Annotated Bibliography for Brave New World

Miller, Stuart. "http://media.www.the-standard.org/media/storage/paper1059/news/2003/05/02/Opinion/California.Embraces.Dangerous.Excessive.Textbook.Censorship-3364436.shtml". Missouri (State University). "The Standard." 2003.

In Brave New World, the collective government, namely The Controller, Mustapha Mond, directly decided what was able to be accepted by the public without stirring any (substantial) feelings or thoughts (at all). In this article, California is pasted onto the dartboard of scrutiny and is not allowed to fall off until the several spears of Miller's criticisms penetrate/reveal. "The whole politically correct, ultra-sensitivity movement continues to escalate," the whole "justified" censorship, over-protective elements of today's media, by the government (the whole point of the censorship being to protect the public from what we do not wish to hear), is not inching, maybe "mile-ing" us towards a newer, braver realm.


Dunn, Douglas. "http://www.wordwiz72.com/cloning.html". Douglas Dunn/World Wizards. 1998, 2001.

Directly referring to Brave New World in his article, Dunn, without hesitation, allows his rambling arguments to spill forth, with no actual evidence to support his claim that "In their hearts, human beings know that it is not so terrible to have a genetic double," hoping to disprove the world Huxley envisioned. Stating that in-vitro fertilization underwent the same skepticism from the public as cloning is now, apparently hoping for the conversion of people from "Cloning is morally wrong," to "It is but progress."


"http://www.scienceclarified.com/Qu-Ro/Reinforcement-Positive-and-Negative.html".

"Conditioning," in the context of Brave New World carries an evil connotation. This article reveals that conditioning is nothing to be feared or avoided at all; it is actually what enables us to learn (touch a hot stove, recoil; conditioning); strengthening the belief that the ones who crafted the world After Ford were in all reality evil, despite whatever the intentions were. The architects of this "improved" world utilized conditioning to teach the children/sprouts what they "needed" to be taught, rather than allowing natural conditioning to run its course, allowing the man-plants to be in control of their own destinies; the choices made in life yield exposure to different elements of life, different knowledge applicable to life, different paths through life. The latter is the way in which the world runs now-for now-is the best way for people to live.

Annotated Reading List for Independent Reading

(NO FORMATTING COULD BE APPLIED, IN ALL ATTEMPTS)

Huxley, Aldous. "Brave New World." New York: HarperCollins. 1932, 1946.

In the year A.F. 632, there are is a significant difference in the ratio between types of people to number of people from our time. Inflicting a feeling of ominousness on the readers, achieved by enlightening the time travelers that "...the World State's motto [is], COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY," it is almost certainly known before the end of the first chapter that some kind of, basically, moral dilemma is going to affect the way the world will evolve.
John the Savage, a man born of natural causes, (even mentioning this act in public arouses hysterical laughter or wary uneasiness of whoever spoke such "blasphemy") is actually quite civilized, rather as civilized as is possible, with being exposed only to the primitivity of, not really "his" people but the ones that he has been forced to live amongst. Because of this, it is quite plausible to believe that Huxley, in prophesying the dys-/u- topia that is sure to become, implied a certain, sort of devolution of the human race. Yes, the technology in this new world is extremely exceptional ("feelies" are movies that, by interacting with an apparatus, cause real emotions, sensations to be felt by the "viewers"), but by applying these advances (particularly to cloning), almost everything that makes humans human has been wiped from the civilized world (i.e., nothing but happiness is ever felt). This is what makes John such an easy character to identify with. Our world is constantly being "improved" by the daily technological developments, but humanity is still something to be treasured and flaunted (though it is slowly being marginalized by entertainment); John was raised by "savages," ones who forsook the progression of the world and decided to retain their traditionalist values (it is quite amazing how people in the future were able to revert back to a world almost identical to that of the Indians/Native Americans, especially with all history before the revolution (that brought on the "A.F." prefix to dates) being wiped from earth). ((259))

"I, Robot" began as seperate stories in science fiction publications.

