Kiorie, Tarae, Mirandah, Jaquayah -- use this space to begin your discussion of Divergent. You are responsible for reading the first 10 pages, asking a good Level 4 question, and answering it in CCEJ. You may also add on (new evidence) or disagree with another group member's post.
What new technology are they making in the book?
ReplyDeleteIn Brave New World, they are engineering people. A professor from London at a center is working with an experiment in which they actually make their own people. He is a scientist and makes genetically cloned babies. The scientist in this book are learning to make babies that are identical from the same embryo. Huxley wrote, "But a bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide. From eight to ninety-six buds, and every bud will grow into a perfectly formed embryo, and every embryo into a full-sized adult. Making ninety-six human beings grow where only one grew before" (Huxley 6). They are learning how to make multiple of the same humans from one bud to be perfectly formed, and identical, human beings. The scientists is describing the futuristic process in which humans will most likely be made in years to come.
What could be the real reason for manufacturing human beings in a lab?
ReplyDeleteIn the book "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, the purpose of constructing human beings in the lab may be to use them in order for the scientist benefits.In the beginning of the story, the director of the laboratory is giving a tour to college students and shows them where they make humans beings. The director is explaining the process to them as they are taking down notes. As the director is talking he states "Ninety-six identical twins working identical machines"(9). He is making ninety-six humans that looks very similar and through this they will all work similar machines. With this statement, the director helps readers assume that these humans will be used for the scientist benefits. They will all be working in the lab while also being a product of the lab experiment.
How are these children made in the lab mentally different from regular children?
ReplyDeleteChildren in the book are different from regular children in today's society mentally by being program to act a certain way which limits certain areas of their capabilities. Children in the book are able to repeat things they hear but not able to fully understand whats going on unlike regular children. For example in the text, a boy that was made in the lab named Tommy, was asked a simple questions and was repeatedly saying the answer but not understanding what was going on. Someone asked Tommy what was the longest river in Africa and stated "Dont you remeber something that begins :The Nile is the" Tommy begin saying the correct answer but could not comprehend what was going on as he kept saying "I dont know" (26) and burst into tears. Tommy was only programed to say certain things that included a certain word but was not able to think on his own in order to understand the context of things. Children in today's society are able to have their own mind and mentally comprehend things. Children that had made in the lab are limited in certain areas that doesn't allow them to expand in their true capabilities.
How are these children being raised ?
ReplyDeleteThese children are being raised in a similar manner as orphans in which they all live together with no direct mother and father. They play games and learn new things, however they never will be able to experience a real home with a real family. These children were questioned about what "living with ones family meant" and if they Knew what a home was." They tried [to imagine] but oblivious without the smallest success"(36). These children are not able to imagine what a real home and family is like. They all live together without mothers and father but only knowing they were made and are not under the care of the Director and the workers in the lab. By this, they are being raised in a similar way to orphanage.
Tarae C
ReplyDeletehow does the setting of the book set the tone for the book?
the setting of the book sets the tone of a futuristic society. "But a bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide. From eight to ninety-six buds, and every bud will grow into a perfectly formed embryo, and every embryo into a full-sized adult. Making ninety-six human beings grow where only one grew before" (Huxley 6). the tone is a futuristic society because they are in a research center and are coloning and makjng humans. they are using some methods to quickly produce human beings.
the world had evolved past regular births. the students at the center learning about the labs and the embroys haven't the slightest clue on parenting. society has changed. on page24," the parents were the father and mother. the smut that was really science fell with a crash into the boys' eye-avoiding science... these are unpleasant facts... but then most historical facts are unpleasant." this shows that the world revolves around the hatchery and conditioning centre. they have moved past the nature birthing and have set up a new boundary for increasing the population.
ReplyDeleteProofread. Many errors in spelling/grammar and punctuation. 10/15
DeleteWhy are the lab babies already pre-destined and put in groups before they are even born? How does this relate to our current social class in society?
ReplyDeleteI think maybe they create this system so the government can control everybody's lives by already creating their destiny for them.In a Brave New World, the director is teaching students the process of how the babies are made. As he talks about it, he describes the groups they are already put in and how they life is going to be before they live it. He states, " We also predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas, or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future...future Directors of Hatcheries". Showing how before even the babies are born their place in society is already set and the group they are in, so the government can control their lives and they have no way to change that. This also relates to our current society because Alphas or Espsilons can be viewed as our modern lower class or upper class because of the jobs they already have set for them.
pg. 13 :)
DeleteWhy do the scientist compare the babies brains to animals?
