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Berand conflicts.

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In this part of the story all the characters seem to be experiencing different kinds. One way or another they have  conflicts with each other ( man vs man ), with themselves (man vs self) , and with World State ( Man vs self). Bernard is the protagonist who seems to experience all three kinds of conflict, but most important it seems that he has been the trigger to all the other conflicts too. Bernard’s different way of thinking and feeling makes him the outcast. He seems to want things or choose things no body else in World State want, like being able to feel independent. Bernard can be seem as the rebel of the story. Once he meets John he find his perfect opportunity to change things for himself. I believe that Bernard probably thinks t

Linda vs soma

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These middle chapters are what caught my attention the most because in the beginning I thought the book was rather boring and pointless. Different things caught my attention, how the New World react to Linda and the savage, how would they treat Bernard and Linda for bringing such people into their world, etc.

What I found to be more interesting was how once everyone knew about Linda and her son everyone wanted to only see the savage and not Linda. This bothered me a little more because it wasn’t fair. Through out the whole story being a mom or dad was considered wrong and no such thing was heard of. “Nobody had the smallest desire to see Linda. To say one was a mother-that was a past joke: it was an obscenity”(pg.142). Yes she was a mom but after all she still was one of them but I don’t think anyone in the New World wanted to accept that. “Moreover, she wasn’t a real savage, had been hatched out of a bottle and conditioned like anyone else”(pg142). If I were one of them I would probably have gravitated towards wanting to see her more first only because in a way I might feel more comfortable because she’s the same as I. I say the same in that she was produced the same way, however she did look different, fat, bad skin and no teeth. Maybe trying to understand what happened to her would then ease my curiosity into seeing what the savage was like, but at the same time I can see why everyone wanted to see the savage first, he was totally different from what they were.

It saw in chapter 11 that Linda too had no desire to see anyone, but I think deep down inside it would have made her feel better. She might have been a little jealous of her son I think because of the amount of soma she was taking to escape what was actually going on. “She took as much as twenty grammes a day”(pg143). Maybe she thought after everything she’s been threw she needed that much, since she was deprived of it in her savage life, not realizing taking so much would be a bad thing. She might have thought the risk was worth it because of the way it made her feel. “Which will finish her off in a month or two. One day her respiratory centre will be paralyzed. No more breathing. Finished. And a good thing too, if we could rejuvenate, of course it would be different. But we can’t’(pg143).

Maybe the alphas or who ever was considered important and well educated knew the risks of soma, which is why it’s controlled in a way. People get a certain dosage after work and probably only have a certain amount available outside. I think the doctor knows she can die of an overdose, and thinks it would be a good idea if she did. In a way soma was an anti-aging drug as well, because people thought the way she looked was weird because everyone for the most part looked the same. “No we can’t rejuvenate. But I’m very glad, to have had this opportunity to see an example of senility in a human being”(pg 144).  Thus, the people can be further more conditioned into thinking soma is a good thing.

Brave New World Chapters 6-9

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These three chapters really open up the world of the book to the reader. I particularly enjoyed chapter 6 of the book because I saw it as a situation to which I can relate. I believe everyone at one point or another has tried so hard to explain something to some one but has lacked the the ability to get their thoughts across. This in turn makes things harder for the person you are trying to explain it to understand, especially if that person strictly stands by their beliefs.

The quote that part that stuck out the most to me was,

” ‘But, Bernard, you’re saying the most awful things.’
‘Don’t you wish you were free, Lenina?’
‘I don’t know what you mean. I am free. Free to have the most wonderful time. Everybody’s happy nowadays.’ ” (BNW 90)

This sticks out to me as I have of lately been cutting back on hanging out with friends and slowly going into a different mind set when thinking about school and the future. I’ve tried to explain to the people I know why I prefer to stay at home on weekends and not go out and party, but they have a hard time understanding that. In a way I could really relate to Bernard specifically in this chapter. I know that a lot of my friends go out and drink every weekend, and taking that step back from all the partying in a way was like me giving up the soma. To them it seems a little blasphemous that I would rather sit at home and watch a movie or play video games, hell even read a book on a Friday night and I can see them being the society that Bernard lives in.

