Huxley’s Brave New World

Your reaction of the article and how much of what Huxley has written has come true and how do you feel about that?
The article “Everybody is happy now” written by Margaret Atwood did not do Brave New World justice. Aldous Huxley’s book was brilliantly written and correlates to today’s world. Many occurrences that Huxley wrote about happens in today’s society and some things that he wrote about, such as contraceptives, were not invented before he wrote the book. In my opinion, Atwood described the book harshly and would give people a false interpretation of Huxley’s writing if they have not yet read the book. Atwood did not include the mental struggles that John the Savage had to go though as he was trying to grasp this new world. She also did not include the internal problems that he was having as he was experiencing the new world. Atwood did not include one of the main characters in her article. Bernard was in love with Lenina but he had older style values that did not match in the new world. The people in the new world blamed his lack of new world concepts on the alcohol in his blood segregate. Bernard did not take “soma” very often in contrast to Lenina who was addicted to the drug. Bernard got annoyed with Lenina because she believed in the “everybody belongs to everybody” and had casual sex and did not want to stay with one person. Atwood states “Lenina doesn’t see why she shouldn’t have sex with anyone she likes whenever the occasion offers” (Atwood). She does include the fact about Lenina but she loses the important fact that that annoyed Bernard. but Atwood lost a crucial part of the story by not including Bernard. He had many internal problems that resulted in him being exiled from the new world.
One element that especially intrigued me about Aldous Huxley’s writing is that it did correlate with today’s society. Soma was a drug that was extremely popular in the new world. In today’s society many people are addicted to drugs just as the characters are in Brave New World. Another major problem in today’s society is that younger and younger teenagers are beginning to become sexually active. In Huxley’s book he talks about “erotic play” on the playground with six year olds. In today’s world it is not that dramatic, however there are many young children that are maturing before they are ready. This concerns me greatly and I worry about our world’s future because children are partaking in many events that are not healthy for them, such as drugs and sexual intercourse at an early age. One very shocking element that Huxley included was the use of birth control. Contraceptives were not regulated at the time that Huxley wrote Brave New World. In today’s society many women do take contraceptives, and in the book every woman takes them. The difference is that women nowadays do not stuff a fanny pack full of them; however it is the same concept. Atwood includes in her article, “Huxley wrote before the pill, but its advent brought his imagined sexual free-for –all a few steps closer” (Atwood). In today’s society it is much more accepted to be involved with multiple people than it was in the past. At the time that Huxley wrote this book it was expected that people should only be involved with one person, however in the book everybody “belongs” to everybody else. It intrigues me that Huxley had these ideas and this thought process. He had somewhat of an understanding of the future. He was a very smart and creative man.

Violent Video Games

The question of whether video games increase violence in the youth or not has been a very controversial topic. Many people who think video games to increase violence argue that the violent scenes make youth think that violence is more acceptable in society. Many are on the contrary and argue that video games are a sense of anger relief. I believe that every parent should have to approve a video game before their child can play it; each parent knows the maturity of their child and should be able to know if they are mature enough to handle the content of the game. I do not feel that violent video games contribute to the violence of children. If parents approve that their child can handle a videogame, their child is mature enough to not be negatively influenced by the game.

Video games are often used as a place for the players to take  out their anger or violence. The violence in the game often replaces the rough and violent play that adolescents have the urge to do in reality (“Do Violent Video”). The youth who do play video games have a sense of separation from the virtual world and reality. In today’s society, many video games, movies, and shows contain a substantial amount of violence; the violence should not influence the players or viewers if they are mature and responsible. Maturity and responsibility will have to be judged by parents and is not the companies job to decide the maturity levels of the players. Every player has a different maturity level and it needs their parents need to be aware of it.  Just because the game is violent does not mean that the players will become violent if they are responsible enough to handle the scenes that are shown. Many players who do play already have violent tendencies and use the video games to satisfy their violent urges. As stated previously, it is a sense of relief and used as a form of relaxation. A study that was conducted among boys states that 45% of them played the game to release anger and 62% used the games to relax (“Do Violent Video”).

