Technology In Brave New World

The human mind consistently wonders what if, and soon finds itself looking into the future for different possibilities in life. In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, the reader finds Huxley exploring a nuance in humanity, creating a dystopia, where science becomes the new focus and humans are mass produced in test tubes. Huxley creates a world which contrasts to some aspects of what the world is today. In this dystopia, the values of people are in the technologies which are developed to speed the process of developing babies. Through Huxley’s effective use of syntax and diction, his use of literary techniques, the structure, and playing of theme, Huxley creates an image of a society that worships technology

The Russian Revolution and challenges to the British Empire abroad raised the possibility of change on a world scale. At home, the expansion of transportation and communication, the cars, telephones, and radios made affordable through mass production, also brought revolutionary changes to daily life. With this new technology, distances grew suddenly shorter and true privacy rarer. In Brave New World, such technologies and more have been introduced to The World State, and this society brings to life these exact fears of distance between people: While people in industrialized societies welcomed these advances, they also worried about losing a familiar way of life, and perhaps even themselves. Huxley’s novel also attempts to show how science, when taken too far, can limit the flourishing of human thought: “The lower the caste,’ said Mr. Foster, ‘"the shorter the oxygen.’ The first organ affected was the brain. After that the skeleton. At seventy per cent of normal oxygen you got dwarfs. At less than seventy eyeless monsters.’” (Huxley, 70). In World War I, humanity had seen the great destruction that technology such as bombs, planes, and machine guns could cause. Huxley believed that the possibility for such destruction did not only belong to weapons of war but to other scientific advancements as well, such

Government control is enforced through the use of soma, a hallucinogen that is known to sedate and distract individuals from realizing their enslavement, and this drug is exploited as a way to escape reality. However, this abuse ultimately leads to mental corruption. The majority of society consumes this substance to combat pain, worry, and tension. This narcotic is used in everyday life and “served with coffee” (Huxley 75) to help fill people’s days with mindless acts. Soma gives a feeling of euphoria, often times withdrawing the feelings of depression and illness. “Soma, the perfect pharmaceutical, soothes pain” (McQuail) leaving individuals in a state of pleasure and nirvana. Within the corrupt society, a few characters refuse consumption of the hallucinogen. These individuals are regarded as

The effects of soma are very “drug-like”. Soma is often used by the government to control or condition the members of Brave New World.The use of soma or drugs in Brave New World is different than today and the past’s usage of drugs. During the 1930s, substance abuse and addiction began to rise. In World War II, amphetamines were widely distributed to soldiers to fight fatigue and improve their mood and endurance. Marijuana and a large wave of opiate addiction began to rise greatly. Today, marijuana is the most common illicit drug used.An estimated $193 billion are spent on illicit drugs today. Like today, people during the 1930s used these drugs as “feel good” drugs. Substance abuse and addiction is still a rising problem in today's

In Brave New World Aldous Huxley, creates a dystopian society which is scientifically advance in order to make life orderly, easy, and free of trouble. This society is controlled by a World State who is not question. In this world life is manufactured and everyone is created with a purpose, never having the choice of free will. Huxley use of irony and tone bewilders readers by creating a world with puritanical social norms, which lacks love, privacy and were a false sense of happiness is instituted, making life meaningless and controlled.

In Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, there is a drug used and mentioned throughout the story called Soma. The characters have been conditioned by birth that Soma is always the answer when you feel alone or sad. This drug is used so people can go on "holidays" from their reality and is used as payment for the lower caste groups. People want Soma because they go on these highs and live in their "Heaven" to escape reality. After all, they do call Soma "All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects"(Huxley 54). Soma becomes a tool to control the people in society.

In the novel Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, the use of “soma”, a drug similar to an opiate, is used to help control peace and the world. Since soma has been used to configurate the world, there has been no war, mental disabilities, depression or sickness throughout the people. The people are given soma every day to function throughout society without having to deal with stress, anxiety, depression or any other negative feelings, the soma blocks out “feelings” in order to properly thrive without any implications. Soma is not just only used to hide feelings and keep the people feeling youthful, but also to keep the community become more societal and unified. Soma is depended on through the society to deal with any problems, whether

Throughout the book, multiple characters indulge in soma, a drug that gives the user a pleasant sensation of relaxation, known as a "soma holiday". Soma holidays allow the user to escape the unpleasantness of reality. The consumption of soma is considered normal and a necessary part of daily life. Ironically, our society considers drug use to be both abnormal and immoral. Like promiscuity, soma usage is considered normal because it is regulated by the World Controllers. Soma’s properties turns into one of the World Controller’s most powerful means of management. After partaking in soma, the people no longer feel the need to ask questions or defy the structures of society. The soma rations are an insurance against any social unrest. It removes initiative and ultimately restricts

