Brave New World
Sierra M
2/26/16
BNW Seminar Prewrite
In my opinion the overall message of Brave New World is that we as a society need the flaws that we have. If everything was scientific and predetermined then we would end up in a twisted, overly controlled environment that relies on science and artificial methods to deliver things that should exist naturally.
Reading Brave New World has strengthened my previous philosophy that happiness is something only you can do for yourself. No one else can create it for you, not even scientists. It’s not a mathematical or scientific concept, and true happiness can’t be delivered through artificial means.
I think when John says that nothing in society costs enough he is referring to the emotional costs that we typically pay when we see a homeless person, or violence, or someone throwing their life away. In this society they are sheltered from all that. It reminds me of how in this society like with my baby sister, if I see something that makes me uncomfortable I will try to shelter her from it because she is thirteen years younger and I don’t want her to see that kind of thing. In this society it’s almost as if they never grow up, they are never “ready” to face what would be considered harsh realities if they existed.
I think that our society is less focused on comfort now than it used to be. Nowadays, shock factor has value, and making your audience uncomfortable can be a good thing. Especially in the 17-1800s, people were often very sheltered from things that would take them out of their comfort zones. In the late 20th century shock factor gained value, and these days we aren’t as sheltered as we used to be. I think this is because it is a good way to get people’s attention and have the content stick with them. That said I think our society especially in the USA is very focused on physical comfort, we have an excess of food and multiple cushy furniture items in our household, so it really depends on what kind of comfort you are referring to.
2/26/16
BNW Seminar Prewrite
In my opinion the overall message of Brave New World is that we as a society need the flaws that we have. If everything was scientific and predetermined then we would end up in a twisted, overly controlled environment that relies on science and artificial methods to deliver things that should exist naturally.
Reading Brave New World has strengthened my previous philosophy that happiness is something only you can do for yourself. No one else can create it for you, not even scientists. It’s not a mathematical or scientific concept, and true happiness can’t be delivered through artificial means.
I think when John says that nothing in society costs enough he is referring to the emotional costs that we typically pay when we see a homeless person, or violence, or someone throwing their life away. In this society they are sheltered from all that. It reminds me of how in this society like with my baby sister, if I see something that makes me uncomfortable I will try to shelter her from it because she is thirteen years younger and I don’t want her to see that kind of thing. In this society it’s almost as if they never grow up, they are never “ready” to face what would be considered harsh realities if they existed.
I think that our society is less focused on comfort now than it used to be. Nowadays, shock factor has value, and making your audience uncomfortable can be a good thing. Especially in the 17-1800s, people were often very sheltered from things that would take them out of their comfort zones. In the late 20th century shock factor gained value, and these days we aren’t as sheltered as we used to be. I think this is because it is a good way to get people’s attention and have the content stick with them. That said I think our society especially in the USA is very focused on physical comfort, we have an excess of food and multiple cushy furniture items in our household, so it really depends on what kind of comfort you are referring to.
Mexican Whiteboy
Pre-Write
Danny and Uno both wear masks that are meant to protect them. Uno’s is that of a tough guy who no one who values his life should mess with. Danny’s mask is more subdued, he doesn’t speak. He is quiet and tries to keep attention off of himself. Uno’s mask is definitely more intimidating, almost as if he believes the best defense is a good offense. Danny’s seems to be purely defensive. He doesn’t want to show that he doesn’t know Spanish, that he doesn’t really fit into either Mexican or White culture. So he keeps to himself. When both of their masks begin to come off more, it shows how much they really have in common. For instance something that I thought was really cool, after Uno had hit Danny, a while later they ended up practicing together on an empty field. Danny threw a fastball that hurt Uno’s hand. At first Uno got riled up and angry, but then he backed down and shrugged it off, saying that he had deserved that. That strikes me as something that the Uno we saw earlier in the story with his mask fully in place, wouldn’t have done.