Violent video games are not the cause for our violent society. Many teenage males play the games for enjoyment, a social activity, and relaxation. It is the parents responsibility to know what content is on the game and know if their child can handle it. The article states that research has not shown a link between video game violence and violence in the real world (“Do Violent Video”). Our society is very violent, however video games are not the cause.

“The Hunger Artist” written by Frank Kafka is written about a man who fasts for a living. For a period of time, he was an attraction that others came to view. He loved the attention that fasting gave him. He resists the temptation to eat. He travels around to different cities, and locks himself in a cage to fast and the town will come and see him. After time, the attraction fades but he does not want to change his life style so he joins a sideshow at a circus. It upsets him that the audience does not stop to see him and look at the animals instead. He craves attention and wants others to be astounded by him. After time, no one notices him and he gets so thin that the circus keepers barely even notice him. The Hunger Artist tells the overseer of the circus that all he has wanted is people to admire him and the reason he fasts is because he has never found a food that he has liked. These were his last words and he died. His cage was then inhabited by a young, lively panther that burst with energy.

Kafka includes many symbols throughout the story. The main symbol is the panther that replaces the Hunger Artist at the end of the story. The panther holds new life and draws attention. This symbolizes what people want to see; attention is what the Hunger Artist yearned for, but he was not lively like the panther.  No one wanted to see the man who looked deathly thin and had no energy. This devastated the Hunger Artist because his “food” was the attention and that is what fulfilled him. The cage is also a large symbol in the story. The cage is where he feels comfortable and where he feels he will get more attention. The cage symbolizes how his need for attention traps him. He cannot go and have a normal life because of his starvation for attention which causes him to be trapped within a cage. He is not only trapped in the cage, he is also trapped within himself. His lack of satisfaction makes him strive to starve more and more.  His need for attention has lead to a life consisting of starving himself so others will look at him. At the end of the story the Artist says that he fasted because he could never find the food that he liked. These were his final words before he died. These words symbolize what he was truly fasting for. The Hunger Artist never could feel fulfillment in his life and never was satisfied and that is why he starved. He says that it was the food he did not like, but truly it was something deeper; he lacked happiness and attention in his life and that is why he would fast.

Kafka wrote the story with a deeper meaning than the words hold. The symbols make the reader think deeply into the story and truly ponder the real reason the Hunger Artist continued to fast.

Foreshadowing in “The Swimmer”

Cheever uses many literary elements in “The Swimmer”, including foreshadowing. The characters comments foreshadow the fact that Neddy does not have a home and his family left him. Neddy alludes himself from the harsh reality so the reader does not truly know until the end that his family has left him. Mrs. Halloran tells Neddy that she is sorry about his family; Neddy is confused and acts as if he does not know what she is speaking of (Cheever 106).  The fact that the woman apologized for his family clues in the reader that something has gone wrong with his family. Mrs. Halloran also mentions how he sold his house.

As Neddy travels around to different places, people tell him that they will not give him money. His mistress said “If you’ve come here for money, I won’t give you another cent” (Cheever 109).  This quote shows that Neddy has lost everything. He does not have money, a house, or a family. The foreshadowing throughout the story leads to the fact that Neddy does not have a home to go back to. All readers pick up different uses of foreshadowing, did anyone come across another example? Also, many other stories use foreshadowing, such as the story “Trifles.” I know many uses of foreshadowing in both of the stories. Many authors use foreshadowing to keep the reader intrigued in the story.

