I know that some of you are wondering how you could get a 10/10 or a 5/5 on your posts and comments. I'm going to give you a chance to replace one of your scores with a new score by writing a final comment and reply. If you earn the perfect score, I will go back and replace one of your earlier scores with that perfect score. Does that make sense?
NOTE: This replacement post cannot be done instead of one of the other posts. It can only replace a low score, not a zero. You have to do all of the other posts (4 total) in order to earn the right to do this replacement post. (This is similar to the way that John has to suffer in order to earn the right to live in the Lighthouse!)
Assignment:
The final post requires you to select one quote from chapters 14-18 that you think captures a central idea. Start your post with the quote and the page number. Then, analyze the quote fully and integrate your own ideas on the benefits and dangers of technology/progress/or society.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Guiding Thought - Chapters 14-18
Just finished reading the book....wow. I can't help but feel that I've brushed some of the deep ideas, that I've been drawn out of my mundane daily life and shown a glimpse of the things we truly long for. I would venture to guess that Huxley wanted us to feel that way, he wanted us to wrestle with ourselves and hold to all things good that we can find.
The perspective has shifted in these chapters. We started the novel as birds on Bernard's shoulder, gradually shifted to include Lenina and then Linda's perspective. But in the last chapters we follow John the Savage exclusively. We see his sorrow and horror (the horror! the horror!) as he confronts the reality of death. We see his grief turn to anger and eventually rage. He tries to take a stand and convince a group of citizens to rebel against civilization in the name of liberty ("I'll make you be free whether you want to or not" (213). His conversation with Mustafa Mond is fascinating--I was shocked to see that the World Controller had a library of books and possessed a weath of knowledge about truth. His dislosure that islands exist full of "every one, in a word, who's any one" (227) is one of my favorite lines in the book becuase of the way it plays on the words "every one" and "any one"--separating them in order to place emphasis on the "one". It is an island of individuals!
It is curious to me, then, that the Savage chooses to retreat, not to these islands, but to a lighthouse relatively close to civilization. There is deep symbolism embedding in the choice of a lighthouse, which I'm sure you caught right away. I have so many questions to ask after reading, and more than anything would love to have you all in a circle so we could talk about it in person--but this venue will have to suffice.
Please choose from the following questions to respond to:
1. Chapters 16 and 17 reveal that art, science and religion have all been sacrificed for the sake of stability. Which do you think is the greater price to pay and why?
2. Mond explains that one the Brave New World is "only possible when there's no self-denial" (237). Do you feel that modern America is on this trajectery? Are we embracing the idea that we should deny ourselves nothing, and what are the consequences of living without self-denial?
3. At the end of the novel, the Savage whips himself relentlessly. A few chapters earlier he says, "Nothing costs enough here" and he even "claims the right to be unhappy." (239-240) Analyze your reactions to these ideas.
4. I really want to ask something about the connection between his need to punish himself and Lenina with almost religious fervor and the orgy-porgy that the crowd falls into simultaneously...but I can't decide how to ask it...
5. The novel ends with John's tragic suicide, and as his body slowly rotates on the rope, his feet oscillate from one end of the compass to the other....as if he is searching for something that he is unable to find. What do you think he is searching for and why is that thing the most important message in the novel?
The perspective has shifted in these chapters. We started the novel as birds on Bernard's shoulder, gradually shifted to include Lenina and then Linda's perspective. But in the last chapters we follow John the Savage exclusively. We see his sorrow and horror (the horror! the horror!) as he confronts the reality of death. We see his grief turn to anger and eventually rage. He tries to take a stand and convince a group of citizens to rebel against civilization in the name of liberty ("I'll make you be free whether you want to or not" (213). His conversation with Mustafa Mond is fascinating--I was shocked to see that the World Controller had a library of books and possessed a weath of knowledge about truth. His dislosure that islands exist full of "every one, in a word, who's any one" (227) is one of my favorite lines in the book becuase of the way it plays on the words "every one" and "any one"--separating them in order to place emphasis on the "one". It is an island of individuals!
It is curious to me, then, that the Savage chooses to retreat, not to these islands, but to a lighthouse relatively close to civilization. There is deep symbolism embedding in the choice of a lighthouse, which I'm sure you caught right away. I have so many questions to ask after reading, and more than anything would love to have you all in a circle so we could talk about it in person--but this venue will have to suffice.
Please choose from the following questions to respond to:
1. Chapters 16 and 17 reveal that art, science and religion have all been sacrificed for the sake of stability. Which do you think is the greater price to pay and why?
2. Mond explains that one the Brave New World is "only possible when there's no self-denial" (237). Do you feel that modern America is on this trajectery? Are we embracing the idea that we should deny ourselves nothing, and what are the consequences of living without self-denial?
3. At the end of the novel, the Savage whips himself relentlessly. A few chapters earlier he says, "Nothing costs enough here" and he even "claims the right to be unhappy." (239-240) Analyze your reactions to these ideas.
4. I really want to ask something about the connection between his need to punish himself and Lenina with almost religious fervor and the orgy-porgy that the crowd falls into simultaneously...but I can't decide how to ask it...
5. The novel ends with John's tragic suicide, and as his body slowly rotates on the rope, his feet oscillate from one end of the compass to the other....as if he is searching for something that he is unable to find. What do you think he is searching for and why is that thing the most important message in the novel?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Guiding Thought - Chapters 10-13
I really love this novel. There are so many questions to ask, but honestly I just want to thrust my opinions out there and see what you guys think of them. When I ask questions I can't share my opinions! Maybe I'll just start answering the questions I ask and pretend to be a mysterious student with the initials mrw.