Bernard feels very strongly about his emotions, and trying to explain to someone why you feel that way, and having them not acknowledge it can be destructive. Bernard as a character is very persistent and stands by his views, but at times he does slip up and indulges again in the soma. This I believe is a wonderful representation of humanity as a whole, we are always being tempted by something, not necessarily in the biblical view point, but in life choices. A majority of us will stand tall and stick to our views but there are instances where we slip up, and I think what is being shown here, is that Bernard is the closest person to us as readers in this current world.

Brave New World Chapters 6-9

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When reading up to chapter six, I really did not understand the story in the beginning but I understand now reading through chapter six through nine. In chapter six I was wondering how Bernard was trying to get Lenina to be with him alone but realized that was not part of their culture, so he did things that he did not want to do like taking the soma. On page 91 in part one of chapter six, Bernard wants to get close to Lenina so he acts like he is aggressive towards her like Lenina says: “why you don’t take soma when you have these dreadful ideas of yours. You’d forget all about them. And instead of feeling miserable, you’d be jolly. So jolly”.  So Bernard takes advantage of this opportunity and does what Lenina says and takes the soma just to get close to her and they get really close. In part two is the start of what will come about in chapter when Bernard and Lenina travel to the Savage Reservation, but Bernard and The Director have an interesting conversation because the Director usually does not open up or even talk to children but he did with Bernard. The conversation was interesting to me because at the end I was wondering what actually happened to the woman that the Director was interested in and why did he leave so fast after her disappearing and why could not he stay longer and find her. In chapter seven we find out a lot of information when Bernard and Lenina go to the Savage Reservation, so when they arrive there were two main characters that were introduced named John and Linda. John seems like a nice boy who just wants to be accepted as a sacrifice and believes something is wrong with him, and Linda is his mother who used to be in the Civilization before she got left by a man after she fell off a cliff and the villagers took care of her and her baby because she was pregnant. Bernard and Lenina listen to Linda’s stories about how it was hard to adjust to Malpais and how dreadful it was for her a “Beta” to have a child, but I believe her child turned out alright so far. I want to see when Linda meets with The Director her long lost love to make up and show him his child from birth which is the thing that is forbidden in the civilization. I wonder if the civilization as they know it is over, or if the Director will try to make sure that no one will destroy what he has built.

Utopian Dream

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My perfect world, my Utopia, would for one be a peaceful place. Wars wouldn’t exist because people would be honest with each other and work together to resolve conflicts through speech and coming to understandings. Technology would continue to thrive, making things much easier for people but also encouraging people to go forth and meet with one another, have discussions, and be social without the help of technology. Society would have given up on categorizing people and all prejudice would be eliminated. Not one person would ever have to feel left out or alone, as we would all be able to get along with one another without feeling hate or any sort of malice towards one another.

I imagine the world green and sunny. The environment taken into account even with the amount of technology being used. I imagine something along the lines of The Shire from Lord of The Rings. Rich green hills, with houses built into them, sheltering people but not destroying the luscious landscapes. Warm light from the houses would cast a comforting glow across the hills at night, welcoming and inviting. Everyone would have their own little niche to call home, and none would remain homeless.

Work would be available for all, and poverty would be eliminated. Everyone would be on the same level as one another, and no one would have more. Greed would be a thing of the past, and ultimately eliminated. People would always have the urge to better themselves, and stray away from any path that would ultimately lead to crime or causing one another any pain or suffering.

I also think manners would be heavily enforced, I feel like our world right now is severely  lacking in that. I think if more people practiced manners it would lead  the world towards a more beautiful place.

I think all of this would create my Utopia. Unfortunately I do know that there is always two sides to each coin, and it never goes as planned, but this to me would be a Utopia I would love to immerse myself in.

 

My World?

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In my ideal world everyone would be at the same economic level. There would be healthcare for everyone. Poverty would not exist. There would be and even amount of supply and demand. Nobody would want more then they already have. Everyone would have a home designed exactly the way the want it. They’d be able to choose where in the world they want to live. Anyone who commuted a crime would be sent to prison. They would never be let out and the death sentence would not exist. Happiness would exist everywhere and everyone would be polite. Everyone would greet each other and speak to each other kindly. Being rude would not exist in this world. Everyone would go to school and school would definitely be interactive.

The education system would involve taking kids on trips to workplaces as well as to museums and different countries. There would be levels to school and once children knew what they wanted to do they would choose. They wouldn’t have to spend years learning at a school to then start their career. They would be allowed to go to this workplace and have a mentor who teaches them everything. Everyone would get together with their family every week. They would plan events together and it would be wonderful.

A person in this world would die of old age. No one would be sick or have any deathly disease. No one would be able to smoke as smoking causes disease. The people would truthfully have a decision to everything. They would decide what, when, and where they did everything. What someone wanted to do at the end of the day would be their decision and money wouldn’t be an issue. The only thing that people wouldn’t be able to choose to do is something that would harm others. No one would be discriminated against. There would a penalty against anyone who discriminates or does anything to harm someone’s self esteem. Bullying in school would not exist.

Technology in this world would be advanced. Whether people wanted to use this technology was solely up to them. Technology would be a helpful device in this world but not essential. People in this world would be able to create whatever they felt the need for both artistically and mentally. One of the things that wouldn’t exist would be cars, they would be a thing of the past. People would need to walk everywhere to enjoy nature. Everyone would also be environmentalists. They would care about nature and the planet we live on.

Animals would play a big role in this world. They would live in a vast area where each of them would have a section. Everyone would help the animals and they would go visit them. There would be no animal abuse. People would be able to have as pets the animals we have now including some others. There would be no war everyone would live in peace. All countries and nations would help each other with anything they needed. I call this My World or is it?

Dream world is in our dreams

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Can you imagine a world where things become alive after midnight?

There once was a difficult young girl who had been known to cause her parents a lot of concern. She was a shy child and had difficulties communicated with another kids and had a trust issue. She only played with her toys and spend most of her time in her room. She  seemed  live in her own dream world. Her parents, in particular, tried to be understanding with her child. They  knew that if her daughter continued to be isolat  that it would cause her great heartache in her life.

Ona day, In her sixth birthday, girl had received a beautiful doll from her parents because only toys made her happy. However, this doll was very differnet from all her toys. The doll was almost girl size. A little girl was delighted to have a new playmate. She decided to name the doll “Susan”…she had always liked the name Susan. That evening she was playing with Susan before bedtime and she noticed something very strange, Susan seemed to blink! The young girl thought maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. She decided to go to bed and put the strange occurrence behind her. While she was sleeping she woke up during the night and felt like someone was watching her. She checked the room but saw nothing and she went back to sleep.

The next day when she woke up, the entire room had been rearranged, some of her furniture had moved and several of her toys had moved from her toy chest on to the floor! She decided to clean up her room and play with Susan again that day and everything seemed normal. However, she was still suspicious so she decided that she would pretend that she was sleeping and watch what happened in her room that night. Things seemed normal…until the clock struck midnight! Sunddently, light was on and started  a magical sounding music playing. The doll “Susan” opened her eyes, got up and started walking around the room, she had animated! Susan started to play with the other toys and was playing tea at the table. The little girl watched in amazement wonder and horror as Susan took out her favorite dress from the closet and put it on!  Every toys that Susan touched become alive. All the things seemed to had  wing and flied. They stared walking and dancing together. Then a butterfly started fluttering from the open window. A watermelon was walking. Flowers were swaying and dancing with each other. Toys were all celebrating and partying. The little girl could not take it anymore, she wanted to be part of the celebration. She got out of bed and started dancing with her toys and Susan. She was happily laughing. Suddenly, the sound of heels meeting the floor filled the room. The toys got scared and went back to the shelter and safety of the closet. Girls  was scared that her parents woke up and went  back to sleep.The next morning she woke up and she saw Susan sitting on the chair with the rest of her toys!

The Machine Stops

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I enjoyed this short story by E.M Foster. Its a story that can be related to in many ways. Foster creates this story that is full of technology and new inventions. Its very scary but yet fascinating to see how similar it is to our society now. We can see a big message already just in the first part of the story when Kuno tries to communicate with his mother. She used the term “isolate myself” when she actually went on to speak to him. The way she isolated herself was by turning of her lights, and “isolating” herself from all her technology. Shouldn’t it be the opposite. Just in the begging of the story with this use of idea Foster lets us know how important technology is for the characters of the story. In our current society we usually “isolate” ourselves when we are going to be far away from human life. But due to all this technological equipment we acquire daily we have lost a lot of our social interactions with one another.Just in the begging of the story a true current life situation catch my attention. I agree completely and although we have no yet gotten to that point like Kunos mother in my belief we are a short step from living like that. Day my day we dig ourselves to text, receive emails, play on our phones and have technology due many things for us. Most of our work involves a mechanical equimpent . Its like we are already falling under the power of technology. Although we may not realize this we probably text more than we talk to someone on the phone or in person.