Class is very important throughout the story. Many of the houses that he goes to seem to be higher-class houses with in-ground  pools and expensive liquor, such as gin. Others also look down upon Neddy because of the rags he is dressed in. The reader can assume that Neddy’s family was of higher class but now he has nothing. The bartender also thought that he was better than Neddy, judging by his clothes (Cheever 106). The bar tender hurts Neddy’s self-esteem and makes him think twice about social class. Class is demonstrated throughout the entire story; if the story was set in a lower-class setting do you think that the plot would have changed?

The right to carry

The article explains the pros and cons of having the right to carry. I do not feel that citizens should have the right to carry a weapon at all times. Guns are dangerous if they are placed in the wrong hands, and many adults are not responsible enough to carry a weapon. The article states that places that allow the right to carry have requirements such as a minimum age, no felonies, and no recent visits to a mental institution; however, I feel that the requirements do not prevent guns to get in the wrong hands. Just because someone does not have a felony does not automatically make them a trustworthy person.  The more people who have a gun, the more likely accidents are to happen. Many small confrontations can turn lethal if a gun is within reach. The right to carry, of course, does not enforce all people carry guns, so that sets the people who choose not to carry at a disadvantage.

Guns can also be misused, even if a person seems responsible. Even responsible people can snap when they are tired, stressed, or are drinking. According to the article, many people, even ones who are responsible, might not be trained to handle a gun properly. The streets should not be filled with people who do not know how to adequately use a gun.

Proponents argue that guns will increase self-defense and help protect people; however, what is exactly classified as self-defense. Everyone can define it differently. Someone who is carrying a gun can be startled when a criminal is doing a smaller crime, such as theft. The thief can be shot, when they only deserve time in jail. Smaller crimes will have a much larger punishment if guns are allowed to be carried. The shooter of the criminal might also have mental issues after the fact. If they shoot for self-defense and the person ends up dying, the shooter might have more mental damage which will create more issues within the person’s life.

The article presented both sides very well, however my opinion stays that Americans should not have the right to carry. Everyone has their own opinion, and there are positives and negatives to each side. I feel as though guns will turn small arguments into death or injuries.

Minimum Wage Laws

This article is very intriguing and displays the positives and negatives of government enforced minimum wage. I agree that the government should set a wage and all businesses should have to pay that  to their employees. The article states opponents of minimum wage argue that teenagers should not receive the set hourly rate. They argue that  teenagers do not support themselves and many financial resources are provided by their parents or guardians. Although teenagers may not have to pay rent, many have to pay for all other expenses. Minimum wage pays enough money to help people support themselves. Many teenagers are planning to attend college and their minimum wage jobs help them to save for a large tuition bill. In return, when teenagers save for college with a decently paying job,  a fewer number of students will take out  large student loans, which in return will help the government and economy.

Opponents argue that if workers are unhappy with the wages at their employer, they should move jobs or negotiate for a better rate. In this poor economy, finding a better paying job is more difficult than it sounds. Many workers cannot just find new jobs with a better hourly rate. However, a set rate will make more jobs equally appealing.  Minimum wage should be kept. The rates help the economy and help workers support themselves.

Art Education

This article was about how art increases the creative mind in children and helps them with academics. Many schools want to eliminate art from their curriculum because of cost. However, if art benefits children’s education, it should not be depleted from the education system. Although this article was repetitive, it stated the facts and benefits of art education.

Art education includes many different types of creative studies. These subjects open a child’s mind and benefits the child as he grows older. Art helps children in academics and teaches useful skills. Many parents say that their children have the right amount of art education; however the amount of art in schools is decreasing and has rapidly fallen in the past few decades. In a study shown in the article, music, visual arts, creative writing, and theater all have declined since 1982. Many say the cause of the decline is money. Educators should fight to keep art education in their district. According to the article, 86% of Americans think that art improves children’s outlooks towards school and 83% believe that it helps children learn communication.

Art should be kept in all schools, and should be taught to young children. The benefits of art will help children through school and help them develop skills that might not have been known if art was not introduced. Art encourages creative minds and strategic thinking. This article did well in demonstrating the positive results of art education.