The Wild Duck Journal #3

I don't think that the question 'who is at fault?' for Hedvig's death is 100% valid. Gregers definitely didn't expose the truth so that a child would die. The biggest problem with this whole ordeal is that no one considered the most important puzzle piece in this mystery- being Hedvig herself. None of the characters explain to her about her past nor would it (most likely) be told in the right way. I would say though that Gregers should be mindful of his actions though. Essentially, if he had minded his own business, maybe Hedvig would actually be alive. I could see the truth unfolding correctly only in 2 scenarios in terms of what was best for Hedvig. Either Gina and Werle should have been honest from day one or it should have just been a secret. I think that it is the fault of all of the charcters who knew though to keep quite and mind their own business. The only character who I could realistically see being without fault would be Old Ekdal, considering that he is somewhat delusional and can't always tell what's going on in his surroundings. I think that the biggest person to blame would be Relling in the end- because he sees what Gregers is trying to do and does nothing to stop him from meddling into another's affairs. Also, I'd partially blame Hjalmar and the way he treated Hedvig when he came into the house again, because I think that was the final straw for her and not feeling loved. Overall, none of the characters truly take any responsibility because they don't stop Gregers from exposing the truth and Hjalmar is very much at fault for his rude interactions with Hedvig in the moments before she killed herself. 

The Wild Duck Journal #2

I feel the main point of this motif of disease is to show weakness in humanity- but represented in a physical form. On page 133, Werle talks for the first time about how his eyesight is leaving him and how he can't see clearly. At the same time, Gregers 'sight' of the situation involving Werle's love child Hedvig becomes clearer. However, this metaphor clearly extends to page 135, when he then talks about how Gregers sees him though 'his mothers eyes- which were clouded at times'. It is as if Gregers has figured him out, and Werle is trying to say that Gregers's vision is clouded, except for the fact that it's Werle's perception that truly is clouded because he cannot see that his secret is being figured out. Also, I feel that with this parallel in Hedvig's vision, Ibsen is trying to say that without the truth, Hedvig's life only becomes more complicated as she is not exposed to the truth. On page 178, after a heated discussion about morals, Hedvig says 'this is all so strange to me'. She appears to be innocent, however in her mind there is no clouded perception. This becomes an issue later on when she does not understand why her father does not love her, and ends up shooting herself- she does this because she thinks she has a clear perspective on a situation, however in reality Hedvig does not. Also at the end of Act 3, Relling talks about the moralist fever, which I understand to be Ibsen's idea that those who try to meddle in others affairs have a disease. I think that Ibsen is trying to highlight that truth is good, it is also destructive when the wrong person exposes the truth of a situation. They have this disease where they always want to show the most moral decision of a situation, however they are the wrong person to do so.

The Wild Duck Journal #1

The one character that really stands out to me in terms of boundaries is Hedvig. She is bound by her youth/ perceived innocence and by her gender. I think that Ibsen points out something significant about childhood through her character though. Yes, Hedvig doesn't know the entirety of her story (in reference to her being an illegitimate child) which hinders her perception of how the adults view her. She feels as if it is her fault that her father is angered by her in the end of the novel and ends up shooting herself because she feels that there is a new boundary formed between her and her father. I think that this can be key in society in general- many people fear of telling children about life situations, however by keeping it a secret they may also be doing them a disfavor. Also, there are boundaries in general with Hedvig's perceived father Hjalmar. Her dad always seems so busy with his photography/ invention that he does not even help teach her at home. This separation I think helps Hedvig identify with her mother and become a servant to her father in turn.

This servant-like mentality I also see with all three females in the play. It's almost expected of them to be submissive, as they all act as if the men are somewhat breakable and are always ready to help. I think this can show a gender boundary  of the time period, that women are suppose to aid men in their endeavors and the men are suppose to lead. However, Hjalmar goes against this because Gina ends up doing most of the photography work for Hjalmar while still being a housewife and mom. Ibsen's use of boundaries is fascinating in that sense.

