How would a "savage" woman react to the sexuality of One State?
Seeing how John reacts to One State and it's workings, the feminine point of view would be much more reserved. When John sees Lenina on a soma holiday and reaches out to touch her, he didn't "dare to profane [her] with his unworthiest hand," (Huxley 153). This starkly contrasts Lenina's reaction to her want as she shamelessly undressed herself in front of John. In a society where men and women are both equally proactive in their desire, the reservations of the savages are unheard of. Where John, a man, is embarrassed by sexuality, how would a woman even dare to think of desire? When the tables were reversed and John's mother lived by her sexually driven on the reservation, the women "made a scene" for sleeping with her husband (Huxley 130). However, in One State where there doesn't seem to be exclusive relationships. The woman would most likely be mortified at the forwardness of the men and the transparency of relationships. In One State, it isn't that men don't respect women, it's that everybody is available. The savage woman would see the advances of these men first as flattery, but then as disgust. This is due to the fact the John shows the relationship is valued and true emotions are considered rather than sexual gratification.
If one grew up in One State without any class conditioning, how would he/she view One State?
Though all children are conditioned during conception to their caste in One State, what if an egg was overlooked and grew up without the hindrances given to children upon birth (such as oxygen deprivation and alcohol treatment) or hyponoædia? This person would be free of pre-implanted ideas and a free thinker, seeing as the brain was untouched. If this person were to have grown up in One State and only seen One State, the person would most likely see the castes as the way everything is and should be. The castes indeed provide stability and accountability; there is never a question of who does what job. In John, we see his skewed views of One State from the stories his mother told him and his life growing up on a reservation (Huxley 131). However, there is the possibility that as a free thinking individual, the person would question the ethics of a predetermined fate, which would then lead to political instability and turmoil for One State.
What if Linda returned to One State pregnant?
This is a pretty loaded question because it deals with many facets of the One State society. To start with the obvious, John wouldn't been conditioned as a fetus for a certain caste, causing a disruption in the early process of deciding a caste for him. Linda would probably have been subjected to more criticism and embarrassment seeing as how the Director was laughed out of the room and resigned his position (Huxley 159,160). John would most likely be more of an oddity being raised in One State knowing his mother and father, seeing as those words are classified as obscene (159).
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Don't You Want Me - Human League
What's the subject matter?
The subject is a woman leaving a man. The repetition of the lyrics "Don't you want me?" shows the mans desire to be together with the woman again.
What is the difference in the 2 sides of the story?
Man: He changed her life for the better. This is reflected in the lyrics "When I met you I picked you out. I shook you up and turned you around, turned you into someone new" and "... Don't forget it's me who put you where you are now and I can put you back down too". The first set of lyrics describe how he had changed her while in the second he boasts that he was the one who contributed to her success.
Woman: She could have found a better life without him. This is reflected in the lyrics "But even then I knew I'd find a much better place either with or without you". Her side of the story tells of how she would have and could have been successful without meeting him and dating him.
Who do you side with?
I side with the woman. This is because the man seems very cocky and self-absorbed with his reasoning while begging her to stay with him. Also, one could hardly determine the success of the woman rested solely on the man's help and whether or not she could have been successful without him. The woman goes on to say that the time that they've been together were great and she still loves him, but she needs to "life [her] life on [her] own". This shows that the man was very dominant in her life and she feels the need to become more independent and find herself, so the breakup wasn't ill intended.
The subject is a woman leaving a man. The repetition of the lyrics "Don't you want me?" shows the mans desire to be together with the woman again.
What is the difference in the 2 sides of the story?
Man: He changed her life for the better. This is reflected in the lyrics "When I met you I picked you out. I shook you up and turned you around, turned you into someone new" and "... Don't forget it's me who put you where you are now and I can put you back down too". The first set of lyrics describe how he had changed her while in the second he boasts that he was the one who contributed to her success.
Woman: She could have found a better life without him. This is reflected in the lyrics "But even then I knew I'd find a much better place either with or without you". Her side of the story tells of how she would have and could have been successful without meeting him and dating him.
Who do you side with?
