Brave New World: Chapter 15

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Chapter 15

1.       How is the title different in Chapter 15?

·         He is sarcastic, and uses mockery to express “O Brave New World”

2.       Why does John interfere with the distribution of Soma?

·         John believes it is poison and meant to enslave them

3.       How does John view slavery and freedom?

·         John would rather see truth and real human relationships-even painful ones-than the near slavery of soma, so he is against it

4.       What does he think of the Delta citizens?

·         The looks on the Delta’s faces make him mad & infuriate him. He thinks they are naïve and uneducated

5.       What do Bernard and Helmholtz do in this chapter?

·         They defend John in the riot. Bernard believes this will forever mark him as a dangerous subversive. They defend what they know is right

6.       How does the riot end?

·         They gas everybody out by soma vapor. They begin crying, kissing and apologizing. Then soma rations are restored

7.       What does it mean to them to be happy/good vs what it means to us?

·         Their view of being good is being promiscuous and not settling with one person, as most of our society today would prefer settling down.

Brave New World: Chapter 17

1)      Why does Mond want John alone?  So he can show him copies of The Holy Bible, The Imitation of Christ, and The Varieties of Religious Experience.

2)      The discuss religion, why is this significant?  Mond considers religion to be the most destabilizing force in society.

3)      What are their different positions of religion?  Mond says religion is irreverent and John says it is natural to man.

4)      Mond says God has a specific role, what is it? Mond says that God is a reality, an absolute and everlasting truth that we embrace once we’ve neared death.

5)      John argues civilized man is degraded.  What was he before, what is he now?  John says man was once a happy, hardworking, goods-consuming citizen, now they are patient and courageous.

6)      How do you describe self-denial, chastity, and heroism?  Self-denial: Not being self-indulgent and not taking care of yourself Chastity: instability which is the end of civilization  Heroism:  symptoms of political insufficiency

7)      Mond says soma plays a role, what is it?  It gives you a holiday from the facts, calms your anger, to reconcile you from you enemies to make you patient and long suffering.   Christianity without tears.

8)      What does ‘it’s an opiate of the masses’ mean?  Marx sees religion as the opiate, whereas soma is the Brave New World hope.  It is something for the public to rely on for hope. 

9)      John says no to civilization and what does he say yes to?  He says yes to being unhappy.  No we do not agree, unhappiness is not something you must feel. 

Brave New World: Chapters 13 & 14

1.      What is happening in Lenina and John, what does she feel towards him and what does she do to get what she wants?

She is infatuated with him to the point of looking sick. She tells her friend Fanny that John is the only man that she wants to be with. In order to get what she wants she tries to seduce him in his bedroom.

2.      Conversely what does John feel for her and does she try to prove that?

He likes her but he does not want lust for her to overcome his feelings. When she strips and throws herself at him, he panics because of the actions of his mother throughout his childhood. His mother had sex with a lot of men and he did not approve of that behavior.

3.      How does John react to what Lenina does in the chapter?

After she stripes off her clothes and tries to kiss him, he is shocked at first then is furious with her. He calls her a whore, pushes her away, and tries to smack her. She escapes to the bathroom and begs him to return her clothes but he is distracted by a phone call.

4.      What is the hospital like for those that are dying?

It is a cheerful place filled with happy people. They play music and play games to eliminate the natural fear of death

5.      What are the people that are dying like?

They are happy because they are drugged up

Why do you think that something from television is included in the chapter and why is it important in the chapter (before television existed)

            The television is always left on

Why is Linda dying?

            She took too much Soma and didn’t take care of herself

What is John thinking about as he stands by Linda?

            At first he was thinking about all of the happy memories that he had with his mother growing up, but after she mistakes him for the Pope, he recalls all of the bad memories from when he tried to kill the Pope. He becomes angry because the people around him are playing games.

Why are there delta level children at the hospital?

The nurses are conditioning the delta children see death and a joyful process that benefits society. They are taking the natural fear of death away.

Why isn’t death terrible for those in the “civilized” world?

            They are conditioned to believe that death is a fun and happy process