Dystopian Journal #3- Brave New World

A motif that is prevalent early in the novel but now really comes to life in this last 3rd of BNW is that of Shakespeare, especially in chapter 17 when John is talking with the Controller. It was difficult for me to understand a lot of these references because I hadn't read a lot of Shakespeare, but I think that's Huxley's point to a certain degree. I think he's trying to show that those who aren't as educated in Shakespeare in a rather educated society are already doing themselves a disfavor because we (and ultimately I) allow this BNW scenario to eventually happen because of our (and my) ignorance. Many people today would probably go see a movie, go out shopping or eat at a nice restaurant rather than sit down an read literature and John was semi-forced to do (having no other friends or options for entertainment really). But then again this motif of Shakespeare references can ultimately link back to what Huxley is saying for this chapter, and for the entirety of the novel. The World State makes everything in life quite comfy in order to have people not rebel against the state. However, this doesn't allow for the people to grow as human beings or truly be challenged. John says on page 238 "You got rid of them. (He's talking about mosquitoes in reference to a story he's just told.)Yes, that's just like you. Getting rid of everything unpleasant instead of learning to put up with it." By getting rid of the obstacles, everyone in the society lives this overly cushy life. Even with VPS, the citizens of the world state are still being cushioned, while losing the values which have made human society what it is today.

The Park Lane Hospital for the Dying is a new setting that helps show John how corrupt and vulgar the society really is for him and his enlightened mind. The fact that people bring in children to condition them for death, the fact that this society wants those who aren't perfect to be eradicated is repulsive to John. And the fact that everyone who works at the hospital takes soma and lives as "children" of the state is also frightening to John as he does not live in a new world of goodness, but of wickedness. This event, along with the experience with the controller, allows John to want to get out the World State and live on his own again, which may seem odd. He'd lived his whole life in isolation, and now he's choosing to be alone. I think this is significant of the author's ideals though. John would rather live in isolation as he did before because of the problems with the World State. Also, the fact that he only has two places to live- the Reservation or the World State, also drives John to a form of madness where he hurts himself. I think that the setting of the hospital and the setting of the Savage camp, and ultimately the World State as a whole and the Reservation all show as to where John fits in this new world. In either society, John is either an outsider because of the way he looks or because he doesn't follow the customs of the society/ doesn't agree with the values system. At the end of the day, John- as enlightened as he may be, is an outsider even in pursuit of what he really wants. However, what he really wants (poetry, art, God sin, real love) is all meant to be shared with another person, and because he can't have that in any setting, he is doomed for a downfall.

The language Huxley uses in this last part in BNW shows a frightening portrayal of those in pursuit of a story or money. In the last chapter as John sets up his isolationist camp, reporters from around the area begin to hear and see what's going on with John. As the reporters try to talk with him, John responds back in Zuni phrases. This language of agitation helps show how frustrated John is, but also how logical he is compared to those in the society. At one point, a reporter tries to convince John to take soma because "Pain's a delusion" (pg 251). But then when John threatens him by attempting to throw a rock at him, the reporter from the Fordian Science Monitor (clever Huxley, clever) runs back into his helicopter. I think that with this set-up in another's outrageous thinking  Huxley does show how crazy  people in the society really are. And it's only when logic comes up against them that they try to escape the pain they think doesn't exist. At the very end of the novel, after John has partaken in the orgy and has woken from his soma induced coma, the only words he utters are "Oh, my, God, my God!" (pg 259) and then in the next few paragraphs it's shown how he's killed himself. I think that this language tries to show how shocked the society must have been. In their minds, someone must be mad if they are unhappy taking soma and partaking in an orgy. However, now they see someone be ruined by this, they start running as the novel describes in the end, in scattered directions, as if this Savage has confused their paradigm of thinking. I think the language John uses and the language used to describe how John dies helps show how the people in the society are confused, and possibly disturbed by this other way of thinking.

Dystopian Journal #2- Brave New World

Another big motif that comes through more in this second part is the way everyone from the World State says 'Our Ford'. Even though religion ceases to exist, I see the society still  worshiping at the alter of Ford and his innovations. I think that this reoccurance can say something about  how human beings always worship something as a power, even if it is subconscious/ not actually thinking of someone as 'God' per se. And they way they mention the name 'Ford' is as if he is to be revered or honored. This idea of how humans worship can show Huxley's idea of us worshiping innovation or technology. This can be prevalent as humans start to believe more and more in science and technological innovations versus having a faith in religion or God. This idea of worship also leads itself to pleasure. The people of the state aren't just pleasure seekers; they worship at the alter of pleasure and (from my observations) seem to be addicted to this. Soma is said to have no side effects, but this can rage the debate of whether or not just being addicted to a substance that keeps you under the authority of the state is ethical or not. When Lenina can't seem to get John to sleep with her, she just takes more of the drug, and so does everyone else in the novel. Both with Ford and soma can I see how Huxley not only shows how humans worship, but how state governments can exploit this through indoctrination to keep people in their world.

