a terrible thought in a society where drugs and sex are available in an instant whenever one wants
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Technology In Brave New World Essay
    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Technology In Brave New World Essay

    Compared to many other dystopian novels, social critic Neil Postman believes that Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a more relevant book that parallels to today’s society. Brave New World highlights the aspects of technological advancement, the expulsion of self-knowledge and learning, and the potentials of exorbitant consumerism. Postman asserts what Huxley feared the world would become, and how his vision implies to the abounding possibilities of the future.…

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Huxley Use Satire In Brave New World
    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Huxley Use Satire In Brave New World

    Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) is a satirical novel that presents grossly exaggerated and absurd constructs as the norm. This World State is described as the ideal place; it is the best thing that happened for humanity. It is civilized civilization. The World State is full of everything one could ever want: sex without commitment, easy access to drugs, and essentially guarantees a state of being content through conditioning. Moreover, death is no longer something to fear and feelings do not exist in their full spectrum. It is through Huxley’s use of satire and presentation of these ideals that made me aware of how those aspects form my definition of what it is to be uniquely human.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Brave New World Rhetorical Analysis
    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Brave New World Rhetorical Analysis

    Huxley thoroughly condescends the contemporary values of our society in Brave New World. He specifically uses point-of-view, allusion, and motif to create his ironic commentary for which his novel is best…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Meaning Behind Brave New World Essay Example
    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Meaning Behind Brave New World Essay Example

    Of all the works that Aldous Huxley has produced the most intriguing and philosophical one would have to be Brave New World. Throughout his carrier Huxley has written many satirical novels about the flaws of society but none can compare the symbolism and depth that this novel presents. As the above quote suggests the citizens of this futuristic society known as the World State chose to live a life of hedonism devoid of emotions and beliefs rather than suffer any pain. Both Huxley's focus on the tragic flaws of this society and satirical development of the utopian scheme, lead us to believe the hypocrisy of such a utopian state. Furthermore there are many parallels that can be drawn between our way of life and the society portrayed in the book; these parallels include soma, hynopaedic messages and sex. Huxley uses this parallelism to warn us that the path that our society is taking will lead us to damnation.…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Huxley Vs Krutch
    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page

    Huxley Vs Krutch

    Aldous Huxley is an English writer that had an idea of a perfect society in which many people would say have similarities and differences with Joseph Wood Krutch’s idea about his idea about a utopian society. Krutch’s thought about a utopian society is interesting because it’s contrary to what Huxley believes. Krutch explains that “having fun” is ignoble and that if people put “fun” before anything else, a utopian society would be impossible. Huxley talked about the reality of a utopian society, “Utopian is something from which people feel the need of taking pretty frequent holidays.” Huxley believes that people having fun are utopian to them and because of this, Huxley’s ideas and his prediction about one’s society doesn’t coincide with Krutch’s…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Brave New World Rhetorical Analysis Essay
    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A Brave New World Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    We’re fascinated by the terrible things character's face and for years now, authors have evaluated and ridiculed the “perfect” society to share their concerns about humanity. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley presents a dystopian, emotionless and controlled world where all individuality is masked by their false understanding of “happiness”. Soma, is their armament against the effects of conflict and the only way to indulge in their inescapable life. True happiness is only possible through the perception and feeling of emotions, soma simply provides a distraction from the truth of a world gone wrong. In fact, it appears the plot, tone and characters from the novel all display examples of soma and the belief that happiness is achieved within.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Brave New World Sex Analysis
    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Brave New World Sex Analysis

    In Huxley’s fictional Brave New World happiness is associated with sex, drugs, and no personal freedom. In our country, we can have happiness without all of those things. In Brave New World sex is one of the primary sources of happiness, along with soma. Brave New World promotes having lots of sex, and is very against having just one sexual partner. People aren’t worried about personal feelings in Brave New World. Whenever they feel depressed, sad, or bad at all, they take a drug called soma.…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dystopian Society In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World
    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dystopian Society In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

    Although the novel, “Brave New World”, encourages sexual intercourse, drug use, and opposes any form of family, and religion it should be kept in the high school curriculum because these are our worst features of our world drawn out and exaggerated, and humanity seems to be moving closer to Huxley’s dystopian vision.…

    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aldous Huxley's Vision Of Brave New World
    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Aldous Huxley's Vision Of Brave New World

    Neil Postman argues Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World is a more relevant piece of literature based off the future than George Orwell’s 1984. The way I see it, Huxley’s vision focuses on what could go wrong from the inside, rather than Orwell’s idea of an outside force disrupting societal traditions. If the human body can evolve, so can the human mind. Huxley expresses that the people will grow to love their privileges. For example, feelies or orgy porgy make the citizens feel nice, and causes them to continue to participate. These activities do not enlighten or spark any interest in history, self-government, or even maturing as a person. It is what we love most that will kill us, instead of what we hate. We love pleasure, not pain. Orwell…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Brave New World Literary Analysis
    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Brave New World Literary Analysis

