Brave New World Essays (740 words) - Utopian Novels, Brave New World

Brave New World Brave New World George Santayana once said, Ideal society is a drama enacted exclusively in the imagination. In life, there is no such thing as a complete utopia, although that is what many people try to achieve. Aldous Huxleys Brave New World is an attempt at a utopian society. In this brave new world, mothers and fathers and family are non-existent. Besides being non-existent, when words of that sort are mentioned, ears are covered and faces of disgust are made. In a report to the Controller, Bernard wrote,This is partly due, no doubt to the fact that he heard them talked about by the woman Linda, his m-----(106). Words of the sort cannot even be written. Art, history, and the ability to have emotions are shunned. This utopia is shown as a perfect world in which everyone is happy. If this was true, the people would not need to take soma, an equivalent along the lines of a cross between one of todays designer drugs and Prozac. The Director, who goes nameless for most of the story, is less important than the controller is, and he also knows less. This is shown by his shock when the Controller dares to speak about two of the forbidden topics, history and biological parents. It is believed that topics of this nature will cause this utopia to deteriorate. Once the utopia deteriorates, people are not happy all the time. Even by its own criteria though, Brave New World is not a society where everyone is in fact happy. There are asylums in Iceland for Alpha misfits. Even in this so-called utopia, no one is perfect. Lenina has lupus and Bernard is emotionally unstable, due to a mistake in the bottling-plant. If a person is to run out of soma, they feel sick. It may seem to be a utopia, but in essence, brave new world is far from it. Well-being is not and can not be, genetically pre-programmed, but that is what the soma is for. When one of the inhabitants experiences unpleasant thoughts or emotions, which supposedly do not exist anyway, they receive soma: One cubic centimeter cures ten gloomy sentiments( ). Although the people here are allegedly emotionless, it is shown that they are far from it. Bernard is overcome by feelings of non-conformity. He feels that people should be monogamous, he has emotions, he believes in love. Bernard loves Lenina. This is a concept, though, which is too abstract for these inhabitants to fully understand. Bernard realizes that he is not the only one that feels this way when the Director speaks of an occurrence over twenty-five years ago, which is alone, bad manners in this utopia. The fact that he still dreams of this occurrence shows that he was more emotion than what is good for you in this system. When Bernard brings Linda and her son, John to the Director, he responds with disgust. After this, Lindas face twists grotesquely into the grimace of extreme grief ( ), an emotion that is unknown to these sheltered people. It is impossible to live in a perfect society, because nothing can be forever perfect, and what is perfect for one, the Director for example, may not be perfection to another, like Bernard. In order to overcome the possibility of this happening, all must lead sheltered lives. A life without love and emotion is far from perfect though. To combat the unhappiness, the perfect drug, soma is taken. Even soma is not perfect. Taken in excess, soma is lethal, and that is how Linda dies. After her death, her son commits suicide. If all were perfect, suicide would be unheard of. So once again, nothing in this brave new world is actually perfection. There is no such thing as a utopia. A utopia cannot be achieved because nothing that is perfect for one is perfect for all, no matter how sheltered their lives may be. This brave new world may have been the idealistic society for some, but not all, because if it was what everyone wanted, it could not be overturned. This brave new world was, in fact destroyed. Love, feelings, and emotions destroyed it. Nothing can be completely flawless, and that is

The Piano Lesson Themes - Sutters Ghost

The Piano Lesson Themes - Sutters Ghost Supernatural themes lurk throughout August Wilsons drama, The Piano Lesson. But to fully understand the function of the ghost character in The Piano Lesson, readers may want to become familiar with the plot and characters of The Piano Lesson. Sutters Ghost During the play, several characters see the ghost of Mr. Sutter, the man who probably murdered the father of Berniece and Boy Willie. Sutter was also the legal owner of the piano. There are different ways of interpreting the ghost: The ghost is a product of the characters imagination.The ghost symbolizes oppression.Or it is an actual ghost! Assuming the ghost is real and not symbolism, the next question is: What does the ghost want? Revenge? (Berniece believes that her brother pushed Sutter down a well). Forgiveness? (This doesnt seem likely since Sutters ghost is antagonistic rather than repentant). It may simply be that Sutters ghost wants the piano. In Toni Morrisons beautiful foreword to the 2007 publication of The Piano Lesson, she states: Even a threatening ghost hovering in any room it chooses pales before the gripping fear of what is outside - the steady, casual intimacy with imprisonment and violent death. She also observes that Against years of menace and routine violence, wrestling with a ghost is mere play. Morrisons analysis is spot on. During the plays climax, Boy Willie enthusiastically battles the ghosts, running up the stairs, tumbling down again, only to go charging back up. Grappling with the specter is sport in comparison to the hazards of the oppressive 1940s society. Spirits of the Family Bernieces suitor, Avery, is a religious man. In order to disconnect the ghosts ties to the piano, Avery agrees to bless Bernieces house. When Avery, an up-and-coming reverend, passionately recites passages from the Bible, the ghost does not budge. In fact, the ghost becomes even more aggressive, and this is when Boy Willie finally witnesses the ghost and their battle begins. In the middle of The Piano Lessons chaotic final scene, Berniece has an epiphany. She realizes that she must call on the spirits of her mother, father, and grandparents. She sits down at the piano and, for the first time in a year, she plays. She sings for the spirits of her family to help her. As her music becomes more powerful, more insistent, the ghost goes away, the battle upstairs ceases, and even her stubborn brother has a change of heart. Throughout the play, Boy Willie demanded that he sell the piano. But once he hears his sister play the piano and sing to her deceased relatives, he understands that the musical heirloom is meant to stay with his Berniece and her daughter. By embracing music once again, Berniece and Boy Willie now appreciate the pianos purpose, one that is both familiar and divine.