Question #6_ Brave New World

*Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you.

*Why is this passage meaningful?

*Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.

“Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they’re so clever. I’m really glad I’m a Beta, because I don’t work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear light brown. Oh no, I don’t want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are even worse.”

This passage was really significant to me. In the book of Brave New World, they condition the future human beings into the way that the World Leaders want them to be. They are, in another word, brainwashed. Since the day they were born, no, since the day that they existed in the world, they get to have a fixed thought on everything they go through. How can this be possible? Don’t they have the human rights? They are like “human-looking” robots! This passage I chose is one step of the conditioning. When the babies are sleeping, they turn on the recordings of these words, and repeat them over and over. So without knowing, this would be stuck in their head. The caste system is a really big deal in this book; however, unlike the world that “I” am living in, everyone is satisfied with their level in the society. I guess that is why they developed the “conditioning” system; it prevents other conflicts between people too. In the world we are living now, there are many prejudices and stereotypes when looking at certain things. This is exactly what is happening here in the novel, but just worse. They identify themselves with different colored clothes, and I cannot even imagine this going on in reality. It is a nightmare. I am just hoping that the future of the world of ours would not be this way!!

Question #5_ Brave New World

*What is the mood of this novel?

*Do you find this novel saddens you in any way?

*Why?

This novel, Brave New World, is very depressing; it is a dystopian novel. You feel more and more depressed as you keep on reading. In the beginning of the book, it describes and explains how humans are created (made) my all the machineries, and how humans are educated to do certain things according to the status of that human being. They are forced to like certain things and they are also forced to hate certain things. Who, which humans, would feel happy reading such thing? We question ourselves, are we influenced by such things? Are be being controlled by something, not knowing? Who knows whether same thing is going on in our society, but we don’t know this because we are ignorant like the people in the World State? It somehow makes us afraid, afraid to face the reality. This novel saddens me in a way that people are being mistreated. They don’t have human rights. Even Alpha-pluses are being controlled by the World Controllers and are not perfectly free. In our society, many people tried hard in the past to free the slaves and make all the humans equal. Every human should have their own right to do something they want to. What is even sadder is that people in this novel don’t know how they are being treated. They have been conditioned to be like that. Although they are doing the things that we cannot even possibly imagine to do, they are feeling happy to do such things. They don’t know what else they could do. It is like a society of dolls created by the definite power. They are being played around by the World Controllers. JUST AWFUL!

Question #4_ Brave New World

*What is the climax of this novel?

*What happens?

*How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The climax of this novel is when John, the Mr. Savage, tries to stop the distribution of “soma” to Deltas. “Soma” is a chemical that almost all human beings in the World State takes, no matter what and which status you are in. It makes you happy like drugs. Yes, it is the drug of this world. However, people don’t know that, so they take it whenever they are depressed or feel offended. Not knowing, they get addicted to them, and later cannot live without it. John came from the Savage Reservation, where there is no “soma,” and he had seen his mother suffer from the addict. When he sees the reality of the World State, he is horrified. At the point where John sees the instructor makes Deltas see people dying, distribute them somas so they can feel happy, which later leads to them being happy when a person dies, he couldn’t bare it. He acted like crazy and made everyone shocked. He is later brought to prison for his actions of throwing all the somas away from the instructor’s bag. This makes me feel sad. World leaders and controllers make their people become drug addicts to have control on them. This is not right. It feels like I am seeing our world leaders today, doing anything for power and control. The results of “soma” were horrible by seeing Linda. Just like drug addicts, her life was ruined. John is heroic to try to avoid the same results for other people, by trying to free them from “soma” which never works. John is even sent to jail for his actions, which also tells us the cruelness of the leaders of World State. I am definitely afraid that the future of our world would turn out like this. At the same time, I think the book had described the reality of our leaders of the world today.

Question #3_ Brave New World

*Who are the main characters in the novel?

*Do you like them?

*Why or why not?