Asimov, Isaac. "I, Robot." New York: Fictioneers, 1941; Street and Smith 1941; Street and Smith, 1941; Street and Smith, 1942; Street and Smith 1944; Street and Smith, 1945; Street and Smith, 1946; Street and Smith, 1947; Street and Smith, 1950. 1950

A reporter, Asimov incarnate, is extremely eager to interview the most prominent robopsychologist in this year, 2057. Robots have completely overtaken assembly lines, and the popularity of these machines is balanced by the criticisms of the traditionalists, effectively outlawing their presence on the earth (interplanetary travel has been "mastered," colnies exist on several other planets). Every chapter in this book was once published as its own story; Asimov crafted the story of the reporter and his interviewee, one Susan Calvin, to tie these seperate entities into one anthology, which reveals the history of robotics, how what progress has been made was made, problems and solutions to quandaries pertaining to robots and the Three Laws that bound them into servitude.
Of course, to do all this, Asimov had to become a robot during the writing process; the transformation from entity of flesh to an object of metal is completely seamless. In "Reason," one of the most advanced robots, at that time, questions everything his "masters," those foolish beings "...made of...soft and flabby [material], lacking endurance and strength, depending for energy upon the inefficient oxidation of organic material...", inform him of: the Energy Converter that powers the Solar Station #5 is not a tool created by humans for humans, absurd, it is the Master; space is "exactly what it seems-a black material just beyond this glass that is spotted with little gleaming dots... That is all." ((272))


Gabler, Neal. "Life the Movie." New York: Vintage Books. 1998

Hypothesis: Entertainment is slowly overtaking reality, becoming reality even. Discuss: Through the natural progression of humanity in every field, particularly technology, (')men have become lazier but more rebellious (of the ever ruling aristocracies), more wary (of those in any kind of power) but (despite that) content, more advanced but even more delusional (/ignorant). Chronicling the path to our current situation, to be informed is less significant than to be entertained, (entertainment represents the baser instincts and art is equated to the pursuit of knowledge, of the betterment of oneself on a transcendic level ("the difference between entertainment and art is the difference between 'spurious gratification and a genuine experience as a step to greater individual fulfillment.'")), from the 1800's to the present, so in-depth and precisely, that Gabler's opinions are hard to actually be called that.
Gabler's overall mission in having spawned this literature is to enlighten people of what is happening to us: we have become blinded by our addiction to entertainment, which we are exposed to almost ceaselessly, and from birth even!, and, while it is satisfying to "us," it hurts us, the true inner beings that need legitimate intellectual discourse, no matter what the means of achieving this. That description makes Gabler seem more like a (far-out) philosopher, which he is not, than a true crusader for men to, at least acknowledge what he has discovered, at most change their ways in pursuit of a higher level of civilization. ((303))

ARTICLES RELATED TO B.N.W. COMING SOON

Analysis Paragraph: "A Whole New Mind"

Pink's self-righteous humor (that is to say, he knows he is correct in what he writes ("On the off chance that you're still not convinced, let me offer one last-and illuminating-statistic."), but he attempts to use "comedy" to smoothly 'suade others rather than blatantly stating his truths) (somewhat) subtly warns his fellow academics of the impending doom progress bears for them: "our left brains have made us rich...(but) the very triumph of L-Directed Thinking has lessened its significance. The prosperity it has unleashed has placed a premium on less rational, more R-Directed sensibilities-beauty, spirituality, emotion." The development achieved thus far is due to the abundance of worldly knowledge cultivated and the applications found for that knowledge. Whether more progress cannot be made in this same way, or whether humans have grown weary of academics and would rather explore what our ancestors did, it is hard to say; regardless, "In an age of abundance, appealing only to rational, logical, and functional needs is woefully insufficient." To ensure modern legacies will be carried on, offspring must be exposed to as many members of the "hippie" (politically correct term unknown) population as possible (evolution will prevent any ancestors from being shamed, as these "hippies" will don suits), far from the domain of public education, where they must spend only the minimum amount of time required (until the education system realizes in what way the world is traveling), to become successful members of society. Attractive and somewhat functional services/products/etc. will sell more than plain services/products/etc. that are extremely functional. The all too necessary pursuit of (applicable (to the world)) knowledge will become the pursuit of "Why?" (knowledge applicable to (just) ourselves) (transcendence), which will, ironically, be trekked upon (/achieved) by means of creativity. Worldly pursuits do not make people happy; what else is there? The answers can only possibly exist in the "abnormal." "The paradox of prosperity is that while living standards have risen steadily decade after decade, personal, family, and life satisfaction haven't budged." Prophesying the end of (the flourishing) of minds like his, Pink uses this book as what could be a last opportunity to sound smart while smartness is treasured.