ReplyDeleteThe scientist compare the baby brains to animals because the comparison shows how smart the baby is or will be. In a Brave New World, during the tour the director starts talking about animals and what the epsilson's embryo has to do with it and then Mr. Foster the assistant chimes in. Mr. Foster states, " But in Epsilons, we don't need human intelligence... Could the individual Epsilon embryo be made a revert, by a suitable technique ,to the normality of dogs and cows. That was the problem. And it was all but solved" (15). Showing how this shows the embryo will have the same intelligence as a dog and cow and that also the scientist make these comparisons to show how low intelligent the baby will be.
Why are the Alpha and the Beta treated way better than the Delta , Gammas, and the Epsilon? If these groups are created by the scientist, why treat them all different?
ReplyDeleteThese groups are treated differently because of their intelligence and how their viewed by society. In the Brave New World, the Director was talking to the teacher about the next lesson the student will learns about Elementary Class Consciousness. A unknown student states " and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still and 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 Beta...Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever...And then we are much better than the Gammas and Delta. Gammas are stupid"(27). Showing how even the kids view each other and see what groups are the best and the smartest over the others. These groups are highly based on intelligence and who destiny will end up at the top of the social class.
Why is sexuality encouraged?
ReplyDeleteIn the book sexuality is greatly encouraged within all age groups in order to keep the people involved with pleasure. Sexuality is looked upon as a good thing and even young children are encouraged to engage in sexual activities in order for them to be happy. The director in the book are always telling young girls from the age of 5 to "Run away now and see if you can find some other little boy to play with"(32). Children are encourages to engage in sexually activities. The maturity level does not matter in the book, however the book focuses on pleasure. If everyone in this society is happy then there would be no problems. Sex is way for people to experience to pleasure and that is why it is encouraged within the book despite age groups.
How is the society in Brave New World different from the society we live in?
ReplyDeleteIn Brave New World, the entire moral beliefs of their society are different from the society we live in. In the book , sex is encouraged at a young age. The authoritative figures in Brave New World allow and expect children to start having sex at young ages. As the director of the center spoke to his students he informed them of how part of today's society is: "Erotic play between children had been regarded as abnormal ... and not only abnormal, actually immoral ... poor little kids not allowed to amuse themselves? They could not believe it" (Huxley 32). Their society looks down on today's society for not allowing children to be sexually active. Morals have completely switched around in Brave New World; while today's society prohibits sex between kids, they encourage it. The moral views in the book are completely different from our views in real life.
How does caste system in the book make the upper class feel?
ReplyDeleteIn the book individuals who are in the upper class may feel ashamed. They have social superiority, however their humanity makes them feel sorry and uncomfortable around people in the lower caste system.For example in the text, Bernard is in the highest caste system and "contact with member of the lower castes always reminded him painfully...'I am I, and wish I wasnt"(64). Bernard feels ashamed of the caste system and wish everyone would be equal so there wouldnt be a difference in social classes. His humanity makes him ashamed as being in the upper caste system and thus many others who are in the high social caste may also feel this way.
What exactly does the drug soma do to the body?
ReplyDeleteSoma tricks the human brain into believing that they are happy despite the situation the characters in the story may be in.Soma is a powerful drug that each character always has on them in order to stay happy all the time. For example in the text, when their was a big celebration gathering, the guest were very calm and even showed no emotion at all. Once everyone was given doses of soma," the soma had begun to work. Eyes shone, cheeks were flushed, the inner light of the universal benevolence broke out on every face in happy, friendly smile"(81). Taking soma allowed people to mentally be tricked into becoming happy. It blocks people from dealing with negative emotions. This cause people to believe that they are happy when in fact they may be the complete opposite.
Why are the kids not taught any history or even allowed to read certain books?
ReplyDeleteIn this society, in order to avoid individuality and free minds you have to withdraw certain information from the citizens in order to better control them. This is exactly how a Brave New World is set up. The government doesn't let the children learn certain things about the society, so they can't go against what they don't know. The main leader who name is the controller tells the director he wants the kids to learn some history. However the director is nervous and not sure he should do it. The author states, " The D.H.C looked at him nervously. There were those strange rumors of old forbidden books hidden in a safe in the Controller's study, Bibles, poetry... It's all right, Director... I won't corrupt them" (35). Showing how in this society, knowing certain things are banned. The government wants the kids to focus on just being happy and being obvious to them, so they won't ever have the chance to go against them.
Why does the society encourage polygamy for the younger age groups?