I side with the woman. This is because the man seems very cocky and self-absorbed with his reasoning while begging her to stay with him. Also, one could hardly determine the success of the woman rested solely on the man's help and whether or not she could have been successful without him. The woman goes on to say that the time that they've been together were great and she still loves him, but she needs to "life [her] life on [her] own". This shows that the man was very dominant in her life and she feels the need to become more independent and find herself, so the breakup wasn't ill intended.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Brave New World -- First Entry
The society of Brave New World went to great lengths to create equality and conformity starting at birth. Eggs are split to create dozens of twins and the castes are established by deprivation of oxygen and exposure to alcohol while as a fetus. Once the children grow older, they are required to wear their caste colors as shown in the quote "Alpha children wear grey. ... [Gammas] all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki," (Huxley 40).
By eliminating religion, literature, and art, the society of Brave New World thereby eliminated conflict. Huxley writes that "his fordship" Mustapha Mond has in his possession forbidden books, such as bibles and poetry (48). The D.H.C. shows alarm when Mond begins to talk to his students knowing that Mond has forbidden books, showing the caliber of danger than knowledge possess.
The use of a drug named soma creates happiness for the people. Using soma is accepted and encouraged; it creates a sense of relaxation and content for the user. Happiness is also created by many abundant leisure activities that the people may contend in. The society of Brave New World even views sexual activity as leisurely and encourages participating in erotic play at a young age (44).
Although to us this seems quite dystopia, its more of a utopia for the people in the book. Everyone is happy in their own station of life and there is little conflict about the social order. Only a few people, such as Bernard, are shown as flaws by the birthing process mentioned in the first chapter of the book.
By eliminating religion, literature, and art, the society of Brave New World thereby eliminated conflict. Huxley writes that "his fordship" Mustapha Mond has in his possession forbidden books, such as bibles and poetry (48). The D.H.C. shows alarm when Mond begins to talk to his students knowing that Mond has forbidden books, showing the caliber of danger than knowledge possess.
The use of a drug named soma creates happiness for the people. Using soma is accepted and encouraged; it creates a sense of relaxation and content for the user. Happiness is also created by many abundant leisure activities that the people may contend in. The society of Brave New World even views sexual activity as leisurely and encourages participating in erotic play at a young age (44).
Although to us this seems quite dystopia, its more of a utopia for the people in the book. Everyone is happy in their own station of life and there is little conflict about the social order. Only a few people, such as Bernard, are shown as flaws by the birthing process mentioned in the first chapter of the book.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Ethnography
What are the benefits of each perspective? Is one perspective better than the other?
Emic - creates cultural perspective and insight
Etic - creates a scientific view
Though both carry benefits, I think that the emic perspective is better than etic because it creates an better understanding of "how" and "why" of cultural differences.
Write a brief explanation for why these rules exist.
Emic - creates cultural perspective and insight
Etic - creates a scientific view
Though both carry benefits, I think that the emic perspective is better than etic because it creates an better understanding of "how" and "why" of cultural differences.
Write a brief explanation for why these rules exist.
As an ethnographer, you must
- realize objectivity is impossible. Instead of trying to be objective, acknowledge your biases in your research.
- have an informant from the group you're studying.
- be up-front about your intentions; let your subjects know what you're studying and why.
2. Having an informant helps along the cultural understanding.
3. By informing the group, the ethnographer creates more trust and diminishes the amount of confusion that the group may contrive.
Rain on the Scarecrow
What is this song about?
It is about a man who lost his farm land.
What are some conflicts this song might address?
Farmers v. Government
Make a claim about his use of imagery/symbolism.
He is a farmer.
Make a claim about his use of word choice.
His word choice carries a very negative connotation, thus carrying a negative and depressing tone throughout the song.
Who does he seem to favor? Support.
He supports the farming community. In the song, he writes "I grew up like my daddy did My grandpa cleared this land."
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Reading Excerpts
What is the tone? What words create the tone?
P1) The tone is wonderment. "savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent", "uncontrollable desire", "eyes gleamed" create the tone.
P2) The tone is amazement. "wild vitality, an intense energy of movement" create the tone.
P3) The tone is disgust. "black rags were wound round their loins and the short ends behind waggled to and fro like tails", "death like indifference of unhappy savages" create the tone.
P4) The tone is horror struck. "intolerable and appalling","phantom brother", "[the natives] went on all fours" create the tone.
What is the tone of paragraph 4? How does it change? Why does the narrator mention the white man so close to this description of the natives?