Advertisement Analysis

During the 1940's, every American was concerned with how World War II was unfolding. Several companies in the U.S. exploited patriotism to "build up hype" for whatever product was being sold. The Scotch tape company was no different.

In the ad found at http://adflip.com/addetails.php?adID=2323, Scotch tape applies ethos to improve potential sales. By mentioning Uncle Sam, the universal symbol for the United States (' army), readers are subconsciously forced to give their undivided attention to what Scotch tape has to say: American soldiers are using the tape to help bring Victory back home. If the United States Army can use Scotch to stay alive and vanquish the enemy, problems in our own country do not stand a chance. The "INVEST IN VICTORY - BUY WAR BONDS" at the bottom is more proof that the company is helping the Army, providing space in an ad the tape company paid for for the government to ask for help. By referring to their product as "good old Scotch tape," the company calls upon itself; "We've been around a while, so you can trust us." It is because of the long-standing record that the company holds that the readers are expected to understand that all the tape made is being sent overseas, as winning the war is more of a priority than pleasing the citizens. The tape will return when Victory does.

The men to the immediate right of the focal point, the woman in red, beam pathos from their faces. The woman in red (sexy, appealing to men, usually the larger demographic, especially from the viewpoint of an... "immature (and sexist)" publication) was carrying a lunch sack but now all her food has ripped through the puny bag and has fallen (which would not have happened had Scotch tape been applied). The two men are waiting for her to bend over and retrieve her food, like nearly any man, other than a gentle, would. Everybody on the train is smiling, except for the woman, who looks shocked, so readers are expected to either smile as well, or maybe even laugh at the woman, both positive responses. As mentioned before, the tape company uses the credibility of the nation's army to help sale the tape. By mentioning the fact that the army uses the tape, any readers who also use the tape, or that are planning on it, can feel a sense of patriotism, that they are helping the country.

It is logical for any company to list some of the potential uses of its product, and with the flexibility of the tape, Scotch is a brand to be trusted. However a company goes about advertising its product, though, if appealing to ethos, pathos or logos, no doubt the ad will help "move a few units."

Make Sense of This, You Are My Friend

Jeff Lyons, the illustrator of this painting, comments on the comments others have made at http://lyonsart.com/wordpress/surrealism-abstract-artwork/; he explains that there is no symbolism in paintings of his like this one: “These are essentially meaningless images.” Acknowledged… Because I spent two hours looking for any image that was not copyright protected, though, I am going to pretend that some kind of analysis of this image other than an aesthetic one is able to be made and attempt to make a few such examinations.

At first glance, the “surrealist abstract artwork” looks to be a picture of some kind of eastern dragon, such as the ones that roam the streets during Chinese New Year. The red curtains on either side are pulled aside to release the “beast.“ The green figure on top is the horns. The “house-like things” on either side could be the eyes. All the blue and orange (bright colors, such as the ones splashed onto the Oriental dragons) make up the nose and mouth region. The blue “C” shapes, the curved part inside them, would be the snout extending from the face. The minuscule brick region in the middle would be the actual orifice that would take in food and release fire. The tiny figures on the tiled floor are most likely humans, which gives the paining a somewhat eerie feeling (as if the alien-like figure on top (green skin tone and cloak, white eyes without pupils, mouth agape, slight horns, pose), surrounded by some sort of aura, didn’t already). Such a small “mouth” on such a huge “creature” and we are still able to be consumed when anything else would be safe from such a tiny hole. The staircases on either side of the form are the legs, ironically. The towers on either side of the green figure at the top look as if they could be part of the whole “creature,” but the towers also look to be part of the windows surrounding the “dragon” and for the whole complex to be one solid body, keeping the “dragon theory” in mind, seems unlikely.