ReplyDeleteIn a Brave New World, relationships seem to involve everyone and a person can't stay in a monogamy relationship for too long if their young. The reason the society encourage polygamy, because everyone can be kept happy and pleasured for a long time. Lenina tells Mustapha about only being in a relationship with one man named Henry, in which she much enjoys. She states, " No, there hasn't been any one else ... And I jolly well don't see why there should have been" (40). Mustapha states, " And you know how strongly the D.H.C objects to anything intense or long drawn. Four months of Henry Foster, without having another man-why, he'd be furious if he knew..." (41). Showing how in this society at a young age your taught to have many lovers and being constantly sexually involve with someone but not for too long. This helps the young kids in the society stay happy ,pleasured, and never have problems with love and sexuality.
Why does the Controller say these lines on pg. 56, " Suffer little children" ?
ReplyDeleteThe Controller says these lines because maybe he haves no care for the children and really know whats at stake for them in life. He feels like their under his control and are obvious to the reality of the society. The director asked the children to leave the room. He states, " Go away little girl. Go away, little boy! Can't you see that his fordship's busy? Go and do your erotic play somewhere else" (56). After these lines that's when the Controller says, " Suffer little children". Showing how the Controller knows he haves control over these kids because all they know is pleasure and fun but don't know anything about what the government is actually doing to them. The kids suffering is more of the way that they are forever lost in reality about their society.
What trend does the book display?
ReplyDeleteThe book displays the trend of many people having many partners. People are encouraged to flirt, have relationships and sex with multiple people in the book and look at this as a positive thing in a persons life. In the book, there was a particular song that was song in order to promote the act of sexual behavior.They lyrics were "Orgy-Porgy, Ford of fun, Kiss the girls and make them one, Boys at one with girls at peace, Orgy Porgy gives release"(84). Orgy Porgy is the word for sex and the lyrics are basically saying how it is fun and encouraging sexual behavior with many partners. This influences people to follow the trend of having many sexual partners and seen as a positive thing.
Can people in the book truly be happy without soma ?
ReplyDeletePeople in the book can be happy without soma however it is very hard because soma and sex is the only way people know how to be happy in this society. People take soma whenever they are not happy in order to get happy just as people have sex in order to get pleasure. When a character named Lenina was questioned about her happiness she was asked " Wouldn't you like to be free and happy in some other way..in your own way, for example not in everybody's else way"(91). Lenina was asked this because she is now ale to understand how soma has tricked society into believing that they were happy. People in this society are so dependent on soma and sex to make them haooy that they don't truly have happiness without them. It is however possible for people to be happy in this society without soma but it is a mental state that citizens must be able to reach.
I don't think people can truly be happy without soma because this society is very depressing. However, I do agree that sex is a way to make people happy because they are receiving pleasure. Usually, having sex makes people happy which is why they engage themselves in it. In the text, Bernard was given soma to try to make him happy after finding out that Linena and Henry was having some type of affairs. However, the soma made everything seem perfect and happy, but then it will soon wear off. Soma is used to trick humans to believe that things are great in their society when its really not.
DeleteWhat could Lenina have learned about people from visiting the Reservation?
ReplyDeleteFrom visiting the Reservation, Lenina learned how people normal people life without soma, pleasure, and being made in labs. The Reservation is a society where babies are still born from their mother's wombs, there is no such thing as soma and people DNA's are not the same. When visiting the Reservation, Lenina could not understand how people can live in such a world and repeatedly states " But how can people live like this"(109) and trying to get more soma. Seeing how people live outside of her handmade society, hurt her as she couldn't imagine how these people survived. Lenina was able to learn that people can actually survive and live without being presented with the things that her society is dependent on.
why does society want you not to focus on one person of the opposite sex?
ReplyDeleteI think they do because they don't want feeling of love and everything like that. on page 41, " no wonder these poor pre-moderns were mad and wicked and miserable. their world didn't allow them to take things easily, didn't allow them to be sane, virtuous, happy." society obviously want to control them so they don't allow for one to fall deeply in love with just one person.
what does fanny mean when she says, " after all, everyone belongs to every one else"?
ReplyDeleteshe means that the world is controlled and that everybody is with and has everybody else. she is saying that you aren't individual, that everybody is the same in more ways than one
Why is it that within the caste system, a higher group will still discrimate someone within their group?
ReplyDeleteThe reason is that if the person is not exactly perfect or fit the overall requirements to be in the higher group, then the highest of the highest will view that person as less to them even in they are apart of the "higher" caste. In a Brave New World, a man named Bernard is apart of the highest caste, which is the Alphas. However, even with Bernard being apart of the higher caste, he has some features of his body that made him a lower Alpha. The author states, " Bernard's physique was hardly better than that of the average Gamma. He stood eight centimetres short of the standard Alpha height and was slender in proportion. Contract with the members of the lower castes always reminded him of this physical inadequacy" (64). To clarify, Bernard is an Alpha but his is a little smaller and slender than a normal Alpha. So even castes lower than him like the Deltas make fun of him because he is in the top caste but doesn't really fit exactly into it. Showing how him even being in the top caste, he still is able to be look down upon of and made fun of in and out of his group because he is not exactly like the other Alphas.
