Do You See What I See?
Christopher Thompson
“But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.” (240 Huxley)
When the Savage is having a conversation with Mustapha Mond this what he says he wants. Everything that Worldstate lacks. Everything that The Savage found himself wanting he had on the reservation. He came to Worldstate under the impression that it would be better and he would fit in but as the novel progresses he realizes he does not want to conform to the same daily routine that Worldstate follows. John asks for poetry which is something that is banned in Worldstateand something that I’ve grown to overlook over the past years, but he craves the words like a newborn craves its mother. Books and poetry to John are his comforts not like people of Worldstate who don't care for books and would rather be doped up on Soma or having an Orgy Porgy. In the real world John The Savage could have everything his heart desires but he lives in urban dystopia where he must abide by the rules Worldstate sets.
Daily Dystopia
For as long as I can remember I’ve been told by my parents, grandparents, and family friends finish high school go to college and don’t get anybody pregnant on the way there. It’s been forced down my throat like vegetables down a baby’s throat. School, school, and more school. As I’ve been through the years and years of school I have come to realize not everyone is meant to be school. It is unfair to make students remain in school until a certain age. While finishing high school does indeed has its benefits if a student and his guardian have to come to general understanding that school is not suitable for them they should not be forced to go. This is inconvenient for the guardian because if the student chooses not to attend school then the punishment goes to not only the student but the guardian. The guardian can face jail time, fines, or if receiving federal assistance that maybe be revoked depending on where you live. This can be a huge inconvenience for the guardian, especially if the guardian does not have the fund to pay the fines. Not only is the guardian affected but the other students around are also gravely effected. Students who find not interest in schools often act out in school leading to class distractions and less learning time. Less learning time will result in lower grades for the students who want to attend school. If the student then causes too many class distractions or had behavioral issues they then are sent to an alternative school. An alternative school is worse than a regular school because it puts more students who have no desire for school all among the same class. Writer of Real Education, Charles Murray, states that alternative schools “may not be able to absorb all the disruptive students and many may end up on the streets.” Alternative schools are a big melting pot of trouble and often lead to failure for students. Students could be using the time while not in school to focus on furthering their other talents or careers. The law keeping students in school until a certain age is just a failed attempt encourage furthering education.
Worldstate A.K.A M.a.a.d City
I chose the song M.a.a.d City by Kendrick Lamar because as I was listening to it in class one day I started to picture how the city of Compton resembles Brave New World in certain aspects. The first line of the song talks about opposing gangs and although Worldstate does not have gangs it has separate social class that stick to one another. “Seem like the whole city go against me” this line instantly painted a picture of Bernard Alone facing Worldstate while everyone is facing him looking and whispering about him. Until chapter 9 when Bernard returns with John Savage he is seen as the outcast of the Alphas. As the song goes on the hook repeats “Where you from ...” the asking of this question is symbolic for The Savage because when he first arrives to Worldstate everyone’s curiosity is peaked with him. People are so interested with The Savage that they will do anything Bernard asks of them to get time with The Savage. As the book progresses the Alphas’ start to take an interest in Bernard but, the interest is only on Bernard because he is the caregiver of The Savage. As the book progresses the song almost seems to go along with the book as it goes, “But ever since that day, I was looking at him different.” In my head I can visualize the faces of people when they see Bernard walk with The Savage. All faces of shock, worry, and a few with excitement to experiment with this new found Savage.
G.M.O Give Me Options
Saving a life isn’t just the responsibility of just person. It takes a team of people a generation of people to say that we can better ourselves as a race. To better ourselves requires investing in our future and our future populations. The best investment that can be made today is in the future of genetically modified people. Developers of these modifications explain that for women with mitochondrial disease this is a way to give birth to “healthy children to whom they are related genetically’ (Darnovsky). There are other ways for women to have children of their own like vitro fertilization or adoption. However these methods will not produce a living breathing bundle of joy that is related to you. In 1997 the first successful transfer of genetic material occurred. Scientists injected 30 embryos with a third person’s genetic material. Meaning the children who have been produced by this method actually has two mothers and a father. These children have the superior and dominate traits of these three selected people. With three people the embryo will have a greater selection of traits to pull from. This year in 2015 at least 17 of those children now will finish their senior year in high school and go onto live an adult life. This means that at least half of thirty embryos have made it to a milestone in their. Life with what little research and data for this first experiment, more than half is fantastic. With greater research and money for more testing this half of successful embryos could grow to be a complete thirty embryos living and functioning on earth. The FDA has wrongly stopped the testing and research of genetic modification (Darnovsky). Genetic modification has the potential to expand our knowledge of the reasoning behind certain genetic diseases. Furthering the why we could then work on the medication to fix these problems. These could expand and better modern day pharmaceuticals. In 2008 6.7 million people died of infectious diseases alone. With new and improved pharmaceuticals we could put an end to many of these disease increasing the life spans of millions a good amount. With more genetically modified people who could with the consent of both parties have more organ transplants. With better and stronger organs people will also increase their life span. The increase of genetically modified people will help fulfill careers. They have the potential to become teachers, engineers, doctors, farmers, scientist all which are essential for or growing modern society. Each of these jobs contributes greatly to the current success of the world. Without people to fulfill these jobs we would lack proper education, food, medication, and homes for our civilization. Genetically modified people with dominate or superior traits will make our race not only more physically fit but mentally. With more people like this in the world it will lead the world to a better society.
Works Cited
Works Cited
Buhr, Sarah. "The World’s First Genetically Modified Babies Will Graduate High School This Year." TechCrunch. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.
Darnovsky, Marcy. "Genetically Modified Babies." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Feb. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Bros., 1946. Print.
""m.A.A.d City" Lyrics." KENDRICK LAMAR LYRICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.
Pethokoukis, James. "Actually, We Shouldn't Keep All Students in High School until They're 18 - AEI." AEI. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.
"Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering in Humans." Bright Hub. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.