The multiplex may be nothing other than that. Red curtains are drawn to reveal a show or attraction and all the people, those behind and those blocked off by the curtain’s path, before being drawn, are aimed towards the only opening (there are stairs but the proportions make it look as though the stairs are at least three feet tall (assuming the humans are six feet high) and why climb when there is an open door); the red above the door signifies, if not says, “Vacancies.” In the open windows are shapes that look like hands… “beckoning people to come closer,” to be polite and optimistic. The green “man” on top must be the manager, or at least the magician, as that “man” must have been the one to open the massive curtains, to conjure the huge shadowy “limbs” in the windows. The “man’s” expression does not seem to be one of malice and mischief, but of concentration or surprise or ecstasy, if anything. Upon closer inspection, what I assumed to be the guardrail of the stairs, as they dipped down into the floor, may be the actual stairs. Following those lines up leads the eye to the windows of the towers on either side of the extraterrestrial, where there are two more “human-sized” shapes.

Random objects could have been thrown together, arranged symmetrically, to truly make nothing more than a “surrealist abstract” work of art. The central yellow part looks like a bell that has been filled with brick, to never resonate sound again. The white pieces in the middle of the bell, in the middle of the blue and yellow ornate decorations on the bell, look like a flower, with the blue and yellow surrounding it being the organs of the flower (perhaps the alien turned the flower inside-out to be able to examine more closely). The brick walls surrounding the bell are the walls of the garden. The buildings coming out of the sides of the bell are the groundskeepers’ shacks. The eaves above the doors are fanned out banana peels with cherries at the center of the “spokes.” The doorways are covered in lambs’ blood, to prevent plagues coming to their doorsteps. The gardeners gloat about their preparedness, hands in the windows, but the other inhabitants on the ground were not so thoughtful. They are being attracted by the alien’s bright tractor beam, emitting from the bottom of the bell-shaped UFO; the master’s mansion was converted to the space creature’s chambers. The two sentinels in the windows of the highest towers are the galaxy’s last defense: Alien escapes and everybody’s doomed.

I doubt if all, IF ANY, of this made sense but I just wanted to prove that whether the artist intends for there to be deeper meaning in their works or not, the more you dig, the more potential meaning can be found. Any meanings that are found, if enough evidence is present, can be proven to be right. The artist creates a world that we are sucked into and to hold our hand through the journey and tell us any meaning instead of making us find it renders art pointless. Again, how much sense this all made is another matter but just to find meaning that the creator did not intend to be found in their works is an accomplishment (…or maybe just a sign of a lack of a life).

Radical Ways to Alert - Like Gojira

The painting at * http://www.artquotes.net/artists/keck/abstract-painting3.html evokes a feeling of violent movement: possible escape, probable pursuit. The red figure moves from the right, out of what appears to be a jungle of sorts, towards a tower at the left. From right to left, the shape's "back" has three jags on it, to illustrate movement (as in the common character for lightning). These bumps could also be the scales of a dragon, or maybe even raised hairs of sorts, like on a cat, which would show aggression, alertness. To the left of the third spike is another, more flat, one. This is either another result of movement as the malevolent form rushes towards civilization, or the ear of the dragon, lowered in the same manner dogs exhibit while combating each other. To the left of this: an upward "swooping" slash of lighter color. Is this figure pure fire or a creatures with slanted, concentrated eyes? I say the latter. Below the "ear" is another jag, the assumed chin or jowl, and to the far left of the form is a rounded part on top and a circular void below, perfect size for a mouth that is preparing to unleash a powerful force from within (and it is in this void that the lightest shade of yellow originates).

Clouds of fire emanate from the creature's back as smoke from the charred forests left behind are caught below the beast, sucked into the rush of air. This monster is clearly one of fire. Fire was discovered and harnessed by man. Man tears down forests and does what suits him best with the earth that is meant for all living creatures. The shape at the left of the image is clearly man-made, indicated by the intricacies of the stone and the small towers at the top of this larger. Perhaps the creature's motivation for charging so fiercely is to end the tyrannical reign of man, to save what is left of it's earth (ironically burning some of the most precious resources in the process (all wars suffer casualties)). The colors in this image (parchment yellow, charcoal black, vivid red and moss green) suggest some Asian influence, as does the nature of the building. Asian countries are some of the most polluted on the earth. The illustrator might have meant for this to be a warning: "The earth (the past, the forces, the ancestors) will take vengeance upon you for destroying this planet... brutally."