*What is special about them?

*What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

- John: He is the son of the Director and Linda, and he has grown up outside of the World State. He was born and was grown in the Savage Reservation, and when Bernard brings him to the New World, he isn’t able to fit in. His mother has told him all about the New World, how create it is with everyone so “civilized,” however, this image of this world was all ruined when he had actually saw the reality. His world view is based on his knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays, which he read among the Savages. He can quote them really well. I like him because he is unique in a way that he can think for himself, not conditioned in the New World. He is special because he knows that "soma" isn't good for you, and he is the one who understands the Shakespeare unlike others. He reveals people in our society who is unique, and someone who break the fixed concept or thoughts about something.
- Bernard Marx: He is an Alpha male who fails to fit in because he has an inferior in his physical stature. He was mistreated when he was an embryo for some mistake occurred. His insecurity about his height and status makes him discontented with the World State. He brings John and Linda to the new world, but later goes to an island because he has too much individual ideas. I don't like him because he is an inferior. I am not saying that it is his fault that he wasn't normal, and I am also not saying that I don't like him because of his looks. It is just his confidence. He is an Alpha-plus, a status that everyone would like to be in. He should have pride, but he never does. He is like people in our society who has almost everything, but just because they lack a little tiny bit of something, they are not satisfied.
- Lenina: She works as a vaccination worker at the Conditioning Centre of the World State. Her behavior is sometimes intriguingly unorthodox, for example, she defies her culture by going out with only one guy unlike other girls. She, with Bernard brings John to the New World, falls in love with him. She cannot understand the way of John’s thinking though, since she was conditioned like all the other people in the World State. I like her in a way that she has a different perspective on relationship with boys, unlike other girls. But since she was conditioned, she didn't have perfectly self-created thoughts and perspective. She is like the people who tries to be different, but actually cannot really be, because of the influence of the environment they live in.
- Linda: She is John’s mother and a Beta. She got pregnant with the Director’s son, and while visiting the Savage Reservation, she got lost and was left behind. She couldn’t get the abortion, and was ashamed to return to the New World with a baby, where it was treated “animal-like for human women to have baby herself.” She is addicted to soma, so when she returns to the World State with Bernard, she lives with it and dies quickly. I don't like her, but I feel sorry for her. She is a great example how humans can turn out with all those scientific chemicals. She is a person like drug addicts in our society.

Question #2_ Brave New World

*Are there are any current situations in the world that relate to the novel?

*What are they, and how do they relate?

*Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?

There is a major current situation in the world that relates to the novel. These days, cloning has become one of the world’s greatest issues of debate. Scientists say that cloning is necessary to cure all the diseases and to extend human life expectancy; however, some peoples say that it is the act of depriving the human rights of the clones. Clones are being the living creatures that are born to sacrifice themselves for other living creatures. They have thoughts and rights. They feel pain. But we don’t care about them in some ways. In this novel Brave New World, they have set the social status by creating humans in different ways. Humans make babies scientifically, and according to different chemicals and conditions they give to the embryos, they decide whether that person will be an Alpha plus, Alpha, Alpha minus, Beta plus, Beta, Beta minus, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Bokanovsky. They are called “civilized” people. They are made to love what they are born to do as if they are the robots. They like what they are made to like and they hate what they are made to hate. They are taught to live with chemical “soma” which has the effect of drugs of today. Out of all the perspectives, there are World Controllers who have created all this social function who aren’t being controlled by anything. There is only one group of people out of this society who have human rights, and they are called Savages. By looking at this, we can know how us humans are becoming dependent on technologies and machineries. Humans are becoming like living robots. The book doesn’t tell us “how” to fix these problems of today, but teaches us what is going on in different perspective. This novel tells us what a terrible thing it is for us to change the way we are changing and that we should avoid it somehow. Our futures should definitely not be the way the novel had foreshadowed.