Soma is the answer to all of life's problems and is invented in an attempt to distract society from worry, tension, and pain. The drug is rationed by the government and is normally consumed after a hard day's work. In this utopian society, people choose to "know no pain" (Clareson 238). Instead of suffering, people fill their days with the mindless acts they were predestined to perform. At the end of each day, everyone gathers in crowded distribution rooms and waits eagerly to receive the one thing that truly makes the day worthwhile, which is his or her ration of soma (Huxley 215). This valuable drug goes beyond the literal meaning in which it is being used and becomes the one thing that everyone really lives for. The idea in the novel is that pleasure is the most powerful motivator (Clareson 238). So by giving the masses pleasure, the directors keep the world running smoothly. The directors also eliminate the time between desire and fulfillment, so one cannot help but take the quick fix of soma rather than using logic to figure out his or her problems. It is the mass' motivator and problem solver, and brings the people all the great moods and feelings that they could possible ask for because of its hypnotic power to relax the mind (Meerloo 236). Unfortunately, when the futuristic people take this drug, they eventually

In the Brave New World, they used soma to free their minds and to stay happy in that utopia. If too much was taken, it would put you into a coma and it would kill you eventually, even if you didn’t overdose it still kills you. They controllers and the other leaders would have people take soma if they started having feelings

Soma is a hallucinogen that whenever someone takes it, they instantly become happy and more carefree. The characters use this drug as an escape from the world. They don’t want to feel pain or sadness, they constantly want to feel the need of being joyful and happy. The government uses soma as a way to gain social stability. “‘Stability,’ said the Controller, ‘stability. No civilization without stability. No social stability without individual stability’” (Huxley, 42). Stability is a major role that is needed in this kind of society. Without stability, the society will be in shambles. However, so many people in the community loves soma, because many people constantly become distressed with topics they aren’t used to. For example, when two characters named Lenina and Bernard go to a Reservation, Lenina says, “‘But it’s terrible,’ Lenina whispered. ‘It’s awful. We ought not to have come here.’ She felt in her pocket for her soma--only to discover that, by some unprecedented oversight, she had left the bottle” (Huxley, 111). Soma has become addicted throughout the community, and people can’t go one moment out of their norm. Lenina goes on saying, “‘Oh, I wish I had my soma’” (Huxley, 116). Lenina is constantly wanted soma whenever she pinpoints something wrong than her norm. This is because she was conditioned to feel this way. “‘A gramme in time saves nine,’ said Lenina, producing a bright treasure of sleep-taught wisdom” (Huxley, 89). The term ‘sleep-taught wisdom’ is meaning that she remembers this from hypnopaedia, and with the use of ‘bright treasure’, she thinks that the government is always right. However, the government is controlling the community and Lenina portrays the perfect character who believes that the government is always

advancements and twisted morals to relate back to the political and social environment of 1930s.

Soma is “the drug sponsored by the state to reduce or eliminate feelings of unhappiness” (Huxley 23). If a drug like Soma were to be created in today’s world it replace all the drugs in the world because there is no side effects. The number of Americans abusing prescription drugs has almost doubled from 7.8 million in 1992 to 15.1 million in 2003 (The Washington Times, 2005), where soma is used worldwide in Brave new world. The drug Soma in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, could easily be described as a modernized prescription drug.

The novel Brave New World uses soma as a symbol for power and control over citizen’s emotions. Aldous Huxley, the author of the novel uses symbolism to show soma helps user receive a quick fix for their problems and the consequences that comes with the drug. Everyone has their own obstacles to face, some may be harder than others. We cannot experience all the good things in life without some of the bad. Taking drugs and alcohol to escape from problems is not the solution. They might make you feel blissful for a while but sooner or later you will have to face those issue that you were once running away

Bokonavosky’s Process is used to turn one fertilized egg into as many as ninety six embryos using, “a series of arrests in development,” such as X-ray treatment, freezing and thawing, and alcohol poisoning (Huxley 6). This process does significantly weaken the embryos which is why it is only used on the lower classes. Through this process, identical twins are created, “by scores at a time” (Huxley 7). This, combined with the Podsnaps Technique which causes egg cells to rapidly be produced, can turn out an average of about eleven thousand people from just one ovary (Huxley 6-8). Occasionally, the embryos are even further conditioned by methods such as depriving them of oxygen in order to lower their intelligence (Huxley 14). These assorted biotechnologies play a major role in dehumanizing the population.