Brave New World and Individual Freedom
The Motto of the World State is Community, Identity, Stability.
With detailed reference to the novel, how do you view this in relation to individual freedom?
“Community, Identity, Stability.” -- The motto that shapes and defines the entire civilized world. Civilians like Lenina believe that the motto has given them their individual freedom. “I am free. Free to have the most wonderful time. Everybody's happy nowadays.” (Page 79) Ironically, Huxley was trying to convey the exact opposite message. The motto really speaks of a heavy price paid -- freedom in exchange for collective happiness. Freedom to feel, freedom of identity, and the freedom to know and create. It is too heavy a price, perhaps, because freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life.
To ensure a community where “everyone belongs to everyone else”, individuality must be entirely eradicated. Babies are mass produced upon order in hatcheries according to castes, like lifeless dolls, existing only to ensure the smooth operation of the world. At the stage of an embryo, every citizen of the World State has its caste, gender, physique, career and mental capacity predestined. Further conditioning and hypnopaedia moulds everyone’s character according to the Controller’s suggestion – “Till at last the child’s mind is these suggestions, and the sum of these suggestions is the child’s mind. And not the child’s mind only. The adult’s mind too – all his life long.” (BNW, page 23) In other words, the whole being of the entire human race is controlled by the few World Controllers. Physically, mentally and spiritually. There is nothing left of humanity. People grow up with an indisputable set of morals and character already built into them, having no ability to choose who to be and what to think. Masses of human behave, talk, and think in the same way. Even if there is a chance to be different, they aren’t able to make that choice. They are confined in their minds; prisoners behind the
With detailed reference to the novel, how do you view this in relation to individual freedom?
“Community, Identity, Stability.” -- The motto that shapes and defines the entire civilized world. Civilians like Lenina believe that the motto has given them their individual freedom. “I am free. Free to have the most wonderful time. Everybody's happy nowadays.” (Page 79) Ironically, Huxley was trying to convey the exact opposite message. The motto really speaks of a heavy price paid -- freedom in exchange for collective happiness. Freedom to feel, freedom of identity, and the freedom to know and create. It is too heavy a price, perhaps, because freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life.
To ensure a community where “everyone belongs to everyone else”, individuality must be entirely eradicated. Babies are mass produced upon order in hatcheries according to castes, like lifeless dolls, existing only to ensure the smooth operation of the world. At the stage of an embryo, every citizen of the World State has its caste, gender, physique, career and mental capacity predestined. Further conditioning and hypnopaedia moulds everyone’s character according to the Controller’s suggestion – “Till at last the child’s mind is these suggestions, and the sum of these suggestions is the child’s mind. And not the child’s mind only. The adult’s mind too – all his life long.” (BNW, page 23) In other words, the whole being of the entire human race is controlled by the few World Controllers. Physically, mentally and spiritually. There is nothing left of humanity. People grow up with an indisputable set of morals and character already built into them, having no ability to choose who to be and what to think. Masses of human behave, talk, and think in the same way. Even if there is a chance to be different, they aren’t able to make that choice. They are confined in their minds; prisoners behind the
References: http://www.enotes.com/brave-new-world/essays-criticism http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2006/2/22/13115/0989 http://www.gradesaver.com/brave-new-world/study-guide/short-summary/ http://www.bookrags.com/essayfree/Brave_New_World http://hotessays.blogspot.com/2010/05/essay-on-brave-new-world.html