Brave New World
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“If one's different, one's bound to be lonely.” “I want to know what passion is. I want to feel something strongly.” |
Can you judge a book by its cover?
Before you begin the novel, examine the three versions of its cover below. Based on the image, make inferences about what the book may be about.
The Title: As you read the novel, consider the explanation of the title's allusion below. Be able to discuss how it plays an important role in the story.
“O, wonder! |
Brave New World's title derives from Miranda's speech in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, Act V, Scene I. This line itself is ironic; Miranda was raised for most of her life on an isolated island, and the only people she ever knew were her father and his servants, an enslaved savage, and spirits, notably Ariel. When she sees other people for the first time, she is understandably overcome with excitement, and utters, among other praise, the famous line above. However, what she is actually observing is not men acting in a refined or civilized manner, but rather drunken sailors staggering off the wreckage of their ship. (Wikipedia)
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As you read:
I will pass out reading guides in class for you to complete as you read.
Think about the following broad question. How does Aldous Huxley introduce and develop the following motifs in the novel?
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Want to listen to the book?Brave New World Audiobook Playlist on YouTube
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Class Discussion Questions
Classs Discussion for Chapters 1-6:
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Class Discussion for Chapters 7-12:
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Class Discussion for Chapters 13-end:
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Final Discussion & Related Reading
What role does the individual play in this society? How is that individual defined? What does Huxley believe makes a man truly happy?
Related Poetry
Brave New World THENThe 1930s were consumed with a fear that modernization, industrialization, and technology were challenging the notion of individualism and the threat that totalitarian governments could conceivably manipulate the minds and even the biological nature of their enslaved citizens. Consider whether people in many countries were (despite WWI) far more optimistic than pessimistic about the promise of technology. Future developments proved that Russia, Italy & Germany, as well as Japan, were quite happy to submerge themselves into pursuit of collective enterprises that turned people into cheerful and mostly indistinguishable followers of various generals, emperors, and fuhrers.
Read Brave New World and Churchill's essays. Consider the prevailing fears of the 1930s through fiction and nonfiction writings. What similarities and differences exist between Churchill's non-fiction essays and Huxley's work of fiction?
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Brave New World NOW
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