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.