Question #1_ Brave New World

*What is the major theme of this novel?
*Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

In the novel Brave New World, people are living in a society where there is no freedom. However, people in this society don’t know that because they were taught that they are the happiest people in the world since the time of when they weren’t even born. The major theme of this novel seems to be criticizing the stupidity of human beings. The author changes the “Lord God” of today into “Ford” of the car company to ridicule today’s ignorance. As technology develops, humans began searching for the true meaning of happiness. We have certain things that we think are the obstacles that keep us from reaching happiness, and in this novel, the author had changed those factors into the way that we probably may think is better. However, it actually was worse, which proves the dumbness of our choices. We have to be satisfied with the way we are today, and find a way that you can be happy with them. Don’t try to change them into the way you want it to be, ruining the natural orders, just for yourself. There was a purpose for the God to create the world the way it is today.
The theme is important to a teenager living in 2007, in a way that they will be the future leaders of the world. So many things have changed from the past these days. Almost all teenagers have cell phones in their pockets and plastic surgeries have become a common occasion. I am confident that there will be many changes in the future too, but how and when it will change depends on today’s teenagers. Like in the novel Brave New World, we may not allow for women to have babies, but may create babies with the technology, giving perfect genes to create the geniuses. We might think it would be helpful to our society, when the reality is the opposite. Teenagers should have the right point of view toward the world, and should understand the results of good and bad choices. As the world leaders of tomorrow, they would also have to learn to avoid the ignorant decisions. That is why the theme of this book is so important.

Question #8_ Animal Farm

*Entry of your choice
*Original novel vs. Translated version

Famous books are translated into hundreds of languages, and Animal Farm is one of them. George Orwell is a really famous author, and I have seen this novel on the Korean high school recommended reading list. So I tried reading Animal Farm in Korean version during Lunar Vacation. I was pretty surprised for what I have gotten out of it. Since it hadn’t been a long time, reading Animal Farm in English, I didn’t get anything new; the story was really familiar to me. However, something was different! I thought over and over until I finally figured out that the mood was a little different. Dystopian mood was a lot stronger in the English version. I’d say it’s because of the variety of words a language can have. Korean version really sounded like a storybook or a novel without the explanation in the back of the book saying that it is symbolizing the Soviet Union. In contrast, when I read the original book, I could actually connect the story into the history, even without reading the analysis. Maybe it’s because the translator couldn’t find exact word for word meaning Korean, and had to use weaker word choice. This means that if you don’t know English and wanted to really enjoy Animal Farm or some kind of American Literature fully, it isn’t possible. That is one reason that almost everyone around the world tries to learn English and be fluent with it. Before, I thought it would be as good to read a novel in a translated version, but now, I don’t believe so. I should try to read the novels I read in Korean translated version, again in English and search for the real beauty of the book.

Question #7_ Animal Farm

*Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? or disturbing? or memorable?
*Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you

Major Farm, the Animal Farm, is a setting that I have found to be memorable. This farm at first was really old and the owner of the farm never cared about the animals. However, as the animal took over the farm, human things were used differently by animals. The structure of the farm had changed a lot. Contrastingly, at the end of the book, powerful pigs live the same life as humans on the farm, so the farm starts to look like what it was in the past. In another word, this farm kept on changing and changing as the story goes according to how animals lived and how nature of the animals on this farm had changed. All the good and bad things happen in this one place. Actually, almost the whole book occurs on this one farm; story starts here and ends here. It is very interesting, and at the same time shocking, to see how so many things can happen in a single setting. The unsteady rule of cruel and brutal humans, rebellion of animals, new leaders, changing of the nature of animals, process of destruction of a community, birth of communism, murders among friends (the trusting relations), discriminations, dictatorship, and lots more. Animal Farm, later changed name of Major Farm, symbolizes the Soviet Union during communism. Thinking back, I shiver again knowing how brave and smart the author, George Orwell, was to symbolize the Soviet Union in this book, and to criticize the country by sneaking from the government. I wonder if the same things could happen in South Korea, where the idealism of democracy is being used.