The tone of the fourth paragraph changes from horror struck to respectful. After depicting the natives as insufferable animals, the narrator writes of a white man with a starched collar, making a distinct shift in tone as well as description. The narrator probably mentioned the white man so close to the description of the natives in order to show the superiority of white men to natives.
Why would the west manufacture othering?
By manufacturing "othering", it creates a sense of unity by sharing similar beliefs. This then strengthens the community as well as making them feel superior.
P1) The tone is wonderment. "savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent", "uncontrollable desire", "eyes gleamed" create the tone.
P2) The tone is amazement. "wild vitality, an intense energy of movement" create the tone.
P3) The tone is disgust. "black rags were wound round their loins and the short ends behind waggled to and fro like tails", "death like indifference of unhappy savages" create the tone.
P4) The tone is horror struck. "intolerable and appalling","phantom brother", "[the natives] went on all fours" create the tone.
What is the tone of paragraph 4? How does it change? Why does the narrator mention the white man so close to this description of the natives?
The tone of the fourth paragraph changes from horror struck to respectful. After depicting the natives as insufferable animals, the narrator writes of a white man with a starched collar, making a distinct shift in tone as well as description. The narrator probably mentioned the white man so close to the description of the natives in order to show the superiority of white men to natives.
Why would the west manufacture othering?
By manufacturing "othering", it creates a sense of unity by sharing similar beliefs. This then strengthens the community as well as making them feel superior.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
1984 -- Reading Blog 3
Big Brother has won in the sense of Winston's destroyed psyche, however, not rightfully so. Armed with Winston's intense fear of rats, O'Brien is able to utterly destroy Winston. O'Brien says "All the confessions are true. We make them true," showing Big Brother's manipulation (254). Of course, Big Brother wins in the sense of being able to eliminate enemies, but he is unable to claim complete victory because confessions are falsified. Instead, the Party slowly brainwashes Winston through an intricate process that O'Brien describes to Winston. They "convert [the heretic], ... capture his inner mind,... reshape him. [They] burn all evil and all illusion out of him; [they] bring him over to [their] side, not in appearance, but genuinely, heart and soul. [They] make him one of [themselves] before [they] kill him," (255). This long winded process ending only with the death of the heretic shows the Party's fear of opposition. The Party refuses to accept submission, but would rather kill a person of free will in order to assert their power and greatness.
As Winston believed, One State could be brought down through the Proles. The Proles have the luxury of being seen as almost inhuman to the Party, so if they were to unitedly stand up against the Party, the Party would be unable to stop it at the roots because of the lack of concentration on the Proles.
I think that at the end of the novel, Winston was brainwashed through O'Brien's detailed plan as aforementioned. "[Winston] was in the public dock, confessing everything, implicating everybody. He was walking down the white-tiled corridor, with the feeling of walking in sunlight, and an armed guard at his back. The long-hoped-for-bullet was entering his brain," (297). O'Brien had said that the Party wants heretics to willingly turn themselves in, even begging to be killed. Going even further, I believe that Winston's dream of confessing and dying would have happened in the near future of the novel.
As Winston believed, One State could be brought down through the Proles. The Proles have the luxury of being seen as almost inhuman to the Party, so if they were to unitedly stand up against the Party, the Party would be unable to stop it at the roots because of the lack of concentration on the Proles.
I think that at the end of the novel, Winston was brainwashed through O'Brien's detailed plan as aforementioned. "[Winston] was in the public dock, confessing everything, implicating everybody. He was walking down the white-tiled corridor, with the feeling of walking in sunlight, and an armed guard at his back. The long-hoped-for-bullet was entering his brain," (297). O'Brien had said that the Party wants heretics to willingly turn themselves in, even begging to be killed. Going even further, I believe that Winston's dream of confessing and dying would have happened in the near future of the novel.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Love Language
1. Assumptions:
- The girl doesn't want to talk to the guy.
- She will end up liking him.
2. The two cultures represented in the film are those who are deaf (the girl) and those that are able to hear (the guy).
3. The external conflict is that the girl isn't able to hear what the guy is saying.
4. The internal conflict is that the girl's decision of whether or not to tell the guy that she is deaf.
5. The external conflict is solved by the two communicating through writing on Post-It notes instead of talking. The internal conflict is solved by the girl showing the guy that she is deaf by letting him listen to her "special song", which there wasn't one.
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