JAQUAYAH W:
ReplyDeleteAre the creators of the people in the society racist?
Being that we discussed social darwinism in class, I can't say that I definitely sense that the society is for their own race. However, It is especially apparent that they are more popular when it comes whites. In the text they state "You should see the way a negro ovary responds to pituitary! It's quite astonishing when you're used to working with Europeans" (9). The text doesn't yet state what they mean about that phrase, but not knowing the other race may develop a society based on social darwinism farther in the book. Overall, this lets us know that they have never worked with black embryos.
JAQUAYAH W:
ReplyDeleteHow will making a caste system help them achieve a utopia ?
Although they think society will prosper from establishing a caste system it won't because a utopia is basically a perfect society. However, it seems as though they are setting themselves up for failure by creating a "much more interesting world of human invention" (13). Instead of bringing people together, differences will tear them apart and make the society's castes jealous of the others. This will make the people vulnerable to being controlled by the government ,and it will most likely create a dystopia.
A caste system will help them achieve a utopia because everyone in this society is born into a permanent caste system. Therefore, this help everyone to know their place in society. In order words, they know not to expect to much or to less. Not only that but each member apart of a different caste are brainwashed to except their role in life. In the text it mentioned that people " are brainwashed while sleeping" where a voice will repeat things hundred of times. Because they are brainwashed this will help prevent a person from trying to be a Alpha or Beta, if they're a Gamma or something. Therefore, if everyone know their place in society, they won't focus on the differences between each caste.
DeleteEND OF Q3
ReplyDeleteWhat is the advantage/s of not having soma in the reservation?
ReplyDeleteThe advantage of not having soma in the reservation is that it allows Lenina to see the harsh realities of the world instead of using soma to escape the way she feels. When coming into the reservation, the harsh brutalities and living standards of the Indians, is constantly making Lenina wish she had her soma in order to help her her escape mentally of what is actually happening in that very moment. When in the reservation she is constantly repeating the phrase "Too awful..Oh I wish I had my soma"(116). Without having soma Lenina is not dependent on soma to mentally escape somewhere, however by not having it she is forced to faced the realities that is going on in the reservation. Not having soma is an advantage because it forces people who are dependent on soma to not easily back out of reality due to unwanted emotions.
How might Linda pregnancy change people how people view their "utopian" society ?
ReplyDeleteLinda's pregnancy might change how people viewed their utopian society because it would make them disappointed that such a thing could happen with all the advance scientific tools that makes a female pregnancy non existent. When Linda announced the pregnancy, she was as described in a "uproar" and she was "ashamed, covering her face with her hands,sobbing"(151). Not only was she ashamed but everyone was shocked and disappointed that such a thing could happen in this utopian society. It made the people realize that their perfect world with soma to keep them happy and sex to keep them entertained, is not as perfect as they believed. It made them view there society as less then perfect.
Linda's pregnancy changed how people view their utopian society because everyone believed that there was no such thing as a female getting pregnant. The only way people was created was through fertilizing an egg through a tube to make numerous numbers of identical babies. Now this would make people wonder is everything their Director told them is true is not since Linda was able to prove him wrong. However, Linda is very ashamed because people will soon find out about her being pregnant and a mother which was said to not be possible in this utopian world. Linda screamed, "You made me have a baby... it wasn't my fault" (151). Linda is very ashamed with herself about being pregnant and tries to blame it on someone else that she got pregnant. Because of this incident, Linda and others from this society now view it as less perfect. Since people are now able to get pregnant, it may make others wonder about having sex and is it really for enjoyment.
DeleteWhat may the the title Brave New Worldmean in relation to the book?
ReplyDeleteIn relation to the book, the title Brave new World might signify the courage of the young Indian boy to come to the new world he has never been to before. In the book, it is revealed the this young boy from the reservation , is the son of the director in the book. In this society, babies are made in a lab and is not carried in a mother's womb. This boy being born the way he did, will change society and how people view the society in which they live in. This boy is brave to reveal himself to this society who is most likely going to hate him and reject him, however when he makes the decision to go to this new world he has never been in, one of the main character Bernard kept repeating "O brave new world, that has such people in it"(139). The boys decision to enter this new society in which he will not be welcomed in, is such an astonishment and a true act of bravery and courage. This is where the title of the book comes from as the boy enters new world with much bravery.