The setting of the Reservation is quite interesting in comparison to the World State. But what's even more fascinating is how Huxley uses contrast in how John reacts to the World State and how Lenina and Bernard act to the Reservation. Lenina is repulsed by this society where woman breastfeed children and all look so old in her eyes. She almost seems as if she looks down on them for the most part because of their culture being different from hers. ( Which is understandable considering how this society goes against her indoctrinated beliefs.) Then when John comes to the World State, he is not baffled and doesn't seem to be in love the with culture, like many expect him to be. He has heard a lot from his mother about the WS, which shows how he probably isn't surprised, but we must remember how people expect him to be surprised because of their society and how they are shocked when he doesn't care for it. This could show how people of industrialized cultures look down upon other's beliefs and values' systems while in some ways, having messed up moral codes of their own. (Which makes sense considering the time before Huxley wrote this was the time of imperialism.) The elitest mindset can show how industrialized cultures expect others to automatically fall in love with their way of life, however this isn't always the case as shown with John.

The language in one specific part of this third is disturbing. On page 177- Mond doesn't want to biology paper he'd just read published for fear that others will believe in that instead of the state. I see this being a paradox in the state's thinking. They seem to worship at the alter of improvement, however don't want too much improvement that the people go against them. (Hence why they have feelies, soma, etc, to keep the people physically happy and unquestioning.) I could see this in society today. People in the US seem to believe more and more about evolution over creationism, we're becoming an agnostic nation and this would seem to lead us into a state of increased knowledge and critical thinking. Whereas, today we relax and spend our money on pleasures for ourselves. I think Huxley has a frighteningly accurate prediction for future and how society seems to be moving into an enlightened age, but instead actually regresses. This can show how governments try to show that people are better in morals (see above paragraph) or in knowledge, but the citizens of the state don't know for themselves about this, just the authority knows. By this, government has more control, and people believe in the facade that they are actually intelligent, whereas this is a fake intelligence.

Dystopian Journal #1- Brave New World

The biggest motif I have discovered so far is this idea of massiveness and newness. Making masses amount of people from one ovary, the massive consumption, the massive amount of sex people have. Along with this massiveness is newness. People always want to have new things, they die fairly early (by US standards) and overall this leads into this consumerist society. I think that this key to understanding the World State and the way it ends up viewing morality- whatever is new and massive is best. This can ad up to the idea of how disposable life itself is in this culture. That life isn't value the way that we perceive it to be valued in our culture. This idea that life is also about maximizing pleasure in the grotesque way is disgusting to me as well because of how in this pursuit people de-sensitize and sanitize the society by making it unclean with these strange practices of consumption and pleasure.

This setting is very interesting in the way that this new world reproduces and therefore affects the rest of society. By introducing reproduction in a sense that this is horrible outside of this futuristic AI system and by removing pregnancy from pleasure, there is this quite disturbing way that sex is perceived in the society. Even having little kids get ready to have sex at such a young age can be kind of revolting and shows how close within our nature because those reading the book have such a strong tie to sex being linked to pregnancy and a part of our morality... it's kind of gross to read. Also, the way that classes are reveled almost seems as if society has progressed backwards and yet forwards. Yes, for the upper caste there is improvement, but for the lower classes it seems as if it doesn't matter what happens to them. And yet, we have supposedly reached this lovely utopia?

The language of the book is almost charmingly twisted because of its British tone. The way that people passively talk about children's sexual play, the reproduction processes, how people are classed into the caste system, all sounds lovely when they are speaking. However, there is this apparent and frightening undertone of how scary this would actually be to have this be real in the world. This cavalier way of talking of such subjects helps show how they have truly lost emotions outwardly, but then again still live with shame if people do have children/ live outside of the WS's idea of living.