Question #6_ Animal Farm

*Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you.
*Why is this passage meaningful?
*Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.

"All animals are equal
But some animals are more equal
Than others"

This passage was really significant to me. It is a single commandment left on the wall of the farm at the end of the book. The commandment kept changing, but almost nobody, except for the leaders, knew because they couldn’t read caused by lack of education. When I first read this passage, I didn’t really get what it meant. Equal is equal, how can you be “more” equal? It didn’t make sense at all. However, as I kept on thinking and made connection to the Soviet Union that this book was symbolizing, I started to nod without noticing. What is the ideal of communism? What’s so different from democracy? It is being EQUAL, however is it really? They distribute money equally, government assign people’s job, and everything is decided by the government so no one can fight against it. When a person is poor, everybody else is poor, and when a person is rich, everybody else is rich, equally. Then what about the people in the high position of the government? Aren’t they always better than these people controlled by them? Aren’t they ALWAYS rich? Don’t THEY decide for others? Isn’t that power and unequal? This is exactly what this quote means. In this book Animal Farm, same things are happening. There are always leaders and they get anything they want while others don’t. Napoleons, one of the pig leaders, always brings around dogs to get control of others.

“Common animals are equal
But animals with power and dictatorship are more equal
Then the rest”

I would change the quote like this.

Question #5_ Animal Farm

*What is the mood of this novel?
*Do you find this novel saddens you in any way?
*Why?

This novel, Animal Farm, is unspeakably depressing. The book starts with Old Major being the great and wise leader of all animals. Mr. Jones, the farm owner, was really harsh on animals and had no sympathy. He drank all the time and didn’t even feed animals regularly. Animals couldn’t bear their conditions of living anymore, so they decided to rebel and take over the Manor Farm. When they succeeded to do so, the renamed the farm and looked forward for a pleasant, happy life. The harvest was the greatest and some animals started to learn how to read. It was just a utopia. Even when humans came back to take over their past farms, they all worked together and had beaten them. However, as a new leader, Napoleon came along everything started to change and the farm animals were being treated worse than they were by humans. The story ends all depressed again. This novel saddens me in a way very much. It makes me feel like, “There are always bad things following after good things. Plus, life itself is always depressing.” Since this novel was based on the real story of the Soviet Union, it is not just fantasy but reality. The reality is this depressing. Many, not just a few but very many, people are treated really badly when others are so rich and powerful by controlling over the weak and helpless. Also, even when there are these good and great ideas, such as communism, created to brighten the world, they always end up failing by some kind of reasons. It just saddens me, even to think about it.

Question #4_ Animal Farm

*What is the climax of this novel?
*What happens?
*How do the events of this novel make you feel?

Interestingly, the climax of the novel is at the end of the book, the point when the pigs started walking on their hind feet like humans. In the beginning of the book, when Mr. Jones was the owner of the farm, everything was so out of control, and that is why the animals rebelled against and took over the farm. They started out really good; however, as time went on, everything started to change. When Napoleon becomes dictator and treats animals differently, apart from the idea they started out, “all animals are equal,” the greed of the animals started to show. Knowing the sweetness, powerful pigs started to change things so that everything benefited them, but not other animals. Many animals couldn’t read and that was really useful for the leaders to control over them. For examples, they didn’t know that the commandments had changed, to stupid to remember the old one, and didn’t know when Boxer was being taken away toward death just because they couldn’t read. As they changed this and that, it kept on becoming as it was in the beginning. This means, that for the pigs to be all bad, they have to be like human rulers; humans are bad. This doesn’t mean that all humans are bad, but dictators or some of the leaders of ours. The name of the farm started out as “Major Farm” and when the rebellion occurred, the name was changed to “Animal Farm.” But the story ends as “Major Farm” again showing that everything’s back to beginning. Pigs walking like humans and drinking alcohol was really ridiculous, and at the same time saddened me to realize how humans are ignorant. This was a really interesting climax as a novel.