This painting is divided in two vertically. Maybe this is because the image took up two canvasses but maybe this was intentional. Looking at the left half alone, the proposed meaning of this image (a cry to end, or, at least, limit, pollution) cannot be. Without the forest and the entire length shown of the red figure, the tower stands alone with a path of blood moving towards it, or possibly a mountain range. The right half of the image still shows fire leaping forth (the red shape is wider at the far right end) from the jungle, but with no visible target. The forest could still be taking action against some unknown force. A fire started by man may be rejected from the forest, it shoving the flames back towards the creators.

However this picture is broken down, a slight feeling of uneasiness creeps into the viewer. The manifestation of man (the tower) looks so insignificant when compared to the vibrant shape of red hurtling towards it. The edifice is even slightly curved where the cloud of orange impacts. Man may have dominated and taken control of the earth, but the earth has the power to overthrow us whenever it so desires.

* During the composition of this journal, the URL from which I gathered this image, a website that sells art pieces, ceased to exist; the art piece this journal is about was sold or moved. So I included the image in this post, but kept the original link.

Abortion:Murder. Death Penalty:Justice.

The death penalty is utilized to decrease the populations of prisons and to rid society of the worst offenders, today (though it has existed for thousands of years). This sentence is never taken lightly and is only administered justifiably... say supporters. People even remotely against the practice, though, oftentimes believe that this punishment is anything but fair and justified.

The picture found here, http://theblacksentinel.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/death-penalty-becomes-the-new-lynching/, illustrates the idea that the decision between the death penalty and a life sentence (black and white, opposites) is based solely on race (black or white). In the article containing this illustration, it is mentioned that through studies it has been found that the number of inmates on death row coincides with the number of lynchings in olden times, "proof" of the claim (if inspected carefully, the scale in the middle of Blind Justice and Grim Reaper leads the viewers' eyes upward, to the shoulders, where there are ruffles in the garment(s): a possible invisible, implied noose). The title of this image is "And Justice For All," but in the bottom right (Death's side) corner, there is a character proclaiming "Injustice for all..." that are sentenced to Death; because of the Reaper's preparedness to harvest while Justice allows the "Whites" to live, with her sword at her side. Ethnicity is not the only area in which opponents of the death penalty believe there to be bias, though.

The representation of a scale balancing nooses, as found at http://ucsbglobalvoices.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/episode-10-day-of-debate/, (the second picture down the page), further illustrates the concept that capital punishment is "unfair." One noose is heavier than the other, though there are less victims on the heavy side than people on the light. The left, heavy side is also darker than the right, light, lighter side, proving that the decision of a "jury" to put a person to death obliterates any hope the convicted held on to. The use of color and the depiction of the victims (none fleeing or panicking, plainly) evokes the feeling in viewers that perhaps the whole situation surrounding the executions is a sacrifice of some sort (if this is the case, the "peasants" would not view the action as executions but the fact that the victims are being sent to death equates to death sentences, the whole point of this "journal"). The scene is too broad for any further comments on the population to be made; no bias can be said to exist among them, though, if anything, the ones on the right must have acted as the jury condemning the ones on the left, outweighing the victims' (possible) objections.

Sometimes, no bias may exist at all; the whole reason for the execution is to provide a show for supporters of the "method of punishment." The image at http://www.drakecentral.info/cuba/cubainthenews/cubanews-2008.html, (about three-fourths of the length down the page, to the left of the bold "April 29") depicts an executioner questioning, who is assumed to be, the "marshal" of the village, about the prominent trend in executing at the time. The victim, of course, looks terrified, but the bulging of his eyes suggests mental cries of "What?! I'm about to die and you're only worried about pleasing the onlookers?!" The viewers stand in the background, looking anticipative and curious, completely unfazed that a man is about to die (quite the contrary).

Due to images such as the one shown in https://sloone.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/are-we-sure-there-are-no-secret-executions-in-malaysia/ (portraying an annoyed California informing the anesthesiologist that the nervous wreck of an Opposition is the one in need of the anesthetic, not the criminal, who lies on his death bed terrified and waiting), advocates and enemies of the death penalty are the most dedicated, respectfully. The juries that now send convicts to death may soon be voting on whether or not to completely abolish the practice. I do not support the possibility, but I do not completely savor the idea that my fellows' lives may be in the hands of some who are not capable of judging correctly and justly.