    In a world where there aren’t enough problems for healthy personal development, do we create artificial mental distress with chemicals for balance? This section of the piece of literature known as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a piece of literature that makes a lot of broad points about ideology, has characters that in ways seem to be pawns of these ideologies but lacks a setting, is written in third person, and has a very interesting plot and conflict.…

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    1984 Should Be Banned Essay
    • 595 Words
    • 3 Pages

    1984 Should Be Banned Essay

    The inclusion of sexual scenes and activities reinforces behavior that is taboo in society, but not adolescents. In the novel on page 67, Orwell states that “She threw herself down on the bed, and ... in the most horrible way you can imagine, ... pulled up her skirt,” depicting the act of encouraging coitus, an act illegal to all minors in the United States. In addition, Winston and Julia“[made] love with sweating bodies,” (150) and “he could do what he liked with her,” (120) reinforcing the idea that the act of carnal embrace is acceptable, especially without moderation. A final example of copulation is how Julia “pressed her bosom against him,” (136) to silence Winston when he admitted that they were dead, showing the idea that sex can be used as a means to get one’s way. According to a study done by Psychology Today, boys who were shown sexual content were 3 times more likely to participate in unsafe sex, and girls were 2 times more…

    • 595 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Utopian Society In Brave New World
    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Utopian Society In Brave New World

    Brave New World intrigued me, even before I began reading because it has been said to be complicated, provocative, and prophetic. In Huxley’s vision of the future, humans are produced the same way consumer goods are produced on an assembly line. It was hard to imagine a world without childbirth, where human reproduction became solely about maximizing efficiency. I felt pity for the students because they felt no positive connotation to the words “parent” and “home”. They no longer had a personal connection to family, feeling no love or emotion at all, which to me is the entire basis of humanity. They feel lucky to be spared all the pain and suffering that come with emotions, and although many of us probably feel it would be easier, with pain comes the understanding of real happiness. Even the traditional taboos about sex have been discarded; children engage in erotic play because they have been conditioned to believe that sex has no emotional or moral…

    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Drug Abuse In Brave New World
    • 1361 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Drug Abuse In Brave New World

    Within contemporary American society, there is a large focus on self pleasure, and being able to stay happy throughout the hardships and struggles of life. Our lives shift in different directions as we change as people, but our end goal is always happiness, whether immediate or requiring investment. Within the shallow society of Brave New World, the people constantly search for pleasure and release, much like our own world. However, they are heavily inclined by the government to search for the short-term solution to curing their desire for pleasure. Through Brave New World, Aldous Huxley provides a relevant warning about a society focused purely on short term pleasure solutions, whether sexually driven, or driven by drugs, and the extensive…

    • 1361 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Brave New World Individualism
    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Brave New World Individualism

    As the novel continues, the regulations and values of the society are clearly revealed. Huxley reveals the sexually explicit lessons taught to the…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Happiness In Brave New World
    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Happiness In Brave New World

    Throughout the story, the cheapening of sexual pleasure is illustrated. The belief that “everyone belongs to everyone else” is taught since the beginning of every class’s conditioning. Individual thought is not part of the stability in society, therefore is not accepted into happiness. Society’s happiness must come from what they are conditioned to believe is right and acceptable. “The world's stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get... And if anything should go wrong, there's soma.” (Huxley 220) Due to the cheapening of the way pleasure is achieved, that means that society is cheapening its moral entertainment. Due to the conditioning, they are taught to like the new, and get rid of the old. “‘But old clothes are beastly,’ continued the untiring whisper. ‘We always throw away old clothes. Ending is better than mending, ending is better than mending, ending is better than mending (Huxley 54).’” This illustrates how society is concerned on keeping up with the new, and not with the old. This relates directly to today’s society because every teenager and young adult wants to have the newest gadgets and clothes. Statistics according to Web Wise Kids state that since 2004, the percentage of children with a cell phone has gone up to 75% from 45%. The rate at which kids become involved and productive with the internet is between the ages of 2 and 5. With an ever growing technology market, more and more young adults have learned “computer skills” rather than “life skills” according to Dirk Singer from Lies, Damned Lies & Statistics (Singer 2012). . Another way in which society receives pleasure is through technological advances such as the “Feelies.” The “Feelies” is where the characters go to watch a film and “feel” what they are viewing. Similarly, we go to the movie theater and through seeing different scenes throughout the…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics