Essay+Brian+Shin

Brian Shin Ms. Porter AP Literature Feb 25th, 2009 Utopia with no humanity __Island__ and __Brave New World__ by Aldous Huxley There are so many problems around the world nowadays, and as high school students like me grow up, we are not an exception from those. Drugs have always been a serious problem in the society. Drug addiction leads one to a severe downfall in life and drives them to a point where their one and only goal is to obtain more so that they can get high. Sexual crimes have also increased a lot, and other problems involving those such as prostitution is a growing issue as well. Sex is now an element that can’t be missed out in various things, personal lives, and even businesses. Lastly, economical issues such as money-making and unemployment is the most important and sensitive field in the world. Without any money or abilities to make money, it is hard to survive. So… what would a world where all these issues are resolved with the technological advantage look like? There are several predictions and concerns regarding this topic, and the author Aldous Huxley reveals his thoughts about this through his books __Island__ and __Brave New World__. In his novels, he draws a society where on the surface it’s perfect, but deep inside it’s inhumane and is actually a dystopia. After the Wall Street economical crisis, unemployment has become a more serious problem in the world. Why do we desire and are so obsessed with getting in to good schools? It’s ultimately because graduating a good school helps us in our future career and success. However, due to such hardships in the economy, the qualifications are getting higher and higher, while the gap of space open to graduated students is getting smaller and smaller. In Huxley’s two utopias, or dystopias, this problem is resolved easily. In __Brave New World__, people are “made” in hatcheries instead of born through their parents. The fetuses are destined to a certain class, which are Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, even before they are born. The way the people’s lives are going to flow is basically decided at this level. They are also given specific roles in the society depending on this, such as their jobs. Everything is previously planned up, and the people simply just have to follow it with no worries regarding jobs or economical success. But does that sound perfect? Would everyone be satisfied with his or her life? I don’t think so. Human beings are all different. They all have different cultures, talents, and dreams. They tend to decide their career and major depending on those aspects. Thus, the world in __Brave New World__ still has a lot of weaknesses although it’s claimed ideal. On the other hand, in the world of __Island__, it’s much more like the way people from nowadays would consider ideal. People get to work in a place, which matches their preferences and talent. Also, the society has a part time system so people are able to change their work places whenever they want. The book __Island__ was actually written after the __Brave New World__, so it can be a suggestion that Huxley also had a change in his thoughts and prediction of the future. This is why we can’t define an ideal utopia right now. The culture and values of people always change throughout time. The world is always changing both morally and technically. Technology also plays a huge role in building up the society of human beings. In the book __Brave New World__, technology has been critically developed. But the overdependence of people on technology tends to make them incompetent. According to an article titled “Don't Sell Me Your Dream: Far from Liberating Us, Technology Isolates Us and Makes Us Stupid. I Want No Part of Your Sterile, Bloodless Brave New World, Writes Tom Hodgkinson.” By Tom Hodgkinson vast improvement in technology has a negative effect on humanity. People think they have more control over the nature and lives around them by having advanced technology, but the point Hodgkinson claims is that it’s the technology that is destroying the humanity. We’re turning more inhumane and letting technology have control over us. It appeals to our self-importance, and make us feel more important and busy. The more advancement we face in technology, the more it replaces our roles in the society. It is hard to imagine a day without getting on the computer or contacting people with a cell phone. We, as human beings, are losing our value and characteristics by being replaced by machines. This is what happened in the world of __Brave New World__ as well. It’s the machines that are controlling the people, not vice versa. What Aldous Huxley wants to tell us is that the improvement in the quality of our lives is not based on the technology. “It is drummed into the popular mind, not by the representatives of state or church, but by those most influential of popular moralists and philosophers, the writers of advertising copy.” (Huxley) If we keep on believing and focusing on the fact that technology is one of the main elements of an ideal society, we might end up in a world just like the one portrayed in the book. Drugs are a serious issue in the society as well. There are a lot of addicts and crime caused because of it. __Island__ and __Brave New World__ both have a drug in their society. Soma and the other………………. “Whose Idea of Utopia Is the Nanny State?” by Allan Massie is an article about how people nowadays are turning over-dependent on the government. The society in __Brave New World__ seems to be the ultimate level of what the author claims as a “Nanny State”. the world is following the steps of Aldous Huxley’s Utopian society portrayed in his books. The use of drugs such as Ritalin is being common in medical treatments, which reminds drugs that come out in Huxley’s novels such as Soma. The government is trying to resolve a lot of social issues by intervening more into the public and taking the responsibilities. People are depending more on the government, and the government is having more control over the privacy of society. No one opposes the government’s plans that are made to solve problems. People aren’t following the government, they’re just relying on it. It is shocking how so many people in the world nowadays are irresponsible and weak. The fact that 8 out of 10 families that the government is helping are single parented families shows the irresponsibility of the parents. In “Brave New World”, babies are separated from their parents and taken care of by the government even before they’re born. They have selected jobs and roles to play in the society, which is the ultimate solution Huxley suggests for problems such as unemployment and parenting. It is kind of frightful to find how we’re actually following the steps of the world Huxley idealized because I thought we wouldn’t end up that way. Maybe Huxley’s predictions were right.

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