Another interesting idea that also shows how from 1990 to know we have actually turned into that world that Foster wrote about. When Kuno speaks to his mother about visiting the surface of the earth. His mother refers to the earth as the horrible “brown earth, and sea, and the starts”. With all the machinery that we have and all the new factories our earth has fallen apart. It has gone from beauty to destruction. Foster predicted in the “The machine Stops” how our life would turn into know due to the technology advancement. Creating a misfortune for us, when in our belief we only though i would make our life better and easier.

Reading Response #2 The Machine Stops

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First off, this story was far more interesting to read then the other two. Although it was quite long, I enjoyed reading it. The setting of the story takes place years and years into the future.  After reading this story, it made me realize how much technology has really consumed our world. Today, we use our smartphones, or our computers to communication with others instead of doing so in person. In the story they used a machine to communicate with each other, which also controlled everything in their surrounds.

In the first section of the story The Air Ship, the character Vashti is called upon by her son Kuno through the machine. He wishes to see her in person and not through the machine. “You mustn’t say anything against the Machine”(pg2), said his mother. Kuno stated, “You talk as if a god had made the Machine. I believe you pray to it when you are unhappy. The Machine is much, but it is not everything”(pg2). In the story the people had become so depended on the machine, which they began to worship. Kuno believes that his mother is one of them.

Kuno’s character comes off as hopeful in humanity. He believes what he wants to believe. He’s adventurous and open minded. As for his mother Vashti, she comes off as a follower. She sticks to what she is told is right, not what she feels. She comes off as arrogant as if she knows everything because of the book.

The Machine seems to control everything from their thoughts, surrounds, their society and to their actions. “Each infant was examined at birth, and all who promised undue strength were destroyed” (pg11). It seems to me that the Machine didn’t want anyone to be stronger than it. The Machine wanted to have and keep control of the people.

In the second section of the story The Mending Apparatus, Kuno is explaining to his mother his journey to the surface of the earth. He stats “cannot you see, that it is we that are dying, and that down here the only thing that really lives is the Machine? We created the Machine, to do our will, but we cannot make it do our will now” (pg15). The people of this time created the machine to make their lives easier, but over time the machine grew more power and wanted to rule the people.

The Machine Stops

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This week we are reading the story called “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster. The first paragraph starts with a descriptive introduction to where we are within the story setting. Based on this paragraph along I get an image of a very gloomy room almost in a sense like a jail cell with no ventilation the way it was phrased was “there are no apertures for ventilation, yet the air is fresh. Then finally the main character is presented whom is Vashti.

What I got from the story was it took place within the future and everything is based on these machines that basically is almost a god. Their livelihood in even the way their families worked was based on them and the book. The machine guided them of how everything in the civilization to function. The machine basically took away all human feelings from the people. People were really allowed to even think fro themselves because even when they have a question they would have to look it up in the book. This book not only gave answers but also ordered them in how they should function.

Within this work everybody is also dependent on these machines almost like our current society today with computers but a worse obsession. Within our society today technology we use computers nonstop to the point some wouldn’t even walk out the door almost like the main character. She could never find the time to visit her son and she would just keep making up excuses.  She made it seem almost like an addition problem with denial of how obsessed she was. She would defend it when her son criticized it. The people within that civilization were very much alike when it came to the machine’s they depended everything on them basically the machines is the way to utopia. The machines gave orders and controlled how everything functions even things like if they could have children they need permission. To show the perfect world from how  their own earth compared to looked upon as unhappiness. It was seen as dark and ugly because they are humans that don’t use the machines.

Kuno on the other hand is a rebel that wants to break away from the machines he wants to feel more human to the point in which he travels to earth but is captured and threatened with homelessness by the machines. He wants to see how human live seeing the stars and breathe with his very own. He is the only one within the civilization that remembers that it was made by man compared to all that worships it.

 This story made me think really deeply on also how our society slowly also is dependent on machines. as much as easier it provides us it is taking us over. people cant live without their phones, computer. and even doing basic task no more due to the dependence as much as it is suppose to make our lives easier. I cant help to think that one day our society might just turn similar to the story. It perfectly displayed utopia of how happiness is viewed and everyone being the same.