Choose one of the following ideas to comment on:
The Savage (John) fills his solitude with literature, specifically Shakespeare. The citizens of the "brave new world" don't even have solitude, and they find rejunivation with soma and the direct pursuit of immediate pleasure. What is it about the literature that the Savage NEEDS? It seems that he thirsts for stories the way that the citizens long for drugs. Is there something that a story, and only a story, can provide a human being???
OR
If everyone is supposed to be happy, why does it seem like Lenina isn't? What has caused her to be unhappy and what is Huxley trying to say through her unhappiness?
OR
Why won't the Savage sleep with Lenina and do you condone his actions at the end of Chapter 13?
Choose one of the following ideas to comment on:
The Savage (John) fills his solitude with literature, specifically Shakespeare. The citizens of the "brave new world" don't even have solitude, and they find rejunivation with soma and the direct pursuit of immediate pleasure. What is it about the literature that the Savage NEEDS? It seems that he thirsts for stories the way that the citizens long for drugs. Is there something that a story, and only a story, can provide a human being???
OR
If everyone is supposed to be happy, why does it seem like Lenina isn't? What has caused her to be unhappy and what is Huxley trying to say through her unhappiness?
OR
Why won't the Savage sleep with Lenina and do you condone his actions at the end of Chapter 13?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Guiding Thought Ch. 6-9
In these chapters Lenina and Bernard take an excursion to see a group of "Savages" and they encounter Linda, a "civilized" woman who found herself living among these people. Today's question is twofold:
1. What do you think is the most shocking thing to Lenina and Bernard about what they find there and why?
2. Also, describe your most insightful observation after reading about John and Linda's life.
PS - did you notice the lines from Macbeth?!! I love that John's exposure to literature turns out to be the complete works of The Bard. It is also interesting that the Savages seem to be practicing some kind of amalgamated religion with elements of Christianity and indigenous Native American belief.
I thought about asking this question: Who has more in common with Bernard, John or Helmholtz? That would have been a challenging question.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Guiding Thought - Chapter 1-5
Please direct your comments to respond to the following prompt:
In chapters 3 and 4 Huxley juxtaposes several conversations together to create a somewhat confusing scene. One conversation is between Lenina and Fanny, one is between the World Controller and a group of students, and one is between Bernard and a couple of Alpha Plus males. Why would Huxley blend these conversations together? What does it add to the story, what does it reveal about his larger themes?
Your comments should be at least 200 words long! I'm dying to know what you guys think about this question...
Post is due by midnight, 1/16/09
In chapters 3 and 4 Huxley juxtaposes several conversations together to create a somewhat confusing scene. One conversation is between Lenina and Fanny, one is between the World Controller and a group of students, and one is between Bernard and a couple of Alpha Plus males. Why would Huxley blend these conversations together? What does it add to the story, what does it reveal about his larger themes?
Your comments should be at least 200 words long! I'm dying to know what you guys think about this question...
Post is due by midnight, 1/16/09
Introduction and Welcome
Dear Students, welcome to this blog. Keep track of the due dates for your posts
Reading Schedule:
Due Friday, Jan. 16: Your comment to the post on Chapters 1-5
Due Friday, Jan. 23: Your comment to the post on Chapters 6-9
Due Thursday, Jan. 29: Your comment to the post on Chapters 10-13
Due Wednesday, Feb. 4: Your comment to the post on Chapters 14-18
Assignment:
1. For each of these posts you will complete a comment that fully answers the guiding question provided. Your comments are due on the dates indicated above. For example, you will be required to write the first comment, over chapters 1-5, by midnight on Jan. 16. Original threads should be around 200 words in length. General topic will be posted to guide your thinking. You will be graded on the quality and punctuality of your posts. (10 points each)
2. In addition to creating an original thread on the discussion board, you will need to respond to one of the comments posted by your classmates. Responses should be around 100 words in length. Webel and/or Graham will also be posting on the message board, and you can respond to these threads as well. Your responses should agree, elaborate, challenge, and engage with the original post. Keep your comments professional and academic. Responses to posts are due within two days of the original postings, again by midnight. For example, you must respond to the Jan. 16 posts by at least Feb. 18, midnight. (5 points each)
By the end of this process, each of you will have posted 4 original comments, and responded to 4 of your classmate’s comments.
Reading Schedule:
Due Friday, Jan. 16: Your comment to the post on Chapters 1-5
Due Friday, Jan. 23: Your comment to the post on Chapters 6-9
Due Thursday, Jan. 29: Your comment to the post on Chapters 10-13
Due Wednesday, Feb. 4: Your comment to the post on Chapters 14-18
Assignment:
1. For each of these posts you will complete a comment that fully answers the guiding question provided. Your comments are due on the dates indicated above. For example, you will be required to write the first comment, over chapters 1-5, by midnight on Jan. 16. Original threads should be around 200 words in length. General topic will be posted to guide your thinking. You will be graded on the quality and punctuality of your posts. (10 points each)
2. In addition to creating an original thread on the discussion board, you will need to respond to one of the comments posted by your classmates. Responses should be around 100 words in length. Webel and/or Graham will also be posting on the message board, and you can respond to these threads as well. Your responses should agree, elaborate, challenge, and engage with the original post. Keep your comments professional and academic. Responses to posts are due within two days of the original postings, again by midnight. For example, you must respond to the Jan. 16 posts by at least Feb. 18, midnight. (5 points each)
By the end of this process, each of you will have posted 4 original comments, and responded to 4 of your classmate’s comments.
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