The Mexican kids that Danny encounters are a minority, and it seems almost as though they have been socialized to think badly of themselves. Danny’s grandmother always gives him food first, because he is the “whitest” of them all. Some of the other kids seem proud to be Mexican, but it’s almost a defensive pride. They feel the need to defend their culture and their heritage, but they almost don’t understand or believe in it. Danny has been socialized to feel like he should fit into one culture or another, he should be either fully white or fully Mexican. He doesn’t know what to do with himself, he is “A white boy among Mexicans and a Mexican among white boys” as it says in the book.
I have gained much more insight about how it feels to be kind of on the other end of the social and economic class. I have of course visited lower end towns and communities composed largely if not completely of people from another country, but I’m always on the outside looking in, and never there long enough to gain any real understanding. In the book, Danny sees a girl of about his age with a kid. He is seriously debating whether it is her child or if she is just babysitting. I had never realized how common it is for young Mexican American women to have children in their teens. In this book, it really shows how different their culture is, even if they do live in this country. It is expected of them to not succeed, or to drop out of school and live in a trailer park. Making money is such a foreign concept that many of the kids and adults have no idea what to do with what they can make, so there is no way for them to pass financial insights onto the younger generations.
Seminar Reflection
During this seminar, Tanner had made a comment about how Danny wanted to live up to the expectations of his dad. I disagree with this, because I feel that Danny didn’t know enough about his father to have expectations he felt he had to live up to. He seemed to be missing that aspect of his life, and trying to make up for it by setting expectations for himself. He wanted to fit in with Mexican culture, which is his dad’s culture, but that seems to be all. I think Danny really wanted his dad to want him, or he wanted to be Mexican enough for his dad, but he didn’t seem to have any real expectations that he felt he had to live up to.
Acacia had also said that it is human nature to want to fit in. I fully agree with this, I remember when I was younger watching my friends play with one girl’s new Barbie Makeup set. I thought the powdery purple and pink stuff looked weird, and when they started rubbing a lurid pink stick of lipstick all over their mouths, I ran downstairs to watch TV with my friend’s older brother. When my friends came down after they were done, they wouldn’t even talk to me. I felt so left out. The next time the makeup kit came out, I sat with them, faked giggles and let them rub candy colored goo all over my face. I hated every minute. Even at the age of seven I was willing to go to extreme lengths just to be accepted by my ‘friends.’
I feel that in the seminar I did well with paying attention, but not so well with speaking up. I had a hard time finding a place where people weren’t talking so that I could say my thoughts. I really didn’t want to interrupt anyone, and I kept getting nervous which made it hard for me to talk.
The most beautiful line from the book in my opinion was “Across the street from a giant recycling plant.” I like this line firstly because it really does paint a picture, and when set in with the rest of the paragraph it makes a very mundane thing seem completely beautiful. Also, the way it is worded is very artistic and easy. I liked the way the whole book was written, but the line was one of my favorites.
Acacia had also said that it is human nature to want to fit in. I fully agree with this, I remember when I was younger watching my friends play with one girl’s new Barbie Makeup set. I thought the powdery purple and pink stuff looked weird, and when they started rubbing a lurid pink stick of lipstick all over their mouths, I ran downstairs to watch TV with my friend’s older brother. When my friends came down after they were done, they wouldn’t even talk to me. I felt so left out. The next time the makeup kit came out, I sat with them, faked giggles and let them rub candy colored goo all over my face. I hated every minute. Even at the age of seven I was willing to go to extreme lengths just to be accepted by my ‘friends.’
I feel that in the seminar I did well with paying attention, but not so well with speaking up. I had a hard time finding a place where people weren’t talking so that I could say my thoughts. I really didn’t want to interrupt anyone, and I kept getting nervous which made it hard for me to talk.
The most beautiful line from the book in my opinion was “Across the street from a giant recycling plant.” I like this line firstly because it really does paint a picture, and when set in with the rest of the paragraph it makes a very mundane thing seem completely beautiful. Also, the way it is worded is very artistic and easy. I liked the way the whole book was written, but the line was one of my favorites.