Question #3_ Animal Farm

*Who are the main characters in the novel?
*Do you like them?
*Why or why not?
*What is special about them?
*What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

- Napoleon: He is the pig who emerges as the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. He uses his loyal attack dogs to keep control of the rest of the animals. He is like the dictator of the Animal Farm. I don’t like Napoleon because just because he is smarter than the other pigs, he uses his skills of literacy to fool others and control them. He is representing Joseph Stalin.
- Snowball: The pig that is intelligent and eloquent to challenge Napoleon for the power over the Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Snowball is less brutal in a way of treating other animals. I like Snowball because he challenged the dictator, which is not an easy thing to do. He was smart enough to persuade others and sometimes passionate. He is representing Leon Trotsky.
- Boxer: The cart horse who is really strong. He does a great role in completing the windmill. He is also loyal to his leaders, and sometimes too loyal to look like a food who doesn’t know anything except for following orders. He allows the pigs to make all the decisions for him saying, “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right.” I don’t really like boxer. Although he is really helpful, powerful, and loyal, he doesn’t have leadership or the ability to come to the conclusion of something by himself.
- Squealer: The pig who is a great talker. He spreads Napoleon’s propaganda and bullshits among the other animals in the farm. One word to describe his character is “liar.” He always gives the wrong information and false statistics pointing to the farm’s success so that others can think that Napoleon’s the greatest. I hate Squealer the most, although it is a common scene in our lives. I just don’t like characters that spread rumors and make everyone think the wrong idea on something.

Question #2_ Animal Farm

*Are there are any current situations in the world that relate to the novel?
*What are they, and how do they relate?
*Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?

Have you ever thought you are the best and you know everything? How do you feel when you think you are right, everyone agrees to it, but you were totally wrong? Despite what time period you live in, each one of us had experienced it at least once, since this is part of human nature. The novel Animal Farm, may seem like a story that is enjoyable when it is hiding its real meaning by symbolizing. It tells us that “communism” in this case is not right. Didn’t everyone think it was a right ideology in the beginning? But are there any who thinks that way today? Current situations in the world relates to the book like this. These past years, many communist countries have turned and are turning back toward democracy. Soviet Union had changed to USSR after its destruction. Even China is accepting some of the principles of democracy; however, there is a single country left untouched, North Korea. What is happening in North Korea is what had happened in the Soviet Union in the past, but they haven’t learned by seeing the failure. Although the president of the North Korea, Kim Jeong Il, would never accept it, North Koreans should read the book and learn something from it. This novel doesn’t actually shed the light of “how” the problem could be resolved, but it shows the frightful result of what might happen, if it keeps on going this way.

Question #1_ Animal Farm

*What is the major theme of this novel?
*Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

The book Animal Farm is full of symbolization. The story is symbolizing the background of the Russian Revolution which occurred in the Soviet Union. The farm is symbolizing the country itself, and the relationships between the animals are how the leaders of the Soviet were related to each other. The major theme of this novel seems to be criticizing the history and the rule of the government in the Soviet. The author tried to tell the world that although the idea of the communism might be really good and perfect, the reality is totally different. Since the individual rights of the people during this period weren’t given, the author had to symbolize what he wanted to talk about, so that he won’t be punished for it. Gorge Orwell wasn’t actually punished, but when this writing was first shown to the public, it was banned and forbidden to be published as a book.
The theme is important to a teenager living in 2007, especially in the democratic countries. During Cold War, two most powerful countries were United States and Soviet Union. U.S. was the leader of the democracy when Soviet was the leader of the communism. We cannot judge two different governments by the ideology they are using, but we can actually judge which works better. Decade ago, many countries were following communism because the idea was really good; however, had failed to make the “dream come true.” Today, all the powerful countries are democratic, and the teenagers living in 2007 should understand the pros and cons of communism.